Kendrick (Torey Hope: The Later Years #4)

by A. D. Ellis

  Eyes locked on hers, pushing the pain and edginess to the back of his mind, he spoke in a low growl. “Hi there, Pixie. I’ve sort of missed you, you know?” Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her deeply, pouring his entire soul into the melding of their lips. With a groan, he angled her head and swept his tongue across her bottom lip.

  “Oh!” Jay proclaimed in surprise. “Ah, the baby either doesn’t like that or likes it a lot. She’s moving around like crazy and tap dancing on my bladder.”

  He pulled her closer, until her belly was flush against his abs. He immediately felt the little bounces and prodding coming from deep inside her womb. Leaning back, he watched in amazement as her belly stretched and wobbled and rolled with each movement from inside.

  “That is fucking unbelievable and beautiful.” He leaned in to kiss her.

  “Ah! Hold that thought, I’ve really got to pee!” Jay kissed him quickly and waddled from the room. Within minutes, she poked her head back into the nursery. “Hey, I’m going to take a warm bath in hopes of easing this back pain. Once you’re done with that, meet me in the bedroom?” She wagged her brows at him.

  “Sounds like a plan.” He winked.

  He had the last piece of furniture completed within minutes. His neck and shoulder screamed in pain. Washing his hands in the kitchen, he contemplated taking another pill. But, the pain was so bad he knew it wouldn’t work fast enough to get him through sex with Jay. And if he took something now, he’d likely pass out before she was out of the tub.

  “Fuckin’ man up. She likes to be on top, let her. You can keep your neck and shoulder as still as possible, and then take something when it’s over. Can’t leave a horny pregnant woman wanting something she can’t have.” He popped eight ibuprofen in hopes of taking away some of the fiery heat searing through his body. Washing them down with a huge glass of milk, he headed to the bedroom.

  Stripping down, he found he was actually hard, something that hadn’t happened with a lot of regularity since the accident. Okay, if he was being honest, it hadn’t happened much since he started taking so many pills.

  Positioning himself flat on the bed, he gripped his length in his hand and hoped Jay would emerge from her bath soon. He needed to take something for the pain, but he was determined to be awake and able when she came to him.

  She was like a fucking angel standing at the end of the bed. Skin damp and pink from the warm water, breasts full and pebbled, that beautiful baby bump on display for only him to see. Crooking his finger he motioned for her to join him as he kept hold of himself with his other hand.

  She crawled languidly up the bed, straddling his body, and batting his hand away from his cock. Biting her bottom lip, she leaned down and took him in her mouth. Moments later, he felt the tingling beginning in his balls. He bucked under her.

  “Pixie, you’ve got to stop or this will be over before you get what you’re looking for.” He pulled her up to kiss him. As their lips met, she slowly lowered herself onto him, hissing as he stretched her body.

  Kendrick knew the vision of her rocking above him would be ingrained in his mind for the rest of his life. As she rode out the final bursts of her orgasm, he felt himself surge and explode inside her. Roaring his release, only barely cognizant of the pain ripping through his body, he held her close to his chest as they both breathed heavily.

  “You okay?” She sat up, looking at him carefully.

  “Yeah, just a little sore. I’ll take a hot shower to ease the pain.” He fought back the tears of pain as his body burned and the nausea threatened to overtake him.

  “Okay, go take your shower. I’m going to read for a while. I’ll be back in later.” She kissed him, cleaned up quickly in the bathroom, and headed to the couch.

  Once alone in the bathroom, shower running full blast, he let the scalding water pound down on his back. Washing quickly, he stepped from the shower with other things on his mind. Once dressed and hair fairly dry, he reached to the very back of the vanity drawer. He shook two pills from the prescription bottle he’d kept stashed in a plain OTC pill bottle. He knew Jay was watching his pills carefully as he tried to wean from them. Keeping them hidden from her had become priority number one. Looking around frantically for something to crush the pills with, he grabbed a brush and quickly went to work smashing the pills into a fine dust.

  Don’t think about it. It’s no different than swallowing them. This will just get them to the pain quicker. He told himself if he didn’t get the pain under control soon he was going to black out. And what kind of situation would that put Jay in?

  He didn’t think about the consequences of snorting the white powder up his nose, he just rolled up a receipt he dug from the trashcan and immediately put it to his nose. Bending over the sink, he caught his reflection in the mirror. Breathing deeply, he took in the first line before looking at himself. The effect of the medicine was instant. He felt his head float away, taking the pain with it. With the second line, his entire body was numb. Dropping the paper straw, he brushed the remaining powder into his hand and licked it. The bitterness coated his tongue while a stinging in his nose brought tears to his eyes. Sniffing, he pinched his nose and waited for the pain to subside. Feeling as if he was watching himself from outside of his body, he stumbled to the bedroom and fell face first upon the bed.

  **********

  “Daddy? Daddy? You need to wake up. She’s going to need you.” The child’s small voice echoed from somewhere very far away.

  Kendrick looked around and struggled to understand where he was.

  He was floating. Wispy, white clouds wrapped him in warmth. He liked it here. There was no pain here. This would be a nice place to stay.

  “Daddy? Daddy, you can’t be here. You need to leave.” Panic laced the child’s voice.

  Kendrick looked around again. Where was the voice coming from? He let himself float through the soft clouds, content to just be comfortable and out of pain.

  “Daddy, you need to go back.”

  Kendrick opened his eyes to find a young boy about ten standing in front of him.

  “Who are you?” Kendrick asked the child, but the answer niggled at the back of his subconscious before the boy even answered.

  “My name is Ricky. Daddy, you have to leave. You’re not allowed to be here yet. She’s going to need you. You have to go back.” The boy seemed torn between being happy to see his father and desperate to make Kendrick leave.

  “Who’s going to need me, Ricky? How about I just stay for a little bit, buddy. I’ve wanted to know you for such a long time.” He felt his heart clench in his chest, the pain taking his breath away.

  “I love you, Daddy, and I’m so happy to see you. But the other baby needs you now. You need to go. Bye-bye, Daddy.” The freckle-faced boy vanished, and Kendrick was left alone in the cold darkness.

  **********

  “Hi, Katie. It’s Jay.” She attempted to keep her voice calm, but fear and pain were competing to take her out.

  “Jay, what’s wrong?” Katie was instantly concerned.

  “Um, I think I’m in labor.” Jay squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe through the pain radiating through her body.

  “Oh my God, isn’t it early? Wait, why are you calling me? Is Kendrick not home?”

  “It’s only about three weeks early. And, I, um, can’t wake Kendrick up. He’s passed out on the bed. He’s cold and clammy, and I can’t get him to even respond to me. I’m really scared, Katie.” Tears poured down her cheeks. She sat on the edge of their bed, belly clenched in pain, and laid her hand on Kendrick’s chest, praying that he was still breathing.

  “Oh, God, Katie, it hurts.” She moaned. Turning to look at the man she loved lying dead-still on the bed, she shuddered, “Please, Kendrick, wake up. I need you.”

  Chapter 20

  Katie practically dove from the car as soon as Zoey had slowed enough for her to get the door open. She ran frantically into Jay’s place, yelling for her as she searched and tried
to listen for her.

  Finding her curled up on the bed, panting and crying, Katie dropped to her knees and took her hand.

  “Oh, babe, it’s okay. I’m here. Zoey and I will get you to the hospital.” Katie grabbed a duffle bag from the closet and stuffed some clothes into it. Rummaging quickly through the kitchen she found Jay’s purse. Hoping it had the needed insurance information, she threw it into the bag and started to help Jay to her feet.

  “I can’t leave him, Katie. He’s so sick. I can’t leave him.” Jay wailed, looking desperately at Kendrick’s unconscious body on the bed.

  “The guys are on their way, they are probably pulling up now. They will take care of him. I promise you, they will be here to take care of him. And he won’t die. Not yet at least because he’s going to get his ass kicked severely by every single member of this family. Now, come on, let’s go have a baby!” Katie’s voice was confident, but her hands shook violently.

  Jay seemed to relax as a contraction came to an end. She rolled to her side, kissing Kendrick’s cheek and running her hand down his back.

  “Kendrick, please wake up. I need you. Your baby girl needs you. Please, baby, don’t leave me like this. I love you so very much.” She broke down into wracking sobs as Katie helped her from the bed and led her toward the door.

  They met the other four guys coming in.

  “Where is he?” Decker demanded. He grabbed Katie and hugged her close, while Sawyer held a trembling Jay.

  “He’s on the bed. He’s breathing. But he’s completely out of it.” Katie’s eyes met Decker’s, the fear evident on both of their faces.

  “Hey, girl, we’ve got this okay? You just concentrate on how much Kendrick loves you, how much we all love you, and go have that baby. We will take care of Kendrick.” Sawyer held Jay close, his worried eyes making contact with Luke’s over her head.

  “Okay, ladies, looks like Zoey has the car ready.” Zach helped Jay down the steps, Sawyer on her other side, Katie carrying the bag.

  When they reached the car, Zach opened the back door. “Your chariot awaits, madam.” He winked at her and kissed her nose, trying to stay upbeat. His eyes met Zoey’s as he assisted Jay into the backseat so she could lay down if needed. Zach and Zoey shared a look of extreme worry.

  “Okay, Audrey and Jeremiah are on their way to the hospital. I think Libby is coming with my mom and dad. Josie said Kyle and Nate were on their way here.” Zach relayed the information to Katie as she got in the car. Thumping his hand on top of the car, he signaled to Zoey she was good to go.

  Turning, Zach drew in a deep breath as he faced the uncertainty of what was waiting on him in that bedroom.

  The four men watched Kendrick for a moment, assuring themselves he was breathing.

  “This asshole is going to wish he was dead by the time I finish with him.” Decker rolled Kendrick over and pulled him to a sitting position.

  A small trickle of blood ran from Kendrick’s nose.

  “Oh my God.” Luke voiced the terror they were all feeling.

  **********

  Kendrick was cold. It was dark and wet, and he was all alone. His stomach rolled, threatening to empty with every breath he took. His nose burned like a red-hot poker had been shoved into it.

  And then he was drowning. Every which way he turned his head, water covered his face. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t open his eyes, he was going to die.

  “Wake up, mother fucker. Kendrick! Wake the fuck up!”

  He knew that voice. The water stopped assaulting his face, he took a deep breath. Looking around in the dark world, he searched frantically for Ricky, but he was nowhere to be seen. The warm wispy clouds were gone. The pain was back, but it radiated through his entire body, not just his neck and shoulder.

  “Open your eyes, Kendrick. Open them so we can see you’re okay.”

  Another familiar voice.

  Soon he was drowning again, ice cold water shocking his system, making him gasp a breath. As soon as he took that deep breath, he felt his body revolt. Waves of nausea rolled through him as his body purged itself of the poison.

  A cacophony of voices surrounded him, he knew them all, but didn’t understand where he was or what was going on.

  “Turn him to the side, don’t let him choke on the vomit.”

  “That’s enough water for now, he’s awake.”

  “We need to get him out of the wet clothes and washed off.”

  “Kendrick, can you get to your feet? Come on, man, this is really important.”

  “Dad! We’re in here!”

  “Fuck! What the hell happened?”

  “Why is he bleeding?”

  “If I had my way it would be because I punched him in his damn stupid-ass face, but his nose started bleeding when we rolled him over.”

  “I think he snorted something. There’s white powder all over the sink.”

  “He crushed the pills, and spilled a bunch of them all over. I flushed them all.”

  “Save the pill bottle. If we can’t get him awake, we’ll have to tell the ER what he took.”

  What the hell is going on? His eyes cracked open to find himself in the bathtub, soaked to the bone, shivering cold, covered in vomit, with his nose gushing blood.

  Looking around, he blinked hard, trying to wake himself from what had to be a nightmare.

  Six men are in my bathroom. What the hell?

  “What the hell?” His voice cracked when he tried to talk.

  “Thank God. Kendrick, we need to get you washed off and dressed. If you can do that, you can go see your baby be born. If you can’t, you have to go to the ER. What’s it going to be, man?” Zach slapped Kendrick’s cheek, trying to get him to focus.

  “I’m going to go make him some coffee.” Nate left the room quickly.

  “He probably doesn’t want to watch this. Reminds him too much of when he and Mom were drugged.” Sawyer shook his head, “And that was done to them, this dick chose to do it to himself.”

  Kendrick tried to replay the words in his head.

  Drugged?

  ER?

  Baby?

  Wait, baby? Where was Jay?

  He opened his eyes again, squinting at the men standing around his too-bright bathroom.

  “What happened?” His voice cracked again, but he tried to stand up. The pain rushing through his body slowed him down, but he didn’t give up. “Where’s Jay?”

  Once he was somewhat standing up, he looked around again. “Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?”

  “Zach, Luke, be sure to hold him steady.” Decker’s voice was sure and firm.

  The fist that slammed into his mouth was too.

  “Mother fucker! What the fuck was that for?” Kendrick stumbled a bit, held up only by Luke and Zach.

  “That was for being a stupid, selfish prick.” Decker yelled right in his face. “You’re snorting pain pills, passing out dead to the world, while your girl is in labor trying to have a baby. That’s what’s going on, Kendrick.”

  Sawyer moved Decker to the side. Standing in front of Kendrick he forced the man to look at him. “Kendrick, can you get cleaned up and let us take you to the hospital? Jay needs you, she’s having the baby.”

  She needs you. The other baby needs you now.

  Ricky’s voice whispered in his head. Ricky, his son. He had spoken to his son.

  Jay. Jay was having the baby. They needed him.

  Fighting through the sludge traveling through his body, trying to pull him back down, Kendrick allowed himself to be stripped, rinsed in water that was almost too hot, and dressed quickly. Lukewarm coffee was handed to him, and he gulped it quickly. A bottle of water followed.

  “You need to drink as much as possible to flush the medication from your body.” Luke handed him another bottle of water and a warmer cup of coffee was poured into a travel mug.

  “Can you handle this, Kendrick? Can you focus enough to go to the hospital? Because if they think you’re high, th
ey won’t let you in and will likely call the police.” Kyle looked directly into his eyes. Shaking his head, he looked at the others, “Maybe he should go to the ER. They could help detox him quicker.”

  “No. No way. I need to be there for Jay and the baby.” Kendrick pulled himself upright. Downing the second bottle of water, he quickly began to take large gulps of the coffee. It burned as it went down, but he was beginning to feel less bogged down and somewhat more clearheaded.

  “I’m going to pee, then we need to go.” Kendrick turned towards the bathroom, confused when Decker followed.

  “What the hell, man. I need to piss.” Kendrick frowned.

  “Yeah, well, sorry if I don’t trust you right now. Just so you know, we flushed your pills. This isn’t over Kendrick. You can see Jay and the baby, but this isn’t just going to go away.” Decker stood in the doorway and waited for Kendrick to finish.

  Kendrick felt the loss of those pills as acutely as he felt the need to be near Jay. How would he survive the pain and hold it all together without the pills?

  Decker snorted, and Kendrick realized he must have spoken that last part out loud.

  “We’ll figure something out. You weren’t exactly doing a bang up job of it on your own, you know?” Decker clapped him on the shoulder as the men loaded into two vehicles and headed across town to the hospital.

  Chapter 21

  Time seemed to stand still even as the scenery whizzed past. Kyle and Nate were waiting on Kendrick at the hospital entrance. Zach and Decker got out with him while Luke and Sawyer went to park the car.

  In his head, Kendrick knew he was walking to the labor and delivery floor. He knew Jay was in labor. He knew the baby was about three weeks early. But, putting all of that information together into complete, coherent thoughts was proving difficult. He kept getting stuck each time he replayed the fact that he snorted pain pills and passed out cold onto the bed he shared with the woman whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.