Hospital visits became rehabilitation-center visits, then home visits. One brother built a ramp. Another widened the bedroom door. Mason installed railings and pretended they had appeared overnight.
Rook drove Lucy to therapy whenever Ben worked. He kept Rosie secured in the passenger seat with a seat belt.
Michael often joined him.
Four years of silence did not vanish, but it stopped growing. Rook attended Grace’s fifth birthday without his leather cut because Michael asked. Michael later attended an Iron Lantern charity ride wearing Rook’s old denim jacket.
Whitaker fully retired once Lucy began outpatient rehabilitation.
At his farewell, Eli gave him a drawing of thirty motorcycles circling a teddy bear. Whitaker framed it above his desk at home.
Lucy returned to school part-time at eight years old.
She walked with braces and tired easily. Some words came slowly. Loud noises overwhelmed her, so the club never started their motorcycles near the school.
