Vince's Place

by Sandra R Neeley

  Vince parked his truck next to Bam’s, beneath the large exterior light in the hospital’s parking lot. Doors were opening and slamming as all the members of Kaid’s clan moved toward the hospital, talking and laughing, excited to welcome Kaid’s and Delilah’s new baby this night. All except Brandi.

  She hung back, obviously keeping herself apart from the clan.

  “Brandi? Come on, hon,” Vince said, holding his hand out for her to take.

  Brandi shook her head. “I… I don’t feel comfortable just rushing in there, Vince.”

  “What?! Why not? It’s a baby! All the family should be there,” Vince answered.

  “Exactly. I’m not part of this family.”

  Vince sobered a bit, his smile falling slowly. “Of course you are. Or, you will be.”

  Brandi shook her head ever so slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but ended up just swallowing her words.

  “What’s wrong? Did someone do something to make you feel unwelcome? Did I do something?” he asked.

  Brandi shook her head emphatically. “No, nothing like that. Just being around you all these last few weeks, and being at the wedding tonight — it just topped it all off. Ya’ll are supposed to be here, together. You fit, ya know?” she asked. She shrugged her shoulders, slightly raising her hands, palms up toward the sky. “I don’t.”

  “Brandi…” Vince started.

  “Lion! Getcha’ ass in here! As usual, you late again!” Maverik yelled across the parking lot to Vince before disappearing inside the automatic doors again.

  Vince turned his attention back to Brandi. “It’s just because we’ve all been together so long and are so comfortable with each other that you feel like you’re not quite one of us. Give it some time, huh?” he asked gently. “You’ll see, it’s the right place for you.”

  Brandi didn’t agree, or disagree. She just looked Vince in the eye, knowing that at some point, those eyes would look at her with a hatred she didn’t want to experience.

  A sharp whistle sounded. Both Vince and Brandi turned to see who it was.

  “Are you coming?” Ms. Sadie asked, standing beside Goldy. “They’re moving us to the maternity waiting room.”

  “Yes, ma’am! On our way,” Vince answered. Then he looked back at Brandi. “Come with me? Please? I really want you to be in there with me tonight.”

  Brandi looked off toward the hospital, then back at Vince. “Okay. But, I just feel like I’m being pushed into a space that isn’t quite mine. Can we slow down some?”

  Vince raised both his hands in a show of submission. “Absolutely. Whatever you need.”

  “Come on, you two!” Ms. Sadie insisted.

  Vince waited for Brandi to start walking toward the hospital, then fell in step beside her.

  “It’ll be okay. You’ll see,” Vince assured her.

  Brandi offered him a half-hearted smile. “You’re a good man, Vince,” she said softly.

  Vince’s brow crinkled as he considered her comment, and her attempt to tell him she didn’t belong here. Of course she belonged here. He looked inside himself as they followed Ms. Sadie down the hallway to the maternity waiting room. His Lion sat there, watching Brandi suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes when he felt Vince looking in at him and gave Vince a shrewd stare.

  Ours, Vince thought to his Lion.

  Lion just stared back at him, then shifted his gaze to Brandi walking beside them. He watched her for a moment, then looked back at Vince. He inclined his head, though hesitantly, to agree with Vince, then lay down much like the Sphinx, and quietly settled in to watch the goings on of the night.

  Vince leaned against the wall in the waiting room the hospital staff had moved the clan into to await the new baby. He could hear Delilah inside the hospital room, soundly cursing Kaid, who kept up a steady response of, ‘I love you’s and It’s gonna be fine, Monster’s,’ to her running dialogue of threats and curses.

  Janie and Valerie were inside the room with Delilah and Kaid. The rest of the clan were draped on and across the benches and chairs in the waiting room and hallway of the small hospital. Beside the small fake Christmas tree in the corner of the waiting room, Maia sat on a blanket the hospital staff had supplied and played with Remi and Daisy. Everyone else spoke excitedly of Bam and Everly’s wedding and the impending birth of Kaid and Delilah’s baby.

  Vince looked over at Brandi where she sat beside Avaleigh. She was beautiful. Her long blonde curls cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, and her face lit up with her laughter. She had one of those smiles that lit up the entire room when she smiled. He cocked his head to the side watching closer. Why, then, did it never quite seem to reach her eyes. He’d never really noticed that before. Oh, he’d noticed her eyes, huge, blue eyes framed in dark lashes. They could freeze him in his tracks when she flashed them at him. But he’d been so wrapped up in making sure she stayed long enough for him to convince her she was his, that he’d never really looked into them. They were sad. And they were isolated — trusting no one and nothing. She’d been used to doing things on her own for so long that she didn’t know how to depend on anyone any longer.

  He watched her closely and saw that pride, that strength that she wore like a badge of honor. She was too damn proud to let on that she’d ever been hurt by anyone or anything. And didn’t he just feel like a dick for being so focused on his own agenda that he’d not taken the time to see it. “Fuck!” he muttered under his breath. He shoved away from the wall and walked over to where she sat. He squatted down on his haunches, sitting on his heels, one knee on the ground, and reached for her hand.

  Brandi raised an eyebrow, but allowed him to take her hand.

  “Are you okay? Can I do anything for you?” He looked at her as though she were fragile and about to shatter.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You know I’m here, right? I’d take out an army of aggressors for you.”

  “Aggressors?” she asked, a comedic lilt to her voice.

  “Yeah. You know what I mean.”

  “Not really. But, okay.”

  “You don’t have to be sad, Brandi. And you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here now.”

  Brandi was many things, but weak was not one of them. And she detested being seen as weak. “Well, thank you. I appreciate that. But in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t need you to take out anything or anybody. I’m perfectly capable of taking out any fucktards necessary all on my own.”

  Vince realized what he was trying to say was offending her and changed his direction. “I’m not saying you can’t. I’m just saying, I want to be the one you look to when you decide you need a little backup.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Brandi said, though the meaning of her words and the tone of her voice carried much more meaning. If he’d had any sense at all, he’d have clearly heard the words behind her comments. ‘My life is my business. Stay out of it unless otherwise invited,’ is what she was really trying to say.

  Their exchange was interrupted by the door to Delilah’s room being opened and Kaid, Janie and Valerie being ushered out of it.

  Valerie and Janie came out easily enough, but Kaid turned and tried to shove his way back in when Delilah screamed in pain.

  “Let me back in! That’s my wife!” he shouted at the nurses blocking his way.

  “Sir, please. Let us do our job. We need to prep her for surgery. The baby is breech, we’re going to have to do a c-section. Just give us a moment and we’ll let you back in.”

  “But I need to…” he started, before the door was closed in his face.

  Avaleigh stood up and went to Kaid. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, “They want to cut her open,” he lamented.

  “She’ll be fine, Kaid. It’s not unusual at all. Especially if the baby’s breech.”

  “Nothing can happen to her, Ave,” he said, looking at her with his heart in his eyes. “What if…”

  Brandi watched
Kaid coming apart at the thought of his wife having their baby removed from her body via C-section. “Kaid, it’s not a big deal. No what if’s,” she said.

  Kaid glanced over at Brandi, then turned back toward the closed door, his fingers interlocked at the back of his head as he waited for the nurses to open the door and let him back in with Delilah.

  Brandi sighed, then she stood and walked over toward Kaid and Avaleigh. “Look at me,” she said, waiting for Kaid to turn and look at her. She took two or three steps back and held her arms out. She was a tiny little woman, five foot nothing, and maybe 95 pounds soaking wet. “See how little I am? I had two c-sections. My first was a boy, ten and a half pounds. My second was a girl, just shy of 10 pounds. They were so big I couldn’t push them out! They did a c-section for both of them. I was fine, and they were fine. It’s not unusual. And Delilah’s a strong woman. She’ll be fine.”

  Kaid looked at her hopefully, wanting to believe her. “Really? You had two kids? Both C-sections?”

  Brandi reached for her shirt, pulling it out of her jeans where she had it tucked in, pulling it up and holding the tail of it in her teeth. She pulled the snap on her jeans and unzipped them, pulling them apart just enough. She used the fingers of one hand to hold her jeans apart and the other to just barely nudge down the top of her panties.

  Vince was choking, jumping to his feet to get to Brandi before anyone could see what he already considered his.

  “See this scar? That’s where they both came out of me. It’s gonna be fine. I promise.”

  Kaid looked at Brandi’s scar. “Does it hurt?”

  “Nope. Just gotta be careful about the bikinis I buy, not everybody wants to see a woman’s C-section scar. Some guys are funny like that.”

  Kaid looked at her scar one more time. “Thanks, Brandi.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  It all happened so fast that Brandi was already snapping her jeans and dropping her shirt over them by the time Vince made it over to them.

  “Brandi!” he admonished.

  She looked up at Vince as though she had all the patience in the world, one single eyebrow raised.

  “You can’t…” he started.

  “Don’t go there. I can do whatever I damn well please.”

  “Yeah, but you shouldn’t…”

  Brandi’s eyes squinted and she took a step toward Vince, the index finger of her right hand poking him in the center of his chest. “Tell me I can’t, or I shouldn’t, and watch me. That’s a sure fire way to make sure I do.”

  Vince sealed his mouth shut, milliseconds away from putting her over his lap and spanking her. But he was smart enough to realize this was not the place or the time.

  Brandi stood there, holding her own in a stare off with Vince.

  She heard Avaleigh behind her as she went to stand with Kaid where he now stood plastered to the door that kept him from Delilah, trying his best to see in through the tiny square window in it. Brandi turned and looked over her shoulder at Kaid, being soothed by Avaleigh. She turned back to Vince. “I was only showing Kaid that women as small as me have this procedure all the time. And I showed him the scar so he could see that it’s not a big major thing, it’s a small scar really.”

  Kaid said from behind her. “I didn’t see anything but her scar, Vince.”

  Maverik, sitting on the bench against the wall next to Kaid, naturally had to put his two cents in. “I saw some pretty blue panties.”

  Vince shot Maverik a warning look, Valerie popped him and whispered heatedly in his ear. “Stop provoking!”

  Kaid reached out and popped him without ever moving his eyes from the window in the hospital room door.

  “Damn! Ain’t none of ya’ll got a sense of humor! I’m going to find some coffee,” Maverik snapped, before getting up and stalking away.

  “And you need to chill,” Brandi said to Vince, before going back to the seat she’d occupied before.

  Vince knew he was out of line. He had no right to tell her what she could and couldn’t do or to try to curtail her behavior at all. But he just couldn’t help himself. He knew that Kaid was scared shitless for his Mate and baby, and he knew that Brandi was only trying to soothe him and to show him that it was a common thing to have happen.

  Vince excused himself, walking down to the end of the hallway where the vending machines were kept. He fed some quarters into the machines and returned to the group hanging out in the hallway, instead of the proper waiting room, and handing out drinks and snacks. Once done, he took a seat next to Brandi and offered her the Orange Crush still in his hand. He knew she had a special affinity for them.

  Brandi looked at the drink in his hand and then raised her eyes to him.

  “Peace offering?” he said.

  “Thank you,” Brandi answered, taking the drink from his hand.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Kaid was now pacing the few feet back and forth in front of the hospital room.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” Avaleigh told him.

  Kaid nodded.

  Suddenly he stopped pacing and pinned Brandi with an intense look. “Did you feel it?”

  “No, I didn’t. I just felt some pressure, and then, there were my babies, all pretty and pink and not squished,” she laughed.

  “Not squished?” Kaid asked.

  “Yeah, they get kind of smashed coming out of the birth canal sometimes, they can even have a cone shaped head for a few days afterward. But with a C-section, they don’t. You can see how pretty they are right away, no smashed heads, and only a scar low on my belly left behind.” she said, grinning at Kaid.

  “Mr. Sanders, we’re ready for you,” a nurse said from the doorway that was now open.

  Kaid made a break for the door, but turned to look over his shoulder. “Thank you, Brandi. And your scar is beautiful — it’s where your babies came from. Anybody don’t like it, screw ‘em!”

  The door closed behind Kaid, and Brandi sat there, a sad smile on her face.

  “Where are your kids?” Avaleigh asked.

  “With my husband’s parents,” Brandi said.

  “Oh, well, you’ll get to see them soon. I’m sure you miss them,” Avaleigh said.

  “I hope so. My heart hurts a little more each day that I’m not with them.”

  “Wait! You have a husband?” Bane asked.

  Vince’s blood ran hot, he was angry, his Lion had been prodding him, trying to get him to pay attention to something. And now, with Bane’s question, his Lion was in his mind looking at him like, ‘Yeah, dumb ass. She said husband.’

  Brandi raised her eyes to Bane’s. “Yes. I do, or did.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’re married?” Vince said. “Where is this husband?”

  Brandi shook her head. “I’ve never said I was or wasn’t married. And besides, it’s not what you think. I landed here running away from him. He’s taken everything from me — or his parents have. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped, and ended up here.” She turned her eyes from Bane, Avaleigh, and the group facing her, to Vince. “They won’t give me my kids. They’ve inserted themselves into their lives to the point that I’m rarely even allowed to make any decisions regarding my own children. My kids would rather live with them because they have a mansion to live in. They have a beautiful pool to swim in, horses to ride, puppies to play with. And with me, all they have is a small bedroom to share in an apartment I managed to rent for us. The last time I tried to get them to go home with me, they started crying. My mother-in-law ushered them out of the room, speaking to them as though they were babies, telling them to go upstairs and play and Big Mama would take care of it — they didn’t have to go if they didn’t want to. We argued and I left.

  My husband came to my apartment that night. He told me I was doing it to myself. Our room was still there with all my things intact. He said his parents sent him after me. They didn’t want to shut me out, they wanted me to be a part of their family. My spot was there, just waiti
ng for me to take it. But I couldn't — I can’t. He’s not the man I thought I married. His parents tell him how high to jump and in what direction, and he happily complies. They are all under his parents’ control, and I just can’t live my life that way.

  I went there a few days later to pick up my kids. I was going to take them with me, and we were leaving to get a new start. They wouldn’t even allow me to visit with my kids. They said the kids acted out too much after each of my visits. I could either move in and be their mother and their son’s wife, or I needed to stop tormenting them with my erratic behavior.

  “Can’t you do something? Go to the police? A lawyer, somebody?!” Avaleigh asked, horrified.

  Brandi shook her head. “They own practically the entire county where they live. The police, the lawyers, even the judges are in their pockets. I either comply, or I walk away and hope they’ll want to see me when they grow up.”

  “I’m so sorry, Brandi,” Ms. Sadie said. “People can be so horrible to one another sometimes.”

  Brandi nodded. “They can, indeed.” She stared off into space before she quietly continued. “They took my kids. And I just lost it. They don’t even care if I’m there or not. So I left and when I stopped here, you made me feel like I mattered. I mattered for the first time in a long time. So I stayed.”

  “You do matter,” Vince said.

  The hospital room door opened again, and the nurses emerged pushing Delilah’s hospital bed, with Kaid coming out behind it, holding onto the head of the bed where Delilah’s head lay. They’d given her pain medication and sedated her, so she had a goofy smile on her face and waved at her family as she went by.

  “Helloooo!” she called melodically, flapping her hand at them all.