Leland's Baby Read online

  “Rise and shine, Mr. King.” I was pulled from my dream in an instant. I looked over to see Constance by the window. “Do you always scream my name in your dreams?”

  Holy fuck! She was in the room and heard my entire sex dream. But maybe I could use that to my advantage. “It's hard not to moan your name when you're doing the filthiest things to me.”

  Constance fake laughed. “Very funny, Mr. King.” She opened the blinds and flooded the room with light.

  I put my arm over my eyes and hid beneath. “Go away, Mom. I'm too sick to go to school.”

  Constance had so many barriers up. How could I break through? She brought out her clipboard and began flipping through the papers. “I have the results from the tests and it all looks normal.”

  “Does that mean I can go home today?”

  “Not yet. We still need to get you walking around and eating solid foods.”

  I sat up in bed. “Well what are we waiting for, Doc? Let's go take a romantic stroll on the beach.” Constance took my arm and helped me off the bed. My knees were no longer wobbly and my legs felt stronger. I took a couple steps forward and already felt better.

  “Good job. Now let's go out into the hallway.”

  I nodded and walked slowly. Even though my legs felt one-hundred percent, I didn't want Constance to leave my side. I pretended I could barely walk. We reached the hallway and a few of the Rabid Dogs MC were waiting outside.

  “Look! The man can walk,” Big Mike announced, slow clapping.

  I nodded and bowed. “Yes, and for my next trick I'll turn water into beer.”

  Claire approached Constance and walked next to us. “Can Leland come home tonight, Doc?”

  “Not yet,” Constance replied, focusing on keeping me upright. “He still needs to rest a bit more.”

  Claire walked in front of us and stopped us in our tracks. “Come on, Doc. He seems perfectly fine. Let me take him home and I'll look after him.”

  “I'm sorry but he's staying here,” Constance said with a sense of finality. Claire could steamroll over most women but Constance wasn't like most women. She could hold her own.

  We made a lap around the hospital and returned to my room. Even though I faked needing help for most of the walk, I was completely out of breath when we got back. “Thanks for the exercise, Constance. Maybe when I get out of here, you can train me personally.”

  She tried not to respond but a tiny smile formed at the corner of her mouth. I was getting through that tough exterior of hers. It wouldn't be much longer until her legs were wrapped around my back as I pounded into her. “I don't think that would be appropriate, Mr. King.”

  “Well then if we can't exercise together, how about a drink?”

  Constance looked me directly in the eyes. She was scared of something but I couldn't put my finger on it. “I'm sorry, but I don't date patients.” That was a bullshit excuse if I've ever heard one.

  I grabbed her hand before she could leave. That same electric shock zapped me. The hairs on my arms stood on end. “I won't be your patient for long. Come on...one drink, what's the harm?”

  The doctor hesitated. “I can't.” She left quickly and I was all alone with my thoughts.

  I was in and out of sleep. Nightmares of getting stabbed kept me awake at night. The memory of blood pooling around my body was constantly hounding me. I almost died. But I survived, like I always did. It would take a lot more than a broken bottle to take out Leland King.

  Chapter Six

  Constance

  What was happening to me? I almost said yes to a date with an criminal. The man came into the ER with stab wounds for god's sakes. He was not the right guy for me. My prince would come one day and sweep me off my feet. Or at least that's what the movies told me. I doubted I would ever meet him. I made my choice a long time ago—I'd rather be a doctor than someone's wife.

  Nurse Fiona found me in George's room while I checked on his hip. “Dr. Holmes, I can't seem to find anymore Codeine.”

  “There's no more in the drug cabinet?

  “I checked. We're all out,” the nurse replied.

  I sighed and shrugged. “I'll go get more then.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.”

  “I'll check in on you again, George,” I said, winking at him.

  He smacked his lips.“I'll be waiting patiently for your return, Angel.”

  I laughed and left the room. I actually liked when old men hit on me. It was just harmless flirting. Not like it was with Leland. I could see the hunger in his eyes. He wanted me—badly. Did I have that same desire?

  I went down the elevator and to the locked pharmacy. Only doctors had a key ever since a patient stole a ton of painkillers and OD'd in the hospital. The resulting lawsuit made the board change the way drugs were stored and now nurses bugged me every time we ran out of something.

  I pulled out my keychain with a million keys on it. The one for the pharmacy had a little purple sticker on it to identify it from the others. I opened the locked cage and entered the dark room. My hand felt around for the light switch and flipped it. Rows of shelves were lined up containing every drug known to man. I went to the aisle of painkillers that were locked again in another steel cage. For some reason the bright minds upstairs thought it would be genius to have them behind bars twice with the same key. If somebody could get through the first lock, they could easily get through the second. I opened it and grabbed a few bottles of Codeine.

  “Nice night for drugs,” a dark voice announced from behind me. My heart spiked and I dropped all the bottles of Codeine to the floor. I turned my head to find Dr. Green looming.

  “You scared the crap out of me,” I yelled at him.

  The doctor grinned. “I didn't mean to.” He bent down and began collecting the fallen drugs.

  How could I escape this encounter unscathed? “What are you doing in here?” I asked, waiting nervously for him to hand over the bottles to me. My heart was pounding in my throat.

  Dr. Green stood up and shuffled the bottles around in his hands. “Same thing you are Constance—needed to get some drugs.”

  I snatched the Codeine from his hands. “Well next time please don't sneak up on me.”

  Green put his arms up to both sides of my head, keeping me in place. His bad cologne made me nauseous. His eyes blankly stared into mine. “We'd be really good together, Constance.”

  “I already told you that I wasn't interested. Now let me go.” I tried to escape past his arms but he knocked me back against the shelf. My pulse was pounding in my ears now. How was I going to get out of this?

  “I love it when you play hard to get. Your not like most women, Constance. Most women would already have their legs spread wide open for me, wet and ready to go. But you keep yours clenched closed, not allowing anyone to get close.” His hand brushed against the side of my face and my stomach overturned. If I had eaten anything, I would've definitely thrown up. “It's time you finally give me what I deserve.”

  Oh fuck! I needed to do something right now before it was too late. I cursed myself for not taking those free self-defense classes the hospital offered. But I knew the basics. I raised my knee to his groin as hard and fast as I could. Doctor Green's face twisted green as he doubled over with his hands on his crotch. I ran to the door and realized that it was locked. Did he lock it? I pulled my keys out searched for the purple sticker.

  “You're not going to get away from me you bitch!” he yelled from far away. His voice sent shivers down my spine. The keys shook in my hands as I tried to find the right one. Come on! Where is it? I could hear the doctor running towards me. I found the purple key and shoved it in the lock. The door clicked open...but it was too late.

  Doctor Green shoved me against the steel cage door and we both bounced back and fell onto the ground. I tried to wrestle him off but he was too strong. His eyes were on fire and he held my wrists against the cold cement floor.

  “I'll show you what a real man is,” he said, licking my cheek. I s
creamed as loud as I could but Dr. Green just laughed at me. “Nobody is going to hear you down here.”

  A voice behind Dr. Green boomed. “Get your fucking hands off her.” It wasn't a request but an order. Dr. Green looked behind him and let me go. I looked past Green to see Leland standing in the doorway, barely able to hold himself up. What was he doing down here?

  “You better turn around and forget you saw any of this,” Doctor Green hissed.

  “Are you okay, Doctor Holmes?” Leland asked me, ignoring the threat.

  My eyes were filled with terror but I was able to nod.

  Leland clenched his fist and threw an uppercut, knocking Green's head back and sending him crashing to ground. Leland immediately groaned and held his side as he collapsed. I picked myself off the floor and ran to Leland, side-stepping an unconscious Dr. Green.

  “Oh my god, are you all right?” The side of Leland's hospital gown was stained with blood. I lifted it up to find his stitches ripped open. He should have never gotten out of bed.

  Leland's face was pale. “I'm fine, just a little woozy.”

  “Here, let me help you up.” I put his arm around my shoulder and used all my strength to get Leland to his feet. We stumbled to the elevator and got one last glimpse of Dr. Green's limp body. I wished that Leland had killed him but at the same time I knew that was wrong.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I whispered to him, pushing the button for the fifth floor.

  Leland waved it off like it was nothing. “You would have done the same for me.”

  I let out a laugh that instantly made me feel better. All the tension in my body finally released. What was I going to do about Doctor Green? Should I file a formal complaint with the hospital? Go to the police? My head was swimming with too much. I needed to focus on getting Leland fixed up.

  The elevator dinged open and I called out, “Nurse! Little help here.”

  Nurse Fiona ran to the other side of Leland and took some of the weight off me. “What happened Dr. Holmes?”

  Should I tell her everything? No not yet. I needed to think it through first. “Leland tore some stitches while walking around.” Leland nodded and backed up my story.

  We helped him back to his room and set him on the hospital bed. Leland rolled around and groaned in pain. For being such a tough guy, he was acting like such a baby. Fiona left us alone and I began closing his wounds back up.

  “You know, you don't have to act hurt to gain sympathy from me.”

  Leland grinned and stopped groaning. “It was worth a shot.”

  “I hope you know this doesn't mean I'll go on a date with you, Leland.”

  Leland scoffed. “Way to bring a guy down after he just became a hero.”

  I flushed and smiled. Leland King, my hero. I sewed the last of his wounds and cleaned him up. “That should do it. Good as new.”

  Leland lifted his arm up and rolled his shoulder. “Thanks, Doc. I feel better already.”

  “No thank you, Leland.” Tears choked my throat. I didn't want to cry in front of him. Keep it strong, Constance. “I don't want to imagine what would have happened down there if you didn't rescue me.”

  Leland reached out and held my hand. His eyes were intense and unwavering. “If he even looks at you again, I'll make sure he never takes another breath.”

  I wiped the lone tear from my cheek. “I really appreciate you looking out for me. The good news is that you should be able to go home tomorrow morning.”

  Leland smiled and still held my hand. I liked the way he gently ran his fingers in my palm. “It's about time. If I have to eat one more pudding cup, I'm going to bounce off the walls.”

  “I'll make sure the nurse brings you a few to take home.” I winked.

  This man was bringing emotions out of me I hadn't felt in ages. I tried to shake off that feeling because I knew he wasn't the right guy for me. He might be off-the-charts hot but he'd end up in prison or dead eventually just like every other member of a motorcycle club. I didn't want that life for me.

  Chapter Seven

  Leland

  They finally released me from the hospital after too many very long days. My side was still incredibly sore—especially after that knock-out punch. Nurse Fiona pushed me down into a wheelchair.

  “This isn't really necessary, Nurse. I can walk out on my own.”

  “Sorry darling, hospital rules.”

  I didn't feel like arguing anymore. I let Nurse Fiona push me to the elevator and the doors closed in front of us.

  “Still wished we could've finished that sponge bath.”

  “Maybe next time,” Nurse Fiona replied, her hand rubbing my shoulder. She slipped me a scrap of paper with her number scratched on it.

  I had hoped to say goodbye to Constance but she was nowhere to be found. One of the nurses told me she was operating on a patient. Always saving lives. I said a silent goodbye as Fiona pushed me outside. The fresh air reinvigorated me.

  Sawyer was standing outside in front of a nondescript white van. “They finally let you out of this prison, Leland?”

  “Only because they were sick of me sleeping with all the nurses.” I used my arms to lift myself out of the wheelchair and to my feet. Standing on my own two legs felt good even though they worked like Jell-O. Sawyer helped me into the van and I looked out at the entrance one last time, hoping to see Constance running out to me. Why did this chick have such a hold on me? So big deal, she doesn't want me. There's a million other girls I can bed.

  “Leland, are you even listening?” Sawyer's voice brought me out of my daydream.

  I shook my head of the cobwebs. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

  “I was saying that Claire told me you could stay at the clubhouse until you're fully recovered.”

  “That will help a lot right now.” The last thing I wanted was to go back to my broken down apartment.

  I looked outside to see the Rabid Dogs MC coming into view. It was just an abandoned warehouse that was taken over and turned into our clubhouse. Dozens of Harley's were lined up in a row and bikers with leather cuts walked around holding beers.

  I was finally home.

  Sawyer took my arm and helped me out. “Don't get any ideas, Leland. I'm not going to be your nurse.”

  “Damn, I was hoping to get a sponge bath from you.”

  Sawyer laughed and slapped me on the back. “It's good to have you back, Leland.”

  I released a heavy breath and looked up at the Rabid Dogs sign. I never wanted to be stabbed again. “It's good to be back.”

  Sawyer opened the door and waiting inside was the entire MC and all my friends. A banner waved above that stated: Welcome Home Leland. Black balloons and streamers decorated every possible inch of the clubhouse. The bar was fully stocked with booze and scantily-clad women bounced around.

  Everyone started clapping and cheering. I waved my hands to get them all to stop. It felt like I was a war hero coming home. “Please everyone. I didn't do anything. Being stupid and getting stabbed in the back shouldn't warrant this.”

  Claire came through the crowd and kissed me on the cheek. “We're just glad to have you back home, hun.”

  “Thank you, Claire.”

  “I went over to your place and got some clean clothes for you. I put everything in the spare bedroom upstairs. If you need anything, just ask.”

  I gave her a big hug. “Thank you again.”

  Big Mike came rushing over to me, juggling two pints of beer. The light brew spilled over the top and dripped all over his feet. “I bet you've missed this,” he said, handing me a glass.

  “You have no idea, Mike.” I took a sip and let the beer run down my throat. “Damn that tastes good.”

  Cole came over and cornered me. “Welcome back, Leland.” He gave me a quick hug and patted me on the back.

  “Thank you, Prez.”

  “Come into the meeting room. We need to talk about something.”

  Cole led me through the crowd until we were behind cl
osed doors. Our little meeting room was just a wood table with a bunch of seats surrounding it. Someday we'd get a nice spider carved into it. I waited for Cole to start talking. What could he possibly want to talk about right when I got back?

  “I know what you're feeling, Leland.”

  He does?

  Cole sat down at the head of the table where the President belonged. He motioned for me to sit down next to him. I'd never sat in the Vice President spot before. It felt good. Someday, King. Cole continued, “Many members have gone through this before. That boiling emotion you feel inside.”