“I met him about a month or so ago and he’s back here for his dad who isn’t well.”
Madison frowned. “He’s not dying, is he? That would be a blow to Havoc, to lose both parents so close.”
“I don’t know. He’s got the doctor seeing his dad today.”
Velvet joined in. “Do you know him very well, Madison?”
She rested her chin on her fist as she contemplated the question. “J and Havoc used to be close so I did spend some time with him. I really liked him. He had a good business doing up old bikes and at the time, I thought he had a good life. He’d been in a steady relationship with Kelly and we all thought they were going to get married, have kids and live happily ever after. But apparently something happened to his business and I think he had to declare bankruptcy. After that, Kelly left him. And then his mum died. J said he lost his shit. Just went off the rails. He shut everyone out and ended up leaving town. I always wondered what happened to his business because up until that point, it had been so successful. Havoc had it all.”
“Wow,” Velvet said. “Maybe Nash has it all wrong about him.”
Madison frowned. “What do you mean?”
“My bloody brother thinks that Havoc is dangerous and doesn’t want me to have anything to do with him,” I answered.
“Well, I can’t really say. I do know that he had a reputation for handling club issues and I did see him in action once and it was pretty scary, but you know what? I’ve seen J and Nash in action, too… actually, Scott as well, and they're pretty scary themselves, so for Nash to say that is a little hypocritical.”
“That’s a very good point,” Roxie said.
“Nash is just scared to let Carla make what he thinks could be a mistake,” Velvet said.
Madison nodded. “I get it, but he needs to let that go.”
“A-fucking-men,” I said. I was so glad I’d run into Madison. She’d shared some useful information with us and I was hoping Velvet would take it back to Nash and try to talk sense to him again.
23
Havoc
At what point do you give up in life?
I’d turned that thought over and over in my mind a lot during the last two years. I hadn’t come to a final thought on it yet. Watching my father with the doctor, I wondered what the catalyst had been for him. He’d given up. I was sure of that, but why?
Was it losing Mum?
Was it two years of being on his own and he was done?
Was it his deteriorating health?
Or something else?
The doctor came to me. “I want to admit him and keep an eye on him. Probably just overnight, just so we can keep track of his vitals. This constant chest pain has me concerned.”
“And the blood pressure?”
“We’ll need to tweak his medication. Hospital is the best option all round. I’ll call an ambulance to come get him now.”
“I can drive him.”
“I know, but with this pain, I want him monitored.”
Dad shot me a filthy look. “I don’t want to go to bloody hospital.”
My patience with him snapped. He’d been arguing with me most of the afternoon while we waited for the doctor and I was way past the point of caring what he wanted. “You’re going,” I yelled as I pointed at him. “I’m not arguing about this again.” With that, I strode into his bedroom, yanked his overnight bag out of his closet and threw some clothes and toiletries in there for him. I then took the bag and dumped it at the front door, ready for the ambulance.
“Havoc,” Yvette said in a tone that told me she thought I was being too harsh. “When I said I wanted you to get him looked at, I didn’t mean for you to spend all afternoon fighting with him.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Well, what the fuck did you think was gonna happen? The old man’s as stubborn as hell, no way were we getting him there without an argument or two.”
“I just think you could go a little easier on him, that’s all.”
“Trust me when I tell you that I’ve been going easy all afternoon.” I took a deep breath. “He’s given up and I don’t fuckin’ like it.”
She frowned. “Given up on what?”
“Life.” Anger at that thought gripped me and I jabbed my finger at her. “I’m not letting him give up. I don’t care if I have to spend every minute of every fuckin’ day arguing with him, he’s not checking out.”
Without waiting for her reply, I headed back to where Dad sat in his armchair. He glared at me as I entered the room, but I ignored him. Taking a seat in the armchair next to his—Mum’s armchair—I solidified that declaration in my mind.
I would make sure my father got through whatever it was he was going through.
I refused to lose another parent before their time.
* * *
Yawning, I rubbed the back of my neck. It was just after nine that night and I was about to leave the hospital. Dad was fast asleep and the nurses assured me they would look after him.
I hadn’t heard from Carla, which surprised me. However, I loved the fact she gave me the space I needed.
I settled myself on my bike and sent her a text.