Dragon

15 - Little Lady

Dragon

I park my bike and run through the hospital as fast as I can. A nurse points me in the right direction, and I swear, an elevator ride has never seemed so long before. As soon as it comes to a halt on the third floor, I see my family in the waiting room: my parents, both of my brothers, my sister, and Rabid.

“Where the fuc.k is she?” I ask no one in particular.

My dad grabs my shoulders. “She’s in the O.R. right now. You can’t see her, Dragon. No one can.”

I yank myself out of his grasp with a snarl.

“What the fuc.k did you all think you were doing going over to Kyla’s house and scaring her like that? You had no damn right, any of you!”

“We know that, Son. Fuc.k, do we know that now.”

I round on my brother. “What the hell did you say to her?”

Storm leans forward in his seat, elbows on his knees, scrubs his hands over his face, then lifts to look at me. “I was pissed at Kyla for you. I listened to her excuses, and I lost it. I told her that you were taking her to court for custody of Greer.”

“You did what? You had no fuckin’ right to say any such thing to her, Storm! How dare you make Kyla think I’d take her child away from her? I would never do something like that, and you know it! How dare you butt-in to my fuckin’ life like this?!”

“I know.” Storm gets to his feet in front of me. My brother is bigger than I am in every way, but he won't intimidate me right now. “I’m sorry, man. What else can I say?”

“I hope this haunts you for the rest of your life, you son of a bitc.h! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“That’s enough!” My mother stands between the two of us, looking at me. “I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but there is a little girl over there with your sister who is so very frightened right now. She found her mother in the middle of the road, Dragon.”

My eyes shoot to Hilly, and the little girl sitting beside her with her head hanging down.

How did I not see her there?

Hilly is sixteen and stunning, just like our mother —literally beautiful. Looking at her with Greer, God, they could pass for sisters; they look so much alike.

I can’t imagine what that beautiful little girl saw when she found Kyla in the road. Shi.t, she must have been terrified.

I look at my father. “If Greer found Kyla, how did you all know what happened?”

“I heard the impact over the rumble of the motorcycle engines. It was so fuckin’ loud. I stopped my bike and looked behind me. I saw what had happened, saw Kyla hit the ground. I shot back down the road, but Greer was already running out of the house toward her mom before I could stop her. Poor kid screamed so loud, I thought my eardrums would burst. She hasn’t said a word since, Dragon. Not to anyone.”

I close my eyes and shake my head.

What the fuc.k do I do?

“What about the driver?”

“Cops arrested him at the scene. He was drunk and hadn’t even seen Kyla.” My dad tells me. “Don’t you worry, it’ll be dealt with.”

I nod my head. I don’t have the energy to think about the damn driver right now; I just wanted to make sure he hadn’t gotten away.

My mother rubs my arm and draws my eyes to her. “Greer needs you, Dragon. I know how scary this is for you. You don’t even know Greer, or that she even existed, until today, but she is your daughter, Dragon. It’s evident to anyone with eyes that she is, and she needs you right now because she doesn’t have anyone else.

“You can do this, sweetheart. Draw strength and wisdom from Kyla and the amazing mother she is. I know, in my heart, Kyla believes in you and your ability to be Greer’s father, just the same as I do.”

I nod at my mother and take a deep breath. Willow Marshall has never steered me wrong once in my life. If she believes in me, then I know I can do this.

I make my way over to my sister, and she looks up at me with a slight, sympathetic smile on her face. She gets out of her seat, allowing me to take her place. “We’ll all go grab some drinks, give you some time to talk. Do you want anything?”

“No. I’m fine, Sis.”

She nods and walks away. They all do.

I don't pay them any attention; I keep my eyes on the little girl dressed in unicorn pajamas with big unicorn slippers on her feet.

“Hi.” I try to keep my voice calm for her. I don't want to scare her. “Do you remember me from earlier?”

Greer nods her little head without looking at me. I feel fear radiating from her in the bucket load.

“I know how scary things seem right now, but everything is going to be okay, Greer.”

This time, she does look at me, and those beautiful hazel eyes of hers are so filled with tears that I’m not sure she can see me.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just wanted to find you so Mommy could be happy.”

Ah, fuc.k. My kid blames herself for what happened to her mother because she tried to find me. This isn’t right in any sense of the word. This isn’t Greer’s fault, it’s my brother’s fault for dragging my father and cousin around to Kyla’s house and scaring the shi.t out of her.

What the fuc.k did he expect her to do when he threw all that custody bullshit at her?

Did he think she’d roll over and hand Greer to me?

Of course, she’d fight for her daughter; she raised her. I didn’t even know Greer existed until today. There is no way on this earth I would have taken Greer from Kyla, even if I’d known her all her life. A child belongs with their mother unless she’s abusive or neglectful, which Kyla is neither.

Shi.t, I’ve never been so angry with anyone in my life as I am with my brother right now.

I know my father and cousin were there with Storm, but he’s the one who spat that shi.t at Kyla. He’s the one who made her believe I was going to take Greer from her. Of course, she’d be scared and fight for her little girl.

What good mother wouldn’t?

“Sweetheart, listen to me, this was not your fault. You did nothing wrong. Your mother is so very proud of you, don’t you know that?”

Greer nods her head and wipes her eyes on her pajama sleeve. “Is Mommy going to die? She was bleeding everywhere.”

“I wish I knew the answer to that, but I don’t.”

Greer looks at me with pleading eyes, wanting me to make everything better, and I never realized it would feel like this. I didn’t know my heart would ache for her this much.

I wish I could take away her pain. I wish I could promise Greer that her mother will come out of this and we’ll be a family, but I can’t.

“We have to pray for your mother and hope that she’s strong enough to come back to us.”

“Are you going to leave me, too?”

I cup her little cheek and stroke away her tears with my thumb. “Greer, your mother would never leave you unless she had no choice. I won’t leave you either. I’m your dad, right?”

She nods and swallows hard. “I don’t want to be alone. Mommy and I don’t have any other family. Just Aunt Jane, but she lives very far away. I don’t want to live with her. I don’t want to go away from here and not see you anymore.”

I won’t push for answers as to why they have no one other than some aunt miles away. I do know that no matter what happens, this little girl is not alone.

“You have a huge family now, Greer. You will never be alone.”

“I just wanted to meet you. Mommy told me all about you and how much she loves you. She promised to bring me here as soon as she could, and she did.

“She was going to find you, but she had to wait just a little while. She didn’t want to bring me to your door and drop it on you that I was your daughter. Mommy said she needed to ease you into that, plus she was scared that you might love somebody else, and she didn’t know how to come to you in case it ruined your relationship.”

I smile at Greer; she’s so innocent but so knowledgeable at the same time.

“I’m not in a relationship, Greer. I waited all these years for your mom to come back to me.”

A surprised smile lights up her face. “You did?” I nod my head. “Mommy waited for you, too!”

I swallow the lump in my throat. I don’t know how a kid would know if their mother had stayed away from men in their private time, and I won’t ask, but I don’t need to; my little lady tells me anyway.

“Men ask Mommy out all the time because my mom is so beautiful, but she always tells them no. She tells them that because she doesn’t want anybody but you. Her heart belongs to you, she always told me so.

“Mommy goes to work in the morning, but she’s always home to get me off the school bus, then we spend all our time together because we’re best friends. She told me that one day, when we found you, we’d be a family. Mommy, me, and you, because you will love us and protect us, and keep us safe in your arms.”

I’m trying not to cry in front of my daughter, but I’m moved by the fact that Kyla told this little girl only the best things about me. She, to this day, thinks so highly of me that her heart knew I’d love our child as much as she does.

“Mommy kept all her promises to you.”

Kyla isn’t with anyone else; she waited for me just as she said she would. My heart is banging with happiness. It wasn’t one-sided; Kyla loved me as I loved her, and our promises meant just as much. I didn’t waste all these years on a hope and a promise.

“Did you keep yours?” Greer asks.

“I did.”

“Do you still love her?”

“Very much, sweetheart.” That’s when she throws herself at me, arms around my neck, and I have no choice but to lift Greer onto my lap, her legs on either side of my thighs. Greer is relatively small for her age. She takes after Kyla for that. “It’s okay,” I stroke the back of Greer’s head and kiss the top. “Daddy’s here now.”

“Daddy.” She sobs in my arms for a while. I hadn’t even noticed that my parents had returned. But I suddenly see them watching me with my daughter, both with smiles on their faces, and I wonder how much of our conversation they heard.

Greer falls asleep in my arms, the whole time with her head on my shoulder and my arms holding her, protecting her. I know right now that I would die for this little girl.

“Want me to take her home? She should be in bed; she looks uncomfortable.”

“Fuc.k off, Storm. I don’t want you anywhere near my daughter. You’ve done enough damage.”

He sighs. “Don’t be like that, Dragon, please.”

I’m trying to keep my cool because I don’t want to lose it in front of Greer. I won’t have her scared of me, not for any reason. But it’s not easy when I’m filled with so much resentment right now.

“I’ll take her.” My younger brother, Cobra, tells me. “Storm might be a prick in your eyes right now, but he’s right, this is no place for Greer.”

“Fine, but she stays with you. I don’t want him near her.”

Hilly looks at me. “I think it would make more sense if Greer came home with Mom and me. All these men, uncles or not, scare her. Greer told me, albeit very quietly, that Kyla never brought strange men around her. She never had a reason to because you were the only man she had ever loved. We all love her, Dragon, and Greer will get to know her uncles in time. But for right now, let Mom and me take her home. She’ll be fine with her aunt and grandmother.”

That settles that. My dad takes my daughter from me after I’ve kissed her head and whispered how much I love her, and he carries her down to my mom’s car, my sister following. Now I’m left with my brothers waiting for news on the woman I will love until my dying day.