“Hmm. I’d like the details of the hospital where you were treated, and then I’ll get your notes. How old were you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Okay. Let’s see what I can tell about what we’re dealing with. We’ll get you undressed and on the table, and I’ll call the technician in. I will need your full records to see if there’s any extra care that needs to be taken until you’re at term.”
I help her undress, put on one of those despicable gowns, and then lift her onto the bed. She gives me a look, saying drily, “Apparently I’m pregnant, not dying. I could have gotten up myself.”
“My baby.” I tap her stomach and then tap her forehead. “My woman.” I turn away to hide my smile at the incredulous look she gives me. You’re mine.
The technician wheels a machine in, and I wince and turn away as the invasive procedure begins. Marc clasps at my hand, and I give her both, holding hers between my palms. She’s staring at me, but my eyes have been caught by the screen.
“There’s the baby,” the doctor says, pointing to a tiny bean-like shape. She fiddles with a knob, and a sound fills the room—a fast thumping, swishing noise. But the doctor’s not smiling, she’s frowning instead.
Seeing her expression, Marc’s hand grips mine so tightly she almost cuts off the blood circulation. “What’s wrong?”
“Hmm?” The doctor, having been intent on the screen, now turns her attention away and catches the expression on Marc’s face. “Well, I don’t know if it runs in your family, but I can see two gestational sacs. That means there are two babies. Congratulations, my dear. You are going to have twins.”
Fuck me! Amy was enough to look after on her own. Two babies? At once? Now it’s my turn to feel faint. Marc, once again, has gone white as a sheet.
I help a stunned Marc to sit up. While the doctor’s making some notes on a tablet, Marc doesn’t say a word, just sits completely shell-shocked, and I admit I’m feeling the same. When the doctor has finished, she looks at Marc.
“I can see why your doctor thought you’d have difficulty conceiving. Your fallopian tubes have clearly suffered major damage, and you’ve had one of your ovaries removed.” She rubs her forehead. “In fact, I’m surprised you conceived at all. At the time, the doctor you saw was quite right to warn you. I’d probably have said the same thing myself. But somehow, it’s happened. You’re definitely pregnant, no doubt about that. And, with twins.”
So that’s it, confirmed. She didn’t lie, hadn’t misunderstood what she’d been told. Fucking miracle babies.
Marc’s gone completely pale with the news that not only is she carrying one baby she never expected, she’s carrying two. Her voice is quiet as she responds, “Now I’ve conceived, what are the chances of me carrying the babies to term?”
The doctor nods as though she’s asked a pertinent question. “That’s why I need your full notes to be sure. From what I’ve seen, there shouldn’t be any problems, but you’ve clearly had surgery, so I want to check how invasive it was.”
Marc looks down as if she knew this is too good to be true.
“Now, Marcia. I think the likelihood of you having a normal pregnancy is quite high. We’ll just monitor you carefully. What I must warn you both is, if you want to extend your family, that might not happen. As I’ve said, there was major damage to your tubes. So we’ll be extra careful about this one.”
What she’s saying is this could be Marc’s only chance to have a child. I squeeze the hand I haven’t stopped holding. The woman by my side seems incapable of saying anything at all, and it’s me who pockets the card for her next appointment and takes the prescription for prenatal vitamins.
She’s still in a trance as she gets back into her clothes and remains that way when I walk her out.
Hyde’s waiting by the truck and steps forward, giving one look at her, and addressing himself to me. “She alright?”
A wide grin splits my face. “Better than fuckin’ alright.”
A glance at her, and then at the smile on my face. “Goddammit. I was right, wasn’t I? She’s fuckin’ pregnant.”
I shoot him a look of caution, but I can’t bring myself to deny it. He slaps his hand on the truck. “Fuckin’ hell.” He looks as happy as if he were the father.
“I’m taking her home.”
“I’ll follow you. Want me to stay?”
I laugh like a loon. “Nah, she’s not going back to that fuckin’ insecure house. She’s coming with me. Home.”
At last he gets my intention, and slaps me on the back, nodding as though I’ve done something he approves of. Well he might, but I’m not so sure what Drummer’s reaction will be.
It’s not until it’s obvious that I’m not heading toward her house that Marc comes out of whatever reverie she’s been lost in. “Heart,” she squeals. “Where the hell are you taking me?”
“The compound.”
Her face turns to me in horror. “I can’t go there!” she exclaims.
“Ain’t got a choice, babe. Not having the fucker Hyde babysit you anymore. That house you’ve rented isn’t secure enough for my woman on her own, and certainly not now you’re carrying my kids.”
“Heart, look, we need to talk about this.”
“Nothing to say.”
She turns to look at me, her mouth dropping open. Then she lets me have it full blast. “Nothing to say? Nothing to fucking say? You had plenty to say to me earlier. In fact, you spat it at me, didn’t you? What happened to you thinking I was going to steal your baby girl from you? Oh my God.” Her hand covers her lips and her eyes are wide. “You don’t want me. You want what you think I’m carrying.”
“Are carrying,” I correct her. “Look…” Knowing what precious cargo I’ve got with me, I keep my eyes on the road but reach across and put my hand on her thigh. Although she tries to pull away, I hold on firmly. “You are pregnant. There’s no denying that now. And yes, as the father, and your ol’ man, I’m involved. I said some shit, I can’t deny that.” I break off, trying to analyse it all in my head in just a split moment of time. “I’ll put this a way you can understand. I’ve been lost in my head, babe. Gonna take more than a minute to get you to understand that, but this?” I touch our clasped hands to her stomach. “This has put me straight.”
There’s silence for a moment, and then she says, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“We’ve got a lot of talking to do, and much more than that. We’re not going to put things right if we’re apart.”
“I don’t like this, Heart. I don’t trust you. After the way you pushed me away. You showed me another side of you, and one I didn’t like. Said some cruel things—”
“I was a fool.” I speak over her. “Couldn’t see further than my own fuckin’ nose. Thought there’d never be room for anyone other than Crystal. But she’s gone, I’ve accepted it. She’s never coming back, and I’m done with pushing you away. I want you, babe. Want—”
“Stop! Stop the truck.”
What?
Her free hands pointing to a car that’s just pulled off the shoulder, and says desperately, “Heart, stop the truck, now!”
Wondering what the fuck’s going on, and whether she’s intending to run, I pull over. Perhaps she needs to be sick? Her seatbelt’s unfastened and she’s out of the damn truck faster than I can get down my side. She’s running back along the hard shoulder. Incensed that she’s trying to get away, I run after her. I’ve got longer legs, but she’s fitter than me. I’m closing the gap slower than I want, when she suddenly drops to her knees, her hand reaching out.
“Here, fella. Here, boy. Or perhaps you’re a girl.” Her cajoling tone catches me off guard.
“Oh come here, you poor little thing.” As she hears my footsteps crunch in the gravel, she shoots out her arm, her hand held up warning me to stop. I do and then see where she’s pointing.
It’s a puppy of some sort. She must have seen it being dumped out of the car we’d seen pull away. Marc with
her cop’s sharp eyes had seen it, but I’d been too focused on getting her home.
It’s a grey bundle of scraggy hair, some sort of mutt, only a few months old by the look of it. Slowly Marc inches closer. The thing’s shaking, but looking at her with trusting eyes. Yeah, even a dumped puppy knows it can trust her, while I accused her of so much she didn’t deserve.
She’s close enough now. The little pup reaches out its nose, touches her hand, and then, on its belly, inches cautiously closer. When she scoops it up into her arms, I see the enormous paws attached to a very small body. Christ, that thing’s gonna grow big.
Slowly, Marc stands. She holds it away from her and examines it carefully. “Doesn’t seem hurt, and it’s a boy. Looks like a wolfhound mix.”
Hell, what do I do now? I’m still getting my head around the fact that I’m going to be a father again. I wipe my hands through my hair, then decide, “Okay, bring it along, we’ll find a shelter to take it.”
“What the fuck, Heart? Not going to give him to somewhere that might kill him if they can’t find him a home. No, I’m going to keep him.” Her determined eyes meet mine in challenge.
I’m looking at her face, seeing she’s already set on it, and suddenly I’m laughing, rolling back my head on my shoulders while her eyes stare wildly, as if wondering what I’m finding amusing in all this. It’s only then I’ve noticed Hyde, who I had to trust to bring my bike back to the compound, has parked up behind us. It’s he who puts into words precisely what’s making me lose my shit.
“Prez is gonna go crazy, Heart. You returning with a pregnant ol’ lady and a fuckin’ dog as a pet.”
“Grunt.”
“What?”
Marc seems more able to accept that she’s gained a puppy than the knowledge she’s carrying twins. She looks up to me and her eyes sparkle. “You want me to come back to the compound, Heart? Well, Grunt’s coming too. That’s my condition.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Marc…
This day started out like normal. Then I went into work and found I no longer had a job. Then the last person I expected arrived at my door today, the man I hadn’t laid my eyes on or spoken to for two months, though I hadn’t been able to expel him from my thoughts. While Hyde might have joked about using my vibrator to thoughts of Jax Teller, he’d been far from the truth, and it was another blond biker that had fuelled my fantasies.
But never had I imagined I’d see him how he appeared this afternoon, his face twisted in such rage I was almost frightened… Until he threw those ridiculous pregnancy tests at me. How could any man be so cruel?
But with the result, it appears that I’m pregnant. With twins.
Still unable to accept the impossible, it seems easier to accept I seem to have acquired a dog which I never expected or knew I wanted. But as soon as I’d seen him dumped out of that car, I knew he was mine. His name? Well, if he’s going to be on the compound among bikers, he might as well have a name to match. His little sniffling sounds as he snuggles up to me sound as though he’s grunting. Grunt. It fits.
“Grunt, eh?” Heart’s stopped laughing, his arms around both me and the pup. As I glance up into his face, it’s to see a depth of emotion I never thought I’d see directed at me. He thinks I’m pregnant. With his babies. It’s them he wants, not me. A sudden chill goes through me of what I might be walking into, but once again, it seems I don’t have much choice. I’ve no weapon to threaten with, and two bikers outnumbering me.
Holding Grunt close, I walk back to the truck, only releasing him for a moment so I can climb inside, and then Heart hands him back.
Soon we’re pulling off, back onto the road, and I accept I’ve committed to returning to the compound with no idea what reception I’ll receive. I’m not even sure I want to be with the man beside me, unable to forget the malicious words he’d thrown at me.
I would be trembling were it not for the calming presence of the pup in my arms. Suddenly I realise I don’t want to face the inevitable questions or accusations that will surely be thrown, at least not until Heart and I have thrashed everything out.
“Heart?”
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“Please don’t tell anyone. About the… you know.”
“Babies?”
“Yes. Look, it’s really early. Anything could go wrong.” And probably will given my medical history. I should be elated. This should be the best day of my life, but I can’t allow myself to get excited. It’s one last joke life’s going to play on me, giving me hope and taking it away. I don’t think I’ll survive it. Right now, the parentage of the babies I’m carrying is the last thing on my mind. I’m too scared I’m going to lose them.
“Nothings gonna go wrong.” Heart tries to reassure me. “But we’ll keep it to ourselves for now, okay?”
I didn’t expect my reappearance to be welcomed, but to top off my day, the clubhouse is crowded when we arrive. I reckon all the brothers are there, as well as their old ladies. All conversation stops as Heart leads me inside. I hug Grunt to me as though he’s a shield, even though he’s already a big pup and heavy.
Brothers part, allowing us free passage, looks of distrust on their faces. Heart’s arm is holding me protectively into his side, his chin raised. We’ve just reached the bar when there’s a loud shout.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Drummer pushes his way through the milling throng, his eyes sharp with suspicion. He looks at me, at the bundle I’m holding, and then gives a death stare to Heart.
Heart’s not fazed. He leans against the bar and turns me around, still holding me tightly, my back to his front. His arms go around me, one hand holding me and the pup, and the other resting on my stomach. I can’t see his face, but hear the challenge in his voice. “I’m claimin’ my ol’ lady, Prez. And this time it’s for real.”
Drummer looks shocked. I doubt much takes him by surprise, but he doesn’t appear to have seen this in the cards. He looks at me, then Heart, then at the dog who’s stopped wriggling in my arms as if sensing his future lies in the balance.
“What the fuck?” he repeats. “Heart, we need to talk about this.” Drummer’s narrowed eyes land on me. “Nothing against you personally, darlin’. We’ve given you protection, and I’ll continue to do that while there’s a risk to you. But having the likes of you on the compound is a fuckin’ mistake. You’re a cop.”
“No, she’s not,” Heart corrects, nuzzling my head, his lips on my hair. I haven’t experienced demonstrations of affection from him before, but I don’t have the strength to object.
Drummer’s looking more and more perplexed, and there’s a rumble of low voices around. If it wasn’t for Heart’s strong arms around me, claiming me, I’d feel scared.
“She lost her job today, Prez. She was sacked.”
Drummer takes a moment for the news to sink in. “Still don’t know where her loyalties lie. You been let go, darlin’? That seems a strange fuckin’ coincidence to me. Reckon there’s something more to it than you being a crap cop.”
There is, and Drummer’s sharp enough to know it.
“Even an ex-cop is not someone we can trust.” Peg’s come up alongside to support his prez. “Heart, think about this. She could be a plant.”
I move and open my mouth, but Heart shakes his head and tightens his hold. “She stays or I go.” Now it’s Heart who’s surprised me. “Not giving up my ol’ lady, Prez.”
“Because she’s pregnant.” A triumphant voice blurts out what I didn’t want anyone to know. Hyde couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
The stunned silence is broken by Drummer’s direct question to me. “This right? You’re not leading a brother on?”
Heart chuckles above me. “It’s Marc who doesn’t believe it. She’s still in denial, but I made sure she got checked out by a doctor.” He rubs my stomach. “What she’s got in here is mine, and I ain’t gonna have anyone questioning it.”
I twist my head around. “Heart.”
“Shush,
hon. Everything’s gonna be alright.”
“Hate to tell ya this, Brother, but that right there isn’t a baby, it’s a fuckin’ dog.”
There are shouts and hollers as the biker at the back yells out his joke. Stunned as I am, even I feel a small smile playing at my lips.
“Shut the fuck up, Joker,” Heart growls.
Drummer’s old lady steps up beside him, her brow creased, and for once she doesn’t sound friendly. “You said you couldn’t have children.”
“Sam,” Heart says sharply.
At the same time, Drummer admonishes his old lady, “Darlin’, leave it for now, okay?”
There’s an air of tension, an atmosphere you could cut with a knife. “That staying too?” Drummer points at the bundle in my arms.
“Yes.” It’s the first time I’ve spoken.
Drummer rolls back his head, the ceiling appearing to have answers, then brings his head back down and says, “You and I need to have words, Marcia.”
Heart’s arms tighten. “She’s had a fuck of a day, Drummer. Can we leave it tonight, get her rested?”
Again, I turn my head to Heart. While I feel safe as he keeps me close, I can’t easily forget or forgive the hateful things that he’s said, both today and that evening two months ago. I promised myself I’d never get close to anyone, and he’s only confirmed what happens when I weaken and let someone in. I don’t, can’t, depend on him. I don’t know if I’m still in danger now I’m not able to investigate anymore, but if there’s a risk, there’s apparently more than just me to think about now. I might be safer here on the compound, or at least continue to have the protection of a prospect. And for that, I need Drummer on my side. Let’s face it, there’s no one else.
“I’m alright, Heart. I’ll speak to Drummer.”
“Want in on that, Prez.”
“No.” Drummer sounds adamant as he refuses Heart’s request. “Wraith. You come with.” Still, they’re being careful about talking alone in front of even an ex-cop.
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