Monster Slayers MC Book 5
Chapter 8-Manny’s revelation

“Grab your weapon and come with me to the hospital.” I told Boomer as we left the dining room.

“Are you expecting trouble at the hospital?” Boomer said and I felt his step quicken as we headed upstairs to get our guns.

“No, but you know we don’t ride without them. I want to relieve Hunter and Crush for dinner plus I can’t get this kid, Manny, out of my mind. I swear that if he doesn’t make it, I’m going to tell Carl to let me have just 10 minutes alone with his old man and then I’m going to beat him like he beat his son. The father is almost as big as me and his son is about Kaylee’s size, taller but not any heavier.”

“Damn. Save me a hit or two?” Boomer jokes, before he left me to go to collect his gun while I entered my room and retrieved my gun from the gun safe.

Five minutes later, we met back up in the front hall. We left the house and climbed on our bikes and cruised down to the hospital. There was no reason to rush so we just enjoyed the early evening ride. The sun was going down and the sunset was beautiful. I hope that means good omens.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking into the emergency room waiting room but there was no Hunter or Crusher anywhere. I asked at the desk and found out that they had gone up to the second floor, where the ICU was located.

We took the elevator upstairs and found Hunter and Crusher talking with Kaylee and Dr. Green. They saw us coming and after greeting each other again, Dr. Green filled me in.

“This kid is one hell of a fighter, that’s for damn sure. I don’t know if letting that little girl in there was the turning point or not but she’s good medicine for him and if anyone tries to argue with me about what I saw and heard, I will sue them for liability.” Dr. Green said and Kaylee nodded. “I’ve been a doctor for over 40 years and this without a doubt is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. I now believe there is life after death or at the very least someone waiting for us on the other side.”

I felt shivers run up my spine and Kaylee looked to be a little shaken up as she leaned into Boomer and put one arm around his back.

Kaylee’s POV

Dr. Green asked me to stay and work OT tonight because of the kid, Manny, we operated on earlier today. He is in rough shape and to be honest even though Dr. Green had done some amazing surgery on him already, it would be a miracle if Manny survives the night.

Both Dr. Green and I were standing by his bed, checking up on him. Dr. Green was listening to his chest and I was recording the stats from the monitoring equipment we had hooked Manny to. He has so many wires and tubes running in and out of his body right now, but it was all helping to keep him alive and allows us to see what is happening with him without having to disturb him too much.

Suddenly, he took a large breath and we thought, “this is it”. Many patients took one last large breath just before they died and we both thought Manny had just taken his. Except for the gentle beeping of the heart monitor, you could have heard a pin drop in that room.

Then out of the blue, we heard Manny whisper “I miss you so much, Dan.” A shiver raced up my spine and I got goosebumps all over my body, I swear. Dr. Green and I looked at each other and even he leaned back in surprise. Then Manny whispered “I know, Danny, but I want to have a life with Cheryl too. I wish you could have met her. I think you would have loved her. I know I do.” He seemed to listen for a moment and then said “I don’t know if they will let her in here. No, Dan. Wait. Don’t go yet.” He seemed to become very agitated after that and his heart monitor started to beep like crazy. Dr. Green and I looked at each other and I took off running for the waiting room.

Cheryl was sitting with Hunter and Crusher and you could tell that she was still crying and upset. I didn’t say anything but just grabbed her hand and pulled her with me back to Manny’s room.

“Just hold his hand and let him know you are here.” I told her quietly.

Cheryl bravely walked over to his bed, being careful not to step on any of the wires or tubes and slipped her hand into his, then leaned over and kissed his cheek and whispered “Don’t leave me, Manny. I’ll be lost without you. I love you so much.”

Manny’s heart seemed to race for a minute or two and then settled down into a normal rhythm and we were all shocked when he whispered “Dan, this is my future wife, Cheryl. Isn’t she beautiful?”

Noone seemed to be as shocked as Cheryl was but she got a big smile on her face. Then he whispered “I will. I love you, Danny.”

All of his readings went into the safe areas and our hopes soared that he was actually going to survive this. Dr. Green helped Cheryl to sit down on a chair and she never let go of Manny’s hand as she sat down and looked him over. She saw all the tubes and wires and then looked at me. “Is he going to be okay?” She asked in a small voice.

“Now, because of you, I think he will be.” I told her.

“Cheryl, I am Dr. Green, the surgeon who operated on Manny. He is my last patient and even though I’m sorry he had to go through this, I’m glad I was here to see what we have seen today. I have never seen the kind of love that one person can have for another as I have just witnessed in the past few minutes. Hang on to him and take good care of each other. Please send me an invitation to your wedding, I will be proud to attend.” Dr. Green said before he patted her on the shoulder and left the room.

“What did he mean by that?” Cheryl asked with a perplexed look on her face and I took a deep breath and related what we had witnessed. Cheryl had an amazed look on her face but when she turned to look at Manny, all I saw was love.

“You know, boys say that they care about you and most of the time it’s just so that they can get in your pants but not Manny. From the first time we saw each other, there was some kind of strange........oh I don’t know how to explain it, “energy or chemistry” between us but I just knew he was different from other boys. He’s always told me that I was special and that if I wanted to wait to be intimate, he was willing to wait for me.

We’ve been dating exclusively since our sophomore year and we are due to graduate high school in a little over two months and we still haven’t......you know. I just pray that he makes it through this because I want him to be my first, my last, my only one. I don’t think I could ever care for someone as much as I do him.” Cheryl said softly as huge tears rolled down her face. “I don’t care what my parents say, I’m going to marry this wonderful person as soon as I’m of age. They can cut me off and I don’t care! We’ll make it somehow, so long as we are together.”

“I know just how you feel Cheryl, believe me. I found my one and only about 8 months ago and I don’t think it’s possible to love anyone more than I love my Boomer.” I told her with a soft smile as I thought about Boomer. “I’m going down to talk to Hunter and Crusher but I’ll be back in a few minutes. Yell, if you need me. I’ll be right down the hall.” I said with a smile but then just had to ask. “Cheryl, who is Danny?”

“Danny was Manny’s twin brother. He died the year before Manny and I met. Manny doesn’t like to talk about him. Just makes him too sad but other kids at school told me that they were very close. Inseparable.” Cheryl said.

“How did Danny die?” I asked.

“Hit and run. They never did replace out who did it. Manny said that’s when his father kind of went over the edge. He was always a drinker and abusive but after Danny died, he started drinking constantly and then one night he beat Manny’s mom up really badly. Thankfully the neighbors called the cops and she packed them up and moved back in with her parents. Manny has been staying out there but comes in on his bike to take me on dates and stuff, usually just the movies or pizza, or just meeting at the library to study.”

“Well, I’m going to replace out what the plans are for tonight. I’ll be right back.” I told her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” She said as she brushed the hair back off of his forehead.

I walked down the hall and was standing with Dr. Green as he informed Hunter and Crusher what had happened. Both Hunter and Crusher had looks of amazement on their faces but not surprise. All three of us had been through replaceing our loves and had felt that “chemistry or energy” that Cheryl had told me about.

Just then Rooster and Boomer stepped off of the elevator and walked over to us. I immediately put my arms around Boomer and gave him a big hug.

Dr. Green told them that he thought that Manny had a good chance of making it now that Cheryl was with him. We related what had happened and both Rooster and Boomer had the same reaction as Hunter and Crusher.

Dr. Green asked “Kaylee, I’m going to go home and get a shower, something to eat and kiss my wife. If you can stay with Manny until I get back in a couple of hours, I would really appreciate it.”

“Sure Doc, I’ll stay.” I told him.

Just then the elevator doors opened and in walked a man dressed in an expensive looking business suit with an angry look on his face, followed by a woman who looked like she was walking down a fashion runway because of the way she was dressed in designer clothes that really worked on her but without the high step that they do. He wore a look of total disdain when he spotted us, especially Rooster and the brothers.

Dr. Green turned and asked, “May I help you? This floor is restricted to the families of the injured in our care only.”

“We were told our daughter, Cheryl, is up here. Where is she?” The man demanded.

“Oh, yes. Cheryl is down in Manny’s room but may I ask why you are here for her? She has not been injured.” Dr. Green asked.

“She is not supposed to be here or mingling with that scum, Manny, at all. Now where is she?” Her father yelled at Dr. Green and I felt all of the brothers stand up straighter.

“Go stand behind the nurse’s station.” Boomer whispered in my ear as he and the others lined up behind Dr. Green, effectively blocking the hallway from the yelling man. I stepped back behind the nurse’s counter and almost wished I had some popcorn for this drama that was unfolding in front of me.

“Lower your voice, sir or I will call security and have you physically removed from this hospital.” Dr. Green said sternly, standing up to the loud man.

“Do you have any idea of who I am?” The man yelled again and I saw Rooster’s fist clench.

“You are a loud, rude, uncouth and disrespectful person who is about to land on his ass in the parking lot if you don’t lower your voice.” Dr. Green said, quickly approaching the end of his patience.

“Look, I just want my daughter and to get out of this stinking place. Now where is she?” The man said in a lower tone but his anger was still evident by the way he spoke through his clenched jaw. He was about 5’10” and looked like a stiff wind would blow him away but he was well dressed and had his hair slicked back with so much gel I bet he had to wash his hair three times to get it all out and then the shower floor would be like stepping in a vat of oil.

“She is with Manny and right now is the only reason that young man is hanging on to his life. I will not allow you to remove her from his room or this hospital if she does not want to leave. Her being here is doing some good for my patient and she will be perfectly safe here.” Dr. Green said.

“She is under age and you have no right to hold her here.” The father’s voice began to rise again.

“Kaylee, can you please go and tell Cheryl that her parents are here and ask her if she’s willing to leave Manny’s side tonight?” Dr. Green said, staring the loud man down.

I took off down the hall and entered Manny’s room. Cheryl looked up at me and said “You don’t have to tell me. My parents are here right? I can hear my dad from here.”

“He’s demanding to take you home. I take it he doesn’t approve of your relationship with Manny?” I asked her.

“Hell no! Manny is from the “wrong side of the tracks”. My father is a stock broker and my mom is a designer and runs a high end women’s fashion shop in Dallas. We live in that new development just outside of town.

The only reason Manny and I know each other is because we go to the same school. When I was in 9th grade, I refused to go to boarding school anymore and basically made them let me go to public school. I was constantly in trouble in boarding school on purpose and I’ve not only kept my nose clean but my grades have been good since I’ve been there but I’ve had to keep our relationship as secret as possible. The only thing he has really gripped about is my “classless friends”, because I refuse to hang with the snooty bitches on the cheerleading squad. Hell, they’ve never even met Manny. He just doesn’t like him because of his street address.” She told me.

“Well, Dr. Green is going to refuse to let them take you out of here but because you are underage, he can not hold you here, even for Manny’s sake. If your father brings in the police, well, I’m not really sure what will happen.” I was honest with her. “When do you turn 18?”

“Next week.” Cheryl said.

“Hmmm. Well, you are close enough to be considered an adult but when you are an adult, you have to make some hard choices and do some things that make you uncomfortable. I think you need to make your stand now with your parents. You know you are doing Manny good, just by being here with him. To leave now, means he might die. I think you need to talk to your parents, tell them of whatever decision you make and then stick by it.” I told her. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay here with Manny, even though I would love to watch this go down.”

Cheryl stood up, kissed Manny on the forehead and told him, “I’ll be right back baby. I’m going to settle this once and for all.”

His heart monitor beeped twice in rapid succession but then settled back into a normal rhythm. Cheryl straightened her shoulders and walked out of the room. I left the door open so that hopefully I would be able to hear what was said.

“Cheryl Preston, get over here right now!” Her father yelled at her.

“Mr. Preston! I told you that you need to keep your voice down! You are not the only one on this floor. We have many people here who do not need this stress. I will not tell you again.” Dr. Green told him sternly.

“Daddy. Go home. I’m staying here. Manny needs me and I’m not leaving.” Cheryl said as she came to stand by Dr. Green.

“OH no you are not. You are coming home now. I’ve told you I don’t want you associating with that trailer trash and you young lady are grounded until school lets out.” Mr. Preston began to yell again and reached out to grab Cheryl’s arm. The minute he made contact with her, Crusher reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Let her go or I will snap your wrist like a pencil. Now shut up and listen.” Crusher said quietly.

Mr. Preston looked at him with fear in his eyes but let go of his daughter’s arm but it only took him a few seconds before he was blustering again. “Who the hell are you and what right do you have to keep my daughter from me?”

Rooster stepped up and told him who they were and why Cheryl was not going anywhere and Mr. Preston’s face got redder and redder.

“We are the Monster Slayers MC and we protect young people from being abused by people who would harm them. Put your hands on her again and we will do more than just keep you from hurting her.” Rooster said.

“Cheryl, what is going on here? Just come home and we’ll talk about this.” Mrs. Preston finally found her voice.

“No, mom. Manny and I love each other and we are going to be together whether Daddy likes it or not. I turn 18 next week. If you want to be involved in my life after that day, you will leave now and when Manny is out of danger, I will come and see you but until then, I’m staying here! Manny needs me and I won’t walk away from him so long as my being here is keeping him alive. I love you both but you have to understand. Manny and I are together now. We are meant to be together and nothing is going to keep us apart. Either accept it and wish me well, or get the hell out of my life.” Cheryl said and turned around to come back to Manny’s room. All of the boys clapped as she walked down the hall. “You go girl!” Boomer called out and I had to laugh.

She came back into the room and walked right back over to her chair and sat back down, taking Manny’s hand in hers.

Mr. Preston, huffed and puffed and yelled that we had no right to keep him from taking his daughter home and Mrs. Preston finally lost it on him and told him “Harry, shut up! She’s made herself clear. I will not lose my daughter because of your highfalutin ways. Now shut up and let’s go. I hate the smell of hospitals.” Mrs. Preston said and walked back to the elevator and pushed the down button. Mr. Preston huffed and followed his wife into the elevator and they left the floor.

As soon as they were gone, all four of the guys came down to the room and told me, “Dr. Green went home to get a shower and some dinner. He said as soon as he comes back, you can leave.” Rooster told me.

“Great! I’m tired and hungry.” I told them and Cheryl chimed in “Me too, hungry at least.”

“Well, the cafeteria downstairs is already closed so it’s ordering pizza or the vending machine. The pizza place has some pretty decent salads. I get the chicken caesar salad sometimes with cheesy breadsticks. Yum!” I said and everyone laughed at me.

“That sounds good to me.” Cheryl said.

“So two chicken caesar salads, cheesy breadsticks and what kind of soda? Do you guys want anything?” I asked them, as I pulled out my phone.

“No, thanks. We already ate.” Rooster and Boomer said. They were the next shift.

“Prez, Crusher and I are going to head home. Was Marley still at the clubhouse?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah, she said she was going to wait for you there.” Rooster told him.

“Okay. Who do you want me to send back here?” Hunter asked.

“I don’t care. Just tell them to come in three hours. Dr. Green should be back by then and then Boomer can take Kaylee home.”

Rooster said. “Make sure it’s one member and one prospect is okay.”

Boomer and I walked down to the nurses station and I told the other nurses that we were ordering salad’s from the pizza place and several of them joined us by ordering pizza or salads too. I called in the order and gathered everyone’s money. I put it in an envelope and let the station nurse know where it was then we went back to Manny’s room.

Rooster was getting to know Cheryl and they were talking quietly as she sat holding Manny’s hand. “Rooster, are you guys going to be alright if we go for a short walk?”

“Sure, Kaylee. I’m not going anywhere.” Rooster said and Cheryl nodded.

As Boomer and I walked down the hall, he put his arm around me and asked “Tired baby?”

“Yes, dead tired. It’s been one hell of a day. We were in surgery with Manny for over five hours and I thought there for a while, he wasn’t going to make it.” I told him about what Dr. Green and I had overheard when Manny was “talking to his brother” and Boomer’s eyes got huge!

“Wow! That is trippy! That must have been spooky.” Boomer said.

“I guess the bond between twins is really strong, even beyond death. Cheryl said that the two of them had been really close.” I told him.

We walked all the way down the hall and then turned around and headed back. Just as we got close, the pizza guy showed up and I grabbed our order and headed back to Manny’s room. We ate while the guys watched TV.

“Your mom seemed to be more okay with you staying than your father. Does that surprise you?” I asked her.

“No. My mom’s cool. My dad is just a control freak. It’s usually his way or the highway until she puts her foot down, which I sometimes wish she would do more often. My mom’s family is the ones with more money and my father would not be where he is today if it wasn’t for her and my grandfather but he likes to put on airs and act like he’s better than everyone else. He’s all about labels and who’s who. He thinks I need someone like him in my life. I would rather marry a homeless street bum than to end up with someone like my father.

He doesn’t want to keep up with the Jones, he wants to be the Jones that everyone else is trying to keep up with. We have the biggest house on the biggest lot in the entire subdivision. Our cars are more expensive than any of our neighbors. He makes sure everyone knows where we went on vacation every year and likes to show off his wealth. Makes me sick!” Cheryl said.

“I know exactly what you mean. I had a doctor like that back in Chicago. Loved to flaunt his money. Thought he was God’s gift to women. All of the nurses that weren’t married were making up make-believe boyfriends just to keep him from hitting on them.” I told her.

“Did he ever give you a hard time?” Boomer asked, overhearing our conversation.

“No, but at the time, I had a real boyfriend. Besides, if that man was God’s gift to women, I want a copy of the receipt because I’d want either a refund or to exchange him for you.” I grinned at Cheryl and got a smile in return as Boomer leaned down and kissed me, then whispered in my ear “He surely made me an awesome gift in you and I wouldn’t trade you for anything or anyone else.”

We sat and quietly talked and everyone was very surprised when Manny moaned and then tried to speak. “Something smells good.” He croaked. Cheryl jumped up and took his hand as I ran around the bed.

“Manny? Can you hear me?” Cheryl asked.

I grabbed a cup and put a little bit of water in it and added a straw. I put it to his lips and told him “Here. Just a sip to wet your mouth. Don’t force yourself to talk.” I told him and he took a small sip and then sighed.

“Thanks.” he said more clearly. “Cheryl?”

“Yes, baby. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” She said as she bent over and kissed his forehead.

“I saw Danny. He was here. He told me who it was that hit him that night. It was my dad. That son of a bitch ran him down and then just drove off. If I don’t make it, Cheryl, make sure you tell the cops who it was. Please?” Manny said loud enough for all of us to hear him.

“Damn!” Rooster said. “Don’t you worry, boy. We’ll make sure to take care of it.” Rooster left the room, pulling his phone out of his pocket as the door closed behind him.

“Don’t you leave me, Manny. I love you. I told my parents to back off. They came and tried to make me leave but I refused. The guys from the MSMC backed me up. You just rest and get better. I’ll be here with you all the way. Just get better so that we can make the life we talked about.” Cheryl told him and we saw Manny smile.

I leaned over and asked “Manny, are you in any pain?”

“No, not really pain. The left side of my chest feels strange. Kind of heavier than the right side.” Manny whispered.

“One of the ribs over your heart was broken. Dr. Green put in a titanium plate to hold it together so it will heal right. You’ll get used to it and eventually won’t even know it’s there. Do you remember what happened to you?” I asked.

“Yeah. My dad beat the shit out of me again. I emailed the MSMC for help and they came and stopped him. I remember Cheryl coming and I started coughing up blood so they brought me to the hospital. I don’t remember much else except talking to my brother. I thought I was dreaming at first but he looked so real and I felt it when he hugged me.

He told me it was my dad that ran him down that night. He had been riding my bike back from the store and a car bumped him off the road. It was my dad. He even stopped and looked at him, mumbled something and then just got back in his car and left, leaving Danny on the side of the road.” Manny said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Well, don’t worry about that. The best thing for you right now is sleep and rest. Manny, do you know how to contact your mom? We need to let her know you are here.” I asked.

“Her number is on my phone. It should have been in the back pocket of my jeans.” Manny said.

“They must be downstairs in the ER. I’ll replace it and then we can let her know you are here. Where is she living now?” I asked.

“They live in Denver now.” Manny said.

Rooster’s POV

I couldn’t believe it when Manny said it was his father who had killed his twin brother. I immediately stood up and left the room to call Carl MacIntosh, but he had already gone home for the day. I talked to the desk sergeant and told him that under no circumstances were they to let Jeff Hastings go and told him to leave a message for Carl to call me asap.

I had to walk around outside for a while to calm down. It never ceases to amaze me how some people can treat their own children so badly. I couldn’t ever fathom hurting Sammy in any way, much less like what I had witnessed in my time of rescuing some of the children I had helped over the years.

I looked at my phone for the time and realized that it was already late and that soon Dr. Green would be back when suddenly there he was, walking up to the hospital from the employee parking area.

“What’s up, Rooster? You look upset.” Dr. Green asked as he got closer.

“Manny is awake. He told us that he remembered talking to his brother Danny earlier. He said Danny told him it was his father who killed him. I just came out here to call Carl MacIntosh to make sure they don’t let Jeff Hastings go under any circumstances.

Unfortunately, he’s off duty already so I left a message for him to call me in the morning. We’re going to make sure he gets charged with attempted murder of Manny and the murder of his twin, Danny.” I told the doctor as we walked back inside the hospital.

“Man, I have been a doctor for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like this before and while I believe Manny, I’m not sure if his testimony will stand up in court, I’m sorry to say.” Dr. Green said as he pushed the elevator button for the second floor.

“Yeah, you are probably right but I can get justice for them both that the so called justice system can’t.” I told him.

“I’m just glad that I was there to witness what went down with Manny. Manny is going to be my last patient. I’m retiring and moving to Florida after this. My wife has severe arthritis and I want to get her somewhere that it never gets cold. I’m going to take her on a cruise to the Bahamas and buy a house where we don’t have to worry about cutting the grass because the yard is all sand and palm trees.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” I smiled at him as the door to the elevator opened and we stepped back on to the second floor ICU.