Simple Man // Kings of Leon ft. Chris Stapleton (Cover)

Jackson

I've taken a casual stance at Holly's side with one eye on the door handle in case that motherfucker comes back. I'm like an animal who's only semi-unconscious during sleep, one part of their brain still aware of their surroundings in case a predator approaches in the night.

And her dad is a fucking predator.

Holly and her mom are talking as I continue to stand guard although I haven't announced this as my purpose.

"I don't want to be a bother."

"Mom, you're not a bother. We need to get your strength up. You have to eat. Take your vitamins. The doctor said this could help."

I'm half listening to Holly talking to her mom and half focused on the noises outside this room. Do I hear footsteps? Low tone of voice? Aggressive replies? Is there tension in the hallway?

Her dad gave off a vibe I didn't like. I knew I wouldn't like him way before I ever saw him but being in his presence wasn't what I expected. It was worse.

He's more than just an asshole, a terrible husband and father. He's a terrible human being. But more concerning than any of that...he's dangerous. More so than I thought. And I don't want Holly or her mom anywhere near that guy ever again.

"Mom, lie down. Save your energy for when we leave." Holly's attempting to keep her mom in the bed while the woman is pushing to a sitting position.

"We should just go home. This will cost too much. Like your father said, we don't have the money. I don't want you to have to worry about more than you already do."

That's another thing running through my mind. The cost of her medical care. I'm tired of watching Holly shoulder the burden of her family. I've only been here a couple months and already I can tell this is too much for a daughter to stress over on her own.

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out." I say, startling Holly. She looks back at me with questions in her eyes. She may not think she's got anyone else in her corner but I'm inserting myself into her life, and that includes this financial stress. Instead of saying any more, I give Holly a small smile, telling her with a reassuring look that I've got her back. I'm not letting her drown in this alone anymore. I rest my hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently in support. While she's got her gaze still on me, I mouth words of reassurance to her.

I love you.

God, do I love this girl. With her, I feel like I'm becoming the man I'm supposed to be. The one focused on the here and now, living life to the fullest, loving the people around me. Filled with hope for what's to come.

When in the hell have I ever been that guy? The one with hope. The one with plans and dreams. That would be never. I was surviving. I was counting the minutes to my escape. I was hiding from the woman who seemed to wreck every plan I ever had. My mom was wrecking plans I didn't even know about. She ruined the relationship I could have had with my dad over pettiness. Over spite. Over harsh judgement in the way he lived when she should have been cleaning up the mess she'd made in her own lifestyle.

No more.

I don't give a shit what happened in the past. Whatever happened between my parents will not hold me back from mending things with my dad. It's already better than any relationship I ever had with my mom who raised me. My dad is proud of me. He smiles when I'm around. He's happy for me. When has that ever been true for her. She didn't even like the way I wrote my name.

The way I fucking wrote my name pissed her off. She said it was too smooth. Too neat. That I should have a pen scratch that no one could read. Because that's how little boys write. I see why she hounded me about it, now that I know what her issue was with my dad. What a piece of shit she is.

And yet, I still think my childhood outshined Holly's. Thinking about her dad makes me want to break things. I decide I should monitor the hallway to find out if he's still lurking around. I wouldn't be surprised.

"Baby, I'm going to see how the discharge papers are coming. Maybe we can get your mom out of here this afternoon." I don't want Holly to know I'm worried about him still being here. She has enough to deal with. The way she keeps fidgeting is a pretty good clue she's still reeling from his visit.

Holly walks to the door with me, her mom focused on the T.V. show we just turned on.

"I don't want to go back to the house. My dad might be there."

I nod. "Already thought of that. I messaged Grinder and Julia and they said she could stay with them for the time being. You and I are going to make some new arrangements." I took care of that the second the bastard stepped into the hallway.

Holly releases a breath, visibly relaxing in my arms.

"Okay."

I pull her tighter against me, my mouth next to her ear. "I love you. I won't let anything happen."

She nods against me before I release her back to her mom. I slip out the hospital door quietly then return to my fully alert status.

The hall is empty, save a couple nurses at their station a few doors down and what looks to be a custodian with some cleaning supplies. I wander slowly down one hallway before turning back the other way. When I get to the nurse's station, two more have returned to their posts.

"Excuse me," I say quietly. The nurse closest to me looks up. "I was wondering if there's a visitor's log I could see."

Her brow wrinkles. "Why?"

I lean a little closer. "My girlfriend's dad was just here. He made some threats and I don't want him allowed back in. I wanted to see if he signed in with his legal name." I'm exaggerating the threats. They were veiled, not that I'm keeping tallies.

The nurse glances to her side, finding the other nurses now looking our way. Guess they want the gossip.

"Was that," she starts, returning her gaze to me, "the tall guy with the bandana on his head and bushy beard?"

I nod. Her dad came in full biker regalia, complete with steel toed boots and the leather vest all of the Bitter Reapers wear. Somehow on him it looked wrong. Like a costume. He's no Reaper. Not the way Grinder and my dad are.

Another glance back at her nurse friends.

"We already put him on the security escort list."

I say nothing, just subtly raise a brow.

The nurse leans closer. Her tag reads 'Mari.'

"He was a creep, perving on a couple of the younger nurses. Denise, our head nurse, called down to security to put them on notice."

I nod. "Do you know for sure that he left?"

"Yes. They contacted us when he drove away on his motorcycle."

I breathe a sigh of relief to know for sure he's gone. But it does nothing to reassure me for the long run.

"Thanks. If he returns while we're still here, could you please let me know?"

"I'll put a note in the system, but I can't guarantee that someone will see it if I'm not around."

"I understand. Thanks for your help." I pull my phone out and step back down the hallway, away from the nurse's station and the door to Evelyn room. Once I have Grinder's contact pulled up, I dial in. I'd call my dad, but Grinder is above him in club rank being the president, and I want things to happen immediately.

"Hey, how's is going?" he asks upon answering. "Has she been discharged yet? Julia's getting the guest room ready for her right now."

"No, not yet. It might be a few hours still." I pause for a second to focus on the bigger issue. "Judge is a dangerous guy. I'm fucking pissed that he's still around trying to intimidate Holly and her mom. Why hasn't anything been done about him?" In my message to Grinder, I told him some of the shit Holly has insinuated about her relationship with her dad.

Nothing but measured breathing on the other end of the line for a good half minute.

"How long ago did he leave?"

"Ten minutes. His cocky ass made Evelyn seem like a lazy wife rather than suffering from a chronic illness. He insisted they leave the hospital right away. Holly distracted him from that thread."

"I want you to know something, Jackson. I've never liked Judge. I also never had cause to remove him from club status. He's not still around because I'm looking the other way. No one has ever brought these things to my attention. When I took over, I vowed to use reason and evidence to lead, not personal bullshit." He sighs. "Although in this case my personal bullshit was spot on."

"Fuck." It's the only word for the occasion.

"Listen. Once you and Holly get Evelyn settled, Julia can stay with her. Bring Holly to the shop. I want Butch in on this, too."

At the mention of my dad's name a weird sensation runs through me. I need to talk to him about everything my mom said. I want him to know that I don't view him any differently. And I need to make sure he isn't sending any more money to her.

"Good. This shit has to stop. He pulled her out in the hallway alone to talk, probably intimidated her, but I haven't found out what he said, yet. She didn't want to go with him, that was fucking clear. The second the asshole set foot in the room Holly's entire persona changed. I swear she shrank in on herself. It's like she went into hiding and this robot took over." I watched in horror as the girl I love hid away. I watched every breath she took, every flutter of her eyelashes. She didn't want that guy anywhere near her.

And the way she winced when I touched her cheek.

It was all I could do to keep from chasing after him and beating the shit out of the guy. I haven't asked what happened. I'm not sure I want to know. Homicide is not something I want on my conscience but if that's what it takes...

Fuck. This asshole has me thinking thoughts I've never fucking had. I need to get ahold of myself and handle this shit right otherwise it may blow up in my face.

Holly would pay the price and that is absolutely not an option. Her suffering any longer is not a fucking option. I've made it my mission.

Time to be the guy she's always needed in her life.

I've realized over the last couple of posts that I have 'go-to' lines. The last one (right up there) is one of them. I'm pretty sure I've used it at least one other time in this story. And the whole "door-swung-open-and-all-hell-broke-lose" is another one I used in Jeff's story. Ugh. I'm plagiarizing myself.

Two things about this scene: First, I knew Jackson would be quietly simmering over Judge, wanting to find him and exact some justice. What I didn't know was what this week's song helped me see. He's supposed to be the simple man, the one whose mama told him how to be strong, trustworthy, dependable etc... but he had the mom he had and of course she wasn't it. He realizes this on some level while the need to protect and care for Holly comes out. 

WATTCON!! I'll be there tomorrow. Is anyone going? Anyone streaming it? I'll wave at the camera 🥰🥰

It's not a Skynrd performance (trust me I've seen them live at least 10 times and they slay) but this one is very Jackson so I approve.

https://youtu.be/RbNP0yqbsVs