Chapter 7

As the weight over her was lifted, Tessa realized Scar had tackled her to the ground as soon as he realized the car was tipping over the side. He'd protected her with his body hitting the asphalt first and then rolling over on top of her to shield her from any flying debris.

Her fault. She'd shifted the weight of the car. They'd been wrong.

Someone suddenly ran past her towards the edge. She saw the bright red hair and knew it was Ghost, one of Bear's brothers. He stood there like he was studying something, and then started stripping off his boots, cut, pants, and shirt. Standing there in his boxer briefs, he turned and shouted, "Scar, knife!"

Scar tossed his brother a blade. Despite that it didn't have a sheath, Ghost caught it fearlessly by the handle.

Carlos ran up to where Scar and Tessa lay on the road. "Ghost, wait?—"

But it was too late. The man had dived off the side of the bridge.

Bear hadno choice but to brace himself for impact. He'd stupidly turned in his seat to see Tessa crawl out the back window. The movement was going to cost him—possibly his life.

He'd never experienced anything so terrifying as the realization the truck that had hit them was trying to push them over the side of the bridge and his efforts to stop them were failing. He'd been helpless as he watched the front of their car crash through the barrier and start to tip towards the edge.

Gunfire had saved them. He had no doubt the bullets were from Scar's gun. He'd been tailing them. Unfortunately, on a sled, he stood no chance vehicle against vehicle to try to force the truck away from them. His only option would have been his gun.

Scar didn't like guns. He preferred knives, but he did carry one. Thank God. A knife against a vehicle would have proven even more ineffective than the motorcycle.

Bear watched a reel of his life flash before his eyes as the Subaru nosedived into the river. Not of the life he'd lived though: the life he wanted, his future with Tessa.

He saw their daughter being born. He saw their wedding, where Tessa stood radiant in a long white gown. He saw their honeymoon. He saw them riding through the mountains on his hog, her legs and arms wrapped firmly around him. Their daughter's first laugh, the first time she crawled, stood, walked. He saw her first day of kindergarten and her high school graduation. He saw Tessa standing pregnant again. He saw their house with at least three little cubs running around on the front lawn with a play set complete with swings, a rock wall, and a slide.

Tessa. He saw her with gray hair and a wrinkling face, and still thought her beautiful. He heard her laugh, saw her smile… He foolishly hadn't told her he loved her back. His priority was getting her and their cub out of the cage.

His Tessa.

He wanted a life with her more than he'd ever wanted anything else in his entire forty years. He'd finally found his person—and she was five feet-two inches of sass and brains with blonde hair, sexy as fuck glasses, and an adorable button nose.

Tessa…

The airbags deployed upon hitting the water. Bear hadn't been sure they would. Despite them, his entire body was thrown forward at the vertical collision. He felt the seatbelt cut into his skin.

He was momentarily stunned. It hurt his lungs to breathe.

Then he felt the car tip upside-down onto the roof. Bear was jerked downward, gravity pulling at him, but his seatbelt held him firmly in his seat. He barely had a chance to register what had happened before water came rushing in through the broken windows. Though disoriented, his old Marine training kicked in and Bear forced himself into action.

The knife he'd handed Tessa and she'd handed back to him was still in his hand. Somehow, he'd managed to hold onto it. The car was sinking fast.

Bear took two deep breaths of air before his head was fully submerged under the water. He worked quickly to get the seatbelt cut open. Once done, he tried to move. He needed to get himself directionally oriented so he could find the surface. The river was generally fifteen to eighteen feet deep this time of year, but that was still a long way to swim when he couldn't tell top from bottom.

Then horror surfaced. He couldn't move his left leg. It was pinned between the door and the dash. Even the help of gravity wasn't pulling it loose. As soon as the car submerged, the electronics had been shot, making it impossible for him to unlock his door. He pushed, pulled, and struggled, but his leg still wouldn't budge. He was running out of air. He needed to get himself free.

A hand on his shoulder made him shout out, automatically opening his mouth and releasing bubbles of air, before he quickly closed his mouth again. His reaction had cost him precious air. Red hair filled his vision. Ghost. Bear's heart started beating faster.

Though he was upside-down, he could see Ghost twisting his body to see what the problem was. Bear indicated to his leg. Ghost nodded that he understood. Bear's brother was a former SEAL. His chances of survival just doubled.

Bear's lungs started to burn. He needed air, and soon.

Realizing this, Ghost did something unexpected. He pinched Bear's nose closed and sealed his mouth over Bear's. He breathed a large breath of air into Bear's mouth, like one would do during resuscitation. As a nurse, Bear knew that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation did not work underwater if the victim was unconscious. It could force water into the victim's lungs or stomach.

However, Bear wasn't unconscious, and Ghost was trained in underwater respirations, which was different than resuscitation.

After administering air to Bear, Ghost swam away. Bear wasn't able to move or twist to see where he went. Moving would waste the air Ghost had just given him. He needed to slow his heart rate down, make the oxygen last longer.

Tapping on his shoulder drew his attention. Ghost was indicating for Bear to push on the plastic of the dashboard as Ghost pulled on Bear's leg through the broken window. It was awkward upside-down, and the pain in his leg had prevented him from using all of his strength.

Nodding he understood, Bear started pushing. He could feel the plastic budging, but not bending. Pain shot up his leg as Ghost started to pull. However, he could wiggle his leg more. He twisted and shifted, trying to get his thigh free.

Water concealed the snap of the plastic finally breaking.

Bear felt something puncture his skin and scrape along as his leg finally came loose. His vision was starting to fade. His lungs were burning. He refused to inhale though, tightening his lips. The reflex to open his mouth and breathe was so strong, but Bear knew it would be a death sentence.

Three minutes. Brain death would occur within three minutes after he stopped breathing.

Ghost dragged him from the cage—which had never felt more like a cage than it did then.

Rather than taking him to the surface, though, Ghost brought him to one of the tires. He couldn't see which one but recognized the blurred shape. Taking a knife, he punctured the tire. He didn't press his mouth to the hole he'd created. Instead, he indicated to Bear to suck in the air bubbles floating to the surface.

Bear did as instructed. When they'd both replenished their oxygen, they kicked off and followed the air bubbles upward.

There wasa collective shout as rescuers spotted the two heads break through the surface downriver. Tessa nearly fainted as she heard the news that both men were alive.

Eleven minutes. They had been underwater for eleven minutes. She felt herself sag against Steel. He'd been trying to coax her into an ambulance, but she'd refused to budge until she heard news about Bear. A paramedic had successfully gotten an inflatable cuff around her arm and a pulse oximeter on her finger. Someone had put a shock blanket over her shoulders.

Steel kept her upright as shouts continued to cry out around them. First responders had successfully gotten themselves down to the riverbank. Firefighters were now going into the water to retrieve the men.

Steel took advantage of her moment of weakness in her relief and sweep her up into his arms. He placed her on the gurney behind her.

"She's pregnant," he informed the paramedic. "She has a broken elbow and a series of cuts from a different attack last night."

"We heard about the attack," she heard the paramedic reply. "We'll take care of Dr. Fisher."

"No! I need to see Bear!"

Steel gripped her face, holding her steady when she tried to get off the gurney. "I got Bear. I need you to get yourself and your daughter to the hospital." He added in a lower voice, "You're bleeding, Tessa."

Tessa's heart sank. The wetness. She'd felt the wetness between her legs as she got out of the car, but she hadn't thought of it since. Her entire body had been focused on Bear after he'd plummeted into the water in the car. What sort of mother did it make her that she'd forgotten about her baby?

Guilt ridden, she nodded. Her movements were stiff and jerky. Steel sighed in relief, gave her a small smile, and kissed her forehead. "Scar's going with you. He'll protect you. I'll let him know when we have Bear and are on our way to the hospital."

"Thank you," she murmured.

Bear's leg was broken.He didn't need x-rays, doctors, or paramedics to tell him so. He could feel it and knew. He suspected he either cracked or had broken some ribs too. Based on his unimpeded breathing, he knew they hadn't punctured a lung, but that didn't mean they still couldn't.

He was lying on the riverbank, watching as Ghost profusely declined treatment from a female paramedic. He found it entertaining and a distraction from the pain that was now coursing through his system. Adrenaline was a wonder drug, but it was also the devil when it finally left.

Bear's only saving grace right then was that whatever had punctured his leg had not hit an artery. He was still bleeding, but it wasn't life threatening. There were no roads or easy access to this part of the river. The town had designed it that way to prevent people from trying to go into the water. The current was too strong, and more than one person had drowned in it over the years. If Ghost hadn't shown him how to safely get to shore, Bear probably would have continued floating aimlessly downstream.

They were working on splinting his leg so he could be moved. The ambulance had no way to reach them down there, so they'd still have to get back up to the bridge.

Ghost finally threw up his hands and stormed away from the paramedic. He was still wearing only his boxer briefs and didn't seem shy about that fact in the slightest. Then again, Bear was a heterosexual male and even he could appreciate Ghost's chiseled body.

Though after Ghost had given him mouth-to-mouth underwater, he probably should keep that fact to himself. No reason to boost Ghost's ego after a heroic underwater save.

Ghost plopped himself down in the mud next to Bear. If Bear didn't know any better, he'd think Ghost was just lounging around at the beach on a summer's day.

"So that trick with breathing air from the tire, you learn that as a SEAL?"

Ghost snorted. "Fuck no. My old instructors would have had me do a thousand burpees if they saw me doing that. Frankly, I wasn't sure it would work, but we were both running out of air, and I needed to be sure we could reach the surface with the currents."

Bear was impressed, though still confused. "Where'd you learn it then, if not from the SEALs?"

"A James Bond movie."

Bear didn't know if he should laugh or cry that he was alive right now because of Ghost's movie fixation.

Before he could reply to Ghost, though, Bear started laughing at the sight coming towards them. Two firemen were approaching with a backboard. A very narrow backboard. "Pretty sure not even one of my asscheeks is going to fit on that thing, gents," he told them.

Ghost stood. He bent and put one of Bear's arms around his shoulders. Bear flinched as his brother lifted him to his feet—or foot. "Don't worry, boys. I got him."

Then, like they were walking a three-legged mud race, the two VDMC brothers climbed their way up the embankment.

Lucky was the first person Bear saw once they'd reached the top. He pulled Bear into his arms and squeezed him tightly. Bear's ribs protested but Bear never uttered a sound of pain. He was too busy hugging Lucky back.

"Scared me, brother." Lucky's voice cracked.

Bear could only nod. He'd scared himself too.

Finally Lucky stepped back. He kept an arm around Bear to keep him from toppling over. "You're bleeding."

Bear nodded. "I noticed. Where's Tessa?"

"On her way to the hospital. She refused to go until she knew what happened to you."

Stubborn woman, Bear thought. Not that he could blame her. He'd have done the same if their roles were reversed.

Lucky helped guide Bear over to where another ambulance waited. "Scar went with her."

Bear nodded gratefully. Scar was a scary son of a bitch. None of them knew his history, though Bulldog claimed he'd served. When Bulldog had put Scar's name in the hat for Enforcer, none of them had really any plans of putting Scar to use enforcing anything but the riffraff that decided to cause trouble at their bar. Recent events had proven Scar was more valuable than they'd realized—and a hell of a lot scarier.

There was no doubt in his mind that Tessa would be safe with him.

He still couldn't believe this had happened. First her attack at the hospital and then someone had to drive them off the bridge. What was going on? Why Tessa? She had no connection to Bree other than being her doctor the night she'd been admitted to the ER. No one else should know that Angel had claimed Bree, which meant she was now claimed by the club. Even if they did, though, that didn't explain why Tessa was a target.

"Stop thinking so hard," Lucky said. "You're still in shock. Let us take care of everything. You just worry about healing."

Bear snorted. "Pretty sure I gave you the same speech while you were laid up in the burn unit."

Lucky grinned mischievously. "Just call me ‘Nurse Lucky'. I'll be with you every step of the way and even hold your hand while you take a shit."

Bear's laugh was cut off by Ghost's protest. "Hey! Why do you get to take care of him? I'm the one who made out with him underwater. I should be the one to nurse him back to health."

Lucky's jaw dropped in shock. Then he looked at Bear with feigned hurt. "Why does he get to make out with you? I'm your best friend!"

Bear snorted at his brothers' antics. "I don't care which one of you two assholes nurses me back to health or wants to make out with me. Just get me to Tessa. I need to know she's okay."

Tessa was being admittedto the hospital. OB had declared that her amniotic sac was still intact and she was not hemorrhaging. The placenta was still attached to her uterine wall. The blood was her body's way of stating she'd been knocked around. Between her attack in the parking lot and her attack in the car, they wanted to observe her overnight. Her blood pressure was understandably elevated.

Dr. Pedaleck had come to oversee her admission as soon as she could. She gently reminded Tessa that her uterus was full of amniotic fluid that was protecting the baby from harsh movements. This made Tessa recall a medical school professor compare a woman's womb to a chicken egg. "You can shake the egg, but the yolk won't break unless you break the shell." It wasn't a perfect analogy but for some reason remembering it made Tessa feel better.

She'd been told that Bear had been transported to the hospital. He was going in for surgery to have a rod inserted to stabilize his fractured left tibia.

Jenna, Steel's wife, and Harper had come to visit her shortly after she'd been admitted. Scar was still in the room with her, but he wasn't very good company. She still hadn't heard him speak. The only time they communicated was when he'd received a text from Steel that Bear was on his way to the hospital. He'd read the text, then turned his phone around so she could read it too.

Tessa had met Jenna before, but only in passing. She was coming in while Jenna was going out of Bree's room or vice versa. With working nights, Tessa hadn't had a chance to interact with Jenna.

Harper brought her soon-to-be son with her. Scotty was sixteen, about to enter into his sophomore year of high school, and had Down Syndrome. Tessa had met him once before too, if only briefly, but had heard a lot about him from Bear.

Scotty came running into her hospital room with the women. "Aunt Tessa! You're hurt!"

She was sitting up in bed, her casted arm resting on a pillow. She had an IV in her other arm, giving her fluids and a low painkiller to keep her calm. Dr. Bennett had refused to tell her doses and her exact stats though, informing her that she was the patient this time, not the doctor. She'd scowled at him.

She wasn't sure why it hit her so hard when Scotty referred to her as an aunt. Like she was family, no questions asked. It was that simple. She could feel her eyes start to water.

"Hi, Scotty," she smiled at the teen. "Yes, I got hurt. I broke my elbow."

"Can I sign your cast?" he asked eagerly. "I sprained my wrist when my daddy rescued me from our house burning down. I got a cast and everyone signed it! I didn't have any room left at the end." His face lit up as he added, "I'm very loved."

She couldn't help but smile back at him. "I'm sure you are, Scotty."

"Mommy," he turned to Harper. "Do you have a marker?"

"I don't, sweetie," she informed him with a frown. "I'm sorry. We'll get some and bring them back. I'm sure there are others who will want to sign Tessa's cast too." She added that last part with a wink to Tessa.

She hadn't planned on anyone signing her cast, but she'd be willing to let Scotty.

Jenna put her purse down on the nightstand by the bed. "How're you feeling, Tessa? Steel said there was bleeding?"

"I'm fine." She rubbed her belly. "Baby's fine too. We just got bumped around. They're only keeping me here overnight as a precaution."

"That's so good to hear." Jenna reached forward and gently patted Tessa's left hand where it rested on the pillow. "Do you need anything? Unfortunately, your purse is at the bottom of the river, but we can call a locksmith to get us into your house. I can bring you whatever you need."

Tessa shook her head. "To be honest, I need sleep and Bear. Not necessarily in that order."

Jenna smiled knowingly at her. "Steel and Lucky are with him. They'll message when he's out of surgery. Most of the others that didn't have to go back to work are up with Bree."

Tessa nodded. The last thing she wanted was for these men to go after Bree like they'd gone after her. Twice.

Noise brought her attention over to where Harper was getting Scotty set up with her hospital tray, crayons, and a coloring book. He was so innocent, oblivious to the worries around him. A part of her envied such a carefree life.

"Have you thought of any names yet?"

Tessa turned back to Jenna. "We'd just found out she was a girl before the world went crazy."

"True, but it's not like you only found out you were pregnant yesterday. You've had time to ponder names."

She had, but she didn't want to say. That was a discussion to be had with Bear. "I'd rather not say yet."

"Fair enough. My daughter-in-law just gave me my first grandchild. A boy. Andrew, or Drew." Jenna pulled out her phone and started scrolling through pictures.

They talked about mundane things, nothing too serious with Tessa being exhausted and Scotty in the room. No one mentioned the attacks or what they might mean. They did talk about Bree. Tessa had yet to go to the clubhouse or the property where Bear planned to build their house. She'd only seen the pictures he'd shown her.

According to Jenna, there were no walking paths. Just grass, dirt, and gravel. They were going to need to put in a ramp and add some concrete paths for Bree's wheelchair. Jenna also informed her that Angel was also building a house on the club's property. Bear and Tessa's house would be located between Lucky's and Angel's houses.

"Angel lives in an apartment above her tattoo studio," Jenna was explaining. "There's no ramp or wheelchair access. It made the most sense, given there are modular homes already designed for wheelchair users."

A knock on her door had them all turning to face it. Scar was between the women and the door in an instant.

"Just me," Steel said as he entered.

Scar relaxed. To her surprise, Harper approached him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Scar nodded once before returning to the window where he'd been.

Steel bent to kiss Jenna in greeting before he faced Tessa. "I wanted to let you know in person. Bear's out of surgery and doing fine. He's got two broken ribs, a concussion, a broken leg, and a puncture on his upper left thigh."

Tessa closed her eyes. It could have been so much worse. "Thank you. When can I see him?"

"We'll get you in to see him as soon as he's in his own room. He's demanding the two of you share a room."

She smiled at that. Of course, Bear was. "Have you told him about me, about the baby?"

"Like he'd allow me to tell him anything else first? Didn't care about his leg or how the surgery went. Soon as he woke up, he wanted to know about you two."

Tessa felt tears gather in her eyes as she rested her head back. "Sounds like him."

"I know you're a doctor, Tessa, but I want you to be warned. Bear's pretty banged up. He's a talking bruise right now. The airbag blackened both his eyes and you can practically see the stitching of the seatbelt imprinted on his chest and stomach."

"That's standard for a MVA victim. It would have been worse if he hadn't been wearing the seatbelt or if the airbags hadn't deployed when he'd hit the water." So much worse. Fatally worse. "Remind me to write Subaru a letter commending them on their car safety abilities."

Steel patted her hand. "You get some rest. We'll get you to Bear as soon as we can."

The dayof Bree's and Cage's surgeries had arrived. Tessa had been discharged days before but was staying in the hospital in Bear's room on a cot. Or, at least, a cot had been put in his room for her, but she had yet to use it. Bear always found room for her on his bed.

His lower leg and foot were in a cast. She overheard Scotty asking to sign his cast too.

Bear had remained in the hospital until the day before Bree's surgery. They'd gone to stay at her house, since she didn't have stairs, but were back with the others the next day to support Bree. Conner was basically their house elf. He chauffeured them, went shopping for them, helped around the house with cleaning… He'd had the unfortunate pleasure of sleeping on Tessa's couch the night before too, much to Bear's amusement.

Bear was having a hard time using the crutches because they didn't support his height even at their tallest setting. He said he felt like a hunchback using them. Still, he wasn't going to miss being there for Bree's surgery.

Both Dr. Hammon and Dr. Forester agreed her liver was strong enough to go ahead with the transplant surgery. This did not mean her liver was at a hundred percent function yet. Only that treatment was working and it was strong enough to handle the strain of surgery.

Angel walked with Bree as the orderlies escorted her out of her room. The teen was visibly nervous but still managed to smile when she saw her new family. She gripped Angel's hand even tighter.

The entire Via Daemonia, both members and prospects, lined the walls leading into the operating room. Steel headed the single line formation.

"Ten-hut!" Steel called loudly. The former military civilians stood taller, even Bear on his crutches, and stared straight ahead. "Present, arms!"

As Bree was wheeled down the hall in her bed, each brother rose his arm and saluted her. Tears fell down the teen's eyes as she saw them showing her the same respect and comradeship they would a fellow soldier.

Cage was the last one in line. To Bree's amusement, he was wearing a hospital gown that doubtfully covered his backside.

He winked at her as well as saluted. "See you in there, kidney buddy."

She gave a nervous giggle. "You too, kidney buddy."

The doors to the operating room were where Angel had to leave her. Before Bree was pushed in, Angel hugged her tightly. "You fight," she told her soon-to-be adopted daughter. Her voice was shaking with emotion. "You fight like hell."

Bree clung to her just as hard. "I will. I promise." With a final wave to everyone behind her, Bree was pushed into the operating room.

Everyone gathered in the waiting room, minus Cage. The ol' ladies and family members came to support Bree. Steel and Jenna's adults kids, Bear's parents, Bulldog and Carlos's mom, and even Sheriff Hannigan came, though he didn't stay long. Minutes felt like hours. People rarely spoke, the silence making time seem all the slower. Someone offered to get food, but no one was hungry.

Then finally, almost four hours later, Dr. Forester came into the waiting room with the devastating news that Brianna Faux had died on the operating table due to complications during surgery.