12. Kane

Listening to Haylee explain what happened with Tim had him seeing multiple shades of red. He did his best to hold it together for her, but he had been on the brink of explosion. He wanted nothing more than to arm up and go find that bastard. He couldn't wait to hear from Luke that Tim Parker had been arrested. Then he'd be able to breathe, and so would Haylee. He would hire the most expensive attorney in the United States to make sure the guy went away for a very long time, and he knew a lot of inmates from his years of being a cop that wouldn't take very kindly to a man in their prison who beat a woman.

Holding her in his lap, he felt as though she was made to be there. Protecting her was his mission, and he would make sure she never felt scared of a man again, whether she was under his care or not. The thought of her possibly being in another man's care didn't sit well with him. But he had needs that were more than what most men wanted. He knew he was demanding, strict, and overbearing. He was obsessive, especially when it came to someone he cared deeply about, and his protective side was fueled by that obsession.

Most women didn't want a man structuring their entire life, creating rules and boundaries, and disciplining them when they misbehaved. They would find that to be belittling and restricting when really, to him, it was a way of empowering them and putting them first. He wanted a woman to be his Little and follow his lead. He sensed a Little side to Haylee, but while a lot of women seemed to have a Little side to them, not very many women were willing to actually accept that side and embrace it.

Luke and Ally came downstairs, Ally seeming to be much happier than she had been when Luke sent her up to the nursery he had set up in one of the spare rooms. Kane had sent Luke a text that morning and let him know that if he needed to, he could send Ally up there to play if things got too intense or emotional with Haylee.

"All right, we are out of here. I will get a hold of you later when I hear some news," Luke said.

Haylee nearly leaped off his lap, causing her to trip and nearly fall if he hadn't caught her. Kane made sure she was steady on her feet before letting go of her. She smiled shyly at him before moving toward Ally.

"I'm sorry I made you sad," she said.

Ally shook her head and gently reached out to hug Haylee. "You didn't make me sad. That asshole made me sad."

"Ally, language," Luke said gently.

The girls released their hug. Ally shrugged. "Well, he is one."

Luke smiled down at her and booped her nose with his index finger. "Yes, he is a major one, but you are much too sweet and beautiful to say such icky words."

Kane studied Haylee, wondering what she thought of Luke correcting Ally like that. He was pleased to see that she didn't seem fazed by it. Instead, she had a look of longing on her face as she watched them. He couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since she'd had any loving interactions, whether physically or emotionally, with a man. She seemed starved for positive physical touch.

"I'll text you later," Ally promised as they walked out the door.

Haylee stood in the doorway, waving at them as they made their way to their car. Kane walked up behind her, gently reaching out his hand to stroke her arm. He couldn't help but touch her. It was as though she was a magnet that pulled him in.

"Logan should be here soon. How about I get you a snack and something to drink before he comes?"

She turned toward him, frowning. "Are you sure he has to come? I'm fine. If I had any broken bones or internal bleeding, we would surely know by now."

"Too late, I'm already here," a deep voice said as Logan walked up the steps to the porch.

Haylee spun around and gaped at Logan, who was standing in front of her. A possessive feeling overtook Kane, and he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. Logan looked at him and smirked knowingly. Logan was just as possessive over people he cared for, so he understood exactly what Kane was doing—staking his claim.

"Good to see you, brother," Logan said, reaching his hand out to Kane.

Kane released Haylee and reached out to give him a back-pounding hug. When they released each other, Logan held out his hand toward Haylee.

"Hi, Haylee, I'm Logan Andrews."

She smiled shyly, shaking his hand. "Hi. I didn't know you guys were brothers."

Logan grinned. "Well, we aren't blood brothers, obviously, since I am way better-looking than Kane, but we served in the military together, so we're brothers for life."

Kane growled, scowling at his friend. Haylee looked back and forth between the two men before she reached out and touched his arm gently. He felt himself instantly soften as he looked down at her. Her sparkling blue eyes stared up at him as she squeezed gently. He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

Kane invited him inside, and Logan slapped him on the back. He knew that was his way of making amends for messing with him. And that's all he had been doing, really. Messing with his head. He knew that Logan would never really move in on a woman whom he claimed, just as he would never do that to Logan. Whether Haylee knew he'd claimed her or not, she was his. For the time being, at least.

"Do you want me to examine you somewhere privately, or do you want Kane here?"

He noticed how pale and quiet she suddenly seemed now that Logan was in the house. He hated that he had to put her through something that gave her so much anxiety, but it had to be done. It was for her health and for his peace of mind that she would heal properly.

"I w-want Kane here, please. I don't like doctors very much. No offense."

Logan smiled and nodded. "No offense taken. I understand. Seeing a doctor isn't always fun, although sometimes it's necessary. But I will try to make it as painless as possible, and if you behave, I have stickers."

Her eyes lit up, and she grinned. "Okay."

Logan sat on the couch opposite where she and Kane sat and pulled a chart out of his bag.

"How much do you weigh, Haylee?"

"The last time I weighed myself, I was about one hundred and ten pounds."

Logan looked at her up and down and frowned.

"Kane, do you have a scale?"

He nodded and went to his bathroom to grab his scale, returning quickly. He didn't want to leave her alone if he didn't have to. He had promised her that he would be there with her the whole time. He set the scale down on the tiled kitchen floor. Logan asked her to go stand on it, following her over. She stepped on the scale and looked up to meet eyes with him after the scale displayed that she weighed ninety-four pounds. Kane clenched his fists, trying to keep a straight expression on his face so he didn't scare her, but he was pissed. That bastard did this to her.

Logan wrote it down on the chart and nodded, telling her she could sit back down. Kane could tell that Logan was in full doctor mode.

"When was your last period, Haylee?"

She blushed, shrugging. "I think it was about a month ago. I've had irregular periods for the past year or so, even though I'm on birth control."

Logan nodded. "You're probably having irregular periods because you are underweight. You should be weighing anywhere between one hundred and ten and one hundred and twenty pounds. I think that once you gain some weight, your periods will return to normal. The additional stress you were going through also could have affected your periods, so try to do things that make you feel less stressed, okay?"

She nodded, but she kept her eyes focused on the carpet in front of Logan's feet.

"Since your periods have been so irregular, I'll have you take a pregnancy test today to make sure that isn't a cause of your irregular periods."

"Oh… um… uh… you don't need to do a pregnancy test."

Kane and Logan looked at her with confusion. She looked up and met Kane's eyes before looking over at Logan. "It's been ten months since the last time Tim and I had sex."

Relief and sadness filled Kane. Relief that the fucker hadn't touched Haylee in a sexual way for so long but sadness for her that she hadn't been cherished and loved the way she deserved.

Logan nodded and jotted down notes. "Would you like me to do some tests to make sure he didn't give you any STDs?"

Her body began to tremble at his words. Kane reached out and grabbed her hand, stroking it gently.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "We always used condoms, but yes, I think that would be good."

"You're doing great, baby alligator. I know this is hard," he said reassuringly.

She squeezed his hand tighter, leaning herself against the side of his body.

"Haylee, I'm going to have you lay down on the couch so I can feel and listen to your organs."

She nodded. Kane stood, keeping a hold of her hand as she lay down, her eyes fixated on his. He knelt next to her head and stroked her hair as Logan moved over with his stethoscope. Logan sat on the edge of the coffee table and reached over, gently lifting her sweater up to her bra.

"I'm going to press in some spots, and I need you to tell me right away if you feel any sharp pains, okay?"

"Okay."

Kane stared at her scared expression, wanting to kiss it all away. Instead, he stroked her cheek gently, trying to distract her. He could see Logan moving out of the corner of his eye, feeling different parts of her stomach.

"Does any of that hurt?" Logan asked, keeping his focus on her midsection.

Haylee shook her head, though Kane could see the wince in her eyes.

"She's lying. It is hurting her," he said bluntly.

Haylee glared at him, and he looked at her sternly until she lowered her gaze from him. Logan looked up from his task and studied Haylee.

"Haylee, I need you to be very honest with me about what hurts and what doesn't. Understood?" Logan asked, his tone much more stern than normal.

Her eyes met Kane's again, and he nodded. "He asked you a question, little one."

Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath. "Yes, it hurts right there. It's really sore."

Logan nodded and jotted down notes before warming his stethoscope. "Sit up for me, please."

Kane helped her into a sitting position, then moved onto the couch next to her, keeping a hold of her hand. Logan reached up under her sweater, using the stethoscope to listen to different areas of her body, asking her to take deep breaths. When he put his stethoscope back in his bag, she let out a deep breath, and Kane could see her visibly relax.

"Kane, do you have a robe that she can use? I need her to undress down to her bra and underwear so I can take a look at all her bruising. Luke sent me a text and asked that I take pictures of her injuries while I'm examining them as well."

Kane nodded. "Come with me, little one. You can change in my room."