Shut Up And Kiss Me (Book 1 of the Codey offspring series)

Chapter 14

"I would hate to be in your shoes big brother." Luis Codey laughed and Leo shook his head in agreement. "We told you dad needed to be told how bad things were." Mike Codey didn't want to hear what they thought.

His thoughts were still on his daughter. "I don't goddamn care what you all think." He yelled having had enough of their teasing.

"Well you should, because I'm, ready to spit nails." Mike stiffened at the sound of the voice coming from directly behind him. It seemed, Walker Codey was back. He slowly turned to face the red-faced older man. "Start talking or my belt's coming off." The sound of his brothers trying to stifle their laughter had him turning to glare at them. "Don't know what you too are snickering about. My belt has your names on it too." That sobered them up in an instant.

"We didn't want you to worry dad." Mike started to say before his father blew up. They looked on as his face grew three shades more red that it had been when he turned. For a second he worried about his fathers blood pressure.

"Let me get this straight. You worried and thought it was better to hide how bad things were getting on my ranch? My ranch! You also thought it was better if I didn't know that my first granddaughter had been kidnapped?" Mike opened his mouth to defend himself and his father shut him up with the slice of his hand through the air.

"As if that weren't enough. I hear you were the cause of Zane and Rocky's injuries. Michael Codey, what have you got to say for yourself?" The look in his father's eyes made him swallow the lump that had formed in his throat with each and every accusation.

Yet Mike Codey was still angry and maybe even more so than his old man. "He took advantage of my daughter. Your granddaughter." In Mikey's head, his actions were justified.

"Don't give me that crap. My baby girl is as spirited as her mother. If she hadn't wanted Rocky's advances, she would have made sure to castrate the man before he laid a hand on any part of her body." Walker Codey paced before them in deep thought. No one dared speak so they all looked on waiting.

"I'm heading out to see my baby girl and to check on that man. I will decide what to do with all of you." His words were followed by a narrow eye stare directed slowly at each and every one of them.

Now, Mike was confused. "Dad, visiting hours are over. You can't see Hope until tomorrow." The look his father shot him left no doubt that Walker Codey was getting in to see Hope come hell or high water. Regardless of who he had to go through in order to do it.

~*~*~*~*~

Mike Codey was right in his assumptions, yet the moment Walker arrived at the hospital Nurse Baker was there waiting for him.

"Took you long enough to get here you old coot." She stated looking at her fingernails.

"Thank you for coming Baker. It felt like an eternity before I made it back." He ran his fingers through his peppered hair and sighed.

"I still don't think it's a good idea that you haven't told my friend what's going on. She's going to kill you when she finds out." He knew she was right, but there was no way he was telling his wife anything until he assessed how bad things were. He nearly had a heart attack when Steel called him and told him what had transpired. "How bad is it Baker?"

A wide smile spread her lips. "That granddaughter of yours is Codey through and through." He mirrored the smile as memories assailed him of her crazy antics. "The boy sliced her shoulder but didn't cause major damage. He knew what he was doing." He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the powers that be.

"Now the boy on the other hand. He took three bullets and the other young man took one. From what I hear, your boy blew his cover." Walker closed his eyes and tried his best to reel in the anger. "He'll live. The swelling in his brain needs time to go down but he was lucky. There is no signs of brain damage."

"Take me to my granddaughter." He followed his friend as she led him to her. Nurse Baker had once upon a time been a trauma nurse. He and his wife had befriended her in one of their many travels to Chicago. When they went to see their friends. She had recently retired after having lost her husband to cancer the year before.

The moment Steel called him, he called her and flew her in. First class at that. A smile spread his face as he recalled the way she conned him into it. Not that he put up much of a fight. The Good Lord had seen to his wealth and he had no qualms about sharing it. Baker lived in Chicago and he and his wife had been in California. He had to think of a plausible explanation on why he was needed at home without arousing his wife's suspicions. "Papa." The sound of her voice snapped him from his thoughts.

"Baby girl." He cooed as he held her to him. She seemed so small and frail. What would his world be without his little Hope? The thought alone had the knot in his throat tightening. "What have you gotten yourself into this time girl?"

She prattled on between tears about her horrific experience. Yet Walker Codey could not miss the sparkle in her eyes when she spoke of the young man. His little girl was definitely in love. The question now remained. Did he love her too? Would he be forced to give them a shotgun wedding?

"Papa Walker, all I want is to see him. I need to see him." She pleaded and he didn't have the heart to deny her. He didn't even have to say a word before Nurse Baker barged in.

"This girl has you wrapped around her little finger you old coot. She hasn't been behaving all day and I shouldn't." She glared at Hope. "Promise me you will behave if I take you." Walker Reached out anticipating his granddaughters jump off the bed.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting. Now please take this out of my arm and let's go." Nurse Baker muttered about hard headed Codey's as she capped off The IV line.

They walked in silence as he held Hopes' arm. When they finally reached the door to the room, he made sure to hold her tight to him. "I need you to realize one thing before we enter. Things look worse than they are. He has been induced into a coma until the swelling in his brain reduces. Don't freak out on me. The boy will live and recover. You, on the other hand. Have a way of overreacting to things. Can I count on you to stay calm?" Hope nodded and the door was opened slowly before her.

~*~*~*~*~

In moments of grief, things seem to move slowly before you.

Upon entering the room. Hope was able to count each and every wire connected to Rocky's body. The sound of his heart monitor reverberated through the room but barely made it into her ears. All she could hear at the moment was her own heartbeat and the sound of her blood rushing through her ears.

Hope slowly made her way to him. Everything in the room seemed to disappear as she looked down at his still form. "What did they do to you, you idiot of a man. We could have come up with something together." She whispered trying very hard not to break down.

She felt the moment her grandfather pushed the chair behind her knees and her body fell into it. "You better not die on me, Rocky Trevino. My mother said I might be having your child." Hope heard the strangled noise her grandfather made and turned to him.

"Don't even think of yelling at me Papa." The old man had the smarts to look down. "I love him, Papa. I know he loves me too." A smile spread her face as her hands lightly rubbed her flat stomach. "Can you imagine it?" The thought alone made her tummy flutter.

"Although I'm not so keen on the way this happened. I'm happy to see that my little girl is happy." She smiled at her grandpa then turned to Rocky once more.

"You're not leaving me alone to deal with your child Trevino. Oh my goodness, can you imagine if it's a boy who behaves like you or me? Oh hell no." The laughter coming from behind had her turning to glare.

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