“The social worker will want to speak with the father when he arrives,” she said. “That’s protocol. But for now, let’s focus on Lilly. She’s in room four. You can see her, but please keep it short. She needs rest.”
Ethan bolted from the room before anyone could say another word. Marcus followed at a slower pace, watching as the boy practically flew down the hallway toward room four. Through the open door, Marcus could see Lilly propped up in a hospital bed that made her look even smaller than she was. Her left arm was encased in a bright blue cast and a white bandage covered a scrape on her forehead, but her eyes were open and when she saw Ethan, her face lit up with a smile that transformed her from an injured patient to just a little kid happy to see her big brother.
“Ethan!”
Her voice was hoarse but strong. “Did you see my cast? It’s blue. The doctor said I could have stickers on it.”
Ethan reached the bedside and grabbed his sister’s good hand, holding it like a lifeline. “I was so scared, Lilly. Why did you go under that motorcycle?”
“I was sleepy,” Lilly said simply, as if this explained everything. “And it was shady there. I was going to sleep for just a minute, but then I had a bad dream and my arm hurt.”
Marcus stayed in the doorway feeling like an intruder in this private moment, but Lilly spotted him, her eyes widening. “Who’s that?”
“That’s Marcus,” Ethan said, turning to look at him with an expression Marcus couldn’t quite read. “He… he helped me. He made sure you were okay.”
“Are you a bad guy?” Lilly asked with the blunt curiosity only children possessed. “You look like the bad guys in Ethan’s comic books.”
Despite everything, Marcus felt a smile tug at his lips. “Maybe I used to be, but I’m trying to be better.” The words surprised him even as he spoke them. When had he decided that? When had the comfortable identity of the outlaw biker, the man who didn’t care what society thought, started feeling like a costume that no longer fit.
“Marcus has a motorcycle,” Ethan told his sister, “a really big one. When you’re all better, maybe he’ll show you.”
Marcus opened his mouth to agree, then stopped. Making promises to these kids felt dangerous in a way that facing down rival gangs or riding through thunderstorms never had. Promises meant obligation. They meant caring about something beyond the next ride, the next stop, the next escape from whatever demons chased you. But looking at Ethan’s hopeful face and Lilly’s bright eyes, Marcus found himself nodding. “Yeah, when you’re better, I’ll show you both. I’ll even let you sit on it.”