28. Matt Strikes Again

Chapter 28

Matt Strikes Again

S abre

I dialed Gerry and put my phone to my ear, waiting for it to connect. I wasn't dreading this phone call, but it would not be on my top five favorite things to do. The three most important women in Gerry's life were all in the same emergency room. As much as I didn't want to speak to him, he had a right to know. If it had been the other way around, I would have hoped he'd do me a solid by calling.

The phone rang.

It rang some more in my ear as I stared at the fucking white wall in front of me. Somewhere in the background, the front doors slid open. I was still waiting for Gerry to pick up. Fucking idiot.

Grizz elbowed me in the side and abruptly stood up. I looked behind me at the rest of my men. They were all standing, feet planted, arms crossed. They all had their battle faces on. Holding the phone to my ear, I surveyed the area to see what would cause this type of reaction.

I didn't need to call Gerry anymore. He was walking through the front door with Matt by his side. Son of a bitch.

I quickly stood, not really sure how to address this. Grace and the baby were mine, but she was still technically married to that fucking bitch. No matter what I told myself, he'd fathered that baby and had a better claim on them than I did.

No one said anything as they approached us. They must have discussed their entrance because Gerry stopped right in front of Grizz and me, while Matt continued to the older lady that was still sitting at the waiting room desk .

"It didn't have to be this way, but you two need to leave and take the riff raff with you." Gerry mirrored our stance, planting his feet and crossing his arms as he stood in front of us. There was a murmur among my men. They didn't appreciate that comment and neither did I.

"We're not going anywhere," I said, leaving no room for argument.

Matt walked back over to us. "There's no update, Gerry, but I made them aware that we're the next of kin and to only address us. Delores said she'd make a note in their files."

"Delores and I are good friends. Why don't you go back to the expensive trailer you crawled out of?" My brother was honestly jealous that the old woman had helped Matt. Pretty considered her under his control, and it was playing mind games with his charisma.

"Like fuck you are. There's no chance in hell you're her next of kin," I said to Matt. "She was divorcing you, and instead of just letting her go, you played games. How are your buddies in the cartel? I hear they're threatening you for money you don't have." I let the smirk that was trying to form settle on my lips.

"We're still married, and there's not a damn thing you can to do about it. I'll even make them do a paternity test just to prove the baby's mine. What are you going to do then, when we both know I am the daddy and you're just a pussy in a leather vest?"

I wanted to beat Matt into a bloody pulp, but there were too many eyes and ears in the room, especially considering their cartel alliances. I should have seen it the night the family imploded. Gerry's allegiance was to the cartel, not his daughters. I didn't know how I had missed those warning signs.

Grizz let a smirk form that he'd been trying to hold back. "Meredith and I got married last night, so technically, I am her next of kin."

Fuck! Cyph was going to have to forge those papers quickly in case we needed them.

"You weren't even speaking to each other, so I highly doubt that happened," Gerry said.

"You know your daughter. She's kind of bitchy when she doesn't get her way. Meredith's going to be pissed that she didn't get to tell you herself. When she saw me at the restaurant last night, she couldn't help herself. We patched it up and got hitched. I am her next of kin. Sorry, Pops." He was now smiling, pleased as punch with himself.

I had to admit, if we could get all the pieces aligned, it was a pretty genius plan on the fly.

"You lying sack of shit." Gerry spat his words, his voice filled with venom. "She would have never agreed to that. Meredith and Brandon were back together, and you couldn't take it." He pointed his finger at Grizz.

If he wasn't careful, Grizz would show him exactly why they'd called him Grizzly since he was a prospect. His face was hardening, and his smile turned into a sneer as he swatted Gerry's finger away.

"Don't spit that shit in my face. You won't like the result. When the hospital asks for the paperwork, I'll make sure they get a copy. Until then, take a huge fucking step back, old man."

We were at a standstill. Grizz and I would not move, and there was no way in hell these two fucks were ever going to share the same space in the waiting room with the club.

The double doors to the emergency room opened, and Stands walked out. I watched her as she surveyed the room, not impressed with our show of aggression.

"Are we done here, or are you going to whip it out and see who is bigger?" she asked.

"How's my wife?" Matt demanded.

"I am not at liberty to say," she answered him.

"She's my wife, so you better talk, or I'll own this hospital."

Stands laughed. "I've already looped in legal, and they're expecting you. You can discuss your situation with them. My only concern is my patient and her wishes. "

Gerry turned to her, suddenly realizing that Stands had alluded to Grace being awake. "She's my kid. Is she alright?" His face looked as if he'd aged twenty years in a matter of seconds.

Stands turned to look at me, completely ignoring Gerry. "I need to speak with you." She looked back at the other two. "Privately."

I shared a quick look with Grizz, and he nodded back at me. He'd take care of anything that came through while I was away. The rest of the executive team had shifted to flank each side of him, with the rest of the brothers providing backup, if it came down to that.

I followed Stands through the double doors, past a nurses' station, into what looked like a small conference room.

"You so owe me," she said, as she turned to face me.

I waited for her to continue as I let the door close behind me.

"I stuck my head out and saw the mess in the waiting room. No one saw me, so I came back in here and pulled some strings to help you out," she told me, taking a deep breath. "My mom likes her. Says she reminds her of your mom. That's the only reason I did this. It has nothing to do with the club, and I don't want any of your favors." Stands emphasized the word "favors."

"Sure, and you're going to tell me you're not club either in a second." I smirked. Stands was trying to outrun what she'd been born into, and it would eventually suck her back in. If Meredith survived, they could be good friends. They were both runners.

"I am not, but even I get to hear the best gossip." She smiled. "She does kind of remind me of your mom."

We shared a brief smile, both lost in memories.

She shook her head, clearing it. "I pieced together what's going on from what I know and what I've heard. That's the soon-to-be ex-husband, right?"

I nodded my head yes, not willing to give a voice to that question.

"I figured," she said. "Flo is awake. I wasn't lying about that, so I went to her and asked some hospital-related questions. Does she have a power of attorney? Is there anyone she doesn't want her information released to? She caught on quickly, but I didn't tell her the whole situation. She gave me the answers I needed to get some paperwork in place. It won't help you, but it will help the hospital keep him at a distance.

"I also took another liberty, but I don't think you'll mind. I asked her point-blank if you were the father of her baby. She caught the meaning and said yes. It's the only way I can put you on the birth certificate. It's another roadblock for that jackass to get through. I don't want to know if you are or not, but she said you were. Plausible deniability."

"I thought you weren't club." Stands was doing me a solid when I had done nothing to help her.

"I am not," she answered with a defiant glare. She'd walked out of the clubhouse and sworn never to return.

I didn't want to argue with her, but I'd check in with her more regularly when this was over. "How is she, really?"

"I almost lost her on the table," Stands said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Her blood pressure was skyrocketing when she got here. You don't wake up one day and suddenly have issues like that. This has been going on for a while, and either her obstetrician missed it or didn't care enough to monitor it. Either way, it's pure negligence."

"Wait. She goes to a Dr. Vargas. Never misses an appointment. Each time, we were told everything was good." I struggled to understand.

"Vargas? Camiya Vargas?" Stands frowned. "She's under investigation for baby harvesting. It's not the first time, but the board never finds enough evidence to pull her license. Clients have reported missing babies or were told they didn't survive, only for them to be found later on. How did Flo get recommended to her?"

"I don't know," I said. "She was going there before I met her, so either she found Vargas, or Matt introduced her. I have my suspicions."

"Yeah, so do I. Once we could get the situation under control, everything fell into place. I am monitoring her blood pressure, and we did an emergency c-section. The baby was in distress, putting her at greater risk. It's actually a lot of stress on the body, so that's why she's resting in recovery. I've been checking on her every half hour."

"The baby?" I gasped, clutching my chest.

"He's healthy. Four pounds, six ounces. He's a tiny guy, but he's a fighter, like his mom. For being early, it's not as bad as it could have been. He'll have to stay in the NICU for monitoring until he reaches his due date. It's more to prevent complications. You won't be able to take him home until it's safe. I can't keep him with Flo, but I added a few select people to his visitor list. You have enough names for round-the-clock visitation." She wiped another tear from her eye. "Come on, and I'll take you to her. You should be able to stay with her for a little while." Stands walked towards the door and opened it, gesturing me to follow her.

"Stands," I said to her.

She glanced at me over her shoulder.

"Thanks for them. I owe you." I meant it. We were her family, but we'd been too stupid to defend her. I'd bring her back into the fold.

"For my mom. Not for you." She crossed the threshold, and I followed her down the hallway. She made a series of turns before she came to a curtained room. "Let me check first." She walked in, and I could hear her talking to Grace.

"Hey, Flo. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like I was cut open." There was a slight chuckle.

"I bet. I have someone who wants to see you. You up for a little company?" I heard Stands ask her.

"Only if it's Sabre." I had to take a minute to calm down. Grace wanted me as much as I needed to be with her. Any doubt I had that this wouldn't work melted away.