Another One Bites the Dust (33 page)

He sat down with a huff.  “Not good.  She’s fighting for sole custody.  Now she’s claiming that I r-raped her.”

“
WHAT
?”  Three high-pitched voices screamed.

He nodded.  Then his head hung low in a defeated position.

“The lawyer recommended that I turn myself in; he says that if I do that, then it might help my case.  I called Luke; he’s going to meet me here.”

“That little bitch!”  Ember fumed.

“My thoughts exactly.”  Bennett agreed.

I made a phone call to the NICU to check on Harleigh, and asked if it would be all right if Harleigh had visitors.  Eleanor readily agreed, and we all trumped down to the NICU.

I’d nearly gotten off the floor when a nurse came rushing up with a wheelchair.  I muttered a “fuck” under my breath and allowed Bennett to push me the entire way.  We washed thoroughly, and then made our way through the NICU doors.  Babies were crying, heart monitors were beeping, parents were speaking in low quiet voices, and I heard the most lovely song coming from somewhere in the back.  It was beautiful.  The voice hit those deep notes so beautifully it made me want to cry.

“Now, you can only have two in there at a time, so you all will have to go in one at a time.  Or you can tell Max to come out and then two of you can go in.”  Eleanor decreed.

“Wait,” I said confused.  “I thought he came in at 7:30.  It’s only seven!”

“Yea, he looks kind of rough.”  Eleanor said with concern evident in her voice.

I frowned, and turned to our guests.  “Can y’all give us a minute?”

They nodded, and I headed to her room.  Max had his back to me.  He was sitting in a rocker with his shirt off, and he was singing You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban to Harleigh.  I smiled slightly, and then got out my iPhone and recorded a full minute and a half before he finally noticed I was there.

“You caught me.”  He laughed quietly without turning around.

I snorted.  “Oops.” 

“I don’t really want to sing in front of an audience.  If you post that on Facebook, I’ll get an ugly tattoo on my body that has your name under it.”  He threatened.

“You’re giving the nurses a show,” I nodded towards his fan club.  “Why can’t you give me one?”

He stood and gestured to the seat.  “Why do you think I was sitting with my back to the door?”

I sat down in the seat, and Max helped me maneuver Harleigh to my chest.  She made the cutest little squeaking sound.  She was so freaking tiny that I didn’t know where to put my hands.  I was worried that I would hurt her, so I sat as still as I possibly could.

He left to let Bennett come in, and then he traded out with Ember, and then Cheyenne in twenty-minute intervals.  It wasn’t until Jack came in that I realized that everyone was here.

“She’s beautiful.”  Jack rumbled.

“Thank you.”  I smiled.

“I got her this at the store.  I think it’s a baby doll hat or something, but I thought it might fit.”  He said.

In his hand was the smallest little Harley hat that was ever made.  I squealed excitedly and stood up slowly.

“Sit.”  I commanded.

He looked ready to bolt, but I urged him to sit again and he did, although I had to admit it was reluctantly.  Getting close to him, we transferred Harleigh to his chest, and I rearranged cords, wires, and then covered her up with the super soft blanket James had brought in earlier.  I worked the hat over her small head, and then stepped back to admire the fit.  It was pretty much perfect.

Jack’s eyes silently screamed at me not to leave him there, but I waved and left anyway.  My boobs were about to burst if I didn’t do something about them.  I took one last picture from the doorway, and then made my way out to the sitting room to find my parents, and all my friends there filling up the room to capacity. 

I sat down carefully onto the couch next to my dad, and snuggled into his chest.  He gathered me to him, and felt tears come to my eyes.  This relationship right here is what I wanted for my daughter, and I knew she would get it.  The past week had proved that.

“I love you, baby girl,” My dad whispered into my ear.  “I’m so proud of you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Where’s Jack?”  Max asked.

I smiled devilishly.  “He’s bonding with Harleigh!”

ɸ

At day forty-seven, Harleigh had her first bottle.  At day fifty-nine, she was taken off CPAP and moved to a nasal cannula that delivered oxygen through her nose.  On day sixty-eight, all wires and tubes were removed from her aside from the apnea monitor.  On day seventy-seven, two weeks before her due date, we took her home.

Epilogue

I’m the biker your parent’s warned you about.

-T-shirt

Payton

Harleigh squirmed, and shoved her arms underneath her body to make herself more comfortable on my shoulder.  She’d fallen to sleep during the ceremony, and hadn’t moved since.  I think there was even drool rolling down the back of my neck.  Max sat at my back, and we both watched as they gave their final salute, and were dismissed.

“Holy shit.”  I said as we watched Bennett walk towards us.

He had a few friends with him, and I assumed those friends didn’t have any family here of their own, otherwise they’d be visiting with them instead of hanging with Bennett.

His walk was cocky.  As if he thought he was hot shit.  His head was shaved down so only tiny little prickles remained.  He was in his Navy Whites, and he looked awesome.  I couldn’t believe that he’d already gotten through this boot camp.  SEAL training would come next.  He no longer resembled the seventeen-year-old adolescent he was before he left.  Now he looked like an adult; he carried himself differently. 

“Benny Bear!”  I said as loudly as I could.

His friends snickered at him, and heat crawled up his cheeks.  Passing Harleigh over to Max’s arms, I took off at a run and threw myself at Bennett.  He caught me and swung me around in circles laughing.

I gave him a big smacking kiss on the cheek.  “Put me down, you big oaf.”

He did as he was told, and I took his arm, yanking him towards our seats.  “I have a surprise for you!”

“I see you brought Harleigh; I’m glad they finally gave her the green light to be amongst the hoard.”  Bennett said happily.

That was true.  When Harleigh was finally released from the hospital four months ago, they strongly cautioned us not to take her out until her immune system was stronger.  She got to play with all of the other kids that belonged to Free, but it wasn’t until last week that they’d given us the go ahead to take her anywhere we wanted.

“She got released last week!”  I said excitedly.  “They even took her off her reflux medicine.”

“That’s great, Payton…”  He said before his voice trailed off.

That’s when he saw his daughter.

Reagan Rose was now three and a half months old.

  He fought with Corinne and her parents in court for four months before he had to leave for boot camp.  He was able to delay entering by two months, but he still wasn’t there for her birth, nor any of the court hearings.  He’d been given partial custody of her, but he continued to fight Corinne for full custody.  Our parents helped fight them in his stead while he was attending boot camp. 

It wasn’t until three weeks ago when Corinne was busted for possession at a traffic stop that we were finally able to get the upper hand.  The court tended to lean towards the mother in custody disputes.  Poor Bennett had only been able to see Reagan a total of four times before he had to leave for basic training.

He dropped my hand and walked slowly towards the sleeping girl who was nestled in her infant carrier.  We’d made sure to dress her to the nines.  She was wearing a hot pink shirt that said, “My daddy is Navy.  What’s your daddy’s superpower?”  She had a bright bow topping her head, and a sweet smile on her sleeping face.  Dropping to a knee, he caressed the side of her face with his knuckle.  “How?”  He choked out.

Max clapped Bennett on the shoulder and said cryptically, “Looks like old Corinne got in trouble with the law.”

I rolled my eyes.  I knew he had something to do with her being picked up for drugs, but I hadn’t proved it yet, nor gotten him to admit it.  I knew they wouldn’t plant the evidence, but that didn’t mean they didn’t tip off the cop about the drugs.  The cop in question being Luke. 

Bennett unbuckled her from her seat and cradled her against his chest, and then went over to stand next to Max.  “Your kid still looks like a midget compared to mine.”

“She is that.”  Max agreed smiling sweetly down at his little princess.

“Hey!  She had to make sure she won our bet!  By the way, you owe me a week of babysitting in payment.”  I teased.

Harleigh weighed in at ten pounds.  Although she was now technically six months old, her adjusted age was three months.  She and Reagan were neck and neck in the competition of baby milestones department.  They would grow up being as close as cousins could be.  Especially since we would now be taking care of her just as much as my parents while Bennett was away at training.

“So, will you boys be joining us for the party?”  I asked the two young men that were hanging back letting us have our family moment.

“Party?”  The darker headed of the two asked.

I smiled.  “Yes.  Let’s go.  Y’all can ride with us, we brought the Suburban.”

The party at a local pub was a great success. 

Our parents fawned over Bennett and the girls.  Using the unusual break to our advantage, Max and I made our way outside, escaping the loudness of the pub.  We were hoping for a little alone time, but we weren’t destined to get it.

What met us in the parking lot was a man that looked like an avenging angel.  He was leaning against his bike.  Long legs extended out in front of him.  His arms were crossed across his chest, covering the patches on the front of his leather vest.  His arms had flame tattoos that ran the length of his wrist, and disappeared underneath his black t-shirt.

“Give him a kiss for me, ma.  I gotta go, love you, too.”  His deep raspy baritone voice said.

I looked at Max in surprise.  It was weird hearing someone that leaked badassness out of his pores saying ‘I love you’ to his mom.  I hid a smile and walked with Max and in hand until we were in polite speaking distance.

It took me a while, but finally I recognized him as the man who was in the motorcycle accident with his pregnant girlfriend.

We stared at each other for what felt like a century before the man finally broke it.

“Just wanted to thank you for saving my son’s life.”  He rasped.

His voice had a grating to it that spoke of trauma to his voice of some sort.  I wondered about it, but definitely wasn’t stupid enough to question him about it.

“You’re welcome.”  I said humbly.

I’d have done the same for anyone.  When I was awarded my nursing license, I took an oath to save people’s life, regardless of race, shape, color, or situation.

He nodded in understanding, straddled his bike, and looked Max square in the eyes.

He held out his hand to Max, and Max moved forward cautiously, reading the plain white slip of paper.  “Tell my brother to call me.  I’ve got some information he might want.” 

The bike rumbled to life with a throaty growl.  He gave a salute, and was off in the next instant.

We watched him disappear down the street, until nothing was left except for the distant echoes of his pipes.  “He doesn’t wear a helmet.”

“Some men don’t.  Just a preference I guess.”  Max supplied.

“He was in a severe wreck that took the life of his passenger.  He was lucky to escape with his life.  How could he not wear a helmet?”

“Maybe one day that will change when he finds a woman that constantly nags him about wearing his helmet.”  Max said dryly.

I rolled my eyes.

The man has a death wish.

ɸ

“I’m going to miss him.”  I said to Max in the dark later that night.

 We were lying in bed completely exhausted from the day’s activities.  Our morning started early.  Since Bennett’s graduation ceremony was in Galveston, we had spent the morning and afternoon driving.  We made it just in time to all pile into the banquet hall and find a seat.

Let me tell you, this isn’t something fun to do when you have two small infants, both of which require feeding and changing every three hours.  Oh, and they weren’t on the same schedules.  My parents came from Dallas, so they weren’t able to help until after.  Bennett is spending the night with my parents so he can get in as much Reagan time as he can before he has to report Monday morning.

Max yawned loudly, really putting some emphasis into it.  “Yeah, me too.  He’s a good kid.  He’ll be back in another twelve weeks or so.  SEAL training will change him even more.  He’ll be harder, and meaner.  He probably won’t be the happy go lucky brother you’re used to anymore.” 

A loud screech came from the baby’s room, and we were both up and running.  Max passed me easily and was in Harleigh’s room even before I made it out of ours into the hallway.  Alpha barked frantically at the door hurrying us up.  By the time I made it into the room, Max had Harleigh in his arms.  He was humming to her softly, which was a miracle drug to her and her frayed nerves.

  Harleigh was still hooked up to an apnea alarm that alerted us when she stopped breathing.  She’d done this a few times before, and each of those times it was because she’d kicked the monitor off with her other foot.  We were lucky that that was all it was, others weren’t so lucky.

Reaching down, I put the monitor back onto her foot, and Max laid her back down into the bed.  She was dead to the world as per her usual.  The kid could sleep anywhere anytime.  When the monitor went off was the exception.  There was something about the pitch of the alarm and the cadence of Alpha’s bark that woke her each time.

Our beautiful baby is the epitome of the perfect child.  From the time we got her home from the hospital until now, she’s slept ten hours a night.  She doesn’t wake up to eat.  Hell, even when she was puking up her entire meals due to the acid reflux, she was still happy.  You wouldn’t even know it was time for her to eat unless you kept a timer, which we ended up needing to do.