Chapter 45

Lug Nut

The door was cracked so I could hear everything Ace said to Ailee. I wanted to give them privacy but I also didn’t trust Acee one hundred percent yet. He would have to earn that back after what he did. Ailee would be here if he had gotten off his ass months ago. I listen to Ace tell Ailee that he was going to make her better. He said he was going to try to be a better father from here on out. But what got me is when he said he loved her. I looked around the corner of the door and saw Ailee looking at him. I don’t know what she said to him but he suddenly jumped up and hugged her. It looked like Ailee had forgiven him. That makes me smile. But not for Ace. I’m still pissed off at him for waiting this long. And for what. Even if he didn’t talk to her he should have gone ahead and donated his marrow so Ailee could survive to try to fix his fuck up. But no he was too much of an ass. I smile for Ailee. She has wanted a relationship with Ace for some time now. Even though she says he is fine with the way things are I could see the sadness in her eyes.

I turn to the sound of someone running. I turn and see Dr. Graves running towards us. He stops in front of Dr. Donavan with a smile so big it reaches his eyes. “ He is a mach. A perfect match.” Grave shouts with glee. Just the Ace walked out of the room. “ Ailee is resting again,” he said. I could see redness in his eyes. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. Ace turned to Dr. Graves “ I assume those papers match what I said.” Ace said. Graves nods and says “ Yes, Mr.Ripley you are indeed correct. You will be able to save Ailee. You should feel proud.” To my surprise Ace shook his head no. “ I’m not proud that I finally stepped up to do what a good father would have done without thinking. I’m not doing this to make myself feel better. I’m doing it for purely selfish reasons. I’m doing this so I have a chance to get to know my daughter.” Well at least he is honest about it. Frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck about why he is doing it. As long as he does it. Not that I was going to give him a choice in the matter if he hadn’t stepped up.

“ Now set everything up. Where do we go from here?” Ace asks. “ Now we have you fast for twelve hours. I will set up her first round of radiation first thing in the morning. After that she will have to be placed in a clean room for her safety. Once the radiation kills off Ailee’s marrow she will be highly susceptible to infections. The clean room is a germ free zone. Mr. Ripley you need to tell me when you are going to fast. I will set your procedure for exactly twelve hour after. You will have to stay in the hospital overnight so we can keep an eye on you. I will do the procedure myself. And will explain everything you need to know as we prep you.” Dr. Donavan said. Ace looks at his watch “ Give me an hour. I grab a quick bite and start right after.” Ace says. Dr. Donavan writes that down. “ Can we stay with Ailee tonight? And can she receive visitors?” I ask. I want to know if I can hold my girl tonight. I won’t be able to hold her or touch her soft skin for a few weeks once the ball gets moving on the transplant process. I also know the ol’e ladies will want to come see Ailee before as well. Probably some of the brothers too. “ Yes, Lug. You can stay with Ailee. I would encourage it. It would be beneficial for her to know you are here. As far as visitors. As long as you keep it to two people and they only stay a short time.” Good.

I want Ailee to know how much support she has. And I want her to know how much she is loved. Dr. Donavan turns to Cormac “ Cormac it is a long time coming. But rest assured we are finally getting to the end of this journey with the best possible outcome.” “ Thank ye. For everything.” We all shake hands with the doctors and let them get on their way. They have things to do. Ace heads off to get something to eat. I go back into the room leaving Cormac to talk to his men. I go to Ailee’s bed side, kiss her forehead and tell her “ Honey, I’m back.” Ailee’s eyes flutter but don’t open. That’s fine. She needs the rest. I sit in the chair next to the bed. I pull out my phone with one hand and grab Ailee’s with the other.

I pull up my contacts and hit the call button. “ How is she?.” is the first thing he says after the second ring. Straight to the point. I like it. I fill him in on everything that the doctors said and what is going to happen. “ I’ll be up there shortly. I’ll tell everyone what is going on. Expect visitors. I know Anna has been pacing waiting on news.” Viper says. I’m not surprised by this. “ Go calm her down before she wears a hole in the floor. I’m staying here for tonight if you need me. Can you get someone to cover my shift at the dispensary?” I asked. “ We got it covered man. You stay with your girl. She needs you more than we do.” Viper says. It figures he had me taken care of. After telling me he was going to bring me some food he hung up. I call Merigold next and tell her the same story. She promises to be up to see Ailee as soon as she can. She also said she would tell the other ol’e ladies for me. I think about calling Anna but think better of it. I’m sure Cormac or Viper has told her by now.

I feel a thumb move across my knuckles. I look over and see Ailee’s bright eyes staring at me. I put my phone down and turned all my attention on her. “ Hi.” Ailee whispers through her mask. “ Hey honey. I was just talking to Merigold. She is going to come visit you soon.” I told her. “ That’s nice of her.” she says. I place her hand to my lips. “ It is just what we do for family.” I said. “ Lug, is Ace really going to do the transplant?” Ailee asks. I know she is worried that he will back out. “ Yea, honey. He is really going to do it. Now all you have to do is think about the long future we are going to have together. You are stuck with me now.” I said. “ I like that idea. You aren't a bad guy to be stuck to.” Ailee says. We talked for a few more minutes before I noticed Ailee getting tired again. Dr. Graves said it was going to happen often over the next week. As much I hate seeing her this tired Dr. Graves said it was good for Ailee to rest as much as possible. “ Get some sleep. You are going to need it. As a matter of fact you best get as much sleep as possible. When you get out here I’m not going to let you sleep for two days at least. I'm going to keep you in my arms, on my tongue and dick the entire time. I’m going to have to remap your entire body.” I told her.

“ I’ll hold you to that. I’ll rest if you lay with me and hold me.” Ailee said. Now that is an offer I can’t pass up. I get up and sit on the bed next to her. After twisting on my side I slide one arm under Ailee’s shoulder letting her lay her head on my shoulder. I wrap the other around her waist being careful to not hit any tubes or wires. I kiss her on the forehead and lay my head on top of hers and just hold her. This may not be the ideal place but it is the ideal woman. Right now things are rough right now. But I know that together Ailee and I are strong as fuck. We are going to get through this. Ailee has more strength than any guy I know. She is about to kick the cancer’s ass and do it with a smile. I close my eyes for just a few minutes memorizing the feel of Ailee in my arms and think about our future together.