GGS: Good Gaelic Souls A Biker Saga (G.G.S) (31 page)

Stax helped Della clean the tables and went to check on the nurses. They had the autoclave cleaned and were testing it now. "
Looks good, it'll work
." Was all she got out of Dimples, but the always amicable Tandy, elaborated on their progress. "
We had a meeting today with Flick, and he said that he can still handle basic surgery. It will be meatball surgery of course, but he can make the difference in life or death. Our issue is that he has already been placed on the guards rotation, and if shit breaks out when he's on duty and he gets hurt, were screwed
."

Flick, had been a general surgeon in the Army, and was capable of doing much more that he gave himself credit for. His heart told him that whatever he did, he would never be able to do enough for the men that placed themselves in harms way for others. He was considered by the military to be unable to perform his duties because of lingering phycological issues from the trauma that he had experienced while serving. Basically, he suffered from PTSD. After he had given up on getting help from those that sent him out there, he dropped off the grid. A few years after meeting Slider and the Trio, he had been able to come to terms with what he had been forced to deal with. Though war had left it's deep scars, the original four had been able to help him see that he could still use his knowledge and be helpful to others. The club offered him peace and purpose, friends and family. He found himself surrounded by others who understood what he had lived through and the guilt he felt for surviving when others hadn't. He knew going in what they required from him, and he too, had chosen to dedicate his life to the G.G.S.

Dimples, not happy with the idea of Flick taking over the medical unit, turned around abruptly, startling Stax with the acidic tone in her voice , "
I told you I can handle it Tandy. I've spent my career standing elbow to elbow with some of the best surgeons on this fucking continent. I have aided in enough surgeries, that I can do more than just the basics with my eyes closed
."

Stax understood Dimple's frustration. She finally had a chance to be more than a doctors right hand, doing the lions share of the work without the credit. Unfortunately, in this time and place, it wasn't about her personal ambitions, it was about giving their family the best care available. "Dimples I'm sure that when there is more than one person in need at the same time, you will have the opportunity to fly solo and utilize your skills." she said firmly but kindly, "We may very well need another capable set of hands, not only in surgery but also in nursing. Which brings me to my next question. If both of you are handling a crises, you still only have one nurse. Did you find any of the teens who would be capable of assisting?"

Dimples saw the wisdom in Stax's remark and calmed down, "
Aye
," she answered in a friendlier tone, "
Siobhan,
(pronounced Shiv-awn)
would be a good student nurse if she puts her mind to it, she seemed to uderstand everything we threw at her while we were putting things in place earlier."
Stax also thought that Siobahn would be an excellent choice. She had watched her grow into a smart and caring young women, who was quick to learn and filled with  compassion. "Good choice, get her in here and keep her with you, teach her all you can, while you can." Tandy interjected, "
Again, there is issue. Cat seems to be relying on Siobhan to help with the children so much, she hasn't had time to work with us."

"I'll talk with Cat now, there are other teens that can help her. As for Flick, I'll talk with Strangler and he'll deal with that. I'm sure he'll understand and replace him on the rotation. Is there any other need that you have?" Both nurses looked around the room before Dimples replied, "
Nope, we're good here and thanks for getting us the fridge
." Stax left and went across the hall to speak with Cat.

In the Daycare, Cat was not exactly thrilled, but she was amicable about the issue. "
Damn it lass, I hate to lose her, she is a such a help to me. But I do understand the need, and your right I do have others to rely on. I'll send her over.
" Stax stayed a few minutes and watched the children play, they were so innocent and unaware of what was happening all around them. She found herself hoping against hope that this was going to turn out to be a dry-run, but she knew in her heart that it was a useless thought. On her way to the office, she stopped at the bar to check on Serenity and Lee. The girls were teaching Mavis the ropes, so she didn't interupt them with conversation, she just asked Mavis to make her a whiskeypop instead. Watching closely as she prepared the drink, it appeared that she was paying attention to instruction. Stax  told the girls how much they were appreciated and continued her walk to the office.

Once she explained to Strangler the need for Flick to be reassigned to the medical unit, he agreed and sent out a text to Twitch, advising him to take Flick off guard rotation and advise him of his new station. Rage had actually mentioned it to him the day before, after he had taken a good look at the rotation schedule. Strangler had been pre-occupied and hadn't immediately followed through at the time. Rage had told him that Flick's medical skills was the one reason that Slider allowed him to remain in the club. Apparently he and Slider had come to blows several times though the years, and the last time it had been a near death experience for Flick. After that episode, Slider didn't have any more trouble out of him. Rage didn't expound on what their issues were, but what he did say was; "
Nothing too big to worry about lad
.
Just an issue of a personal nature between two stubborn Gaels, is all
." Leaving it at that, they had moved on and Strangler had pushed it to the side. And now that another loose end was taken care of in spite of his forgetfulness, he reminded himself to take a pen and pad with him before they took the tour. He didn't want to have so much on his mind that he forgot something as important as this.

Stax mentioned that Mavis was showing potential behind the bar, and might also be helpful to Della in the kitchen. "That's a good idea Angel, but Della already has a pool of women to call on. I've been wondering what the girls were gonna find out about her, both her person and her abilities. I haven't had time to speak with her or Mac yet. Tell Serenity to make sure to have that chat with her today, and if she doesn't have a skill-set that would be beneficial elsewhere, she can float between the bars, the kitchens and the laundry room. She can also help Cat. I'm thinking that with four children under her belt, she ought to know her way around kids." Stax agreed and sent a text out to Serenity.

"Can you believe what these old fucks have put together here? Phenomenal!" Strangler exclaimed, his mind back on todays quick tour around the compound. I'm excited about the next tour, but I believe that they might still have a card or two that they're not willing to show yet." He added thoughtfully, "But for now at least, we have what we need to get the children out safely, and that's huge."  Stax agreed, but seconds later, he heard her giggle. "What?" he asked, "What's funny?" With a big grin on her face and eyes shining with mirth, she answered. "I was thinking about what you just said, that they may still have something they are keeping secret for now. Wouldn't you just shit your chaps, if they actually
did
pull a Dragon out of their ass?" She couldn't control herself, she laughed so hard that Strangler cracked up too, as a vivid mental picture appeared of Moby, Rage and Griff flying over the Castle on a fire breathing Dragon. "I think we're punch-drunk, Angel." He said when he regained control of himself.  "Ya think," she replied, "We should probably take a power nap and rest while we can, baby. We need to stay as alert and ready as  possible, we have no real idea of when this shit might break-off. "Right," he replied, "Neither one of us slept much last night, we've got at least a good hour to rest." They headed to the bedroom and without wasting time to undress, removed their boots and lay down together. Within minutes, both were sleeping soundly.

Approximately an hour and fifteen minutes later, the alarm on Stax's cellphone went off. After washing their faces, they brushed their hair and teeth, and headed out to the main bar to meet with the other's. They were shown the hidden elevator in the library that was hidden behind a bookshelf. It went all the way up to Stax's room on the second floor where it was hidden by another shelve for her D.V.D's. It also went further up to the turret on the back right corner on the roof and down to the back right corner of the parking garage. But that wasn't the extent of the ride, they past the garage and were lowered down to a rough, narrow underground chamber. In leu of a floor in the narrow chamber, there were two deep round pits, one behind the other. On either side was a three foot walkway, with about four feet between pits. At the end of the chamber there was an underground escape tunnel, but one would have to slowly pick their way around to get to it. If someone was chasing you, they would fall straight into the first pit, if they weren't aware that it existed. When Strangler looked at Moby to ask a question about something else he saw, Moby shook his head and kept talking about the tunnel at the end. Strangler realized that this must be one of the secret cards that they weren't ready to divulge, so he said nothing and continued listening to the instructions. The escape tunnel would be one of the routes which would  bring them to the woods near the chopper clearing.

Next, on the tour, there was another escape route from inside the armory which would deliver them about halfway down to the warehouse. From there, they could make a short trip through the woods to find the dumpster, where that tunnel would take them closer to the second clearing. There was also a round vertical chamber between the laundry room and the armory, which had metal rungs forming a long ladder built into the wall that went all the way up to the roof. It reminded Stax of a grain silo. "
In case the elevators are down
." Explained Griff pointing to the ladder. Stax started to ask a question, remembering something else on the map, but Griff stopped her short with a familiar look. "Ok, that's two." Thought Strangler as he watched Griff cut her off, "There's more to this room than they want to admit just yet."

By the time the tour was over everyone was once again in awe of their surroundings. The Trio's level of respect was boosted mightily within the club that evening, as the members began to get a visual of exactly what the four had been doing all these years. While the biker's had been hosting benefits, the original four had been preparing for unimaginable senerios that few minds could begin to comprehend.  

"Too intense for words." Said Ryker, shaking his head. Thinking about what he had witnessed during his own deployments, he told Scratch, "What could they have witnessed as children in Ireland or during the war, that would make them come back and commit their entire lives to building such a fortress? I'm trying to imagine the depth of their personal demons. No wonder they never seem to sleep!" Scratch was unable to respond, his own tortured thoughts or war flashing through his mind.

That evening there was a series of fire drills for the children, teaching them the exit routes and  entryways to the escape tunnels. They did this several times, until the little ones understood who they should follow and where they should head in the event of emergency. "
Just like at school
," Cat had told them, "
Except this time it will actually be fun, we get to explore the Castle."
The children had been required to stay in the front Parlor, and presented their best behavior for fear on not being allowed to tour the fortress . Afterwards, they were finally allowed to hang out in the  Bar Room with their parents when the club sat down for dinner.

The members kept the conversation light, enjoying time with their children. After they had eaten, the smaller kids stayed with their parents drawing pictures of Castles and Dragons, while the older ones played cards or board games at the folding tables set up near the stage. Everything seemed normal and carefree for a few precious hours, until bedtime. The adults could now discuss the important details of how best to protect their future.

Chapter 21

  "Castle Fever"

The next morning the bikers were a bit bummed, it was a perfect day to ride and they were basically stuck in limbo. All that could be done was already accomplished, and the only thing that they could do, was to wait for new information or a sighting to dictate their next move. The children however, who had been kept inside while everything was put into place, were finally allowed to go outside to play in the courtyard behind the Castle. Before long, they were chasing chickens and feeding sugar cubes to the horses in the back corral. In an effort to create some fun, Della gave the teenagers markers to draw pictures on the eggs that she had boiled the night before. Then she sent them outside to hide them for an impromptu egg hunt. Afterwards, Della allowed each child to keep one of the eggs they found for snack-time, while the teens collected the rest of them so that she could begin preparations for egg salad sandwiches for lunch.

Stax walked out to the corral to visit with the horses. She didn't want to be stuck indoors either. Strangler was busy, so she took this time to spend with her own big red mare, Gypsy. There wasn't anything about Stax that Gypsy didn't know, she was friend, confidant, and above all, Stax's secret diary. As the saying goes, Stax 'Lived to Ride' and for her, it could be a steel horse or one of flesh and blood. She felt the same feeling of freedom, the intense control over her own destiny, with either. Horses could love you back and experience it with you and this was the only difference that she saw between the two. Stax loved the smell of a horse, the feel of power in their muscles, and the wisdom in their eyes. She experienced similiar emotions on her Harley, she loved the sound, the vibration, and the feeling of power beneath her when she rode. When she looked into the eyes of a horse, she could see their heart and knowledge, as if those eyes held a tangible entity that spoke to her soul. Her bike, could take her to the secret places of the world, introducing her to exciting characters and new life experiences. It was the best of both worlds, and she wouldn't trade one for the other, nor could she imagine life without either.