I'll Catch You

Chapter 18

Mae walked into the small restaurant, her eyes scanning the place for shady individuals, of which there were plenty, and Paulie. She found the latter in the back corner, not surprisingly, and made her way over to him with a bright, toothy smile. The gun in her purse, albeit very light, weighted down her arm as she moved through the dining room.

"Paul." She hugged him warmly. "It's actually nice to see you."

With a smile not exactly as fake as Mae's, Paulie hugged her back, and looked down at her slightly swollen belly. "Got something you want to share?"

"Boyfriend keeps me happy, you know what they say."

"Yeah, I do but you're not letting yourself go. That starts here." He tapped under her chin before poking her stomach. "That's hard, not flabby."

It felt tense, like she was being interrogated, and Mae stepped back and placed her hands protectively over her stomach. "Well, I wanted to keep it quiet, but you're right I haven't let myself go. I'm having a baby."

"Mae!" Paulie hugged her again with more strength and less of an antagonist vibe. "That is just wonderful. I'm happy for you."

She laughed awkwardly, her chest growing flush and hot, as they sat. "It is a blessing." She mused, pushing the water in front of her away. It was something she didn't factor in, Paulie had an eye, he always did, but she hadn't once thought he'd catch her stomach. "I'm sorry about Mitchell."

"I loved him," Paulie said as he sipped his drink. "He was a good friend, good worker and a good man."

The burning acidic taste of bile crept up in Mae's throat as Paulie sang the praises of a man who brutally beat and raped her. She barely managed a smile and when he reached over to tap her hand and question her teary eyes, Mae looked up, stone faced.

"It's just hard." She forced out trying to keep her composure. "He was a friend to me too."

Paulie nodded his eyes on her as she ordered her meal. "How's California treating you?"

"Wonderfully. I love it." She genuinely smiled thinking of her life now. "It's beautiful, I'm in love, I'm happy out here. Finally."

"And the boyfriend? How is he?"

Was it a pointed question or was she being paranoid? Mae couldn't tell. "He was in an accident." If she lied and Paulie was involved as she suspected, it would be a major red flag. "Work related, at the shop. He'll be okay."

"That's a shame. I hope it wasn't serious."

"Not at all." For a moment, she saw a smirk, devious and dark, and Mae's stomach churned. "Anyway, when are you going home?"

With his elbows on the table, Paulie grinned and shrugged. "I think the sun got me. I'll go home and attend Mitchell's funeral but I have family out here and I think I'm liking it."

"What?" Just as he moved closer over the table, Mae leaned back and looked at him in disbelief. "The business in New York, I thought that was still going well?"

"It is, but expansion is key, Mae. My cousin does a lot out here; I can really make some cash with Jonny."

She didn't realize how much he was giving her and in turn, he didn't think twice about divulging the few details he already had. To Paulie, Mae was not only physically weak but also unassuming and naive, and that was true, until she saw his photo. He wasn't only underestimating Mae but the club as a whole, and that was Cacuzza's fault. The boss, the eldest cousin, didn't believe Paulie to be as bold or frankly stupid as he was sitting at that table with Mae.

-

After being poked and prodded up and down his legs and given a long list of movements he couldn't complete, Opie was sent for an MRI where it laid with his eyes closed, obsessing with the fact he might not be walking again, or at least anytime soon. The doctor seemed optimistic but Opie wasn't that kind of person, he never had been, but now that things were lining up with Mae and the club was rolling in a comfortable direction, he couldn't imagine why he wouldn't be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

The nurse scurried about the room opening the window and hooking him back up to the monitors. "The doctor will come talk to you as soon as he reads the MRI. Is there anything I can get you until then?"

"Nah, I'm fine, thanks."

He stewed, didn't eat the food the genuine, yet saccharine, nurse brought him. Opie only really perked up, but just barely, when the doctor arrived. Taking the seat beside Opie's bed, he crossed his legs at the knee and started the conversation as he did every other.

"How are you feeling?"

"Shitty. So?"

Nodding, the doctor began on his explanation of exactly what the issue was. "Well, the burning in your legs, the pain, that's from something called Cauda Equina Syndrome. There's still some pressure on your spinal cord and it's irritating a particular bundle of nerves, it's another surgery, a few screws to stabilize the vertebrae. Once that's taken care of, we can start physical therapy. The bruising to your spinal cord is minimal, I think once the burning is gone you'll find you have more mobility than you think."

"How long?" He asked, far from concerned with another surgery or the particulars of his injury. "When can I go home?"

Seeing Opie was hardly one for details, at least in these types of situations, the doctor gave him the bottom line. "Walking is all you, how seriously you take your PT and your outlook. It you're willing to do it, put your all into it, I can see a full recovery in six months barring any complications. You'll be here, with me, for another four to five days for surgery and recovery then we'll move you to PT until you're able to get around on your own."

At that moment, more than his masculinity or his ability to care for his family and, in his eyes, be a man, Opie worried about money. No doubt, rehab would be expensive but without being able to ride, he wasn't able to earn.

"Alright, thanks. Can you uhh, send the nurse back in?"

"Sure, if you need anything I'll be in tomorrow morning during rounds."

Opie nodded as the doctor left, replaced promptly by the nurse. "What can I do for you?"

"That woman who's been here, long brown hair and tattoos, if she comes back can you tell her I'm sleeping or something?"

Pulling a face, but biting her tongue, the nurse agreed. "Of course. If she wants to sit with you anyway, what should I tell her?"

"I don't care, I just don't want anyone visiting tonight."

-

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