Chapter Nineteen

Wheels

THREE WEEKS HAVE passed since Brooklyn testified in court. Brooklyn has been a nervous wreck. At work, she's dropped more bottles than anyone I've ever seen before. When she's at home, she rarely comes out of our bedroom and hasn't been to visit with Nanny at all. We've called in a therapist to come to the house to talk with her several times but we don't know what's discussed between them. All I know is Gavin and I wait in the living room for the therapist to be done with their session so we can escort her out. Fetch is usually the one who takes her to the gate and waits until she leaves the compound. Brooklyn is usually asleep by the time we go back in the bedroom and we just lay in bed with her. It breaks both of our hearts to see her tear-streaked face after each session, but we're both hoping that the therapist is getting through to her.

What happened was not her fault. She's been lied to her whole entire life, and aside from the neglect and abuse she endured under the hands of her shitty parents, she has to overcome the hell she lived through while dating Bennett. Her body shows the evidence of that trauma, and I definitely understand why she feels as though we will tire of her and leave her too. All Soul and I can do is continue to support her and love her until we're able to relegate the past to where it belongs, a bad memory that has made her into the warrior we know is inside of her. We've seen glimpses, but unfortunately, the trial set her back a little. I have complete confidence that it'll happen; this is just a little bump in the road.

Theo has been brought up to the house and even that doesn't get our woman to leave our room. Instead, we help him upstairs so they can visit. Theo is the only one she talks to other than the therapist. Gavin and I don't know what we can do besides be there for her and wait until she's ready to talk to us. It's the worst feeling in the world to know we can't help her. Gavin is going crazy as he looks at her with sad smiles and pain filling his eyes. I'm not much better than my best friend is. We honestly hate leaving her to go to work despite knowing the other one is home with her.

I've called Dr. Matthews and tried to figure out if we need to do anything because of the babies. She's assured me that Brooklyn needs to grieve for who she used to be. The girl she was growing up to be has died and a new woman is in her place. That's why this is hitting our wife so damn hard. She's literally grieving because she's never had the chance to do so since she was born and then met Bennett. Now, she's just trying to figure out how to move forward with her new life and doesn't know how to lean on us or the other club members for support because until she met us, it's never been offered to her. We're all trying so damn hard and doing our best for her.

Fee and Scorch brought the baby up and Brooklyn didn't even open her eyes. She wasn't asleep, but was pretending so she didn't have to talk to anyone. Fee started crying and Scorch held his wife as they both tried to understand what they can do to help Brooklyn heal from the pain she's suffered through in her life. Still, every single day Gavin and I are there for her and most everyone in the club comes up to see her for a while each day. Nanny hasn't been here yet, but I know it's because when she shows up, she'll pull Brooklyn out of her shell and she's trying to give her the space she needs to heal and mourn her loss while we wait to hear what's going to happen to Bennett and his family.

I'm sitting in the living room alone since Gavin is upstairs trying to get Brooklyn to eat something. She doesn't feel good today and is refusing to eat anything solid. Our wife wants some soup and we don't have any in the house. I've sent messages out to everyone in the club to see if anyone has any we can get until she's good enough to go shopping with us. Now, I'm just waiting to hear back from someone.

My phone starts vibrating on the table in front of me where I left it after sending the last message out. Picking it up, I see a number from the state's attorney office.

"Hello?" I answer the phone immediately, my heart racing in anticipation of what I'm about to hear.

"Is this Mr. Sord?" a woman asks on the other end of the line.

"It is."

"Mr. Sord, we've been trying to get ahold of Mrs. Sord-Calhoun and she's not answering any of our calls. The jury came back with a verdict and the judge has finally sentenced all three members of the Conklin family. We've been trying to let your wife know," the woman says, her voice hesitant. "Mr. Sord, all three members are going to prison for the rest of their lives. On top of the charges against them for the abuse and sexual assault on your wife, they were charged with various other charges and that's everything they've been sentenced for. Your wife won't have to worry about them being free for the rest of her life and she can breathe easy moving forward."

"Are you sure? There's no way they can win an appeal and get out before their time? Or they won't be able to get parole or anythin'?" I ask, needing to know if there's even a remote possibility.

"There's no way they'll be granted parole. They were sentenced without it. So, they'll be in prison until the day each of them take their last breath. Please inform your wife of this news and if she has any questions, she's more than welcome to call the office and we'll answer her the best we can," the woman tells me as I thank her and hang up the phone.

Rushing upstairs, I enter our bedroom to find Brooklyn getting sick in a garbage can Gavin is holding for her. She's covered in sweat and fear fills me with the thought of something being seriously wrong with her.

"I'm callin' Doc," I state, my voice wavering as Gavin looks over at me briefly and nods his head in response.

I place the call and get Doc to come out to the house so he can take a look at our wife. I'm debating calling Dr. Matthews. I'll wait to see what Doc says before I get her to come out here too. If it's not serious, Brooklyn will chew me a new ass for getting everyone out here without it being necessary. So, for now, we'll let Doc come out and check her over and tell us what we need to do to help her.

"He'll be here in ten minutes," I inform them as I move to the bed and sit down with them.

Reaching out, I rub my hand up and down her back in comfort as she finally stops getting sick and collapses back against the bed. Gavin goes to the bathroom and I hear him cleaning out the garbage can with water. In a few minutes he makes his way back into the bedroom with a wet cloth in his hands. He carefully places it on her head and I pull the blankets up higher on her body.

"Why were you so excited when you came in the room, Jayce?" Gavin asks me, his voice almost a whisper with Brooklyn's eyes closed as she tries to sleep.

"I got a call from the state's attorney office. The judge has sentenced Bennett and his parents. She's been tryin' to call Brooklyn but hasn't gotten ahold of her," I inform them as Brooklyn's eyes open and she stares at me.

"What did they say? Are they being set free as normal?" she questions, her voice wavering as tears fill her eyes.

"No, Little Warrior, they aren't bein' set free. All three of them will spend the rest of their lives in prison where they belong. The judge isn't even givin' them a chance for parole. And they won't win an appeal if they attempt to file one," I inform them as Brooklyn's eyes go wide and a smile fills her pale face.

"You're certain that's what they said?" Gavin asks me, hope filling his eyes as I look at him.

"I'm positive. I made sure there was no way for them to get out and was assured they'll be goin' to prison until the day they die. If you have any questions, she said you can call them, Little Warrior. I'm gonna go down and wait for Doc to get here. It won't be long now," I say, standing from the bed as Brooklyn cries but holds her head high while her smile remains in place.

Despite our wife looking sick as fuck, this is how I want to see her every day of our lives. Happy, free, and with her head high in the air because she is worthy and won't ever have to worry about those sick fucks coming after her again.

The last week has been pure hell. It seems Brooklyn caught the flu from someone and it ended up going through the entire club. We've all been sick as fuck and have had to take turns taking care of one another. Nanny is the only one who didn't get sick and she took it upon herself to show up at each house with soup, medicine, tissues, and anything else she could think of. She cleaned each house and cabin, dressed like she was handling a biohazard spill with her mask and gloves, and made the Shattered Angels clean the clubhouse from top to bottom so we wouldn't continue to catch the flu and pass it around and around. Brooklyn, Fee, and Fee's new baby are the ones I truly feel sorry for. Those three were the worst out of all of us. Hell, we had Brooklyn at the emergency room for fluids because she got dehydrated, and the pediatrician nearly admitted the baby for the same reason.

Thankfully, Nanny's proactive approach at each of our houses, as well as the clubhouse, finally broke the madness. I swear, that woman goes up in my estimation every single time she pulls out some tried and true home remedy. Now, we just have to get Brooklyn's weight back up, because she dropped far too much as far as we're concerned. Nanny's helping there as well; she brought over several homemade soups and casseroles that she stuck in our freezer until Brooklyn felt like eating more than broth and crackers. I honestly think we bought all the ginger ale the grocery store had in stock. When it got to where no one was well enough to pick it up, we had it delivered.

Anguish and I are finally returning to work today. Theo still hasn't been cleared and he won't be for a while still. We're so far behind but no one is bitching about things as we've tried to call everyone who has cars in with us right now to tell them about the flu going through the compound. Apparently everyone in Odin's Gap has been hit with it. While I want to go back to work, I'm not ready yet. I love staying home with Brooklyn and watching as she moves around so much lighter and freer than I've ever seen her.

"Are you gonna be okay, Little Warrior?" I ask her, walking up as she holds Knight in her arms while Robynn feeds two of the other quadruplets.

"I'm okay, Jayce. I feel better than I have in days and Dr. Matthews has me scheduled to come in tomorrow for an ultrasound and appointment to check in with everything. You're going with us, right?" she asks, swaying back and forth with Knight.

"Try to keep me away, Little Warrior," I tell her, leaning forward and pressing a kiss against her lips as Gavin steps up behind her.

Stepping back I watch as he sets a plate down in front of our wife filled with eggs, toast, hash browns, and sausage. She's got a glass of orange juice in front of her as well. Brooklyn has definitely gotten her appetite back since learning about the assholes serving life in prison. The morning sickness is still there, but she doesn't really get sick. She's nauseous and hates it, but that's about it. Apparently she's very lucky and I'm glad to hear it.

"We gotta head out. Theo and Creed are already at the shop and there's a line of people there. I hate dealin' with idiots this early in the mornin'," Anguish speaks up, his voice full of aggravation already.

"Alright," I say, giving my woman one more kiss before nodding at Gavin as I follow Anguish out of my house.

Robynn and the babies are hanging out with them today. She doesn't want to be in the house or clubhouse since that's where she's been with the flu hitting everywhere on the compound. We all kind of remained apart to limit exposure and it didn't work. So, she called Brooklyn last night and asked if she could hang out for the day. Our girl was excited to have Robynn and the babies spend the day with her. She talked about it all night and planned out what they'd do. I have a feeling Anguish will be joining us for dinner and dessert tonight. They were planning on preparing a feast and baking up a storm today while we're at work.

Leaving the room, I glance over my shoulder one last time to watch Brooklyn lean down and talk to Knight as he smiles up at her. I have never seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life. Brooklyn looks good with a baby in her arms and I can't wait until our little ones are born and we get to see her flourish in her new role in life. I have a feeling once our twins get here, she's not gonna want to go to work at Soul Escape or anywhere else. Brooklyn has mentioned before that she used to dream of being a stay-at-home mom but I'm not sure if that's something she still wants to do. It's something we'll have to talk about as we get closer to her due date.

"It's always a beautiful sight to see your woman with a baby in her arms. How's she doin' with the pregnancy?" Anguish asks me, looking around to ensure we're alone.

"She's doin' pretty good. We go back to Dr. Matthews tomorrow for another ultrasound and check-up. I can't wait to see the baby on the screen," I answer him as we get in his truck and make our way toward the front of the compound so we can get to work.

I'm talking about one baby because no one knows we're having twins. Everyone knows we're having a baby, but it's supposedly just one and not two of them. That's a secret we're keeping to ourselves until Brooklyn is ready to tell everyone. That's why I haven't talked to Goliath, Cricket, Anguish, or Robynn about helping us learn how to take care of more than one baby at a time. Brooklyn is getting a crash course the more she hangs out with the ol' ladies.

"That's good. So you won't be at work for a while tomorrow. Has she seen Fee yet? Or talked to Theo since she stayed in her room?" Anguish asks me, as we make our way to the shop.

"She's talked to Theo a little bit. He'll be up to the house to hang out with her tomorrow if she doesn't go to the clubhouse. She and Fee haven't gotten together yet. I think they need to though. Maybe tomorrow they can hang out. I know she was excited to meet their baby before. Hopefully now that she's learned Bennett won't be gettin' out of prison any time soon, she'll start hanging out with everyone more again," I answer him, looking out the window as I think about needing to check in with her when it's just Gavin, her, and me at the house.

"We'll make it happen soon. I think we all need a family night at the clubhouse. The ol' ladies can cook dinner like they have before and we can all hang out, catch up on life, and just relax together. We can have everyone on the compound involved so it's truly a family night," Anguish says as I start laughing out loud.

"You're seriously gonna let Cricket and Fee in the clubhouse to cook and bake? You always bitch up a storm when they fill the clubhouse with their baked goods and shit," I remind him while continuing to laugh hysterically at the images of him yelling and stomping around while threatening the girls to get their shit out of the clubhouse.

"I'll let them loose in the clubhouse. I'm hopin' Nanny and Robynn can keep them in check," Anguish mutters as he pulls into the parking lot of Baker's.

"Um, no, I don't see that happenin' at all. They'll be right there goin' along with whatever crazy ideas they all come up with. You're fucked, Anguish," I tell him, jumping out of the truck after he parks so I can get to work and away from Anguish.

The day is gonna be busy as fuck and I hope it doesn't drag by. I want to get back home to my wife and best friend so we can spend the rest of the night alone in our house. Soul isn't working tonight and Brooklyn doesn't work on nights he doesn't go in. Country is playing manager and taking care of everything. He'll only call if there's a problem he can't solve. I don't see him calling because Country is a solid guy and will handle any situation he's facing.