Chapter 27

Sophie

I didn't want to get out of bed. I was so comfortable and relaxed that I simply had no desire to move. Not only was last night was the first night since Daryl got shot that I actually got a real night's sleep, but it was also the first time I even left the hospital. I did not leave that building for one very long week. Now that I knew he was going to be okay, I felt alright leaving him alone.

Plus, he kind of kicked me out of his room, too.

Someone must have told him that I hadn't left the hospital since he was admitted. Bear tried to get me to leave while he was still unconscious in ICU. I flat out refused. There was no way I was going anywhere when he needed me. That wasn't an option. I didn't care how tired I was, Daryl had to come first.

Bear, Marci, and Colt showed up to visit with me Daryl's third day in ICU. I was hanging out in the room they had for family members waiting until I got my next fifteen minutes with Daryl. I sure as hell hope never to see that damn drab room again. Sugar had already gone back to the clubhouse to take a shower, which I was very grateful for, and to catch a few hours' sleep.

When they caught me yawning several times as we talked, Bear tried to put his foot down. He tried to reason with me, but I refused to leave. I understood where they were coming from, but until Daryl woke up and I knew he was fine, there was no way I was leaving him.

Then he attempted to order me back to the clubhouse as the president of the club. Maybe if I wasn't as tired as I was, he would have intimidated me a lot more. I smiled as I remembered our conversation. "Sophie, damn it girl. You ain't doing Daryl any good if you pass out from exhaustion. Colt and Marci will stay here until you get back, but come back with me and get some sleep."

"Not happening, Bear."

"Woman," he growled standing up. "This ain't a request. I'm ordering you to come back to the clubhouse with me! Let's go!"

I jumped to my feet. "Bear, I'm not going anywhere until I know Daryl's awake and fine. Until then, I'm not leaving him."

"I'll carry you out if I have to," he threatened.

"Try it. Just try it. I'll scream the whole place down," I told him and I and was fully prepared to do it. Any sane person would never talk to Bear that way. I was determined and I was also exhausted, but there was no way I was leaving. I took a deep breath and changed tactics. "I appreciate you all worrying about me. I really do, but if anything happened and I wasn't here, I would never forgive myself for letting him down. He needs me, Bear. I can't go."

He took a step closer to me and wrapped me in his huge arms. "I get it. We don't want you exhausting yourself, but I get it. Call me if you need anything. Call any of us. You're family just like Trax is. He should be proud of what a damn fine ol' lady you are. Trax is a fucking lucky man."

He kissed the top of my head and left. Colt even gave me a quick hug before following Bear. Marci stayed with me while they went to visit with Blade and check on his leg. It took another five nights for me to finally agree to leave. And I don't think I slept as hard and soundly as I did last night in years.

I stretched in bed before swinging my legs out over the edge so I could sit up. I heard my phone ding letting me know that a text message had come in. I picked it up to check it out. I was surprised to see that it was already after ten in the morning. I had slept for over twelve hours. That was something I had never done before.

When I got back to the clubhouse last night, I grabbed something quick to eat. In between bites, everyone wanted to know how "Trax" was doing. I gave them a quick rundown on him and as soon as I could, I bolted upstairs to shower and go to bed. That was maybe 7 o'clock last night.

I check my messages and see that it's from Daryl.

Daryl:

Bring me clothes. I'm outta here.

He was getting discharged? I could have sworn the doctor wanted to keep him another day or two.

ME:

Will do. You're getting discharged, right?

By the time I made the bed he hadn't responded.

ME:

Babe, you're being discharged today?

I showered again. Then fixed my hair before packing a bag for Daryl. I had Marci take his cut from the hospital and she cleaned it the best she could. There just wasn't anything we could do about the bullet hole in it. I put his cut in the duffle along with jeans a shirt and some underwear and socks. The only thing I had left at the hospital was his biker boots. I was able to clean them up in the bathroom sink.

Still no response from him.

So I took my time having breakfast with the few people that were around. There were a couple of older club members along with Jet who was still taking it easy and Striker. I didn't know the club's enforcer well. He was one of the biggest men I had ever seen in person. He was one of the tallest guys in the club and positively huge. He was a wall of nothing but muscle. Compared to Striker, Daryl was a small guy but in my eyes, he was simply perfect for me.

Striker was handsome and almost as good looking as Wolf but give me my Daryl any day. He may be a slight bit older than a lot of these guys, but he's the only one here that my heart responded to. He's the one that made it beat faster when he walked into a room. He's the only one I fell any connection with.

And he's the only one that with one simple touch would get my panties soaking wet. That started the first time I saw him and has never stopped.

Daryl was my guy.

Everyone was quietly eating at the table, when Striker asked me, "How's Trax doing?"

"Slowly getting better. He's getting grouchy and becoming a pain in the ass," I said with a smile as I sipped my tea.

"So he's back to normal?" Jet piped in.

I couldn't help but laugh. Striker did too. Daryl wasn't the most jovial of guys, but from what I've heard he normally wasn't a guy that smiled a lot. In the time I've known him and especially since I moved into the clubhouse, he's been much more relaxed. I treasure the times I get to see his beautiful smile.

"Was he really all that bad? I know he has his moments but I don't see him that way."

Daryl tended to be one of the serious guys in the club like Colt was. Striker leaned that way too. Guys like Blade and Wolf always had an easy smile. Even Diesel seemed easier going than my Daryl. But that didn't mean I wanted him to change. I loved him exactly the way he was.

"He used to be, but it shows what a good woman will do to you." Striker set his fork down and pushed his empty breakfast plate away from him. He lit up a cigarette blowing the smoke toward Jet instead of me. "I've known Trax a long time. I was a prospect when they patched him in. It pissed off the other prospects that he didn't have to do what we did. But I got it. He'd been a part of this club even when he wasn't. I listened to Digger tell stories at the bar. This was before the Deadly Sinners took him out. He knew the stories of most of the guys and knew Trax's. I knew he practically grew up here because of Sugar. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that they, like most of us, had a shit childhood. Trax pulled his weight with the club before he found Truck's niece that day in the woods. He deserved to be patched in. But in all the years I've known him, there was a part of him that was still empty. It happens to a lot of the brothers. Then he meets you and I don't see that emptiness in him anymore."

I had never heard Striker say that much. Not to mention his words brought tears to my eyes. "I don't feel empty anymore either." The words came out very softly as I tried not to breakdown in front of these guys.

"Leave it to the old guy to get such a hot chick," sighed Jet.

There went any desire to cry as I laughed at Jet. Striker just shook his head. "Daryl, I mean Trax is not old."

"The brother is older than me and you. That makes him old."

"That old man could kick your disrespectful ass anytime, brother." Striker emphasized the word brother. "Let's see you call him old to his face. They're a helluva lot older guys here than Trax."

Jet stood up and put his crutches under his arms. The doctors wanted him to keep weight off his leg for a while. "True but none of them have an ol' lady as hot as Sophie. Maybe she'll realize he's too old for her and come knocking at my door."

Striker shook his head and I tried not to laugh. "Jet, even if Trax and I didn't work out, I like my men more seasoned and not young pups."

Striker raised his hand and I high fived him. Jet shook his head and headed toward the stairs that lead up to the bedrooms.

"And on that note, I'm off to see my old man right now. He says he's coming home, but I highly doubt that."

I picked up my plate from the table and before I headed into the kitchen I noticed all of the guys had their empty breakfast dishes sitting on the table. I started stacking them with the silverware and brought them all into the kitchen at the same time. I got smiles from them all, but it was something they better not get used to.

It was a little after twelve when I stepped into Daryl's room. "How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"Bout time you got here," he grunted throwing the covers off him. I stood back surprised at his comment. Very slowly he maneuvered himself to the sitting on the edge of the small hospital bed. "Give me my shit so I can get dressed and get the fuck outta here."

"No."

Something told me this wasn't right. I knew he was anxious to get back to the clubhouse, but he was still hooked up to IV's and I know the doctor told us yesterday he needed a few more days before he could be released.

"Why didn't you answer my text messages? I brought clothes, but are you actually being discharged?"

Daryl looked up from the floor. His blue eyes were dark with anger which I didn't understand. I knew he wasn't happy being here, no one is happy to be in a hospital, but he needed this to heal. Hell, he got shot last week and was in a coma!

"Sophie, I need the fuck outta here. Give me my shit and get a nurse to get this IV outta me or I'm going pull it out myself."

I didn't understand why he was so angry. It didn't make any sense to me at all. I dropped the duffle bag of clothes to the floor, conveniently out of his reach, and sat on the bed next to him. "Daryl, I get it that you want out of here. Anyone would, but if the doctors think you need another day or two here, why not stay? You're not alone, you've got me. Get stronger for me first. Please."

It didn't get past me that his hands were clenched into tight fists.

"Not another day. Not another minute. I'll call Sugar to come get me if you won't. You're supposed to have my fuckin' back woman."

Who was this man? He definitely didn't resemble the Daryl I knew. "Of course, I have your back. I just want what's best for you. I always will. Let me talk to the nurses and see what we can do. Give me that, okay?"

"Leave me the clothes. I want to put some fucking pants on. Tired of my dick swinging free." The only thing he wore was the hospital gown. It did take away the bad boy biker vibe he usually had going on.

I didn't mean to laugh. I really didn't, but how could I not? "Babe, I always want to see your dick swing free. You got one great dick."

And he tried to stop the smile that was causing the corner of his mouth to lift, but he couldn't. "Thought you forgot all about it."

I gave him a huge eye roll. "Really? You were in a coma three days ago. Three! And you're upset that I forgot about your big, wonderful dick? Daryl, I was just happy that you were alive. You almost died on me. I love you and your dick, but you needed to heal first. Got that…heal first, sex later."

I kissed his scruffy cheek before getting up to get the duffle bag. There was no way I trusted him not to skip out on me, so I gave him the one piece of clothing he wanted, but didn't ask for. His cut.

"I'm going to talk to the nurses," I told him and brought the bag of clothes with me.

"How the fuck am I supposed to wear this? Where are my damn clothes!" he shouted as I walked down the hall toward the nurse's station. This was certainly a new side to him I was seeing.

I headed toward the nurses' station where I saw a few of them working on computers. "Who can I talk to about the pain in the ass in room 2011?"

Three heads popped up laughing. "I'm Carrie," the tiny brunette answered. "The pain in the ass belongs to me."

"And unfortunately to me too." Everyone here still assumed Daryl and I were married. "What's going on with him? It seems he's pretty anxious to go home." I really wished home wasn't our small room at the clubhouse. We needed to rent a house or at least a larger apartment to get more room and privacy.

"Dr. Fuller saw him this morning when she did rounds and wants him to stay a few more days. His hemoglobin levels are barely normal and his white blood cell count is higher than she would like. His body's been through a lot and she wants him around so we can keep an eye on him."

I didn't see that happening. Daryl was going to leave one way or the other. "I understand all of that and I would prefer him to remain here, but he isn't going to stay."

"He wants to leave AMA?" Carrie must have seen the confusion on my face. "That means against medical advice."

"Yes, he does. It's against my advice too, but his mind's made up." I picked up the duffle bag and held it up. "I'm holding his clothes hostage until I spoke with you. Otherwise, he'd already be out the door."

"Leaving like this is more common than you think," Carrie smiled. "Let me call Dr. Fuller and let her know what's going on. I'll get the paperwork together. He'll need to sign that he's leaving AMA and I can give you some information on his care. Bandage changes, a prescription for pain meds all of that, okay?"

"Sounds good. He wants that IV out so he can get dressed. Can you do that first? He's threatened to rip it out himself."

"Certainly. Let me grab a few things and I'll be right there, Mrs. Dixon."

"Just call me, Sophie. Thank you, Carrie."

I had barely set a foot into the room when he demanded, "When are we leavin'?"

"Soon. So stop being such an ungrateful dick. Carrie is going to take your IV out and then let Dr. Fuller, who saved your life in the OR, know that you are leaving with what they call – against medical advice. But the second you're dressed you need to give me a few minutes to get the information I need to take care of you."

"I've never needed anyone before and I think I fuckin' know how to take care of myself." I was seriously contemplating if I could kill him and get away with it.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed to be the calm one here. "You have a bullet wound in your shoulder and a large incision in your belly that need care. I need to know how to do that. Not to mention, that you are pretty damn weak and you can't deny that. You struggled to even sit on the side of the bed. And I want a prescription for pain meds for you too."

"Stitch can take care of all that. I don't need you to do it."

He was infuriating. "Daryl, I'm your ol' lady and I love you for some fucking reason that I can't think of right now. I want to take care of you. Let me…please."

"Sure thing…Mrs. Dixon."

I wanted to smack that sarcastic grin right off his face. Where did the man I fell in love with go? "That was Sugar's idea. It got me into the ICU to see you and we agreed to make any decisions about you together. Just let that go as we don't want any problems with the hospital. Carrie should be here any second to take the IV out and then you can get dressed. Just take a breath, please. You're getting out of here even though no one agrees with that except you."

Luckily for me, Carrie walked through the door right then to takeout the IV. "Let's get this out of you even though we would like you to stay with us a few more days." I hoped she didn't hear the low growl that came from Daryl but it was hard to miss. "We're going miss you and all those handsome men that would come to see you. It definitely made the floor more interesting." By this time she was placing a Band-Aid where the IV used to be. "Sophie," she said smiling at me. "Here's some bandages for when they need to get changed. You'll find all of those details on this paper here. I've added some tape and antibiotic ointment."

"Thank you, Carrie. We appreciate that."

"It's no problem. And Daryl, you need to sign this form in two places agreeing that it was your choice to leave here AMA…against medical advice."

Carrie handed him a pen and Daryl scribbled his name twice. He was free to go. "Great. You get changed and I'll get a wheelchair to bring you down."

"Nah, I can walk. Sophie give my clothes."

"Hospital policy," she smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Fuck hospital policy," I heard Daryl mumble under his breath.

All I could do was shake my head at him. He was getting what he wanted so why was he still being such an ass?

I pulled the clothes out of the duffle bag and laid them next to him on the bed. Then I reached back and drew the curtain so he could have some privacy while getting changed.

Daryl practically ripped the hospital gown off tossing it over his shoulder. He picked up the boxer briefs and carefully got one foot through the opening. Each time he tried for the other foot, I saw him grimace in pain. He wasn't accounting for how the eight-inch incision in his belly was going to restrict him.

I didn't even ask him if he needed help, I took them out of his hands and brought them down to the floor so he could step into them. When I slid them up his calves he took them from me. We did that with his pants, socks, and boots. He never asked for help. I knew he wouldn't but I gave it to him anyway. He was shrugging into his cut when Carrie returned with the wheelchair.

"Ain't using that. Take it away."

He was a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. "If you walk over to Carrie without a problem, I'll walk you out of here. But if I see you struggling just a bit to take those couple of steps, you're getting wheeled out of here."

As expected he grumbled a few choice words under his breath before slowly standing up. The four steps to the wheelchair had him out of breath and swaying. He sat down because he had no other choice.

It was a small victory for me. "Wheelchair it is."

When the valet brought my SUV around I thanked Carrie for her patience and her help. Daryl's strong arm muscles helped pull himself up into the car. Of course, he had to take off the cut first. I tipped the valet before getting into the driver's side. I started the Honda and headed out of the hospital. What Daryl didn't expect was for me to pull over at the first chance I got.

"What the fuck?" he asked.

"Exactly, Daryl. What the fuck is going on with you?"

I was not going to have it out with him at the clubhouse. Too many ears there and this was between him and me. He had no reason to treat me this way and I wanted to know why.

It didn't get past me that he wouldn't look at me. "Nothing. Keep driving."

"I know you don't feel well. You're not supposed to after what you went through but why are you taking that out on me? I didn't leave that damn hospital for a week! Everyone tried to get me to take a break and go back to the clubhouse, including Bear, but I flatly refused. There was no way I was going to leave you. You're the one that ordered me out yesterday, are you mad that I went back to the clubhouse?"

"No."

I hated single word answers. "Then why were you mad at me today? What did I do?"

He sat there for a second. "You took too long getting back. I wanted to get out of there."

I wasn't sure I believed him. Something told me it was more than that. "After being here for a week straight and getting very little sleep, I passed out in our bed around seven o'clock at night. I didn't wake up until after ten o'clock this morning. Does that tell you how tired I was? Then you texted me but you never answered me back. There was no reason for that. I got up, showered, and had some breakfast with a few of the guys. They were asking about you. I needed that down time as much as you needed to get back. That was the first time I did anything for me since you got shot. You've been living with what happened for just a few days. Me? I've been dealing with the fact that you could die any minute for days. I am emotionally spent. I thank God that you made it through, but I don't need you treating me like I am crap. I deserve better."

We probably sat there for a good minute before he said anything. "You do deserve better. I'm a dick. I don't know how to do this relationship shit. I want you, but I'm not sure I know how to do this."

"We do this together, Daryl. A relationship isn't only about the good times and the sex, it's handling the bad times too. Finding a way to work through them…together."

He finally looked over at me. "I'm sorry. I'll fuck this up again, I know it. It's like you're too good to be true and I'm bound to screw this up. I'm a Dixon and we suck at this."

"We'll figure this out together. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I got one more thing for you."

"Wasn't that enough?" he deeply sighed. I knew he must be tired.

"Totally different topic. Do you think we could…maybe…look for a place to live that's not the clubhouse? I would love a place that just for us."

I was so relieved when he shook his head yes. "I was thinking the same thing. I'll leave it up to you. If you like it, I will too."

"Apartment or house to rent?"

"House to buy with decent land."

That certainly surprised me. I didn't have any money to put down for a deposit on a house. I had no idea what he made at the garage, but it had to be a lot more than what I made at the bakery. "Can we afford that?"

I loved the smirk that crept onto his face. "You know that safe I got in the closet?"

"Yes."

"Been saving my money in there for almost twenty years. I have very little expenses except for dues to the club and my bike. Last I looked there was over seventy grand in there."

My mouth hung open in shock. "You have seventy thousand dollars in cash in our room?"

"At least. I haven't counted it in a while, but I keep adding cash to it."

"Why not use a bank?" I asked. Seemed like a legitimate question.

"Don't trust them. Can we head back now? I feel like shit."

I chuckled as I started the SUV backup. Before I put it in gear, I leaned over and kissed him. "Don't know why I love your grumpy ass but I do."

"No clue why you do either. I'm just a fucked up redneck biker from Georgia who hit the jackpot when I met you. Love you too, Soph."

I kissed again, but when I went to turn away he put my hand on his groin. He was hard…as usual. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"When we get back I only want two things."

"What's that?" I asked as I gave him a few gentle squeezes through his jeans.

"A damn nap and a blow job and not in that order."

I couldn't help but laugh at him. "I would love to give you a blow job," I told him as I pulled out onto the road again. "Then I think we both will need a nap."

"Thank you for everything, Sophie. I don't deserve you."

And with that, we headed back to the clubhouse. I was glad that we had talked, but something was still bugging me. He was still off. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something still didn't feel right. Then again I could be reading too much into him. There was still so much for me to learn about this man. Getting our own place would be the first step toward us solidifying our relationship.

Today all I wanted to do was give him that blowjob he asked for and take a long overdue nap. Tomorrow, I would go house hunting. I was looking forward to it all.