Buried Biker by KM Rockwood Page B

locked up.”
    Again the murmuring that I couldn’t make out.
    “Nobody’s sure yet,” Li’l Mama said. “But your dad wants to know everyone who was involved. It’s too late now to keep it in the club. Once an ambulance got called and it was obvious you had to get to the hospital, there’s no way it can be quiet. The cops have the report from the emergency room. They’re gonna get the results from the rape kit, so there won’t be any doubt.”
    Black Rose spoke up. “Some of the guys are trying to talk your dad into letting the cops handle it. He’s still on parole, and if they find out he’s out to make somebody pay, he’ll be violated. Better he should let someone else take care of it.”
    They stopped talking. I wished they’d say more.
    The old lady’s breathing became shallower and more regular. Her mouth drooped open, and a bubble formed at the corner.
    A nurse hurried in, her footsteps hushed by the thick soles of her pristine white duty shoes. I kept turned toward the lady in the bed, hoping the nurse wouldn’t notice the bruises on my face too much. Or be able to describe me if Montgomery came asking questions. I was glad I’d thought to have my distinctive jacket folded up next to me instead of wearing it.
    “I’m so glad you came,” the nurse said in a soothing voice. “She was so hoping you would. The social worker has been trying to contact family. We were beginning to think she had no one left. Are you Otto, the son?”
    My gut twisted inside me. How could I lie about this? But how could I not? I said, “Yeah.” The words choked in my throat.
    “It’s all right if you cry,” she said, mistaking the reason for my husky voice. “Losing a loved one is always hard, even if she has lived a good and rich life. But it means a lot to her to have you here. She’s calmer than she’s been since she arrived.”
    “How much longer do you think she has?”
    “Who knows? You could talk to the doctor when he comes around next. You do know we have a ‘Do not resuscitate’ order, don’t you?”
    I didn’t, but I nodded. Sounded like a good idea to me. “Will she wake up again?” I asked, uncomfortable with the idea that her Otto would be gone when she did. Even if he was a fraud.
    “Maybe. Maybe not. I think there’s a chaplain on tonight. Shall I send him up?”
    The lady seemed to grow thinner, and her skin more transparent as I watched. “Yes, please.”
    The nurse nodded and drew the curtain around the foot of the bed. Then she went over to the other side of the room.
    “Time to check vital signs,” she said, her voice no longer hushed and somber.
    I heard restless movements from beyond the curtain. “We gotta be going anyhow,” Black Rose said.
    “Hey, Kelly, somebody’ll be by to see how you’re doing tomorrow. I’ll tell your dad it’s okay to come up. You want to talk to him, right?”
    The answer was too soft for me to hear.
    “Will someone from the sexual assault crisis team be checking on her again?” Li’l Mama asked.
    The answer was too hushed for me to catch.
    I listened as the leather heels from the women’s biker boots clicked past and went into the hallway. My nose caught a whiff of leather, oil, and cigarettes as they passed by.
    The nurse talked cheerfully to Kelly as she worked. “Try to get some sleep. The doctor doesn’t want to give you another sleeping pill—you had such a bad reaction last time. If you can get some rest, you’ll probably feel better in the morning. You need to begin the healing process.”
    A chair was set down on the floor with a thud. A drawer squeaked open and then shut. The lights dimmed and the nurse hurried out of the room, not stopping to peek in on us on the other side of the room.
    The old lady’s hand slipped from mine. Her breathing was slow but regular. Then the next breath didn’t come. A smile still played on her lips. She seemed to shrink into the bedding. When I carefully withdrew my hand from hers, she didn’t