Alistair Chapter 4

Her eyes were closed. Her beautiful face was swollen black and blue and she had cuts on it. Around her forehead close to the hairline was a white bandage. Her arms were covered in cuts and bruises as well with IVs inserted into both of them. She had oxygen prongs in her nose and the machine making the noise was monitoring her vitals. The rest of her I couldn’t see under the covers. I wanted to cry and scream in outrage at the same time.

“Oh Dia , no. My poor cailín leanbh , baby girl. Oh Cormac, look at her. Look,” Cyndi sobbed.

She laid her hand on top of Aisling’s. They were both bent over one side of the bed while the guys were on the other. I stood at the foot. I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid to touch her anywhere and cause her more pain. As her mom sobbed against her husband’s chest, I scanned her brothers’ faces. They were clenching their jaws and their tempers were burning in their eyes. One by one they leaned over and pressed their lips to her face. When they were done, they stepped back and Aidan gestured toward me.

“Don’t stand there. Come up here. You know you want to. No more hiding, Alistair,” he said gruffly.

I moved up, as I did I saw her parents watching me. Cyndi was smiling and Cormac gave me a chin lift. Taking a deep breath I stopped and gazed down at her. Leaning over, I placed my lips to the corner of her mouth. I refused to have our first kiss when she was asleep.

“You need to wake up, mo shealladh àlainn , my beautiful vision. I need to know you’re gonna be alright,” I whispered, softly so only she could hear me if she’d been awake. Some might think it was corny that I took the literal meaning of her name, dream or vision, and made it her nickname but it was perfect for her.

As I raised back up, her eyelids fluttered and she furrowed her brow. Cyndi gasped. A couple more flutters then her lids slowly opened. She appeared confused and as she focused on us, she frowned. When she went to move, she cried out in pain.

“Don’t move,” I said swiftly as I placed a light restraining hand on her lower arm.

“Alistair? Mam , Daid , buachaillí , boys, what are you doing here?” She turned her head and took in the room. “Am I in the hospital? Why? What happened?”

“ Mil , honey, do you remember a car hitting yours?” her dad asked.

She thought then shook her head. “No, I don’t. When did it happen? Is that why I hurt so much?”

“Tell us what you do remember. Tell us where you’ve been for the past month,” Cormac asked.

“I’ve been in Temecula working at Maeve’s Cellars. The last thing I remember was going to dinner with Christopher Brynes. Oh Lord, is he alright?” she gasped.

I detested that she sounded concerned for him. It made me wonder what her feelings for him were. Doubts assaulted me again.

“We haven’t seen him yet, but his bodyguard said he’s fine and much less hurt than you. You need to stay still. You just had surgery and have other injuries,” Cyndi told her.

“What exactly is wrong? I feel like my head has a hammer pounding in it. My entire body hurts, especially my side and arm.”

As her parents told her all the things wrong with her, I studied her. I was thankful she was awake, but it made me think I shouldn’t be here right now. I went to move away but had to halt when her hand grabbed mine. Her honey-colored eyes met mine. She appeared slightly anxious-looking.

“Where are you going, Stair? Are you leaving?”

My heart wanted to melt to hear her call me Stair. She was the only one to ever use it. When she was small, she had trouble saying my whole name so she shortened it to that. She rarely used it anymore. I missed it. I smiled down at her.

“I’m just going to allow someone else to come in. You have more people anxious to see you, and you know the rest of the tribe will be here in no time. In fact, I bet they’re on a plane already. I’m not leaving the hospital.”

“I don’t want everyone to make a fuss. They don’t need to stop everything and come here. Tell them, Daid . I’ll be fine. And Alistair, I didn’t know you had business in California. It’s good of you to take the time to come see me. I’m sorry. I won’t hold you up. I know you have to be busy.”

Her easy belief I was only here due to Hounds business, or that she could hold me up, burned in my gut. I forced myself not to declare my true feelings right there in front of her family. What held me back was I needed to be able to talk with her alone and probably for a while, but I couldn’t let her think she was some kind of chore or inconvenience to me.

“Ais, I flew out here with your parents, brothers, and several others to check on you. You scared the hell out of us. I’m here for you, not work and I’ll stay as long as it takes to be sure you’re fully on the mend. Now, I’m stepping out so I can let someone else come in here but I’ll be back soon. Okay?”

She hesitated, then nodded. Unable to resist, I quickly leaned over and kissed her cheek again right beside her mouth, and then I stood and let go of her hand. I saw she was surprised by the kiss. I swore her gaze burned into me as I left. The others all watched but didn’t say a word. Out in the hallway, I paused, then I went out the door to the main hallway where we came in. The others had moved to the waiting room just outside those doors. They gave me expectant looks.

“She just woke up. She doesn’t seem to recall the wreck right now. If someone else wants to go in, go ahead. I’ve got something to do.”

Darragh, Patrick, and Maeve got to their feet. “Where are you going?” Darragh asked as he approached me.

“I have to go check on something.”

“You mean you want to see Christopher. I do, too. I’ll join you. Daid , Mam , why don’t the two of you go in and see her? Let her know I’ll be there soon. I don’t think I should let Alistair go alone. He might choke Christopher,” he grinned when he said the last bit, but it wasn’t a pleasant grin. I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t need a babysitter. I can control myself. I just want to hear what he has to say about the incident. Maybe he saw something the others didn’t.”

“And the thought of warning him to stay away from your woman never entered your head,” Dar instigated. I didn’t bother to deny it. He chuckled.

“We’ll go see Aisling, and you two, try not to cause a ruckus,” Patrick said indulgently before taking Maeve’s hand and walking out. The guards who remained outside the ICU went with them. They knew I was more than capable of acting as Dar’s bodyguard, not that Darragh couldn’t do it himself. Anyone choosing to fuck with him would be in for a surprise and a beating. He was lethal.

It was a short walk to the elevator and then a short ride to the third floor. We remained in an easy silence. There was no need for words. Signs easily showed us the way to room three twenty. Standing outside was Scotty. He didn’t seem happy to see us. As we got to him, he didn’t shift away from the door.

“Excuse us. We need to speak to Christopher,” Darragh told him. He was nicer than I would’ve been. I let him take the lead, and we’d see where it got us.

“He’s napping right now. Why don’t you come back later?”

I saw Dar stiffen. “I don’t recall you being put in charge of me or making decisions on what Chris will or won’t do. Now, you can move and let us in, or I can move you.” His veneer of civility was slipping. The way Scotty blanched made me want to laugh. He had no idea the tiger he was teasing. Scotty scooted over. We passed him without another word, but as we entered, I threw a smirk at him over my shoulder before shutting the door in his face.

The room was dark, but there was enough light to see Bryne reclining in his bed. He was awake, and the television was on. He nodded at Darragh and gave me a curious glance. As Dar got to his bedside, Brynes held out his hand. They shook hands.

“Chris, how’re you feeling?”

“I’ve been better, but I know I could be way worse too. How’s Aisling? Scotty said she had surgery and she’s out, but they’re watching her. I can’t believe everything he said is wrong with her. I can’t fucking believe this. I tried to go see her, but the battle ax charge nurse on this floor refused to get me a wheelchair, and I can’t walk far.”

I wanted to snap and tell him to stay the fuck away from her, or I’d break his other leg and more.

“Well, she woke up, and she’s black and blue and cut to hell. She got the worst of it. Tell me what you remember. She doesn’t recall the wreck, just that you two went to dinner.” was all Darragh said after casting me a warning look. I guess he knew what I was thinking.

“Really? Well, okay, yeah, we went to dinner and had a great time. We were on our way back to the house, hers, well yours, and we were talking and laughing about some people wanting our picture when, out of nowhere, we heard squealing brakes and a horn being laid on, then we saw Scotty and Creed were cut off by some car. I was about to turn around to go back and see what was up when there were these lights and a huge jolt, and the next thing I knew, we were rolling. She was screaming, and then the car stopped. We were upside down, and she wasn’t talking. Her eyes were open for a few seconds, then nothing. Jesus, I thought she was dead. I tried to wake her up. Then Creed was there, and it got blurry and crazy after that. I must’ve passed out because the next thing I knew, I was in the back of an ambulance on my way here.”

“Did you see anything? The color or make of the cars? The faces of the two men who hit you and then tried to approach the car?” I asked him.

“No, I didn’t. I saw some feet moving toward us, but I thought they were coming to help until Creed shouted at them, and they took off running. Until then, I thought it was an accident. Is there something I should know going on in your businesses?”

“Nothing that isn’t usually happening. We have no new threats. Our issues with the Doyles are done. No one is left to carry that on. What about you?”

I was watching him intently, and I caught the slightest shift in his eyes. “Nothing I can think of.”

“Bullshit! Don’t lie. I can tell there’s something. I suggest you tell us. Right now, I’m not feeling too nice, and if there’s a threat to Aisling, I want to know,” I growled.

“What the hell? Why is he trying to interrogate me? Since when does the help speak for you?” he asked Dar with an attitude.

“I suggest you give Alistair respect. As for why he’s asking questions, let’s just say it’s because it’s his place. He’s not the fucking help. He’s family. Now, answer him. What are you not telling us?” Darragh snapped back.

Brynes didn’t answer right away. I was about to put my hands on him when he finally did. I was getting angrier by the second. Not only at the thought he brought danger to her but at seeing how relatively unmarked he was compared to her.

“It’s nothing that isn’t typical. You know how it is. You get these vague threats, and you have no idea who’s behind them. They say shit but never do anything. It’s been that. It’s nothing different. A couple of weeks ago, there was a new one. It rambled on about how I thought I had everything and I needed to lose to understand how others feel and live.”

“Did it mention my cousin? You and she have been out a lot together this past month. It’s no secret. Could someone be after her because she’s with you?”

“Shit, I don’t know. No, her name wasn’t mentioned. Yes, we’ve been seeing a lot of each other. I think it was probably an attempt on me, and she just happened to be with me. Now that I know it’s not all talk, I’ll take the appropriate precautions. Aisling will be safe with me.”

“You’re goddamn right she’ll be safe! Because she won’t be with you. Whatever this is, stops now. We’ll protect her, and you worry about your own ass. She’s black and blue and cut to hell. She had fucking surgery to repair her lacerated liver. She has broken bones and more. All because you had a threat, and you didn’t stay the fuck away from her!” I roared.

“Who the hell do you think you are!? It’s none of your business if I’m seeing her. A family friend doesn’t give you the right to interfere with her life and who she’s with. She and I have something. Better tell your dog to back off, Dar.”

The door came swinging open, and Scotty rushed. I was ready to take them both on and anyone else they brought in. I would annihilate them. Not far behind him came another guy. I guess Scotty Boy was too scared to confront us without backup. The adrenaline was pumping. I was eager for a fight to work off my pent-up fury and fear.

“You have no idea how apt calling him a dog is, but I wouldn’t test him. He’ll slip that leash off his neck and tear you apart. He’s right. You’ll stay away from Aisling. Whatever you two may or may not have had going will have to be put on hold. I need to talk to her. She hasn’t thought this through and there’s no way I’ll let her be in the line of fire because someone wants to hurt or kill you,” Darragh informed him.

“You can’t stop us from seeing each other, Darragh! She’s an adult, not a kid. And what do you mean she hasn’t thought it through?” Brynes barked. He was sitting up straighter in the bed. He seemed able to move without much pain, which pushed my ire higher.

“If she’s dating you, then she needs to remember you have never been a man to stick to one woman. The more you have on the hook the more you love it. I won’t have her used or end up just one of many, and you hurt her. She has someone who’ll love her until his dying day, and he’ll protect her no matter what. That’s what she needs and deserves,” I told him.

Byrnes mouth fell open then his astonishment changed to a sneer as he looked back at me. “You’re in love with her, and you can’t stand the fact that she’s with me, can you? My relationship is between me and Aisling. I don’t owe you an explanation.” He glanced back at Darragh to finish his speech. “But if your friend here thinks he’s moving in on her, he has another thing coming.”

“You need to leave,” Scotty popped off. He was standing there trying to look intimidating and so was his backup. I wanted to laugh. If he thought his muscles and the gun he was carrying scared me, he was wrong. I could kill them both without a weapon or breaking a sweat.

“Pipe down, boy. The adults are talking,” I said with a smirk.

“I’ll show you a boy,” he snarled as he took a step toward me. In a flash, I had him up against the wall. I was nice. I didn’t have him by the throat.

“I said to pipe down. And you, I’d stay right where you are,” I told the other one when he twitched. He stayed where he was. Maybe he was smarter than he looked. “Dar, why don’t you finish what you need to say then we can get back to Ais? She’ll need to be heavily guarded against unwanted visitors. I’ll be sure to have her covered twenty-four seven.”

“Chris, you don’t want a problem with me. I like to think we’re friends but endangering my family doesn’t fly. You should’ve stayed away from her until you ascertained there was no real threat. Now, you’ve made her a target. She’s in ICU and they’re cautious of her recovery. We could still lose her. And if that awful thing were to happen, I’d have no choice but to rip your whole world to shreds. Get your shit in order. Fix this. And get yourself some real bodyguards. If you do that, then you can talk to her, but until then, no way.”

“You expect me to stay away and allow this bastard to make moves on her?”

“What’s wrong? Can’t handle competition?” I taunted him.

“Let go of him! Get the hell out. Darragh, I hope you know what you’re doing. You don’t want to make an enemy of me,” Brynes warned.

Dar laughed. “Don’t make a threat you can’t back up, Chris. I still consider you a friend until you make yourself my enemy. I’m only protecting my family. You’d do the same. Get your house in order or whatever this is. As for Alistair, if you and Aisling have something real, then it won’t matter what he says or does. She won’t stray. Come on, Alistair, we need to get back to Ais. I want to see how she’s doing.”

I slowly let go of Scotty Boy. I kept him and the other one in sight as Dar and I headed for the door. He didn’t bother to say goodbye, and neither did they. When we were out in the hallway and at the elevator, he shook his head.

“We sure stirred up the hornet’s nest there.”

“We did. What was all this shit about ‘if they have something real.’”

“Hey, I’m confident you and she are comhghleacaithe anam, so don’t fuck it up. I don’t want him to be a part of my family. If it happens, I’m killing you.”

I had to laugh and so did he. We were still smiling when we got back to her floor. A short wait to be buzzed into the unit then we were back in her room which was filled with people. She didn’t look any better than last time. In fact she was paler I think. I knew they were all worried but she needed to rest. If they didn’t disperse soon, I’d have to say something. At the moment her safety and health was my main concern. Her possible feelings for me would have to wait. However, I still sent up a little prayer. God, please don’t let her be in love with that douche.