Revenge is a Dish Best Served Hot

The Call

Grimm pov

Grimm took his week and returned to the clubhouse. While he drowned himself in alcohol every night, he abstained from women. He got blackout drunk every night and woke up every morning with a bottle of whiskey. Then on the Monday morning, he was to report back to the club he had a hell of a hangover but he rode his bike back, stopping to puke every fifteen minutes. God he had never been this bad, he was pretty sure he had alcohol poisoning, but nothing to be done about it now. Grimm stumbled into the clubhouse around noon, sober. Sick as a dog but sober. He lay on his hands and knees fighting back the bile as Reaper walked up. His president walked into the room and with no words yanked him up by the hair. Grimm winced but didn't say anything as Reaper looked him dead in the eye searching. Grimm met his stare and hoped that his friend wasn't going to live up to his road name.

“Do you agree to the terms?” Reaper asked after a full minute and he nodded his head. Well, the best he could as Reaper had a fist full of his long hair.

“Get some sleep and we will start tomorrow,” Reaper barked out and let go of the hold on his hair. Grimm fell into a heap and fought the urge to dry heave. He stumbled into his room and passed out on his stomach with his head hanging over against the side in case he puked in the middle of the night. f**k his life.

Since that night Grimm hadn't consumed more than one beer a night and no hard liquor. He couldn't screw this up. Grimm had lost Nicole, he couldn't lose the Brotherhood. It was everything to him. The Devils MC was all he had and over the next month, Grimm realized how much he had f****d up. How far he had lost himself. The first week back the patched brothers watched him like he was a bomb about to go off. It was clear he wasn't trusted. He took it. Grimm took the suspicious stares and the comments from his brothers. The prospects knew better than to say anything. He would gain back their trust the way it was earned in the first place. Hard work. Reaper didn’t talk to him for the first three months and that hurt like a b***h, but he deserved it. Grimm realized how much of a liability he had become and used every chance he had.

…

It was at the yearly meeting with the Ghost MC when Grimm had the chance to talk to Magnet. The meeting had just let out when Briar came in with the baby who was around eight months old. Hell, Grimm didn’t know much about babies. She was the club princess and getting bigger. Grimm caught the pain in Magnet’s eyes before he went up to the bar. Grimm followed him and sat next to him. They both ordered a beer and saluted to another year with no bloodshed. Grimm let silence reign for a moment before he spoke.

“How do you do it?” Magnet didn't ask a question he just nodded his head and remained silent. Grimm wondered if the neighboring president would answer him when he finally spoke.

“I felt like I am drowning in regret every day.” Magnet looked over at the small family who didn't even notice he was looking at them with longing, pain, and regret. “I know I shouldn't drink, but it's the only thing that can save me from remembering that could have been me if I were a stronger man.” Grimm thought back to the last day he saw Nicole, her holding Aurora in her arms. He wondered if Nicole wanted kids, she would be a fantastic mother. What she would look like with a pregnant belly. How she looked so happy holding Aurora all those months ago.

Magnet waved down the bartender for another one and after he was handed another beer Magnet spoke again.

“Greyson would have been two last month.” It took a moment to remember the stillborn baby Briar had which caused her to spiral. Grimm tried to think of something to say before Magnet continued, “I went out to his headstone for his birthday and there they were. It was as if I wasn’t his father, as if I was no one, God that cut deep.” Grimm didn’t say anything as there was nothing to say.

“I deserve this, every bit of misery I deserve.”

“Yeah,” he responded after a moment and Magnet looked at him. “I suppose we do. I just hoped you would say that it gets better. That the pain faded.” Magnet turned to look at Briar again and so did Grimm. Axel was looking down at Briar with love in his eyes and then gave her a romantic comedy worthy ending kiss.

“No, I can’t say that it does.”

Nicole pov

It had been six months since her visit with Briar and her last conversation with Grimm. She was proud to say that she did not cry that night, only shed a few tears as she slipped into bed. She kept her vow that she wouldn't cry or give up. Nicole had not started dating despite Briar’s insistence that she get back into the dating pool. She just didn’t have the time or desire to do so. Nicole was focused on healing herself before opening up to another person.

Now she was so close to graduation she could taste it. She was in her last semester working closely with the other RN’s and doctors. It was hard won but she has started to earn the respect of the RNs and a few doctors. Nicole slowly earned a few extra responsibilities in the ER along with other trainees. It was only a few more months until her final exams and then she would be an RN. She was pulled into her supervisor’s office and before she could pee her pants Jacinda had told her that among all of the other students she had stood out. Jacinda told her that she had quick reaction times and great instincts. While Nicole was reeling in shock Jacinda left her with one final blow and that was to put in for the emergency room RN position and it was hers after graduation if she wanted it.

Nicole was still on that high five nights later.

Nicole was helping out in the ER one night and it was brutal. There was a five-car pile-up on the interstate and the ER was in a state of total chaos. Nicole was put on sterilization and clean-up duty. It was intense, orders being barked out left and right but she loved every second of it. She thrived under the chaos and was dying to prove that her supervisor made the right decision.

Then victims of a shootout came in one with multiple gunshot wounds, and Nicole was surprised, to say the least. Nicole couldn’t help but take a look at the intake form due to the hush that fell over the ER as multiple police officers were wheeled into the OR along with what she assumed were the perps. She recognized the name Eric Madden. Madden was Briar’s last name. She went up to the nurse on duty.

“Has anyone contacted their next of kin?”

“Working on it rookie, what’s it to you?”

“I think I know one of their sisters,” the nurse said, looking at her.

“Which one?”

“Madden, if he has Briar Madden-Hart on his next of kin list then that’s my best friend's brother in the OR.” The nurse quickly looked into the man’s file and then back to her.

“She’s there, want to do the honors?” The nurse asked and Nicole nodded her head. This was a huge responsibility and Nicole couldn’t believe her first next of kin call would be to her best friend.

“Yeah, I’ll call,” Briar pulled out her phone and she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I know she’s your friend,” her supervisor stated. “Be sympathetic, but be precise and efficient.” Nicole nodded her head and walked to another room to call her best friend. Briar picked up after two rings.

“Nicole! I’m so glad to hear from you, you will never believe what happened?,” Briar rambled on.

“Briar,” Nicole stated firmly.

“Aurora was so cute today,” Nicole decided that it would be best for Axel to break the news of Briar.

“Briar! Is Axel with you?”

“Yes? Axel is here, what is it?” Briar was realizing that something was wrong.

“Can I speak with him?”

“Nicole what?-”

“Nicole this is Axel what is going on?” He must of been sitting there the whole time.

“Briar’s brother Eric was involved in a shootout, that's all the information I have.”

“The hospital where you work?”

“Yes, he's in surgery now.”

“Understood. I will inform his family.”

“Thanks Axel, see you soon?”

“On our way.”