Chapter Seven
Aiden woke an hour later. He looked groggily around the room, trying to piece together what had happened. He didn't remember anything after being shot in the firefight. His eyes found T-Bone at the window, peeling the curtains back to check outside. He looked tense and anxious and nearly jumped when Aiden croaked his name.
"T-Bone."
"Aiden! Man it's good to hear your voice. For a while there, I thought you'd be pushing up daisies."
"Is Clara alright?"
"Don't worry, she's fine. I told her to stay put in the Bunker for now."
"Please tell me I'm not in a hospital right now because it sure looks like a hospital to me."
"I didn't want to bring you here, Aiden, but I didn't exactly have a choice! You got shot and pulling bullets out of shoulders and bringing people back from the dead is a bit beyond my expertise for Christ's sake!"
"We can't stay here. We're sitting ducks. Don't you think this is the first place the South Club is going to come looking? Not to mention the police, most of which is in Lucky Quinn's pocket. Hospitals have to report bullet wounds."
"You don't have to worry about the doctor reporting to the police. Trust me. She recognized you from the news. Apparently you saved her sister a few months back."
"Either way, the South Club is bound to show up eventually. We have to get back to the Bunker."
"Are you crazy? You're injured, Aiden. You can't just up and leave the hospital after getting shot. Not to mention whatever happened before that, which you have yet to tell me."
"I'll tell you when you get me out of here. You're right, I'm hurt and I don't think I can get out of here on my own. But I will if I have to." To prove his point, Aiden swung his legs over the side of the bed, sending a sharp wave of pain through his core. He started disconnecting himself from the myriad medical machines. T-Bone remained motionless on the other side of the bed. "You gonna help me or not?" Aiden asked a little heatedly.
"Ah, fuck it! If you die because of this, I'm gonna kill you." T-Bone edged around the bed and helped Aiden get dressed, forgoing the useless shirt. He then slung one of Aiden's arms around his shoulders, helping him to stand and leading him to the door. Aiden hobbled along well enough for all of his injuries. His left arm sat in a sling and his right leg had been bound in a brace.
"You know, this ain't exactly inconspicuous." T-Bone stated before they went through the door.
"You're right. Push me in the chair. I'll try to look well enough to actually leave." Aiden said it jokingly, but it proved a more difficult task than he had anticipated considering he barely had the energy to stay sitting upright.
Nonetheless, no one stopped them as they made their way out of the building. Then again, T-Bone did glare daggers at anyone who looked like they might get in their way. They both breathed a sigh of relief when they made it out into the open air and headed for the car.
Unbeknownst to either of them, someone from Aiden's "family" was searching his room twenty minutes later, concealing a suspiciously gun-shaped bulge under his coat.
Aiden dozed on the way back to the Bunker, worrying T-Bone every time he closed his eyes. When they stepped out of the shipping crate elevator, Clara rushed to greet them. She ducked underneath Aiden's other arm and aided T-Bone in getting him down the stairs. They set him in one of the office chairs behind the desk.
Clara was the first to speak. "Aiden, are you alright?"
"Heh, not really, but I'll live. I guess I owe you guys an explanation."
"Yeah, I should fucking think so," T-Bone chimed in.
Aiden commenced to tell them everything that had happened after he lost contact with them at the Merlaut. How he had cleared the lobby, but the South Club was lying in wait for him at the top of the elevator. How Lucky Quinn had showed up and had Aiden tortured and eventually used as bait. From there, T-Bone took over, telling Aiden what had happened on his and Clara's end.
A palpable silence followed the end of the account.
Then Aiden ended it by doing something he rarely ever did. He apologized. "I'm sorry I dragged you two into this. I put both of your lives in danger and either I didn't see it or I didn't care. I'm not even sure which. This whole time, I thought I would be the only one affected by my actions and, well, I… I was wrong."
T-Bone's face had remained stoic throughout Aiden's apology, but when Aiden finished, he exclaimed, "Holy shit! Did you hear that?" Clara glanced worryingly at the door, as if T-Bone had heard footsteps approaching. Aiden merely looked perplexed. "I think I just heard a pig fly."
Aiden shot T-Bone a reproachful look and snapped, "Shut up, T-Bone." But they all ended up smiling and chuckling.
Then T-Bone grew serious again. "All joking aside, Aiden, I think we both knew what we were getting into when we signed on."
Clara nodded her head in agreement. "And besides, I owe you for my part in Lena's death."
"I already told you, you owe me nothing, Clara," responded Aiden.
"The point is," T-Bone started, bringing the conversation back around, "this whole thing isn't about you anymore. It's about protecting the people of Chicago from the likes of Lucky Quinn. So stop worrying about us. We weren't the ones who almost died tonight."
Aiden thought about what T-Bone said. He hadn't realized it, but his mission had gone beyond simple revenge. Aiden wanted to keep Lucky Quinn from hurting anyone else the way he had hurt him. And, despite hating to admit it, he needed help.
"Let us help you, Aiden. You're not in this alone anymore."
"You're right," Aiden conceded. "I can't do this alone."
"So does that mean we can stop worrying about you running off to fight the biggest mob boss in Chicago history and his entire gang single-handed?"
"I don't think you have to worry about me going anywhere. At least for a couple days," Aiden added sarcastically.
Clara and T-Bone helped Aiden to the cot in his makeshift quarters. He fell asleep almost immediately, content that they could handle the South Club for the time being.
THE END
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