Chapter 52

Pixie
I didn’t need to open my eyes to know where I was. The hospital. I can tell by the strong disinfectant smell and beeping of machines. And judging by the smell of plastic and stale air I have an oxygen mask on. Yuck. I know I was in a car accident so let me evaluate my body. Sore but that is okay. I can deal with that. My head is killing me. Not a big deal. Still a little nauseous. I probably just need to eat. I don’t feel any of the scratchiness of a cast. I do feel a weight on one of my hands but I can feel skin so I know someone is holding it.

I open my eyes and look for the source of the hand. I expected Casper, Nixon or even Rocket. But nope it was Viper. He had both his hands on top of mine and his head laying on the bed next to my arm. My poor husband looked wrecked. How long has he been like this? How long have I been out? I moved my hand to grab his fingers and squeezed. Viper’s head shot up off the bed as I turned mine to him. “ Hey.” I said. “ Baby, you are awake.” Viper said. “ Yep. How long have I been out?” I asked. “ Just a few hours. How are you feeling?” he asked. “ Sore and I have a headache. But otherwise good.” I told him.

Viper gets up and sits on the edge of the bed the best he can. He gently brushes some hair to the side of my face. “ You scared the shit out of me. When Rocket pulled you from the car you weren’t breathing. You had no heartbeat. I had to watch Rocket and Ice do CPR on you. I felt my heart stop. I didn’t want to live without you.” Viper said. I squeezed his hand again and rubbed my thumb over the top of his hand. “ I’m sorry you had to see that.” I told him. That must have been horrible to watch. I can’t even imagine. I don’t want to.

“ You have nothing to be sorry for. It is that damn stalker. We need to stop this person and fast. Goof and Happy were able to give us a description of the truck that ran you off the road.” he said. Oh shit Goof and Happy were out cold when I passed out. I yank my mask off. “ Goof and Happy. Are they okay? Are they hurt? Where are they?” I asked. “ Easy baby. Lie back down and put your mask back on until the doctors clear you.” Viper said. I hadn’t noticed I sat up in my panic. Viper helped me back down on bed and placed the mask over my face.

“ Goof and Happy are fine. A little banged up. Some scratches. Happy has a hairline fracture in his wrist and needs to wear a brace for a few weeks. Nothing major. They were eating up the nurses attention while they got bandaged up. They are more worried about you.” Viper said. “ Will you text them to let them know I’m okay? And when can I get out of here?” I asked. I hate hospitals. “ Yes, I will text them. As far as getting out of here. Let me go get the doctor to look you over and see what he says.” Viper said. I nod. I can’t ask for more than that. “ And can you call Nixon, Casper, Rocket, Stone. Hell all the Devils and let them know I’m alright?” I asked.

Viper laughs “ I already did. I sent out a group text to both clubs. Let me go get the doctor for you.” He kisses my forehead and leaves. I love it when he does that. It is an intimate gesture I enjoy. Two things nagged at me while he was gone. The first is why did he notify his club that I was awake? And the other was when he said Goof and Happy had told them about the truck. There is something else. Something that Goof and Happy don’t know. But what is it? I don’t have time to think about it because Viper walks in with the doctor. I smile when I see him. “ Hey Ryans. I see Nixon called you in.” Ryans laughs “ Not this time, Pixie. I happened to be on duty when they brought you in. Did you think I was going to let just anyone work on you?”

“ I take it you two know each other.” Viper says. “ Viper, I have been taking care of this special lady since she was a baby. She has grown up right before my eyes. I was her first skating medic before Rocket took over.” Ryans said to Viper. Ryans turns to me “ I know how much you hate being here so let’s get this exam over with.” This is one reason why I enjoy having Ryans as my doctor. He knows my preferences. And he understands me.

Ryans looks me over checking different places and asking about my pain. He examines my head. Apparently I have a nasty gash on it. “ Pixie, you are very lucky. Your injuries are fairly minor. Even the one on your head. Nothing is broken. You will be fine with some rest. What worries me is your lungs. Pixie, can you remember breathing in anything?” Ryans asks. That’s when it clicks. “ Yes. It was from a canister.” I said. I explained to Viper and Ryans how the person who ran us off the road was a woman. She had gotten out of her truck and came over to our car. I never saw her face because I pretended to be unconscious.

I told them that I could tell it was a woman by her voice. And it sounded familiar but I can’t place it right now. I told them what she said about me being out of the way and claiming her prize. Then she threw the canister in the window. And how it was under my face. “ The lab analyzed the canister. It was a low grade type of mustard gas with something to suppress the respiratory system. The lab hasn’t figured out what it is yet. I gave you a shot to help clear the chemicals from your system but it is still going to take a few days before it is all gone.” Ryans said. Viper looks like he is ready to murder. “ I have never put my hands on a woman but man I want to now.” Viper said.

I hate to say it but Viper is scaring me right now. I tense up and Viper must have noticed. “ Baby, I’m sorry. I will not hurt a woman. Ever. No matter how much I want to. And when we catch this woman I won’t touch her. You have my word on my kutte. But I can’t say the same thing about Rocket, Merigold, or Speed. And if Ailee gets a hold of this girl I promise it won’t be pretty.” Viper said. I believed him about himself and Rocket but the other’s confused me. Why would they get involved? I’ll try and figure that out later.

“ Where Goof and Happy exposed too? Are they going to be okay?” I asked. “ They may have breathed in a little but since the canister was under your face you got the brunt of it. I want to give you a breathing treatment of albuterol before I’m comfortable letting you go home. And I’m going to give you a prescription so you can continue it at home to keep your lungs open. I also want to see you in my office in three days for another blood test.” Ryans said. “ I can do that. I just don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.” I told him.

“ I’ll get the nurse to come in and start the treatment. Then I will come back and listen to your lungs. If I’m happy I will let you go. Until then just rest.” Ryans says before leaving the room. Now Viper and I are alone and the poor guy still looks on edge. I slide over in bed as far as I can without falling off. I pat the empty space. “ Viper.” He just shakes his head. I can tell he is lost in his head. He is trying to deal with the fact that this stalker tried to kill me. I can’t have that. I pat the bed again and say “ Ethan, honey. Come here. I need you with me right now.”

That does it. Viper’s shoulders deflate like air being let out of a balloon. He sits on the bed and says “ Baby, I don’t think I’m going to fit.” I smile “ Yes, you will. Make it work.” I really want him in this bed with me. I want to lay my head on his chest. When I do all my worries fade away. Viper climbs into the bed and turns on his side to face me. I scoot closer to him and lay my head on his shoulder that was on the bed. Viper carefully wraps his other arm around my waist. He lays his head on top of mine. “ Baby, I love you so much. I can’t lose you.” he whispers

“ I love you too. And you aren’t going to lose me. Casper and the Devils aren’t going to let that happen. We will get her. And when we do we will be able to put this all behind us.” I said. We lay there in silence while waiting for the nurse to come in. When she does she looks at us and smiles. She hooks us the medicine to the mask I’m already using. All I have to do is lie back and breathe for the next ten minutes. “ Baby, you said you had heard the woman’s voice before.” Viper said.

“ Yes, but I can’t place where. I know it was a little over a year ago. Her voice was an odd combination of grating and whiney. And I only heard it a few times.” I said. “ Maybe we should talk to Nixon. He might have an idea if you describe it to him. You two are around the same people most of the time.” Viper suggested. It wasn’t a bad idea. “ We can try. It wouldn’t hurt.” I said. But I didn’t want to talk anymore. I just wanted to lay here in my husband's arms. Even though we were in a hospital bed there was no better place to be.