“I knew I was pregnant,” I admit, “I planned on telling Logan, I mean I was scared but I was going to tell him after a stupid banquet I really didn’t want to go to.”
“Start from the beginning,” Doc commands softly, a softer side coming out as he walks over and takes a seat opposite me, and my chin wobbles as my tears fall.
“I never wanted a relationship,” I choke, “I never wanted to get married because I didn’t believe in love. I’ve spent my childhood having my life micromanaged by my mother while my father and brother sat back and allowed it to happen. Whatever she wanted, she got it, even if it meant I was unhappy. If I disagreed, I spent days, sometimes weeks, locked in the cold, dark basement with only bread and water. My food, my clothes, my routine, everything was planned by my mother, dammit, I even had a tracker on my car,” I look at Doc and see him tense, “My mothertreated me like I was her doll that had to listen to her every word, that I had to do what I was told including who I was supposed to marry. Bruce Nash, my brother's best friend, who tried to rape me when I was fourteen and my father didn’t believe me despite finding me in tears and Bruce grunting in pain because I hit him.”
“Does Logan know about this?” he asks sharply, and I shake my head as I wipe away my tears and look back at my daughter.
“I didn’t want my home life to touch him, to touch us, because I finally found the happiness I was searching for.” I sniffle, “When I went to college, I managed to convince my dad to allow me to live off campus. The rules were I had to come home every weekend where Bruce would be, and I had to drive their car with the tracker on it,” I whisper, “I didn’t expect to meet Logan, I didn’t expect him to come after me when I turned him down and I certainly didn’t expect to fall in love. I moved in with him and we bought two labs together, making a life, one I never dreamed of having and I lied every single day to my father, refusing to go home. I knew I was ready to settle down with Logan, until the stick was positive and I was petrified he would leave me.”
“Does he have your name tattooed on his skin?” Doc asks, and I look back at him and nod and confirm, “Large down his arm, and I have his on my ribs.”
Doc smiles sadly and murmurs, “Then he claimed you, sweetheart. A brother doesn’t ink his skin unless he sees you as their forever and Logan certainly wouldn’t have moved you into his sanctuary that only his dad has been to.”
“I know,” I admit, “but tell my mind at the time that.”
He smiles, and I sigh, looking back at Aisling.
“I mouthed off to my mother,” I admit, “I was fed up with her pushing Bruce on me, telling everyone I was going to marry him so I informed the biggest mouth in that ballroom that not only was I in love with a brother but I was having his baby andalready living with him and god she was mad…” I shake my head, “I knew I had to get outta there before she attacked, I just didn’t expect her to follow me.”
“Wait, your mother is the one who I scared away?” he confirms tensely, and I look back at him and give him a sad smile.
“She was,” I admit, and his jaw locks as I whisper, “she grabbed my hair and yanked me back, and with the heels I was forced to wear, I lost my balance, and she saw an opening.”
“Fuck me, she was trying to kill your daughter,” he chokes, and I nod.
“I begged the doctors to write that I’d miscarried because I knew within a few hours she’d show up at the hospital like a concerned mother with my father, brother, and his friend in tow,” I mutter.
Doc shakes his head and demands, “Why didn’t you just tell me? You saw my cut, you knew the club could help, why didn’t you tell Lo?”
“I was going to,” I admit with a small cry, “but I had a visitor…”
The door opens, and I suck in breath as Logan walks inside, shutting the door behind him, then leans against it, and my tears fall.
“What visitor, sweetheart, did you have that made you not want to go to Logan and tell him about the pregnancy?” Doc asks, and I lock eyes with Logan, who tilts his head, a cold look on his face that breaks my heart.
He’s never looked at me like that before, but I guess I deserve it, huh?
“A woman,” I whisper, and Logan frowns in confusion.
My body trembles, and I take a deep breath, knowing this is going to absolutely destroy him. I explain, “She had dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and wore a cut,” Logan's eyes darken with recognition and I choke, “She threw a duffel bag at me full of cash, which I donated to this hospital, and she told me to getout of town, that she already had plans for her son,” I take a deep breath then so Logan doesn’t go after my family who will destroy him, I fib, “and that if my baby survived, she would slit her throat when she was born, so I ran.”
Logan shoves off the door and paces, his hands fisted as he keeps looking at Aisling sleeping, knowing he can’t lose it. I look down as more tears fall, the beeping the only thing echoing in the room, knowing I won’t be welcomed to help calm him down.
“Rocky,” Doc says, gaining my attention, and I lock eyes with his hard ones that damn, even I flinch at the anger as he holds his phone to his ear. “Tell your wife to get the fuck off club property until further notice,” he snaps, and my eyes widen as I shake my head in denial but Doc ignores me and continues, “I’ll explain once I’ve called church for all brothers, but I want her gone. Otherwise, never mind me shooting her, your son will!”
He hangs up, and I flinch as fear overrides me for my daughter.
The woman thinks she didn’t survive, Mama doesn’t know I’m back or of her existence, both will try and kill her, and I can’t have that.
“I’m going to leave you two to it. I need to get my rounds in,” Doc says as he stands up, “She needs to be in for at least a week before being discharged, but she’ll be alright.”
A week…
I nod numbly, trying to squash the fear overtaking, not knowing how I’m supposed to pay for her care, especially knowing my job's insurance is crap, and he gives me a slight smile before turning.
Logan doesn’t look his way, keeping his eyes on me, and I avert my eyes.
“You should have told me,” he grits, and my body trembles.
