I ground my teeth together. I didn’t like it when Nolan made sense.
“I’m nothing like Travis.”
“You’ve killed, haven’t you?” Nolan countered.
I felt sweat bead on my forehead. “In self defense! I haven’t gone out and killed innocent people like he has! There’s a big difference!”
“Is there?” He threaded his fingers together and suddenly I felt like I was being analyzed by a psychologist or something. “A life is a life, no matter whose life it is.”
A life is a life, no matter whose life it is. I replayed his words over again in my head. He was right. I was a killer, like Travis. Travis had gotten what he wanted. He’d made me into him. I was tainted now.
And I knew I’d kill him and whoever stood in my way to keep my family and pack safe.
If that made me a bad person, I didn’t care.
“I did what I had to do,” I finally said.
Nolan shrugged. “So was the mutant that killed Logan. We all have a role to play in this world. Some of us get to be the good guys, but most of us our bad guys. You and me,” Nolan stood and looked down at me, “we’re bad guys, Caeden. But not for the reason you think.”
“Explain then,” I growled.
“We’re bad,” he said slowly so I heard every word clearly, “because we’ll protect what belongs to us, no matter the cost. We don’t care who gets hurt and who stands in our way. We’re loyal to a fault, Caeden. Why do you think I’m here?”
“I-I-don’t know,” I shook my head. “To help us?” It came out as a question.
“That’s part of it,” he shrugged, “but it all boys down to loyalty, Caeden. I know if I needed your help you’d be there in a heartbeat and I’d do the same for you.”
“Yeah, but you’ve been gone for years, Nolan!” I cried.
He looked at me sadly. “I know. And I’m sorry for that.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened?”
I was desperate to know what had sent Nolan running from our lives. Nolan was a tough guy so it had to be something bad. I could speculate about his reasons all I wanted, but until he told me I’d never know for sure.
“Let’s put it this way,” he started towards the door, “I was given a choice and I made the wrong one. Running was the only way to survive.”
Nine.
Sophie
“Everything looks excellent,” Dr. James rolled the wand over my stomach. “The baby’s growing at the perfect pace and its heart sounds strong. I’m very pleased with how things are coming along. But how are you feeling?” He asked, removing the wand and returning it to the station.
“Tired,” I shrugged. I couldn’t go into details with him of everything I was experiencing.
He tilted his head and studied me for a moment. “You’re young, so your body should be better equipped to handle a pregnancy. Tiredness is normal but if this is an ongoing problem…” He trailed off, waiting for me to reply.
“No, no, it just happens occasionally,” I lied, using the paper sheet to wipe the goo off my belly.
“Sophie, I’m your doctor, I need you to be completely honest with me. If you’re not, I can’t help you.”
“I am being honest. I told you I was tired…occasionally.”
He sighed and I knew he wasn’t buying what I was saying. “You need to get plenty of rest, and if you continue to feel tired I want you to make an emergency appointment, because it might mean something is wrong.”
I nodded as he continued to stare at me. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned and grabbed the newest sonogram. “Here’s your baby.”
I stared down at the grainy image. The baby no longer looked like a misshapen gray blob. It was obviously a baby. My baby. I ran my finger over the cute bump of its nose and the curve of its pouty lips. It was the most perfect baby I’d ever seen and I hadn’t even technically laid eyes on it.
“Thank you, Dr. James,” Caeden stood and shook his hand.
The doctor left the room and I hopped down to put my pants back on.
“Can we please go somewhere for a little bit?” I begged. “We don’t have to be gone long. I’m just not ready to go home yet.”
Caeden sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I knew he was caving to my pleas. I was going stir crazy and if I didn’t get to do something fun soon, I might kill someone.
“Why don’t we go to Target and look at baby things?” He suggested. “You get out and we’re doing something productive.”
“Sounds perfect,” I grinned, resisting the urge to jump up and down.