Chapter 8

Kennedy – One Week Later

I narrowmy eyes at Peter as he tries to look down my scrub top, but thankfully, he fails because he is only a few inches taller than me.

According to Mandy, the head nurse, he thinks he"s God"s gift to man, and can do what he wants when he wants, including making women uncomfortable. But I won"t put up with it. He isn"t a doctor, he"s an intern on his last warning, and what he doesn"t know is that I am a woman scorned, a woman hurt and broken.

I am a woman not to be messed with!

I give him a brow raise and, in front of the attending physician, I ask, "Is there a reason you"re trying to look down my top? I mean, I know it"s my first day, but I"m pretty sure that"s not part of my job description, especially when we"re about to head onto the ward with tiny babies."

Peter's cheeks redden at being called out so blatantly as Dr. Harlow grins at me, before looking at Peter and saying, "You"ve already had two warnings for this behavior, Peter. Let"s not make it a third."

His nostrils flare, but I ignore him, and walk behind Dr. Harlow to meet the tiny humans. My palms are sweaty, and I feel a little sick, which has been building up these past few days, but there"s also excitement. Working with babies that need help has been my dream.

Leaving Huntersville was hard, but I know it was for the best. Alex has said he"ll come visit often with Noah. Honestly, they were the only ones keeping me there…along with Doc, but now he has an old lady and a baby on the way.

My decision to leave was the right one, even if I feel like I"m dying.

I wash my hands and glove up, before walking into the room. Several incubators line the walls, all of them filled with the smallest of babies, with wires and tubes attached to them. My heart breaks. One by one, Dr. Harlow takes us to meet the parents and explain each condition per child. Some were simply born too early, others have medical conditions requiring surgery, and then some are here for the end of life, and that is gut-wrenching, making me question if I can do this.

I spend the day getting used to the hospital and the staff. They show me the storage rooms and on call rooms, before I spend my hour break speaking to Noah and Sniper, who both grill me about the new hospital.

Noah claims to be trying to set his dad up with his teacher Quinn, which I really wish I could help with because, yeah, those two together would be amazing. Meanwhile, Sniper admits to meeting a woman.

The man is a goner, which I can truly admit to never having seen before, and I"m happy about it.

I feel like I"m missing loads, and it"s hard, but I know this was the best decision for me.

After Mandy takes me on the rounds of the NICU, I check the time to see its time to clock out. Tomorrow, I start my full shift, and hopefully, I won"t make a mistake. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I want to ensure everything runs smoothly, even if I am a little homesick.

"You can grab your things now, Kennedy. Please speak to Dr. Harlow before you go."

I give Mandy a nod and head to the staff room, which thankfully I find straight away, then try to find her office. The hospital is like a maze, and this morning, I ended up interrupting a meeting with a family, a lawyer, and a doctor, who is being accused of accidentally killing their grandfather.

Safe to say, my face was as red as a tomato, and I pretty much vomited in the trash can.

Making sure I have everything, I shut my locker and head to the fifth floor. I read the names on the white doors before finding Dr. Harlow"s and knocking. As soon as she says to enter, I do and give the woman a smile. She"s in her forties, with dark brown hair starting to go gray, and her hazel eyes warm.

"Hey, Kennedy, come take a seat."I give her a smile and sit in the black chair in front of her white desk, linking my fingers together. She smiles."You did amazing today, Ken. Claudiawould be proud of you."I give raise my brows in surprise. She grins. "Peter brought you in here for calling him out like he deserved; it wasn"t your fault."She shuffles the papers. "Now, to the issue at hand. I have spoken to the board, and they still want you."

I suck in a shocked breath, and she smiles. "We"ll help you as much as we can. You are a great nurse, Kennedy, and watching you with those babies proved you are the right person for this program."

I nod, feeling a little teary-eyed.

She goes through the paperwork with me, and circles the dates I need, before I happily sign on the dotted line, ready to start this part of my journey.

Momma, Daddy, andDoc are all in my past now. This next step is my future, even if it"s on my own.

* * *

I gasp as Doc lifts me, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist as my back presses up against the shower wall.

He rubs his nose against mine as he rasps, "I love you, my Pixie,"and my eyes tear up, my fingers going into his dark blond hair, gripping it tightly, not believing this is finally happening.

"I"m scared,"I admit, and his eyes soften.

He smiles, and caresses my lips, replying, "I am too, baby. It"s been a long time coming, Kennedy."

I give him a smile back and rasp, "I love you,"as his member blindly finds my entrance. His lips touch mine as he thrusts forward, making him groan, and I gasp at how full I feel.

I blink as I throw my keys on the small table near the front door, and head into my spacious, open-concept kitchen-living-room combo apartment. The walls are cream, and the furniture is white. I haven"t changed anything; I just moved in.

It doesn"t feel like home, not like Doc did.

I have placed photos of Alex, Noah, Sniper, Aunt Shelly, and Uncle Chris around the living area, and maybe one or two of Doc and the rest of the MC.

I might have moved but can"t turn off my feelings; it"s impossible. My heart misses him, and I feel like I can"t breathe without him. But I need to learn to try.

He has an old lady now.

I look toward the kitchen, and I blink hard, seeing blood on the floor, my tears burning behind my eyes again. Every day, I see it, and every day, I try to ignore it. I don"t regret burying the body. If Doc hadn"t seen me on the side of the road, then he wouldn"t have killed him. It"s my fault, and I couldn"t allow him to take the fall for that. I was doing what I thought was right at the time. The only thing I'd do differently now is I probably would have burned him instead of buried him.

Honestly, I don"t even feel guilty that the guy is dead. A few months after he apparently went "missing," several women came forward and claimed he raped them.

I was lucky, and if I have flashbacks of that day, of dragging his body into the shallow grave, then so be it.

Sighing, I fall onto the couch, look at the time, see that it"s five in the evening, and decide to bite the bullet.

I grab my phone and press the power button. A picture of Doc and me, from when I was eighteen and the club threw me a birthday party, appears. I"m on his back, my arms around his neck, smiling wide.

A few tears fall, and I wipe them away as I bring up my contacts, ignoring the messages from Lola and Doc, and call my best friend, my cousin.

Maybe I need to get a new phone and give the number to only a select few. Seeing their names pop up every time I open my phone makes me fall apart. I need a clean break.

Alex answers on the second ring, and growls, "It"s about time you called."

I chuckle and ask,"What did he do?"knowing my cheeky peanut has done something.

Watching him as he grew up was a blessing, but boy, he likes to play pranks, especially if it"s a woman trying to "get to know" his dad.

Alex groans and admits, "Slashed some woman"s tires when she stopped me in the street." I freeze in shock, my mouth hanging open. He continues, "That"s the first thing he did; then he decided to throw her coffee over her white blouse, and then proceeded to throw her handbag upside down, where not only tampons fell out but also a vibrator that switched on when it hit the ground."

Oh my….

I laugh; I can"t help it because, yeah, that is too funny.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Fuck, the kid is unstoppable."

I laugh again and admit,"But also cute as a button,"making him laugh, knowing I"m right.

He sighs. "I miss you, little cousin…."He stops talking briefly, and I know what he's going to bring him up, even though I asked him not to. I squeeze my eyes tight as he whispers, "He"s not doing good, Ken. I think, fuck, no, I know he wrecked his bike."I sit up, my heart in my throat. "He hasn"t said anything, but his side is fucked up with road rash. He was going a few rounds in the ring when we all noticed it. He refused to tell us how he did it, but then I noticed his bike at the garage when I took mine in. Sniper said Crow told him to keep it on the down low. I, fuck, Ken…. I hit him after you left, so when I tried to speak to him, he wouldn"t speak to me."

Tears well up in my eyes, and I whisper, "He"s your brother,Alex, and not just because of the club; he"s your stepbrother. Please don"t push him away because of what happened with us."

He sighs. "I already pushed him away, Kennedy. I see him closed off and struggling, yet this is the path he chose. I just don"t know why, and now I can"t question him because he wants nothing to do with me."

I swallow hard. Apart from me, a very small part thinks something has happened, but then I see her wearing his cut, and my pain hurts so much that I can"t see anything else.

He made me the other woman and gave someone else his cut. I can"t unsee it.

I sniffle and say, "I didn"t call to speak about him, Alex. I…I miss him, I do. My heart hurts, and whether Prue is pregnant or not, he still made her his old lady after taking my virginity. He told me they were over but he lied; he made me the other woman."

He"s quiet a moment before asking,"Why did you call then? Did you miss your big cousin?"

I take a deep breath and whisper, "I"m pregnant."A sob rises into my throat. "Only three weeks, and I only know because I felt extremely sick, and my new attending did a blood sample when I was still stick today."

"Fuck…."he rasps.

I sob. "I-I can"t tell Doc. I-I want to, but I can"t because of P-Prue, and-and I know I won"t get rid of it. I"m scared, so scared."

I break down, sobbing as Alex tries to soothe me.

Finding out I"m pregnant hasn"t been easy. This should be a dream for me, having a baby with a man I love so much that being away from him hurts, yet it"s not.He"snot here; he"s with his old lady, who could be expecting his child.

He"s with his family while I"m scared and alone.