AN: MAR76, deiDandy, booklover161904, otte1978, giannakylie, Happy's Princess, slumpsgirl812, Arowley, sillygabby, primesgirl4, and dark-lelu THANK YOU SO MUCH. This chapter received the most feedback so far and I thank you guys for not bashing me for the content. This story is going to be a VERY hard road to go down but I hop you all stick with me. And for your amazingness, here's another chapter posted a lot sooner than intended.
The incessant beeping is what woke Madison first. She tried to move but it hurt; she tried to open her eyes but they felt heavy like they had been cemented shut. She tried to swallow but her mouth and throat were dry and pasted closed. There was another noise though. Not the beeping but….breathing? Whispering? Whispering! Madison forced herself to move, to open her eyes afraid her assailants had come back. A dry scream erupted from her mouth and she shot up in the hospital bed. Everything was blurry and every movement felt like fire ripping through her body. She struggled against the blankets covering her legs, she fought against the hands pushing her back down on to the bed. No! She couldn't let them do it again. She hurt too much. Terrified, she continued screaming and fighting until she felt the sharp pinch of a needle in her arm. The rush of cool liquid seeped in and everything became hazy and her body felt heavy as the drug took effect. Gentle hands laid her back down and once again she was consumed in darkness.
Had it been hours? Days? She could feel the sun filtering in through the window; hear the beeping of the monitor and the whispering of people inside and outside of her room. Trying to move a little she felt a hand holding hers gently and she squeezed.
"Hey I think she's waking up." The person holding her hand said to someone or someones in the room.
"Should we call a nurse in? She might freak out again." Someone replied back.
"No, I really don't want them pumping her with another sedative. They should have figured she was gonna freak." Someone else said. How many people were in here? Madison struggled to open her eyes and only managed to open one. The other one let a tiny bit of light in but other than that she couldn't open it. The blurriness slowly seceded and she turned her head to find Tia sitting beside her hold her hand. Opening her mouth she tried to ask what had happened but nothing came out.
"Hey get her some water." Tia pointed to something out of Madison's line of vision and suddenly a straw was pressed against her lips. Shifting her eyes up she found Tanya's puffy and red face staring down at her with a sad smile. Swallowing just enough to wet her mouth and throat Madison turned her head away and Tanya moved the cup.
"What happened?" She whispered in a hoarse tone. Feeling around her fingers found purchase on the controls on the rail of the bed. Clicking a few she finally found the one to raise the head and she winced in pain as it moved until she let it go. She was in one of the single room's which were very hard to come by. The hospital only had maybe ten that Madison knew of.
"Do you remember anything that happened two nights ago? After you left the shelter?" Tia spoke slowly and kept her voice down, probably to keep the nurses from hearing. She knew they would rush right in and start poking and prodding her.
"I…I went home. Happy left a note saying he wouldn't be there, he had stuff to do. I showered and went to bed. It was really hot and….there was a noise…." Madison trailed off as her good eye watered. Covering her mouth with her hand she shook her head. "I thought it was just a bad dream. I didn't…"
"Hey it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong Mads. You're okay now." Mariah moved forward and sat on the end of the bed. Her hand moved to Madison's leg and affectionately rubbed it. All three women looked like they had gotten no sleep and had been crying for days.
"You said two nights ago?" Madison calmed herself down a little. They were right. She was safe. For now at least. Tanya nodded.
"Yea you didn't show up for work which you never do so we tried calling you. After like the fifth call we went over to see if you were home. The door was unlocked and we found you in the living room on the floor." Her voice caught on her last few words. Madison couldn't imagine what she had looked like when they found her on the floor half naked, battered and bruised.
"I thought it was Happy but then I heard someone else. I tried to run for the door but they were faster, stronger. I fought back as much as I could." Madison started crying, ashamed and scared. "Do they know who did it?" She asked, her hand going to her side where she felt a sharp pain as she took a shuddering breath in.
"Not yet but there are two cops here, detectives or something waiting here that want to speak with you. Do you think you can talk to them right now or do you want to put it off?" Tia squeezed her hand gently.
"No, let's just get it done with. I don't want to have to keep telling people what happened. I want this over and those men in jail or dead." A commotion was heard in the hall and a nurse yelling at someone. Someone laughed and heavy footsteps were heard. The Son's came stomping in, Jax first followed by Happy and the others. Tanya and Mariah moved away from the bed but Tia stayed put. Happy went right to Madison's side, his hand hovering near her face, too scared to touch her and hurt her.
"Fuck." He breathed. Madison reached up and took his hand in hers.
"I'm okay." She whispered. She was just glad he was here now.
"Like fuckin' 'ell you are!" Chibs said loudly from the other side of the room. "'Ave you seen yourself girlie? Someone get 'er a fuckin' mirror." Juice scattered across the room and started searching the drawers for a mirror or something Madison could see her reflection in.
"Chibs…" Madison protested but stopped when a hand held mirror was thrust in front of her. Her left eye was swollen shut and most of her face was covered in shades of black, blue and deep purple. Her lip was split and there were marks on her neck. If Madison hadn't known any better she would have thought it was a stranger that had miraculously survived a horrible car wreck. A strangled sob sounded in her throat and Happy snatched away the mirror.
"Get the fuckin' thing outta here." He snapped at Juice. There was a rapping on the door and everyone turned to see the two detectives coming into the room followed by a very upset and annoyed looking nurse.
"Madison, they would like to speak with you…in private." She shot a look at all of the people in the room.
"No, let them stay. I don't want to repeat this more than once." She shook her head. By the look on the nurse's face she knew it was most definitely frowned upon to have so many people in the room. "They are family." She looked at each one in turn. With a huff the nurse left. Tia got up and stepped aside to stand with her two daughters, giving the detectives room to get a little closer.
"We need you to start from the beginning. Although we would rather not have this many people in the room we understand that you want them here."
"If they don't stay, I'm not talking." Madison eyed him.
"Understood, so what time did you get home two nights ago?"
Madison went through the whole ordeal only skipping the part where her attackers spoke to her. They didn't need to know it was a warning to her and the Son's. Each detail had everyone cringing and had Tia cry out when she got to the violation part. The three women cried as she went through it all over again, answering every little question. Finally they thanked her and left. Tia got a phone call from the shelter and she had to leave, taking both of the girls with her. It shocked Madison a little bit as they hugged each biker, Tia whispering something to Happy and Tanya receiving a kiss on the cheek from Tig. She spent a little while with the MC before she finally sighed and asked them all to come closer so she wouldn't be overheard.
"I…I kept something from those cops. It has to do with you guys and your MC. I knew if I told them they would blame you for this." Jax pulled the chair close to the bed and she mostly spoke to him. "They said it was a warning from another MC to not get mixed up with you guys. The odd thing was they said I didn't want to end up like my brother. Shouldn't they have said Brady? My brother is still in Boston and still with The Devil Drifters so why did they bring him up?" Madison felt confused and tired.
"When was the last time you spoke to your brother?" Jax asked. Madison closed her eyes and tried to think.
"Maybe a month ago? He normally calls once a week but he said he was going on a run with the president and a few others and wouldn't be back for awhile. He said it was too dangerous to call so he'd call when he got back." Jax shared a look with Happy and then Chibs. "What was that?"
"What?"
"That look between you guys. What was that?"
"It was nothing darlin' just thinkin' of getting in touch with your brother. Making sure these guys just had it wrong." He reassured her. Happy removed his hand from Madison's.
"I'll go do that now." Madison wanted to beg him to stay. She didn't want to be alone.
"You guys go. I'll stay with her until you get back." Jax smiled at Madison.
"Thanks Prez. I'll be back as soon as I can." Happy leaned down and gently kissed her lips. When he pulled back Madison was both shocked and happy. Where did this put them now? Happy stomped out of the room followed by the others who offered her a little wave.
"Why did you offer to stay?" Madison finally asked after a few moments of silence. Jax leaned forward, his arms on the bed, hands clasped together.
"Happy really cares for you, whether he shows it or not. He…he doesn't do these feelings and shit so it's new to him. If he cares for you so don't the Sons. You are family now. You're kinda like a little sister to me now and we aren't going to leave you alone anymore. Work, home, that dance thing you do, someone has to be with you at all times until we figure out who did this and what they want." Madison tried to digest the information slowly, savoring the details. She had a family. She had almost forgotten what it was like to have so many people to count on and take care of. Yes, she had the Torres' and had for awhile now but this was different in a way. It almost felt like back in Boston.
"Thank you." She whispered. Madison felt tired, drowsy and weak. "You don't mind if I rest right? I feel so tired." Jax nodded and smiled at her. Madison reached out her hand for his. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep mumbling something about the tv remote.
"This is ridiculous. I'm not doing it. They can go to hell!" Madison was furious. She wanted to go home, to be free of this hospital and its annoying nurses who tried to coddle her for the past three days. After fighting and arguing that she was well enough to go home the doctors reluctantly agreed to sign the discharge papers but forced her to agree that she wouldn't drive until her eye was fully healed and they deemed it healed. And they wanted her to use a cane until then. Like hell she would! A cane? Really? Was she an old woman or just a victim of senseless violence? Maddie had agreed to the no driving thing which bothered her enough since she hated having to rely on people but there was no way she would agree to this. No way. Tia had tried to reason with her and told her to just agree and then not use it, and of course it made more sense than arguing about it and possibly being kept in the hospital until her eye was better, but did that register with Maddie? No. She didn't want to agree to another thing that made her feel like an invalid. The doctor sighed impatiently and tried again.
"Miss James this is for your safety as well as others. Don't you think this is a little selfish of…" He didn't finish the last of the sentence as Madison shouted at him.
"Selfish of me?! Are you kidding me?! I have been kept here for three days trying to play nice with your overbearing nurses after I was attacked in my own home and repeatedly raped. So excuse me if I don't want to agree to be a goddamn vegetable as everyone does everything for me!" Madison clutched her side as a pain ripped through her ribs.
"What's going on in here?" Happy's voice was deep and full of authority. Maddie and the doctor both turned towards the door to find the menacing biker standing there looking between the two. The doctor paled and looked like he was going to piss himself.
"I….well I was…" He stuttered and Tia stifled a laugh behind her hand.
"He is telling me that along with not being able to drive that I cannot walk by myself and is telling me that I need to use a cane." The brunette glared at the doctor.
"Seriously?" Happy asked. The doctor's mouth opened and closed a few times but he didn't speak. "Maddie, are you really fighting about this?" It was Madison's turn to look like a fish as she turned to the biker.
"Are you siding with him on this?" She asked him in shock.
"She will use the cane. Now hand over the discharge papers so we can leave." Happy ignored Madison. The doctor excused himself to get the papers.
"Are you serious Happy? You might as well tie my up in a goddamn bed until I heal!" She yelled. "You know what; I'll save you the aggravation and just stay in this hell okay?" Madison made to climb back into the bed but Happy grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from it gently as to not hurt her.
"You don't have to use the fucking thing Mads. I told the doctor you would so we could leave. So please, shut up." The girl was speechless as she stood there and took the papers when the doctor handed her them. She was silent still as they wheeled her through the hospital and out to Tia's van in a wheelchair. She didn't say a single word as Tia drove around with Happy on his bike right behind them. She did however say something when they pulled up in front of Tanya and Mariah's house.
"Tia, as much as I love everyone, I just want to go home." She sighed. Turning off the ignition Tia hesitated a moment.
"You are home." She said and quickly climbed out of the van.
"What?!" Madison clambered clumsily down from her seat and stared at Tia and then at Happy as he dismounted his bike. "You guys moved me here? What about my apartment?"
"The landlord said she will gladly rent you a new one at a later date." Happy grunted as he made his way to the house. Tia just smiled and shrugged and followed him leaving Maddie standing there trying to process the new events. "You coming or what Handicap?" Happy shouted from the door. Madison flipped him off but walked toward the house, which was actually kind of hard to do with only one eye and a lot of pain. Finally making it to the porch steps Madison stopped and looked at Happy. "I can see it on your face Mads. You know you can ask for help." He spoke lowly. She knew she could and yet her stubbornness wouldn't let her. The girl shook her head and struggled up the stairs. She heard him sigh in aggravation but she couldn't make herself care. Reaching the top she stopped and looked at the hand that Happy held out for her.
"Do you care about me?" She asked.
"Seriously?" Happy snapped. With another aggravated sigh at the look on Madison's face he swallowed hard before continuing. "If you think that after all I have done and will do for you that I don't care you have some kind of problem in that head of yours. If I didn't care would I have come back? Would I have rushed to the hospital? Would I have been there every day? Would me and the guys be searching for your brother and the assholes who hurt you? Would I have asked Thing One and Thing Two to take care of you?" He paused and Maddie felt a little foolish. He stepped forward and took hold of her chin and tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "If I didn't care about you would I be thinking of you every day and the things I am going to do to you when you are healed?" His voice was husky and Madison felt that fire in her belly. She almost wanted to say fuck the injuries and have him but the shooting pain in her side where her broken ribs were reminded her what a horrible idea that was. Neither one saying another word they entered the house and Madison did her best to be grateful.
