The Iron Wolves MC visits Emmett several times a year. They bring cupcakes on Dale’s birthday and tell Emmett stories about the man who held him. About how Dale was funny. How he was loyal. How he loved his brothers. How he spent his last good days making sure a little boy could feel safe.
Emmett understands more now. He asks questions. “Dale was sick?” “Dale rode bike?” “Dale loved me?”
When Emmett has hard days—when the sensory input is too much, when his autism makes the world overwhelming—Jessica or Marcus holds him close and makes the rumble. And Emmett makes it too now, this back-and-forth sound between parent and child, learned from a dying biker who just wanted to help.
Snake visits most often. He’s become sort of a godfather to Emmett, this gruff 72-year-old biker who never had kids of his own. He teaches Emmett about motorcycles, shows him pictures of Dale on his bike, tells him stories.
“Your buddy Dale,” Snake says, “he was the best of us. And you brought out the best in him, little man. You gave him a reason to keep fighting in those last days. You gave him purpose. That’s a gift.”Continue reading…
