Chapter 24

Lug Nut
“ No bullshiting. What’s the prognosis?” asks Viper. Callen sighs, sits on the arm of the couch and looks at Ailee’s bedroom door. “ From what the latest scans and blood work show. Even with the chemo six months, a year tops.” I hear one of the old ladies gasp but I don’t turn to see who it was. I’m focused on Callen. “ Does Ailee know?” I ask. “ Callen looks at me and it is the first time I noticed the pain in his eyes. “ Aye, we got the call this morning.” “ But she has been smiling and laughing. She isn’t acting like someone who basically got a death sentence.” Rowdy says.
Callen smiles at that “ That’s just how Ailee is. When I told her what the doctor said she just hugged me and said she would just have to fight harder and prove the doctors wrong again. She wasn’t supposed to survive her first battle with cancer.” I smile at that. My girl is headstrong. I'll give her that. “ But you don’t think so do you, Callen?” Viper asks. Wait what is Viper seeing that I’m not.
“ I know Ailee is going to fight this with everything she has. Ailee doesn’t do anything halfway. It is all or nothing for her. But between how far the cancer has progressed and the damage the chemo is doing. I’m not sure if her body can handle the fight.” Callen says. “ What about the transplant?” Viper asks. “ If we can find another match in time. If the procedure doesn’t kill Ailee. It is her only hope. But apparently a million dollars isn’t even for your brother to save her life.” Callen sneers.
A million dollars? To save Ailee. “ What are you talking about Callen?” I ask. Viper answers “ Mr. O’Sullivan offered Ace a million to do the transplant anonymously.” Are you fucking kidding me with this shit. “ He didn’t take the offer. I thought he was going to do it because it’s his daughter but so far I haven’t heard anything about it.” Viper says. It is taking everything in me to keep from running out of here, finding Ace and stomping his ass.I look at my brothers and I see the fury I’m feeling.
“ Lug, keep it together brother. Focus on Ailee. The rest, let us handle it.” Viper says. I know he is right. I need to be here for Ailee. I tell Callen I’m going to lay down with her if he
needs anything and leave. I crawl into bed with Aillee and wrap my arms around her. Ailee snuggles in close to my chest and sleeps. I’m not even tired so I just lay there holding her while my brain tries to process everything I just learned. If I have to drag Ace to the hospital bound and gagged so they can do the transplant I will. I will not lose Ailee.
Ailee
It has been a few days since my visit from Viper,Brick, Tank, Axel and Rowdy. And now I’m standing on Merigold’s front porch waiting for someone to open the door. We have been invited to our first family dinner. I was a bit nervous when Merigold first asked us to come over. She assured me that it was only a few of the guys and their old ladies. And that Ace wasn’t going to be there. It seemed really important to her so I said yes. She told me it had been a tradition that started a few years ago for all the family to attend these dinners and now that included me as well as Callen and Finn. We even managed to give my guards a night off since I would be surrounded by club members. It took some convincing to get my grandda to agree but when I told him who would be there he finally agreed.
When the guys came over to apologize and wanted to start over it made me less nervous. We are starting over and this dinner is going to be the first step. At least I have Callen, Finn and Lug Nut with me to make me more at ease. And I get along well with all the old ladies so I don’t think this dinner will be too bad. I’m going in knowing this could go bad but have hopes that it won’t. You know the saying: hope for the best, plan for the worst. That is what I’m going to do.
The door opens and Lilly greets us with her adorable little boy on her hip and Harley her guide dog at her side. I have to give it to these guys. They sure do make some of the cutest kids I have ever seen. Or maybe I’m biased towards them. “ Sorry guys, we are all out back and didn’t hear the door at first. We aren’t used to people knocking.” She steps back to let us in and she sees that I don’t understand. “ We have been doing these dinners for a few years now and usually everyone just walks in.” Lilly says. She motions for us to follow her as she leads us to the door that leads to the backyard.
Ailee
It has been a few days since my visit from Viper,Brick, Tank, Axel and Rowdy. And now I’m standing on Merigold’s front porch waiting for someone to open the door. We have been invited to our first family dinner. I was a bit nervous when Merigold first asked us to come over. She assured me that it was only a few of the guys and their old ladies. And that Ace wasn’t going to be there. It seemed really important to her so I said yes. She told me it had been a tradition that started a few years ago for all the family to attend these dinners and now that included me as well as Callen and Finn. We even managed to give my guards a night off since I would be surrounded by club members. It took some convincing to get my grandda to agree but when I told him who would be there he finally agreed.
When the guys came over to apologize and wanted to start over it made me less nervous. We are starting over and this dinner is going to be the first step. At least I have Callen, Finn and Lug Nut with me to make me more at ease. And I get along well with all the old ladies so I don’t think this dinner will be too bad. I’m going in knowing this could go bad but have hopes that it won’t. You know the saying: hope for the best, plan for the worst. That is what I’m going to do.
The door opens and Lilly greets us with her adorable little boy on her hip and Harley her guide dog at her side. I have to give it to these guys. They sure do make some of the cutest kids I have ever seen. Or maybe I’m biased towards them. “ Sorry guys, we are all out back and didn’t hear the door at first. We aren’t used to people knocking.” She steps back to let us in and she sees that I don’t understand. “ We have been doing these dinners for a few years now and usually everyone just walks in.” Lilly says. She motions for us to follow her as she leads us to the door that leads to the backyard.
I step out onto the porch and survey the huge backyard. It is a child’s play paradise. There is a large jungle gym that takes up one corner, various sized bikes and tricycles. A tree house with a rope ladder and rockwall, even a staircase so the wee ones can get up in it.. Sandbox overflowing with beach toys.A swing set that included a baby seat and a teeter-tooter. Balls and an assortment of other toys scattered everywhere. Kids are running around everywhere as well as several of the guys. It looks like I walked into the middle of a nerf gun war. There are foam bullets and darts flying in all different directions.