Thor (Sinful Warriors MC #4)

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

MADISON

“ S omebody, please, help us!” a woman screams.

I look up and watch as a mother runs through the emergency room doors pointing to a man holding a little girl in his arms. Her face is covered in tears as she reaches for her right leg. I quickly get up and grab a nearby gurney and wheel it over to them.

He lays her down carefully and I notice she’s in full cheerleading gear. “Can you tell me what happened?” I ask them. Doc walks over and begins to exam her leg carefully.

“She was cheering at the game, and everything was going as usual. But then she went to climb the top of the pyramid and one the girls shifted causing her to fall.” The mom pauses with a choked sob. Turning to her husband, she lowers her voice, but I still hear her. “I know that was on purpose. I’ve been telling you for months those girls are picking on her and now look. She’s leaving that school. I don’t give a damn how your parents feel about it, Josh!”

“Jenny, calm down, honey,” he soothes while holding her tightly.

A small smile stretches across Doc’s lips as he looks at the little girl. “How old are you sweetheart?” he asks her.

“Ten,” she whimpers.

“Really?” he asks feigning shock. “I thought you were at least thirty.” He smirks.

She lets out a tiny giggle while giving Doc a goofy smile. She’s smitten. Join the club, little lady. Doc has every woman around this place wrapped around his finger except for me. I’m happily taken.

“No, I’m only ten, silly. And my name is Lauren.”

“Well, Miss. Lauren, we’re going to go take some x-rays to see what exactly is wrong with your leg. Once I know what’s going on, we’ll get it all fixed up.”

“Will it hurt?” she whispers.

“I promise you won't feel a thing.” Lauren nods and settles into the bed. When I look up, her parents are smiling at Doc. The mother mouths a thank you and Doc gives her a nod. “You two can follow but we’ll need you to fill out some paperwork. Is she allergic to any medicine?”

“No, she isn’t allergic to anything,” the father says.

Doc nods and we both grab one side of the bed and wheel the bed to x-rays. Her parents are right behind us. The x-rays go by smoothly. When Doc puts the pictures on the lightbox, he hisses.

I study the picture a little more intently and then I see it.

Oh, that poor little girl.

“Is her…”

“Her ACL is torn,” Doc confirms. “That injury is hard on adults to recover from.” Doc sighs and shakes his head. “Let's go break the news to her parents.”

I follow Doc to the family room where her parents watch their daughter through the glass. Doc clears his throat to get their attention. They approach us with hopeful eyes.

God, I hate doing this.

“Is she going to be alight?” Josh asks.

“I strongly believe Lauren will be okay, but she has a long road ahead of her. She tore her ACL. She’ll need surgery to repair it, but it’s the recovery that will be hard.”

Jenny sobs loudly and smacks the back of her hand against her husband’s chest. “I mean it, she is not going back there.”

Josh nods with remorse in his eyes. “I know, honey. I should have stood up to Mom and Dad a long time ago and now look what’s happened.” He pulls his wife to him, holding her as she cries, and Doc and I slip out of the room to give them privacy.

By the time my shift is over my feet are killing me. I just want to go home and have Jonah rub them for me. As I gather up my things at the nurse station, Doc approaches me. “I wanted to run something by you,” he says as I finish packing up my things.

“What’s up?”

“The nurse you’re covering for called today and put in her notice. She’s going to stay home after the baby is born. If you want her position permanently just let me know and I’ll put a word in with HR.”

This is unexpected but great news. I really like working here. I've made a few work friends and most of the doctors here are really nice. “That sounds good to me. Thanks, Doc” I tell him.

“It's no problem at all. I’ll talk to HR first thing in the morning.”

Doc grabs one of the patient clip boards on the desk before walking away. Right as I sling my purse over my shoulder a hand lightly grabs my arm. When I turn around, I'm met with the lustful stare of Dr. Howard.

I’ve only worked with him a few times since being here. He thinks he’s God’s gift to women. He’s made a few passes at me and every time I declined as nicely as I knew how.

“Hi, Madison. You look stunning as usual. Are you finishing up your shift?” he asks while checking out every inch of me. He’s never subtle. I know he’s slept with the majority of the nurses here, but I will not be one of them. I’m not even remotely interested.

“Yes, I’m ready to get home so I can enjoy my Thanksgiving tomorrow.” I smile politely while gathering the last of my things. I want to get out of here and to my Jonah.

“That’s great! My shift just ended, and I’m headed out of here. How about we go grab some drinks? I know a great place not too far from here.”

Kim, one of the nurses who’s at the station, giggles quietly to herself. She knows I want absolutely nothing to do with this man. He can’t take a hint. How many times do I have to say no? Before I can give him yet another polite rejection, my man’s voice interrupts us.

“No, she can’t, asswipe. She’s mine.” Jonah sweeps me into his arms while placing a tender kiss on my lips. He gives me that breathtaking smile that makes my insides flutter and I melt against him. Jonah Shaw will always be it for me. Nobody will ever stand a chance against him.

His hand wraps around the nape of neck as he runs his fingers through my hair. “You ready, baby?”

His deep baritone voice causes heat to pool my center. My mouth has gone dry, so I just nod my head. When Jonah turns his attention to Dr. Howard, all the tenderness is gone. Now he just looks plan old murderous.

Either Dr. Howard doesn’t know how much danger he’s in or he has a death wish. He glares back at Jonah and takes a defensive stance as he lifts his chin defiantly.

“That’s your one and only warning to back off my woman. She’s told you numerous times she has no interest in you. It’s almost like you have a death wish.”

Dr. Howard pales and gulps before walking away. I turn to Jonah in surprise. I didn’t tell him anything. “How did you know that?” I ask.

“Doc told me. He knows everything that goes on in this hospital. The next time you keep something like this from me, that sweet little ass of yours is going to get painted pink with my hand. Got me?” he growls with a raised brow.

Holy shit!

I think I just came a little.

That was so damn hot. I love the dominant Jonah. I never thought these kinds of things would get me going. I’m seconds from pulling him into an empty room just to fulfill his warning.

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Good girl. Let’s go home, baby.”

Grabbing my hand, he leads me away. I turn around to say bye to Kim and see her sitting at the desk with her mouth wide open. I giggle and give her a wave. She waves back, her mouth still hanging open. When we make it to my car, I notice Jonah’s bike parked behind it along with Bear, Armor, and Rambo. Jonah opens my door and waits until my seatbelt is on before closing it.

I wait until he’s back on his bike with his helmet on before pulling away. It’s the same routine every day I work.

When we make it to the clubhouse, Jonah opens my door for me and we head inside. I walk straight toward the dining hall. I’m starving. Hospital food is not appetizing.

I make it to the dining hall and notice the table that’s normally filled with chafing dishes is filled with pizza instead. There has to be at least thirty boxes.

Geez.

These guys are greedy. Jonah groans beside me and I look up to see him salivating at all the pizza boxes.

“Really?” I ask smirking.

He shrugs. “I love that we get home-cooked meals all the time, but sometimes a man just needs a box a pizza, a beer, and football.”

“Is that all it takes to make you a happy man?” I ask with a brow raised.

Jonah wraps an arm around my waist and pulls my body toward him. “That and you.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

Laughing, I pull out of his arms. “Now’s not the time to get mushy. There’s a pizza buffet waiting for me.”

Jonah feigns hurt. “Damn, coming second to pizza now, am I?”

I shrug and walk over to the table. As I go through the boxes, I can hear a few of the brothers laughing behind me. I’m like a kid on Christmas morning going through all the different options. Once my plate is ready for devouring, I turn around and notice none of the women are in the dining hall.

Dice points toward the kitchen. “They’re in there going over the menu for Thanksgiving.”

Nodding, I rise on my toes and plant a kiss to Jonah’s cheek. “I’m going to see what I can do to help.”

Jonah looks like he wants to object but nods. He takes a seat at the table with the guys and falls into the conversation. Walking through the kitchen doors, everyone turns around and smiles when they see me. I take a seat at the island with them, and Cara gets back to the conversation.

“Okay, Mom, you’re making green bean casserole, corn, mashed potatoes, brown and white gravy, dressing, and cornbread, right?” she asks. Crystal nods and Cara glances over to Victoria. “And are you sure you want to sign up for all the desserts?”

Victoria laughs and nods. “Yes. Mouse and Bubbles are going to come over early in the morning and help.”

I freeze mid-bite with my pizza only a few inches from my mouth. I look around the bar to see if I heard her right. Now that I’ve been staying in the clubhouse I know exactly who those two are. Am I the only one not understanding how she’s okay with two club bunnies in her home? Sara places her hand on my arm with a soft smile.

“Mouse and Bubbles aren’t like the others. When Cara and I first arrived, they were the only two interested in learning how to cook. They keep out of all the drama all the other bunnies have going on and they mind their business. They’re really cool once you get to know them.”

Slowly I nod my head, but it doesn’t take away the shock.

“Honestly, if they keep getting better at cooking, I think we should offer them positions in the kitchen at the restaurant,” Bianca says.

Cara nods and tilts her head as she thinks. “I’ve been thinking that for a while. I have a feeling they don’t do this for the thrills.”

“Have you brought this up to Viper yet?” Sara asks.

“No. I don’t know all the rules they have in place for the bunnies, but I don’t think any of the guys would block them bettering their lives.”

“I think it’s a great idea. Regardless of what those two do in their free time, deep down, they are good girls,” Crystal says.

Everyone nods in agreement as Cara clears her throat and gets back to the list in front of her. “Now, Sara, Bianca, Soph, and I will be in charge of all the meats. Turkey, roast, and ham. We’ll probably get started in the middle of the night since we have to cook so many of them. We’ll also be making the macaroni and cheese, collard greens, yams, potato salad, and dinner rolls.”

I gawk in disbelief as I go over all the food they’ve mentioned. “I know the guys can eat a lot but that’s enough food for an army,” I splutter.

The girls laugh and Sophia nods her head. “That’s because we are cooking for an army. Somebody got a little too tipsy at Bianca and Blade’s reception and told both chapters to come down for Thanksgiving, making the head count around eighty people,” Soph drawls while eyeing Sara.

Sara huffs and rolls her eyes. “You should have seen Crow’s sad eyes. He kept talking about how he wants to find a woman of his own and how lucky the guys are to have found us. Then Razor joined in talking about how he only receives a home-cooked meal when they come here. I couldn’t help it,” she whines.

We all burst into laughter. Getting to know Sara, I know she’s a natural sweetheart. She loves taking care of the guys. It’s just who she is. Although Jonah did warn me that no matter how sweet Sara may be, she’s worse than Cara when she’s been crossed.

“Well, what can I do to help?” I ask them.

“Madison, we don’t expect you to cook. This is your first Thanksgiving with us. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your time with your man,” Sara says with a smile.

“I see Jonah every day. I’m an Ol’ Lady, aren’t I?” I ask with a head tilt. Sara nods and looks around the group, but everyone is trying their hardest to not look my way.

What the hell?

Maybe they think I can’t cook. I haven’t joined them in the kitchen since I’ve been here. I’m not the best but I did learn a thing or two from my mom. If given directions, I’m good to go.

“I promise I can cook. Just give me a few tasks. I really want to do this. I don’t want to sit around while you all bust your butts cooking all this food,” I plead.

Cara opens her mouth but before she can get a word out, I hear Jonah call my name. “Be right back,” I tell them. I hop off my stool and walk toward the door.

Cara places her hand on my arm with a smile. “This is why we don’t want you cooking tomorrow.”

I frown and keep striding for the door.

What does that mean?