Ghost didn't say a single damn word the whole ride back to the hospital. Not that I expected him to. After what he said to Marla, hell, after how much he said, I figured his voice was on some kind of cooldown timer. Man probably wouldn't speak again until spring. Still, the anger rolled off him in waves.
It wasn't loud or explosive. It was just controlled and contained. That is what made him a scary motherfucker. I drove while he stared out the window, the Sunshine Bear tucked under his arm like it was something fragile.
I still couldn't get that closet out of my head. Her bedroom was the size of a damn pantry. The mattress was thinner than a folded towel. It was one thing after another. Blood on the wall shaped like her. Shoes held together with duct tape. My sister lived there. By the time we pulled into the hospital parking lot, Ghost was still holding that bear like it was a lifeline.
Inside, Bear leaned against the wall outside Sunny's room. His fists were shoved deep into his pockets, jaw tight, eyes scanning the hallway like he expected trouble to walk in at any second.
Tech hovered nearby, pretending to scroll through something on his tablet but failing miserably at looking casual. Ghost walked past them without a word and pushed open the door. Sunny sat on the hospital bed, small and swallowed up by a blanket. Her shoulders were hunched like she was trying to disappear into herself. When she saw Ghost walk in, her eyes widened. He stopped beside the bed.
Then he held out the bear. He said nothing. He just held the bear out to her. Sunny froze. Then she grabbed it with both hands like someone had just handed her oxygen. Tears came immediately, spilling down her cheeks before she could stop them.
"You… you saw it," she whispered, her voice cracking apart. "You saw… my house…"
Ghost gave a small nod. That was it, but somehow that said everything. Sunny buried her face into the bear, her small shoulders shaking as she cried.
The nurses had put her in hospital scrubs, three sizes too big. The sleeves hung over her hands and the pants pooled around her ankles. But she didn't seem to notice. She just held the bear and rocked slightly.
Ghost stood there beside the bed like a silent wall. He didn't touch her. He did not crowd her. He was just… there. Letting her feel whatever she needed to feel. From the doorway, Bear watched the whole thing. His jaw was tight enough to crack teeth and his fists clenched.
But he didn't step in. He knew this moment belonged to Sunny. She needed to know that we were here to protect her. Tech stood beside him, quiet for once.
We stayed just long enough to make sure Sunny was steady again. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her scrubs and hugged the bear to her chest like she was afraid someone might take it.
When we stepped back into the hallway, the weight of everything followed us. Outside the hospital, Bear finally let out a slow breath, like he'd been holding it since the cops first called him. I opened the back door of the SUV.
"Come on, kid," I said gently.
Sunny climbed in slowly, curling up in the seat with the bear still clutched against her chest. Bear slid into the passenger seat. Before I got in, I pulled out my phone and dialed Rook. He picked up on the first ring.
"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.
"We need a room ready for her at the apartment on the compound," I said.
"I already started," Rook replied. "Figured you'd say that. I moved my stuff into the VP room at the clubhouse. My old room's got its own bathroom, so it'll work for her."
That was Rook. He was always three steps ahead.
"I'm out with Joker grabbing supplies," he continued. "Anything specific she needs?"
I glanced back through the open car door. Sunny sat there hugging her bear like it was the only solid thing left in the world.
"What's your favorite color?" I asked her.
She blinked up at me like the question didn't make sense.
"Um… I don't know…" she said slowly.
Then she looked down at the bear in her arms. "Ummmmm…yellow?"
I nodded.
"Get yellow stuff," I told Rook. Then I hung up.
I slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. Bear gave me a small nod.
"Let's get the hell out of here," I said.
And this time…
We did.