“Where is she?”
“You aren’t going to believe this shit,” Gunner mutters.
“What?”
“Boss she’s at a diner in Hazard, Kentucky.”
“You’re shitting me,” I respond, almost laughing. Hazard is probably just a little over an hour from London—which is where I used to live.
“You think she was bringing Ryan home herself?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t think she trusts anyone but Diesel with the boy, but this works to our advantage for sure.”
“Want me to call Dragon and the boys?”
I start to answer, but then I remember my conversation with Rory. Will she think I’m fucking her over? I look toward the doors where Diesel is breathing through a tube with the help from a machine. Not even pissing on his own anymore and having to have a machine clean the toxins out of his body. She thinks my brother is okay… me sending one of my former crew to pick her up will be the least she’ll be mad about.
“Do it,” I tell him. I would like to do it myself, but I can’t leave Diesel. I’m going to watch his back until there’s nothing left to watch.
“You got it, man,” Gunner says.
I nod, walking by him and Rebel and ring the intercom. They let me back into the private section of the ICU without delay. I ignore the nurses, doctors and anyone I pass. I go straight to my brother’s room.
It fucking hurts to see him like this. There’s a nurse there, sponging him off and I frown. Diesel would enjoy that any other time. Maybe… I got a feeling Rory McDaniels might be a game changer.
“Mr. Dawson,” the nurse says, looking nervous.
“Can I have a moment alone with my brother?” I ask, but my tone makes it sound like anything other than a question.
She gathers her pan and supplies, then hurries out of the room without responding. I pull up a seat and lean down to look at my brother. The doctor’s explained that he had lost so much blood and his body had been through so much trauma being out in the elements that he slipped into a coma. He could lay like this forever. There’s brain activity, but with each day that passes…
There are two things that I know about Diesel. He loves his son more than anything in this world and he wouldn’t want to continue to live like this. Those two things keep warring in my head.
I reach down and grab my brother’s hand, clearing my throat.
“Diesel,” I start, wondering how in the hell to talk to a man who probably can’t even hear me. I ignore the urge to feel like a dumbass and push through. “Years ago, you had my back when I desperately needed it. You helped me start over, you helped my woman heal. I owe you the world man and right now…” I stop, raking my hand through my hair. “Fuck, man,” I growl. “Right now, I just don’t know how to help you. I’ve found your son and I think this Rory means something to you and I’ve found her too. I’m going to bring them to you, man. I’m going to do that, but there’s something you have to do. Diesel… Christ.” I stumble over the words, each one getting harder to say than the others. I take a breath and start again. “Brother, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through and I don’t know how you survived, but you did survive. You fought for a reason and brother… I know it sucks, but you need to keep fighting. You need to reach deep and see if you want to keep fighting; be here for Ryan and maybe for something more with your woman. I’m at a loss man. There’s nothing more I can do, other than get revenge on the fucker that put you here and I will do that. I swear to God man that I’m going to do that. He will not continue breathing air, his death is all but mine. But, you have to decide if you want to keep fighting and come back to us. After Ryan sees you… I’m going to let the doctors begin to unhook you. Son of a bitch, I don’t want to do that. I really don’t. But, I know you being tied to machines to breathe, to eat… to fucking piss… that’s not what you want. That’s not how you want to go down. So, I’m doing that for you too. If you’re in there somewhere man,” I tell him, squeezing his damn hand and choking on tears that I refuse to fucking shed. “If you’re in there… I need you to fight. Dani and I, brother, we will take care of Ryan and you know me, brother. That kid will not want for a single thing. Anything I can physically give him, I will. You know that, too. But he’s going to miss you every damn day of his life. He’s going to need you. You feel comfortable leaving him to me, I will try to fill that void. I swear to fucking God man that I will do my best,” I tell him, pain and anger warring inside of me.