The Biker's Fate Chapter 281

The nurse walked away, and I stayed where I was, straddled between Merrick and Grace, waiting for Hatch to relieve me. I took a second to text Poppy and check in, receiving a quick response letting me know she was fine and asking about Grace. I let her know we'd be there within the hour and then slid my phone back into my pocket.

Hatch arrived with the nurse and I introduced him to Merrick. "Merrick hasn't eaten in a while, so I was hoping you might be able to find him something."

"I can do that," Hatch said.

Merrick looked up at Hatch with wide eyes, no doubt taking in his badass biker appearance, but I trusted my man to win him over, just like he'd won over Poppy.

I took a second to stand on my tiptoes and kiss Hatch gently, whispering, "Thanks, love," so that Merrick could see how I felt about Hatch. Hopefully, that took some of the fear away from him.

"You got it, Sunshine," Hatch said, squeezing my hand. "Talked to Ryan. Everything's set."

"Thank you."

Hatch nodded. "Okay, Merrick, let's head to the cafeteria. I'm starvin'. How about you?"

"Yeah," Merrick said.

"Maisie?" Grace called, and I stepped back into the room.

Later that night, Hatch and I lay in his bed and I tried to calm my mind. I couldn't.

"I should check on the kids," I said, and sat up.

Hatch pulled me back down. "They're fine, Sunshine. Bunk room's across the hall, Devon said he'd come get me if Merrick needed you. Cricket's in with Poppy and Grace. You've spent the whole day takin' care of them. It's time for me to take care of you."

"Why hasn't Ryan called?"

"Takes a while to clear a scene like that, Sunshine."

"You think he's clearing the scene? Wouldn't someone else do it?"

He stroked my back. "I get the feelin' Ryan's kind of a pain in the ass and is tryin' to insert himself anyway."

"Well, you got that right." I sighed, snuggling closer. "I don't know what he's going to do now. He loved her so much, Connor. She was his world. He loved her more than his kids… not to diminish his love for his kids, but she took a lot, you know?"

"I get it."

"This all seems so surreal. First the accident, now this." I squeezed my eyes shut. "I'm having a hard time associating my best friend for the past fifteen years, with the woman who cut my brake lines and was going to shoot her own daughter. I can't figure out when the switch flipped. Ryan has always been so on top of her illness, Hatch. Neither of them wanted her to become a statistic. Her mother has the same issues, but her father wasn't as patient as Ryan. They divorced after he had her institutionalized against her will. Now Phyllis is shacking up with some guy out on a farm in the mid-west and is this whacky, hippie, hopped-up on who knows what, drunk lady who looks like she should have been dead a long time ago."

"Yeah? Is she happy?"

"I have no idea. I've only met her once and she was high, so I couldn't tell you if she remembered me or not. Ali had to cut ties with her because she wasn't safe to be around the kids."

"Makes sense."

Blood-curdling screams and a dog's barking had me knifing off the bed and running for the room Grace was in. Pushing open the door, I found her thrashing on the mattress while Poppy tried to soothe her, but since Grace didn't appear to be awake, she wasn't having much luck.

Devon, Flea, and Merrick rushed into the room as well, but Hatch ushered them into the hallway, while Cricket pulled Poppy who was holding Sparky into the corner and hugged her.

I wrapped Grace up in a motherly hug and crooned to her as calmly as I could, "Gracie, it's Maisie. I'm here. Auntie's here. Can you open your eyes, love? I've got you, sweetness." She began to relax in stages and then her eyes opened, and she buried her face in my neck and burst into tears. "It's okay."

"You need to get out of my way. I want to check on my sister," Merrick ordered.

"It's okay, Hatch," I called. "She's okay now." I turned back to Grace. "Aren't you, love?"

Grace nodded and Merrick stalked to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"I'll give you two a minute," I said.

"I'll take Sparky out," Devon offered, and Poppy handed her dog over. Flea followed Devon, obviously to give everyone some privacy.

Pulling Poppy in for a few minutes of comfort, we walked into the hallway and I lifted her face, wiping tears from her cheeks. "You okay, Poppet?"

She nodded. "That was really scary."

"I know." I hugged her again.

"Is it true that Alison was going to kill Gracie?"

I scowled at Hatch over Poppy's head and gave him a look of desperation. I really wish Gracie hadn't told her that, but I suppose I couldn't shield my daughter from everything.

"It looks that way," I confirmed.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed out.

I lifted her face again. "But you understand that Alison was deeply troubled, right? This had nothing to do with Grace, or even Alison to a certain degree. Grace didn't do anything wrong, and Alison wasn't fully in control of her actions."

"Grace said that Alison drank a big bottle of Vodka," Poppy whispered. "She had it hidden in the laundry basket."

"That must have been really scary for Gracie."

"Grace wanted to go with Uncle Ryan and Merrick to the movie, but Uncle Ryan said she should stay with Alison. He said that Alison needed some one-on-one time with Grace."

I forced tears away. This explained Grace's reaction to Ryan at the hospital.

"Gracie hates her dad now, Mummy. She said it's his fault that Alison tried to kill her and that if you hadn't talked to Alison, Grace would be dead too." Poppy burst into tears and I pulled her back into my arms, the tears falling freely down my cheeks now.

Hatch moved then, wrapping us both in his protective warmth. I shifted so I could burrow against his chest, and Poppy and I each wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Need to know my girls are okay," Hatch said after a few minutes. "I know this is a shit situation, but, Poppy, you are protected, as are Grace and Merrick, so I need to know you get that."

She nodded up at him. "I know, Hatch. I'm okay."

"I'll always have your back, baby girl."

"I know."

He kissed her forehead. "Good."

Devon returned with the dog and handed him over to Poppy. "He did his business and now he wants to play. Sorry."

Poppy smiled and hugged Sparky to her chest. "It's sleepy time, puppy, not play time." He nipped at her chin with a growl. "Let's go make Gracie feel better."

I kissed Hatch gently and he released me so I could follow Poppy back into the bedroom. Merrick hugged Grace and then moved to leave the room, but I pulled him in for a squeeze and held him probably longer than he expected. "I love you, Merrick. I'm here for you too. Anything you need."

He settled his head on my shoulder and held on for a little while and we stood like this until he broke the connection, standing to his staggering five-foot-ten-inch height.

"Are you okay in the bunk room?" I asked.

"It's all good, Auntie. Devon and Flea are cool."

"Okay, if you need me, you know where I am."

He nodded and, after one more glance Gracie's way, he left the room.

"Grace, do you feel like you need something more to sleep?" I asked.

"Do I have to go to bed? Can I watch a movie or something?"

"I didn't bring any with me."

"They have movies here," Cricket said. "I don't know how many are suitable for kids, though. Hatch'll know."

I leaned into the hallway. "Honey, what are the odds of age-appropriate movies for Grace and Poppy?"

"Odds are good, Sunshine," Hatch said. "Got a movie room downstairs."

"Grab the dog, ladies, let's go watch a movie," I said. "Devon, Merrick, Flea, you coming?"

They didn't hesitate.