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Kid
Friday Night
The Cape Town clubhouse was filled to capacity. Every single member and the retired members were there to witness Hook handing the VP’s patch over to him.
He and Dizzy had flown down and had arrived around eleven that morning and since then he had been busy as hell. The prospects had emptied out his duplex in readiness for his things which had arrived at about four. And with the help of the prospects and a few of the brothers the container had been unloaded and he at least had a bed to sleep in tonight. He would have to go shopping for furniture sometime because he had brought hardly anything from his flat.
He stood between Orca and Hook as silence descended.
Orca didn’t raise his voice but it reached to every corner of the common room. There were too many of them to fit in their chapel which was why the ceremony was being done in the common room.
“Brothers, it’s my honour to welcome our brothers from Johannesburg to our chapter. When we asked Kid to take over the Vice President’s position at our chapter he was shocked. The man couldn’t believe that we wanted him but I assured him that it had been an almost unanimous decision by the club. A few of you still have reservations but you will soon see that you were wrong. You should consider the following. His lieutenant, Dizzy Mitchell, refused to let his boss transfer without someone at his back and transferred in as well. That’s loyalty and brotherhood right there and speaks to the kind of man he is.”
Orca stepped forward a couple of steps and so did Hook.
“Our brother Hook has served the club and us well but right now he needs time to fight this fucking disease, and we will give it to him. But we want him to know that this is his home, will always be his home. And every single one of us fights with him as he conquers this demon.”
They turned to face Kid and Dizzy who stood behind him, watching his back.
Hook handed the two patches he had in his hand to his president and grinned at Kid.
“Kid Knight, step forward.”
Kid did as Orca asked and stepped forward, halting in front of him. Without any fanfare he handed the two patches over to Kid then shook his hand.
“Welcome to the Cape Town chapter, VP. I look forward to working with you.” He grinned. “There’s needle and thread on the bar, why don’t you get busy putting those patches where they belong, brother?”
It was so different from the way Hawk did things at his table but Kid could work with it. When the time came he would be making some changes though.
Shaking hands with Hook he turned to watch as Orca handed Dizzy his new bottom rocker. He still had his lieutenants’ patch on his kutte and it would stay there for a little while longer. At least until Kid spoke to Orca about his promotion to the table.
Once Dizzy had his bottom rocker he joined Kid and the two of them sat quietly at the bar sewing on their rockers, he stayed to watch as Kid sewed on his VP patch. It was so different from what would have happened at home. Shit, Joburg was no longer his home, this was.
Pulling his kutte back on and settling it around his shoulders Kid looked out over the partying men. The old ladies had joined the party while they had been at the bar and he could see the club sluts and party girls were out in full force. Not that he or Dizzy would be partaking in what they were offering.
With Dizzy and Blaze beside him he started circulating. His SAA introduced him to the men and their old ladies if they had them. There weren’t many old ladies and he found that strange for a club with a large older membership. He had noticed the anomaly when he first arrived. They had too many older men and too few younger men. Why? Weren’t they recruiting for members wishing to transfer? That was going to change. He needed soldiers. He knew Orca and Hook had started to change the situation at the table by promoting younger men as officers but he needed young blood in the membership. His first decision as the new VP would be to issue an invitation to the other chapters for transfers.
He would start the way he was going to go forward. Full out.
He was chatting to Blaze and Sly, his enforcer, when there was a wild commotion at the door. Sly and Blaze immediately turned and made their way to the door and Kid followed.
What he saw rocked him to his core. Rock was at the door. His brother, covered in blood and with wild eyes was being held back by two of the brothers as he fought to get inside.
“I need to see my brother right the fuck now! It’s urgent!” He shouted as he fought.
Kid pushed to the front of the gathering crowd and gave his first order at his new chapter.
“Hands off my brother! Fuck, Rock! Where are you hurt, brother?”
The men very reluctantly let go of Rock’s arms. Kid grabbed his shoulder and he tried to find the source of the blood.
“It isn’t my blood. You have to come! Right the fuck now. Murchison got hold of your woman, it’s not looking good.” His words were rushed but Kid understood him perfectly.
Murchison had put his hands on Noelle. He was going to fucking kill him.
“Where is she?”
“She’s in hospital.”
Turning slightly Kid looked for and found Dizzy standing next to Sly. “Let’s ride, my woman’s been hurt.”
“We’re going with you, brother.” Blaze said quietly as he fell in beside him.
Kid could only nod, the only thing in his head was his angel-eyes. Fuck. He couldn’t lose her. He wanted to look into her eyes again and by the amount of blood all over Rock he knew he might never get the chance to do so.
When he pulled out he had Rock next to him and Dizzy, Blaze, Sly and about ten other brothers bringing up the rear. He followed Rock’s lead because he had no fucking clue where the hospital was.
He was going to get a fucking map and start exploring the damn city to familiarise himself with it. He didn’t want to have to rely on others to take him where he wanted to go.
As they pulled into the parking lot he saw one of Noe’s cars parked close to the entrance, the doors weren’t properly closed and it was parked across two parking spots.
Rolling his bike to a stop right next to it he kicked the stand down and was off the bike in seconds. One look at the back seat of the car and he almost lost it. There was blood everywhere. The seats. The carpets. The backs of the front seat, the side panels...fucking everywhere.
Looking for Dizzy he pointed at the car. “Park this before it gets towed, then come find me.”
He didn’t wait for an answer as he ran to the ER doors with Rock keeping pace with him. Bursting inside he looked around frantically then strode up to the receptionist.
“My woman was brought in. Where is she?” He demanded, and not nicely either.
Rock’s hand on his bicep pulling him away from the desk and the scared shitless woman behind it brought him back to himself but not much.
“His wife was brought in with multiple stab wounds and facial injuries. Noelle Knight. Can you please check if she’s still in the ER?” Rock defused the situation. While hearing the extent of her injuries had ice settling in his veins.
The woman typed something then looked up at him with pity in her fucking eyes.
“Mrs Knight is in surgery at the moment. You can go up to the waiting room on the surgical floor. A doctor should come to talk to you soon.”
How they arrived at the surgical floor or the waiting room he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone if they ever asked. All he knew was when he walked into the room and took one look at her crew’s faces and knew it was bad, really fucking bad.
Cuba, of course, stepped up and poked a finger in his chest. “I’m so fucking pissed at you but on the other hand I’m fucking thankful you are here. We didn’t want them to admit her with the fucker’s surname so I made her your wife. Okay?”
Kid looked down at the small woman and was able to give her a slight nod.
“She’s my old lady and that’s as good as married in our world. Tell me, and don’t leave anything out.”
Cuba didn’t know much but what she did know had him gritting his teeth to keep from roaring out his rage. He wanted to strangle the spoilt little bitch for being the cause of Noe’s well laid plans going tits up.
“I’ll deal with her and the family later. Right now I need to know how bad it is. Don’t fucking beat around the bush, Cuba, give it to me straight.”
She was about to when a man in bloody scrubs walked into the waiting room.
“Family of Mrs Noelle Knight?”
Kid immediately walked over. “I’m Nathan Knight, her husband. How is she?”
The doctor gave him serious eyes before he started giving his report.
“We were able to stop the bleeding, repair the damage and she’s stable and out of danger. She had a knife wound to the abdomen and several stab wounds to her left side and thigh. One of the stab wounds nicked her kidney which we were able to repair. The plastic surgeon is working on her facial injuries right now. She suffered blows to the left cheekbone and to her nose. When I left the theatre the surgeon was optimistic that there would be negligible to no nerve damage due to the injury to her cheekbone being on the same side as the earlier trauma to her face.” The doctor smiled at Kid. “The surgeon asked me to convey a request. He would like Mrs Knight to come in for a consultation once her injuries are healed. He would like to discuss options for the repair of the scarring to your wife’s face.”
All Kid heard was that she was stable and out of danger and he heaved a heavy sigh of relief. His woman was a fighter and she had survived. Again.
Cuba leaned against his side with a heavy sigh. “Thank you so much for the update, doc. I’m sure Kid and Noey will discuss the surgeon’s request once she’s back home.”
But there was one more thing Kid had to know. “Was she raped?” He asked softly.
The doctor immediately shook his head. “No, sir, she wasn’t.”
“Thank fuck, she wouldn’t have been able to live with that.” Kid held out a hand to the doctor. “Thank you for taking care of her, doc. Anything you need, ever, look me up.”
The doc looked confused for a minute and then his eyes glanced down at the patches on his kutte and he smiled. The fucker smiled.
“Too tired and missed it.” He said quietly to himself before giving a quick smile. “It’s the new VP. I wish we had a better welcome for you, brother. We’ll have a beer soon. I need to get back. We’ll chat soon.”
With that the doctor whose name he didn’t know left as quickly as he had appeared. He would ask Blaze who he was but not now, later.
“I like that doc.” Cuba said next to him as she moved away.
He made himself at home leaning against the wall close to the door. There was no way he could sit down and wait like the rest. He was already having a hard time staying in one place. Right when he was about to take a walk just to move his body a sister walked into the room.
“Family of Mrs Knight?”
Kid didn’t give anyone else a chance to answer. “I’m her husband, Nathan Knight. How is she?”
The sister smiled. “She’s doing well. We have moved her into recovery and she’ll be moved to a room soon. The surgery went really well and both the doctors are happy with the results, so happy in fact that she’s not going into ICU but into a high care room. You’ll be able to see your wife as soon as we have her settled in her room. It will take another hour or so. If you want to stretch your legs now would be a good time. I’ll come and get you as soon as she’s ready for a visitor. Okay?”
Kid could only nod and the sister patted his forearm gently before she left.
This was so fucking different from the last time he had been in a hospital. And then it hit him. Army had been killed in his hospital bed. No fucking way was he leaving Noelle’s side while she was here. No one would get near her on his watch.
“I’ll be fucking staying here with her. Not making the same mistake we did with Army.” Kid snarled at Dizzy and his head jerked as he looked at him in shock
“Fuck” He said softly. “You’re right, Boss. No way can we leave either of you here alone.” Pulling out his phone he started walking towards the door. “Calling Prez to let him know what’s happening.”
For a second Kid wondered which Prez he was calling before he let it go. It didn’t matter. Turning to Rock who was sitting bent over in a chair with his head in his hands he crouched in front of his brother.
“Talk to me, brother.” He urged quietly.
Rock’s eyes were red and glittery when he looked up. “It’s Keeley’s fault. She almost got Face killed. Our spoilt as fuck sister almost got her killed because she wants what she wants when she wants it.” He slowly shook his head. “This, what she did, I don’t think I can forgive her, Kid. She knew, she fucking knew the bastard was part of the Syndicate and still she went to him. She endangered every single one of us, not only your old lady.” He sighed heavily. “I need to go back to the clubhouse and report to my prez, but fuck, I’m not so sure I can keep my shit together if I saw her.”
Kid could sympathise because fuck knows he’s been in that exact same position more times than he could count.
“All you can do is worry about yourself now, Rock. She made a choice and that choice wasn’t for her family or the club. I’ve been where you are now, but there’s one big difference, Keeley is a selfish brat and can be redeemed. Go, talk to Dad, not your president. Tell him how you feel, he’s a good man, brother. Together, as a family, you’ll make the right decisions. You’re going to need some distance from Keeley and you need to tell her and your parents. The clubhouse is your home, not hers. She needs to go. Maybe you could send her to Cuba to start her training, if she’s still agreeable to taking her in.”
Rock sat forward and threw his arms around Kid’s shoulders and they hugged, hard.
“Thank you, brother. I always wanted a big brother and now I have one. And he’s like a damned oracle or something.” Rock tried to tease but it fell short of reaching his eyes.
Kid patted him on the shoulder as he stood.
“Bro, go home, shower then talk to Dad.”
He watched Rock glance at Cuba before he walked out. She was watching him as he walked away.
“Go. He needs you. I’ll keep you updated, I promise.” Kid nodded towards the door.
She didn’t hesitate. She turned, hugged the women waiting with her and ran after Rock.
He needed some strong coffee.
“I’m getting coffee. Anyone else want?” He asked the room in general and after getting a couple of yes’s walked out to find coffee.
Dizzy joined him as they rode down in the lift and walked towards the reception. He was silent while Kid asked for directions to the nearest coffee shop. He was still silent as they walked out and ordered coffee.
Only then did he start talking.
“I called Orca and filled him in on what happened. Then I called Hawk. They’re booked on a late flight. Hawk, DC, Spider, Beast and Boots are on their way down. Orca organised to have them picked up at the airport and taken to the clubhouse. Hawk insisted he had to be with you, VP.”
It looked like Dizzy expected him to be pissed at what he had done but he wasn’t. He needed his best friend to help him through. Hawk was good at focussing on the problem and solving it.
“It’s all good, Dizz. I’m going to need Hawk around to keep my fucking temper in check.”
Dizzy nodded and together they gathered the trays and took the coffees back up to the waiting room.
Shortly afterward the sister appeared and took him to see his woman.
The sight of her lying in that fucking hospital bed and connected to all sorts of fucking tubes and shit almost had his knees buckling. She looked fucking battered to shit. Her face was bruised and swollen and almost unrecognisable under the bandages.
“Jesus wept.” He said on a heavy sigh as he took her hand in his.
The sister patted his arm as she brought a chair over.
“Sit down and talk to her. She’s under light sedation right now but I’m sure she can hear you. Your voice will calm her and tell her she’s not alone. She woke in recovery and was very combative, the doctor was worried she would injure herself and put her under again.” She explained as she checked on the machines around the bed.
“That’s my girl, she’s a fighter. And no worries, I won’t be leaving her side.”
The sister nodded as she gently straightened the blankets around Noelle. “We’re in the office over there, keeping an eye on the monitors. Doctor says to stay as long as you need to. No visiting hours for you. I’ll let the rest of your friends know she’s sleeping and you can talk to Doctor about visitation later when he does his rounds. Okay?”
Kid nodded, his eyes on the part of his woman’s face he could see. The bastard had damaged the already damaged side of her face. Sitting there holding her hand and talking to her about his new position at the Cape Town chapter he decided that once she was well enough they would be seeing the bloody surgeon. He wanted her fixed so when she looked in a mirror she saw nothing but herself. No bad fucking memories hanging around.
Her hand twitched in his a couple of times but she didn’t wake up. Instead he fell asleep with his head resting on her bed next to her shoulder, holding her hand in both of his.
Someone stroking over his head woke him and he jerked then stopped himself from pulling away when he realised it was Noe. She was awake and looking at him in absolute confusion.
She tried to speak but he immediately stopped her. “No talking, baby. You’re in hospital and you’ve had surgery to repair the stab wounds and the damage to your face. One of the stab wounds nicked a kidney and it’s been repaired but you need to take it easy. The doc fixed your cheekbone and set your nose and he wants you to relax and not talk for a few hours.”
Again she tried to talk but he stopped her.
“No, baby, no talking. I’ll have a tablet brought in. You can type when you need to talk. Okay?”
Her swollen eyes spat fire at him and he couldn’t help but smile.
“I can see you’re pissed at me, and so you should be. But right now as far as everyone in this hospital is concerned you’re my wife. And seeing that I’ve claimed you as my old lady that’s as good as married anyway.” Kid winked and grinned as her swollen eyes tried to narrow. “I can see not being able to bitch me out is driving you fucking nuts. Don’t worry, Noe, once the doc says you can talk you can bitch as much as you want and I'll take it, all of it. Not going to change anything though, you’re mine and I’m not letting you go, not again. I fucked up but it won’t happen again. Not ever again.”
Her answer was to give him a disgusted glare. Kid grinned and took her hand in his and kissed her fingers, fingers that tightened around his.
He would take the peace he felt now because soon enough he would have to ask her questions and she’ll relive what had happened to her.
He hated that he would have to do it but he had to know who had done this to her.
And once he knew he would be taking care of the bastard.
Permanently.
Little did he know that his old lady had already saved him the trouble.
