“I don’t believe this is strep or a virus or she wouldn’t have lost consciousness. Is there any possibility that she could be pregnant?”
“There is,” I tell the young doctor that’s been grilling me with endless questions.
“I’d say so with the way you two go at it like a bunch of teenagers,” I hear DJ say. I turn around and glare at her, normally this would cause people to cower in fear from me, but she just smiles at me.
“Get the lab to check for pregnancy, iron levels and for possible diabetes.”
“Diabetes!” I yell out.
“Just as a precaution, sir,” he says to me as he dismisses his nurse with his instructions. “She’s stable, vitals are good...we’ll know more once she wakes up and we get her results back. For now, let’s let her sleep since her body seems to need it and we’ll keep checking on her.” He then leaves the room and me to my thoughts. Pregnant, could I really be so lucky as to have my child growing in her belly?
An hour later, Cara opens her beautiful eyes and looks around the room. She notices me sitting in the chair beside her with my hand in her own. As she takes stock of where she is she begins to panic and tries to get out of bed. “Take it easy, baby,” I tell her.
“Luca…”
“Is fine, Mom and DJ are with him. He’s sleeping soundly and is recovering nicely. They’re going to keep him overnight for observation, but will be releasing him in the morning. He has a room being set up for him right now, I had them get him a private room. I don’t see either of us wanting to leave his side any time soon. Now, let’s talk about you.”
“What happened? I don’t remember anything after getting sick in the bathroom.”
“You passed out, taking ten years off my life and adding some grey hair to my head,” I say trying to lighten the mood. “Can you tell me what’s been going on with you while I was away?”
“Well…” she starts to say as the door to the room opens abruptly.
“It’s good to see you awake, Mrs. Jensen, you gave your fiancée here quite the scare,” the doctor says to her as he opens her chart. “I have the results from your labs back here. It looks like you’re pregnant, we’d like to schedule an ultrasound before we release you with a prescription for vitamins and folic acid.” He carries on as if he didn’t just drop the ultimate bomb in our laps.
“Did you—did you just say pregnant?” she asks the doctor, but her eyes are all for me.
“I did, congratulations. We’ll be checking to see how far along you are and hopefully you’re far enough along that we can hear the heartbeat today. That should settle some of the father-to-be’s ruffles.”
“Braxton.” I stop her with my finger to her lips and smile over at her.
“You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet, sweetheart, the rest we can talk about later. Let me enjoy this moment with you before we deal with anything else.”
“Okay,” she responds with a small timid smile of her own. I look over and see a nurse wheeling in a machine, I somewhere in the back of my mind remember this from when Lily was expected. It has a small screen and a bunch of gadgets, but all I care about is that this contraption is going to let Cara and I see the life inside of her that we created together.
Cara is instructed to lift up her gown to expose her belly, so I tuck the blanket securely around her lower region, I don’t want this young guy to see all that is mine. Once she’s situated, he pours a good amount of goo on her stomach, saying, “We’ll try this way first, hopefully you’re far enough along that we won’t have to use the wand.”
Wand? What wand? And why is it that I don’t think I’d like the idea of using that? Cara leans over and whispers in my ear what it is and it entails, then she points it out to me and I call out, “I don’t fucking think so!”
“Relax, Braxton, it doesn’t hurt and you have to be so far along to use the probe that goes over the stomach.”
“If you’re not, we’ll wait until you are,” I tell her in no uncertain terms.
“Honey, there will be a lot more invasive things done to me during this pregnancy, you’re going to have to get used to it if it’s what’s good for the baby.”
“Or the mom,” the nurse says. “We don’t want to take any chances with their health,” she states to me as if she’s speaking to a small child. I glare over at her and she acts as if she didn’t see it. I’ve had men piss themselves from just that look alone, and these women act as if it isn’t scary as fuck. Crazy ass women! No self-preservation whatsoever.
“Ah, look at that, you’re measuring in at nine-weeks and three days. See, we can see the baby perfectly. You can relax, Dad, no internal wand needed.” Nine-weeks, three days—that means the first time we had sex I knocked her up. All of a sudden, I feel as proud as a peacock, I want to puff out my chest and shout from the rooftop.
“He looks like a very proud and happy man,” the child doctor whispers to my woman. I scowl at him, he shouldn't be whispering anything to my woman. “Caveman to the core I see,” the doctor says with a smile on his face, one I want to immediately knock off.
“Braxton! Did you just growl?” Cara says with disbelief in her voice. What does she expect? This kid is flirting with her right in front of me.
“No!” I say, suddenly feeling like I need to protect my family makers if the scowl on her face is anything to go by.
“Yes, you did! Am I going to have to go to all of my doctor appointments without you?”
The fuck she will! “Hell no!” I all but shout.
“Then you need to calm down with all of the growling and scowling looks. I’m sorry, doctor, he must’ve hit his head.” Did she seriously just apologize for me? I mean I might be acting a little dominant where it comes to her, but I can’t seem to help myself.
“Do not apologize for me, give me some time to adjust. Things will calm down once I have my ring on your finger and my patch on your back and skin. Until then, until that day comes, you need to bear with me, y’hear?”
“Braxton,” she whispers, “did you take something? I’m worried about you right now, you’ve never acted like this before. Is this what I have to look forward to?”
“It is until…”
“I heard you! Until your ring is on my finger and I’m branded with your patch. Aren’t those things we need to discuss first?”
“No.”
“That’s it? Just no?” she asks with an exasperated sigh.
“Right, we’ll just leave the two of you alone to discuss this...here are a couple of pictures of your baby. Congratulations again,” the doctor says handing me some black and white fuzzy pictures. I look down trying to decipher what is what.
“Hand them over, let me show you what is what,” Cara says. She shows me the head, arms, feet and suddenly I realize, I was so wrapped up in myself that I missed hearing the heartbeat. I’m such a fucking fool!
I went home to check in on Lily and Mom. Mom has both of the kids so that DJ can stay at the hospital with Cara and Luca. As I’m about to enter his room I hear DJ say, “No, he did not!” then she starts laughing hysterically.
“Yes he did, I thought that poor doctor was going to piss his pants, right there and then. I don’t know what got into him,” Cara tells her friend. I don’t want to eavesdrop on them, but I really want to hear what Cara says next.
“You do so, he told you what was going on with him.”
“What? The caveman in him needs the ring and patch to know what I mean to him?”
“No, he needs those things to secure the fact that you’re in this as deep as he is.”
“He never mentioned marriage before, DJ, what if he only wants to marry me now because of the baby? I can’t be in a marriage because of those reasons.” Is that what she thinks?
I don’t stop to think, I march into the room and say to her, “What have I ever done or said to you that makes you think I’d settle like that? I love you, Cara, that’s why I want to marry you, that’s why I want to give you my name and my
patch...there is no other reason other than that… I. Love. You.”
“Aaannnddd...that’s my cue to go,” DJ says as she stands, gives us both a hug and tells us congratulations as she scurries out of the room.
“You, you love me, Braxton?”
“I do, to the depths of my soul, you’re my world. You, Lily and Luca...you three are my everything. I wake each morning, I breath and I exist, solely for y’all.”
“I love you too, Braxton,” she says as she leaps out of her chair and into my arms. “I love you so much!”
“I love you too, Daddy.” And that’s when it happens, that’s when for the first time in my life I hit my knees, gravity taking me down by my son’s bedside, and tell him how much I love him too.
“Marry me,” I know this isn’t the most romantic setting, but I feel the need to do this here and now. “Marry me, baby, make me the luckiest man in the world. Say yes, Cara, please say yes.”
“Yes,” she whispers with tears falling down her face, “I’d be honored to marry you, Braxton.”
* * *
DJ
* * *
I couldn’t help myself, I stand out in the hallway and listen to my best friend’s dreams come true. No one deserves this more than them, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and read the text and I know that I need to go after, and get my happily ever after.
Hatchet: Coming home soon? I grabbed Ray from Nan and she’s tucked in bed. I miss you baby
I leave the hospital with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Nothing can be better than this, this new family that Cara and I have found ourselves in, they opened their arms and welcomed us in with no questions asked. My friend has found her forever love, now I need to go home and claim mine….
Me: On my way, missed you too, lover
Twelve
Caraleigh
“His vitals all look good and we have his pain under control, I think we can let this young man go home,” the doctor tells us after finishing with Luca’s exam.
“Are you sure it isn’t too soon?” I ask him, worried that it’s too fast for Luca to be going home.
“I promise, Mrs. Jensen, I wouldn’t be sending him home if he wasn't ready and I wasn’t confident that he would be okay.”
I turn my head when I hear screeching at the doorway. “What have you let happen to my grandson?” Seeing Graham’s parents standing in the doorway of his room is the last thing I expected. “I told my son that you’d make a horrible mother! Look at him, if Graham hadn’t died none of this would’ve happened to his boy. You don’t deserve him, Caraleigh, you never deserved either of them.”
“Now wait a goddamn minute!” Braxton stands from his chair, “Who are these people, Cara?” he practically shouts out. I can feel the anger rolling off of him.
“These would be Graham’s parents,” I whisper, afraid if I say it any louder I would have to admit to myself that my worst nightmares are actually here.
“And, who might I ask, is this man questioning who we are?” she asks snootily, causing Braxton to growl.
“I’m her fiancee, you don’t get to come in here and question her or her ability at being a Mom!”
I go over and try to soothe the beast before he unleashes his fury on my in-laws. “Baby, it’s okay...really, I’m used to them.”
“Nobody treats you like that, Cara, no one!”
“Mmm...Momma?” Luca calls my name, but it comes out more like a question. “Why are they here?” That’s a good question, one I’d like answered myself.
“Good question, Luca, what are you two doing here and how did you find out he was in the hospital?”
“Well, it isn’t because you had the decency to call us and inform us our grandson was hit by a car!” he bitch has the nerve to scream.
“I’m going to have to ask that you stop screaming, or I’ll have security escort you from the building,” the doctor tells them.
“You will do no such thing,” Mr. Jensen states, like he has all the authority here.
“I can and I will,” the doctor spouts right back. “Nurse, get security up here.”
“Now hold on a minute there,” Mrs. Jensen says grabbing the nurse's arm as she tries to leave the room to do the doctor’s bidding. “We have every right to be here and check on Luca.”
“Remove your hand from my arm immediately,” the nurse calls out. My mother-in-law does as instructed but gives me the ugliest look in return.
“This is all your fault,” she says pointing a finger my way. “You ruined my son, I will not allow you to ruin my grandson as well.” Oh yeah! Now I’m fighting mad.
“Doctor, would you kindly remove these people from my son’s room?”
“Gladly,” he tells me.
“About fucking time,” Braxton says coming next to me and wrapping his arm around my waist, I notice his other hand is holding Luca’s for support.
“Don’t worry, Luca, Grandmother and Grandfather will make sure to be seeing you real soon. And we’ll be removing you from your mother’s care, looks like she can’t take care of you responsibly or properly,” Mrs. Jensen says as she grabs her husband and drags him out of the room.
“I don’t want to go live with Grandmother and Grandfather!” Luca screams out at the top of his lungs. I rush to my boy to comfort him, but Braxton beats me to it with his next words.
“Not happening, buddy, I’ll never let anything happen to you or your mother.”
“Prowmise.”
“I swear it to you, to both of you.” I lean up and kiss Braxton underneath his chin.
“Thank you, baby,” I say to him.
“If you two will be good for a minute, I’m gonna step out into the hallway and give Law a call.”
“We’ll be fine, baby.”
* * *
Braxton
* * *
I pull my phone from my pocket still seething at the nerve of those assholes. I brush my finger over the screen to bring it to life, then I scroll down until I see Law’s name. I press the call button and wait for him to answer.
“Axe, my man, what can I do for you today?”
“I need your help man, Caraleigh’s dead husband's parents showed up here and were complete assholes, they made some threats, legal and otherwise.”
“Lay it on me,” he tells me and so I do. I tell him from the second they left the room until the moment the stupid cow dragged her husband from the room.
“Tell me, do they have a leg to stand on here?” I ask him desperately hoping for the answer I want.
“I don’t see how they’d have any, let me look into them and see if they have any skeletons in their closet and I’ll get back with you. And can you get Cara to get me a copy of his will? Don’t worry, Braxton, I won’t let these dipshits take Luca from you and Cara.”
“Appreciate that man, anything you can do to end this before it begins would mean the world to Cara and myself. I’ll get with her to get that copy for you as well. I don’t want this touching her or Luca any more than it already has, if you get my drift.”
“I get you, man, let me get off here so I can get to work on it. I will make this my top priority, that’s a promise.” We end the call, but I get in touch with both Twisted and Hatchet, and let them know of the morning’s activities. I also want them watching for any outsiders coming around and asking questions. I will protect Cara and Luca with all that I am, and I will use any arsenal I have in my pocket to do so.
Four hours later, we finally make it home from the hospital. We have Luca’s prescriptions in hand and he even has a wheelchair and crutches to accommodate him at school and home. I lay him on the couch so that he will be more comfortable than being held in my arms.
“Braxton, we can’t be lugging him up and down those stairs, and he’s not steady enough on his feet to do it all on his own. I guess we need to get him a bed made on the couch and bring down some of his stuff,” Cara says to me, while chewing on her bottom lip. I notice she does this when lo
st in thought or if she’s nervous about something.
“I have a better idea,” I tell her. “What if we pull his bed down here along with some of his belongings and set him up in that corner over there,” I say pointing to the one corner in the living room that isn’t occupied by much. We can move her desk over and make plenty of room for him, so he still has his own little space.
“That would definitely make things easier for taking care of him, I could bed down at night on the couch, so I’ll be close by.”
“Or, we could get a monitor so you can hear him, you still need to get a good night's sleep to be any good to him, sweetheart.” I don’t like the idea of my woman sleeping on a couch.
“I’ll need to contact the school so we can make sure they’re prepared for him and the extra help he’ll need. The doctor said he’ll need to use the wheelchair at first, so someone will need to push him through the halls. Maybe I should just keep him home for a bit?”
“I think keeping him home for a couple of days is a good idea, plus it will give us time to go up to the school. Something needs to change, that accident should’ve never happened,” I tell her.
“I agree, and I feel so guilty. I noticed his first week how unorganized and how short-staffed they were for watching the kids. I should’ve said something, made some demands, something.”
“You can’t put this on your shoulders, beautiful, as parents we trust the school to take care of our kids, it’s their job to keep them safe while in their care. This is all on them, but there needs to be some demands made and compensation for their stupidity.”
“I don’t want any money from them, Braxton, I just don’t want this to happen to someone else’s child.” My sweet, beautiful woman, always thinking of others.
“I didn’t mean money sweetheart, but we’re going to have Law pursue that for Luca’s sake. We can put it up for his college fund or a bike fund.”
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