“Thank you,” I said, feeling relieved.
Dr. Chadha turned to go, then stopped and looked at Nic. “Are you the father?”
Nic bristled visibly, then nodded. “I guess I am.”
“Well, both Lauren and your child will be just fine, thanks to your quick thinking,” Dr. Chadha said. She turned back to me and smiled. “He's stayed by your side every moment since he brought you in, even when we assured him that you were out of danger. I realize that the nature of your relationship is none of my business, but even so, it seems to me like this one is worth hanging on to.” And with that, she left.
Well, thanks, but that's probably not really up to me anymore, I thought sadly.
“You really stayed with me the whole time?” I asked Nic.
“You bet your ass I did,” he snarled. “I needed to hear it from you personally. Is this baby mine?”
I nodded, blinking back tears.
Nic exhaled and got up from the chair, kicking it aside. He started to pace around the room like a caged tiger.
“You're sure? It couldn't be anyone else's?”
“Yes, Nic, I'm sure. If you feel like you want to get it tested or something after I have it just to make sure, though, I'll understand...”
“You'll understand?” he hissed angrily. I could tell how hard it was for him to stop himself from yelling. “I don't fucking understand. How long have you known about this?”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “I just found out two weeks ago.”
“Why the fuck didn't you tell me? You knew where to find me!”
“I didn't know if you'd want to know!” I said, starting to cry. “I didn't know whether you'd hate me for getting pregnant, or if you'd want me to get rid of it, or if you even wanted to see me ever again. I didn't know anything! I was trying to figure out what to do, what would be best for everyone...”
“And you thought what would be best for me would be to keep me in the goddamn dark about having a kid on the way,” Nic sneered. “Great. That's just fuckin' wonderful. And I'll bet that's why you didn't want to use a condom with me last night, right? Because you knew you were already pregnant?”
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Fuck. Were you ever gonna tell me? Or were you gonna just let me walk around for the rest of my life like some kind of sick joke without knowing I had a kid out there somewhere?”
“I wanted to tell you,” I said, wiping the tears away from my eyes. I knew he was right to be so angry at me and I hated myself for it. “There were so many nights when I thought about going back to the bar and telling you.”
“Then why the fuck didn't you?” Nic demanded.
“Because I was afraid!” I sobbed. “Because the bar you hang out in is called the Devil's Nest, and you and your friends go around carrying guns and calling yourselves War Reapers. Because you're in a gang, Nic. You're involved in God-knows-what with God-knows-who and you all seem so damn proud of it. I didn't know if you'd have room for me in a life like, that and I didn't know if it was even what I wanted, for me or my child.”
“Our child,” Nic answered. “Not yours. These decisions weren't for you to make alone. And I told you before, the Reapers are not a fucking gang. We're a club. There's a difference.”
“You're damn right there is,” I replied, my voice raising. “Clubs are things that normal people with common interests belong to. Clubs are for stamp collectors and sports fans and people who like the same kinds of movies. Clubs don't go to war with other clubs and shoot each other. That's something gangs do, Nic.”
Nic looked taken aback. “No, that's...you're wrong. That's not how it is at all.”
“Really? Then tell me what happened to Growler.”
This sudden change of topic seemed to confuse Nic. “Growler? What do you know about that?”
“He was the bartender the night we met, right?” I asked. “I remembered his name because it was so weird and because he looked so huge and tough. When you got that call last night, it sounded like something bad had happened to him and then you ran off. So what was it?”
Nic's eyes filled with pain and grief. “He got hurt, that's all.”
“How?”
“What fucking difference does it make?” Nic snapped. “You got pregnant and hid it from me and now you want to talk about Growler?”
“Because if Growler could get hurt, Nic, then what about you? What about me? What about our child? Can you blame me for being worried about that? Can you really expect me to just ignore your lifestyle and pretend there's not a good chance that it could end horribly for all of us?”
Nic stood uncertainly for a moment, then pulled the plastic chair back to the bedside and straddled it again. “Okay. Yeah. You've got a point. But still...it's my fucking kid too, y'know? It hurts that you didn't tell me.”
“How could it hurt you so much that I kept this from you, when you didn't even know you had a kid yesterday?” I asked.
“I don't know,” he said, sounding genuinely mystified. “But it does. A lot.”
“So you want to help me raise this baby, then?” I asked hopefully. “You really want to be part of its life? That's important to you?”
“Yeah, it is,” Nic answered. “Like you said, yesterday I didn't even know I was gonna have a kid. If anyone had asked me whether I wanted one, I'd have probably told them to fuck off. But when I came back and saw all that blood, and you told me you were pregnant...it's weird, but I suddenly felt scared. Like I hadn't even had a chance to be happy that I was gonna be a father and it was already gonna be taken away from me.”
“But what about the club, Nic? What are we going to do?”
“I don't know,” he replied, shaking his head. “But I promise we'll think of something. You might have to keep your head down for a little while until this thing that's going on now blows over. Do you have any family you can stay with?”
I thought of my parents and nodded.
“Good,” he said. “When everything's calmed down, we can figure out what to do next. Okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed. I was still worried, but overall, this had gone a lot better than I expected. It seemed like I'd be able to keep Nic and the baby, and we might even have a chance to stay together as a family.
Sure, the prim voice in my head said. You'll get a big happily ever after. As long as Nic can survive whatever bloodbath he's involved in right now. And as long as afterward, he doesn't decide that he cares about his club more than he cares about trying to make a life with you.
I hated that voice so much.
A nurse peered into the room and looked at my chart. “Ms. Sparks? The doctor says you're free to go. Stop by the front desk on your way out for your prescription and some pamphlets about cervicitis.”
“Come on,” Nic said. “I'll take you back to the garage so we can talk this out some more, and then you can give your parents a call. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said. He helped me out of bed and into my clothes, and we left together with his arm draped over my shoulder. It felt good.
If I'd known how bad things would get after that, I'd have tried to hold onto the memory a bit tighter.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Man in the Bow Tie
Following Nic from the biker bar to the garage on the west side was no trouble at all. He'd barely seen me as I stood among the people from the neighborhood, watching the fire trucks and squad cars show up. Few people ever notice a harmless-looking guy like me.
At least, not until it's too late.
I watched the peculiar scene play out between Bard and the Deputy Superintendent, making a note to look into their connection later. Then I tracked Nic to the garage and the apartment upstairs, and made a note of the address. Lots of people like to type those kinds of things into their fancy cell phones and tablets these days, but not me. I still use a plain little notebook and a stubby pencil. I'm old-fashioned that way, I suppose. It's one of the things Giovanni's always appreciated about me.
I watched the place for a few minutes from the taco joint across the street until I heard sirens approaching and saw an ambulance pull up. The medics went up the steps, then came out with a woman strapped to a gurney. She was crying and saying something about her baby. Nic was by her side, clearly trying to comfort her.
My mind assembled the puzzle pieces easily, as it always did. She was his girlfriend, based on how he was looking at her and touching her hand. She was pregnant and there was a complication, hence the ambulance. Given this information, it stood to reason that Nic was the father.
All very interesting, to be sure. I made more notes in my book as the ambulance pulled away. I was in no hurry to follow them. After all, with the direction they were heading, it was easy to determine which hospital they were taking her to.
After that, it was just a question of finding the room she'd been taken to and looking at the chart outside the door for her full name and address. Nic didn't even know I was standing just a few feet behind him. He was too focused on the unconscious woman in the bed. And even if he'd turned around, well, I was probably just some doctor who hadn't changed into his white coat yet, or someone's grandfather here for a visit.