Chapter 26 - Lucas
I stood staring at the guy as he was shoved into the cop car. His face didn't ring any bells, but then again, I didn't know many people from the pack, and I didn't want to know if this was how they behaved.
I was still mind-blown by the scene I arrived at. I had expected Gina to be hurt; I expected to find her bleeding, not standing there, heavily breathing because her plants were ruined. I'd seen her angry, but I was pretty sure she was more pissed about her shrubs than she was about what I'd said to her earlier.
I rubbed my face, tired from everything. Gina had gone inside saying she was cold, and I stood out here next to Ayden and Owen as the officer spoke.
"Name is Frank Paulsonski. Name ring a bell?" The officer, Jessie, asked. She was writing everything down while a few others were taking photos of the garden. Gina had been quick to say she was sending the bill to insurance. I almost smirked at the thought.
The guys shook their heads. Ayden looked fuming, his jaw clenched together as he stood. Even his stance was tense and straight. He looked tired, and I imagined he was since it was now one in the morning. I called him as soon as the officers arrived, and he called Owen.
Owen shook his head. "Name doesn't ring a bell. What did he tell you?"
I thought of what Gina had told me. How he told her he was there to hurt the girls and how he was evening the score. It was clear that Logan wasn't letting the past go. I wondered how Owen felt about it all.
I imagined it brought up emotions, but he kept a calm expression. Whatever he was thinking, he locked it away.
"Well, he's from the neighboring pack. He said he'd been watching the house, waiting for when Lucas wouldn't be home. Or when no one else was around. Apparently, he's been watching all of your guy's houses."
I tensed up. I'd known someone was watching and lurking around the house. I could smell them and see the shadows when I was there. But there was never any solid evidence. And a small part of me had hoped I was just crazy.
I ran a hand through my hair, looking at Ayden. His jaw was ground so tightly I was sure he was going to crack a tooth. It was clear that our patrolling the border wasn't protecting our people. Something was going to have to change.
I knew what was going through Ayden's mind. It was likely what went through mine: having to go head-to-head with Logan. It was an old thing; packs didn't often do it anymore because it was wrong. Fighting like that often leads to injury or death. And from the way Logan was acting, he was going to go for blood. Ayden had been trying to be civil, but maybe that was over now.
"For now, we're taking him in for questioning. If you guys have any information to share, let us know."
We all nodded our heads, and I looked around. Ayden rubbed his face, shaking his head. "It's a good thing you got here in time. I can't imagine what would have happened if you weren't."
I glanced at Ayden, confused. But watched as his eyes took in the wreckage. I couldn't help but smirk.
"I wasn't here. This was all Gina."
Owen's eyes widened, and Ayden's eyebrows went up. "Wait, you weren't here? Where the hell were you at?"
I shook my head. "I went to clear my head because we were fighting. I went for a run and came back as soon as I felt something was off." I waved a hand around the space. "This was all Gina. And she's pissed about her plants more than anything else. She held her own tonight."
"Damn," Owen said with a whistle. "Remind me to never piss her off."
"She's got some strength to her little frame," Ayden added. "Smart and skilled. I should employ her."
I scowled, realizing I hadn't seen her in a while. It's probably been over an hour since she went inside, and I figured she would be back.
"I'm going to go check on her," I said, turning up towards the house. I opened the door and found all the candles blown out. I could see the kitchen light was on, and I headed through the dining room and into the kitchen. I could see the bathroom light was on and swallowed. "Gina, are you okay?"
I could hear a sniffle, and her voice spoke up, breaking. "No."
I leaned against the wall, taking in the garden outside the windows. It was completely wrecked and would need to be redone.
"We can plant new flowers. They will grow. I'll even buy a shit ton and put them in front of the window so you won't even know the ones outside are ruined."
She went silent, and I turned. I swallowed, feeling something was off. I expected her to laugh, but no sound came from her.
I opened the door, not bothering to knock. Gina sat on the toilet, her eyes red from crying, and her face was pale. I then spotted red toilet paper in her hand.
"I'm bleeding," she said, her lip quivering. "I shifted, and now I'm bleeding."
Panic hit me, and I moved, walking towards her. "Where? Where are you bleeding?"
Had he bit her? Had he scratched her? Had he hit her stomach? I thought she was entirely fine when I arrived because she was angry about the plants I hadn't checked her over.
Her silence was enough. "I shifted…and I shouldn't have." I could hear the panic in her voice. The realization clicked. Her pregnancy wasn't that far along.
"We're going to the hospital," I said, bending down and grabbing her pants. I helped her pull them up and held her close as we moved out of the bathroom.
Once outside, the guys spotted us, and Ayden raised an eyebrow. "Where are you two going in such a hurry?"
"She's bleeding," I said, helping her into the car. "She shifted, and she's bleeding."
The guys fell silent. There was a reason women were supposed to shift when pregnant. It was hard on the child and for an early pregnancy. Well, it was easy to lose it. It caused stress on the body, stress that was supposed to be used to contain the pregnancy.
I was pretty sure I was speeding the entire way to the hospital, ready to murder someone. I paced as we were given a room, waiting for the doctor to come.
Gina lay on the bed, her eyes on me. We had been silent this entire time, and she sniffled softly, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry."
I turned to her. "What are you sorry for?"
She placed her hands on her stomach. "Because… if I hadn't shifted…"
I didn't even let her finish. "Gina, you did what you had to do."
I would never blame her for protecting herself. If she lost the child, I'd be heartbroken, but I would never point a finger. This was on that guy. Gina did what she had to do to protect herself.
She took a shaky breath in and closed her eyes as she leaned back on the pillow. Her hands shook on her stomach, and she chewed on her lower lip. "I'm sorry I yelled. I… I didn't mean to."
I stopped pacing and watched her. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. Her eyes remained closed as she lay there, looking peaceful.
"I know you care…and I'm trying. It's…. It's just hard."
I walked over and took the seat next to her. I took her hand, and her eyes opened. I squeezed her hand, hating she had been the first to cave. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have given you an ultimatum like that. I just...I was scared if I didn't, you'd leave."
I'd let my anger get the better of me. I knew it was going to take longer than a couple of months to erase the past. I knew it would take her time to accept me and to really know I cared.
"I shouldn't have yelled either," I said, pulling her hand up and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. "And I clearly should never listen to Cayden. The flowers and candles were his idea. They were too much."
She smiled. "They were lovely. I think that's why it scared me. I'm not used to people trying to care for me. I've… I've never been given flowers, let alone had someone put an entire display out like that."
The door opened, and Brandon, the doctor, walked in with a nurse behind him. Gina sat up, her fingers tightening on mine as he looked at her chart before looking back at her.
"Gina, let's get you checked out. Do you want Lucas to step out so we can check you?"
She shook her head, her fingers still tightly clutching mine. "No, he's staying. He's the father."
The doctor nodded as the nurse stepped around him. Gina leaned back, her eyes remaining on me.
"Okay, let's talk. What happened? What's bringing you into the ER?"
I glanced and watched Gina pull her legs in the stir-ups. The doctor grabbed the speculum off the cart. I looked back at Gina.
"I shifted," she said simply. "And I'm only a couple months pregnant, not even."
Brandon scowled. "Gina, you know that…"
"She had no choice," I said, not letting him talk down on her. Everyone was aware of the risk, but it wasn't impossible. It just was a risk.
The doctor nodded and looked back at Gina.
"You're going to feel a little pressure."
Gina's body tensed up, and her nails dug into his skin. The entire world seemed to be still, and no one breathed.
I made a prayer—I never had before—begging that she was okay, that our baby was OK. I never was sure if I wanted to be a dad, and suddenly, I couldn't imagine not being a father. All my future could be swiped away so quickly with it even starting.
"Good news. Everything looks intact. But you need to rest in bed for a couple of days. This could have been worse, and we could be talking about a miscarriage."
Gina cried, a deep, shrill cry as tears burst free. It was what we wanted to hear.
I swallowed as she leaned over, pressing her face into my jacket. I looked at the doctor. "She was ambushed and had no choice."
The nurse looked sympathetic before turning away. The doctor and nurse stepped out while Gina cried, saying a soft prayer in the air.
I pulled her head up, cupping her face. I wiped her eyes, looking deep into her eyes. "Gina, I want to be around. I want to be a dad, and I want to do all of it with you. I know that our road is rocky, but I'm on it with you. And no matter how much you push me away, I will always be there for you."
I wiped a few of her tears away, pressing my forehead against hers. She took a shaky breath in before she spoke up. "I want that. I want you." She pulled her hand up and wrapped her fingers around my jacket. She sniffled. "I know I'm difficult, and I'm sorry. I just…this is an entirely different world than I'm used to."
I knew that. I had been right where she was years ago when I left.
I held her close, kissing the top of her head. I knew we still had things to figure out, but at least we were together. The baby was fine. That was what mattered the most.
"I love you more than anything in the world. And we can take this at whatever pace you want."
She looked stunned, and I realized I'd never said the words before. I kissed her, making sure to hold her there, allowing my body to realize they were both safe.
"I love you too," she whispered.
I didn't know how long I held her against me or how long it was before the doctor came back with a release form. I took it in and accepted it. I knew we still had a lot to figure out, but at least we were going to do it together.