Reaper's Claim Book 3
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Simone Elise
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Choices and Assumptions
SEASON 3
âProduced by: Bethany Sharpâ
âWritten by: Cecilia Gigliotti & Ellis Stumpâ
âSound by: Oskar Allen & Meaghan Bardwellâ
ABBY
Blinding, sterile, white light.
The nothingness then consolidated into tile walls and a fabric divider. A hospital.
I was on a cot, an IV in my arm.
Kade sat in a plastic chair to my left, scooched as close to me as possible.
His eyes melted when they met mine.
âAbbyâŚâ he breathed.
âI just had the weirdest dream,â I said. âI dreamt I wasâŚâ I trailed off, unable to even finish the sentence, as my palm slipped subconsciously over my churning stomach.
Pregnant.
Damn. I shivered.
Wouldnât that be a bloody disaster?
Raising a child on the back of a bike with Reaper? I shook my head and snorted.
Kade didnât.
âWe are, Abby. Weâre having aâŚa baby. Weâre going to be parents,â he said slowly and seriously.
The words hit with a thud, like heâd just dropped an anvil on my already tight chest.
Knocking the air from my lungs, so I couldnât breathe⌠I couldnât thinkâŚ
That phraseâŚ
Weâre going to be parents.
Why did he sound so goddamn certain?
âWeâre going to be parents?â I echoed.
Kade nodded, taking my hand. But I couldnât feel his fingers interlaced with mine. A numbness had taken over my whole body.
A numbness everywhere besides a pit deep in my core, where suddenly an awareness pulsed. An awareness that something new existed there.
And was growing, and movingâŚ
I shoved away the image.
âWhy do you assume thatâs what I want?â I asked.
Taken aback by that response, Kade faltered. âI didnât mean⌠I donât know what to say.â
âMe neither.â
âI thought youâd be⌠Excited?â
âIf by excited you mean absolutely petrified and more freaked out than Iâve ever been in my lifeâwhich is saying something considering over the last three months Iâve somehow become an assassinâthen yeah, Iâm fucking ecstatic.â
âHey, hey now,â he soothed, brushing his thumb softly across my cheek. âItâll be okay, Abby.â
He bent over my forehead for a gentle kiss. âWeâll get through it together.â
I barked out a laugh. âGet through it?â
âI meanââ
âKade, having a kid isnât something you just get through. Itâs a lifetime commitment. You and I canât even commit to a club or job for over a few weeks. Or each other, for that matter.â
âThis changes things.â
âHow, Kade?â
âHow does it not?!â
Weâd talked about the possibility of having a kid not that long ago. But I didnât mean right now.
I thought Iâd be older. Have my shit together.
Instead, here I was recovering from a bloody gunshot wound with Kade acting like there was nothing fucked up about this whole thing.
Suddenly, a chipper voice sang, âKnock, knock! Alone time is up, kids!â
Kim.
âYouâre awake, yay!â She pranced in, wearing her brightest, most optimistic smile. Dad followed behind, eyeing me eagerly.
âAlrighty, Abs! The doctors say you should be released in just a couple hours,â Kim reported. âBy this evening for sure.â
Kade beamed at me. âWell, thatâs great news!â
âYup!â Kim continued. âWeâll have her safe and sound and back home at Satanâs Sons in Snake Valley, just in time for dinner. Iâll whip up something nutritious and delicious.â
Dad stuck out his tongue. âPlease not one of those stinkinâ veggie burgers. Taste like a patty made of mulch.â
âHey, you like the chicken ones,â she said defensively. âThose are good for you.â
âYeah, Iâll have one of those. With a little mayonnaise.â
âOnly if itâs low-fat.â
âDeal.â
He promptly dove into a bag of crisps, no doubt from a vending machine. Most likely months or years expired.
I watched them both, amazed at their obliviousness.
I didnât plan on speaking up but, in my addled state, suddenly found myself saying, âDo I have to ask again?â
Kim blinked, confused. âAsk what?â
âWhy you all keep assuming you know exactly what I want?â
âOh,â said my sister, visibly surprised and slightly offended. âWell, I mean, I guess you can have a beef burger if you really want, Abs. Your call. I personally try to make conscious choices around Dad, but likeâŚâ
âThatâs not what Iâm talking about, Kim!â
âAbby,â Kim said. âI get it. You know I get it. Youâre spooked.â
âStop itâŚâ I mumbled.
But, ignoring my rebuff, they moved in closer. Kim stroked my damp, matted hair as Dad placed his hand on my shoulder.
Annoyed, I shrugged off their touches.
Was Kim right? Sure.
Did I know they were just acting this way out of care for me? Of course.
But at the same time, I had to consider everything up until this point.
None of the Harrisons were known for being super touchy-feely, yet here they were, perched on my bed, doting over me, treating me like a babyâwhen I was the one fucking carrying one!
And when obviously all I wanted was to be alone! Just for five minutes, or even five seconds!
Just to fucking processâŚ
If they know me so well, how canât they see that?
I swallowed hard.
Hooked up to the IV, I couldnât move from the bed.
And the jarring news of my pregâŚwhateverâŚwas still fighting its way into my head.
My brain seemed so heavy. My body so stiff.
A wooziness swayed over me.
Jesus Christ.
I felt like I might suffocate.
The nurse chose just then to appear in the door frame.
âAbby?â he interjected timidly. âThereâs someone here to see you. Do you think you can manage another visitor? We donât want you getting overwhelmed.â
My family and Kade shared nervous glances.
âWhatâs the name?â Kade asked, his manner suddenly low and defensive.
I rolled my eyes.
I was awake, fully cognizant, and able to respond for myself.
The nurse could speak to me.
âYes,â I said, âI can take on one more person. Threeâs already a crowd, right? Why not make it four, five, six bodies looming over me with their smothering concern and loud opinions?
âSure,â I continued, âitâll be a whole big party! Someone bring out the cake!â
The nurse stared back, unsure of how to respond.
âIâm fine.â I shifted my tone. âSend them in.â
âAlright,â he responded hesitantly, shuffling back out into the hallway. âShe says you can go in. But Iâd proceed with caution if I were you.â
âThank you, but Iâm pretty sure I can handle it,â came a warm, very familiar voice.
A voice that had only become so familiar over the last few months, although that time felt much longer.
Then, clutching a massive bouquet bursting with fresh daisies and daffodils and all sorts of light white and yellow puffs and petals, Liam walked in.
His always dewy, glowing face fit in perfectly among the flowers.
Bruises and bandages from his beating by Damon still covered his body. But he was dressed neatly with a clean, pressed button-down and slacks, as if he were headed to church.
Had he thought Iâd fucking died or something? Probably.
Although, I suppose Kade, in his trademark darker colors, was the one more appropriately dressed for a funeral.
âUh, hi, Abby. I canât even express how happy, and uhâŚrelieved I am to see you.â
âHey, Liam,â I said back. âLikewise.â
âWow, um, how are you feeling? Can I go grab you anything? A tea? Some crisps or crackers, anything from the vending machine down the hallââ
At that, Dad glanced down at his snack, mid-crunch, sheepish.
Meanwhile, Kade cleared his throat. âWhat do you want, Liam?â
âOh, Iâm so sorry, everyone. I really, truly donât mean to be interrupting anythingââ
âWell, you are,â Kade snapped.
âRelax,â I reprimanded. âLet him talk, for Christâs sake.â
With a grateful nod, Liam continued, âIâm here on Blakeâs behalf. He was⌠I was⌠We were all so worried about you.â
Still not having it, Kade crossed his arms and growled, âJoin the club.â
It was apparently my dadâs turn to protest, too. âYeah. Maybe if your peopleâthose murderous fucking maniacsâhadnât held Abby fuckinâ hostage in the cellar of that dump you call a headquarters, then maybe you wouldnât have had anything to be so damn worried about, huh?!â
âActually, thatâs not our headquarters, technically,â Liam muttered. âItâs a branch site, but umâŚâ
Noticing he had the floor, he then turned quickly to me. âIâm here now, Abby, to take you back home to Hellbound. No rush. Whenever youâre ready.â
I felt my jaw unhinge.
Had I⌠Had I heard him correctly?
Back home to Hellbound?
Is he serious?
I hadnât even figured that was a possibility. What with me literally killing Blakeâs right-hand man Damon and allâŚ
I mean, Iâd left their yard in a smoking shootout.
But still, despite that, they want me back?
I blanched.
And, taking advantage of my speechlessness, my entire family exploded.
Kim stamped her foot. âOh my God, Abby, no! Absolutely not. No way.â
âIâm not letting her out of my sight, you Hellbound asshole!â
âYeah, youâre cominâ home with us. Right, Abby?â
Oh my God.
I couldnât take it anymore.
âShut the hell up, all of you!â I shouted.
All eyes flew to me.
Silence.
Then everyone turned inward, breathing heavily.
Finally, for the first time since Iâd woken up in this godforsaken too-small room, some peace and quiet.
After a long moment, Liam finally looked to me.
Patiently, he said, âAbby, what do you want to do?â
Well. Now that was a good question.
That was the question they all should have been asking.
What did I want to do?
I suddenly realized I had no idea.
Abby, what do you want to do? I asked myself.
I lay there on the hospital bed, trapped and exhausted, with my family and Kade all huddled to one side, and Liam fidgeting on the other.
My gaze bounced back and forth between them like I was watching a fucking tennis match.
They all stared back at me in shock, as if bewildered I could even contemplate another option.
The anger Iâd harbored over the last few months was about to be let loose again.
Why does everyone always think they know whatâs best for me? I thought.
I was my own goddamn parent.
And now, I supposed, I was going to be a literal fucking parent to some unbornâŚhuman...inside of me.
I could listen to myself.
I could make my own choices.
And with that, I opened my mouth to speak.
