Chapter 37
Thirty-Seven
“You’re off two inches to the right!” Hawk yelled as Hayes nodded, driving the tractor forward before inching backwards to line up to the trailer hitch.
It was hot as hell outside, and Hawk was damn thankful Jessie had agreed to stay at the house and rest. She was still a few days out from her due date, but she’d been up the last couple of nights with prodromal labor pains and they were both running on empty.
“What the fuck?” Colt’s voice cut through Hawk’s thoughts. His eyes left the trailer hitch to follow Colt’s line of sight.
And as soon as he spotted her—hands under her belly, running towards him like her ass was on fire—Hawk was vaulting the hitch, running as fast as he could.
Closing the distance, he watched as she looked up, finding him.
She stopped, planted her feet to the ground, and promptly doubled over, retching into the field.
“What the fuck happened? Are you okay?” Hawk’s hand landed on her back as she groaned.
“I need…”
Hayes and Colt ran up next to him. “Jessie? What’s going on?”
“Dakota… he’s the one…” She was panting so hard Hawk thought she might pass out. “He has… a dragon tattoo.”
Hawk’s eyes snapped to Colt’s. “Where is he? Where did you run from?”
“Our house. I need to sit—” Jessie’s legs gave out and he and Hayes both moved to catch her.
“Fuck. Jess. I’ve got you.” Hawk got behind her and lowered her gently to the ground.
She sat nestled between his legs, her head immediately resting on his shoulder.
Hawk pressed his fingers to her neck, her pulse beating wildly beneath his touch.
Then, he turned to Hayes. “Can you get Stone? Tell him to meet us at the main house. I’m going to carry her there. ”
“Yeah. I think Birdie’s still here, too, helping Beau with the craft tent setup. You want me to get her?” Hayes asked.
“No… We’re not going to the main house. We’re going… to Lach’s.” She shook her head against his chest. “Just need to catch my breath. God, do you know how hard… it is to run… right now?”
“Jessie—” Hawk wanted to argue, but Jessie stopped him. She sucked in a breath, color returning to her cheeks.
“Colt. Go. Stop Dakota. He’s... I’ll explain… later… but you have to get him.”
“Okay. I’ll go see if I can track him down. You’re sure, Jessie? You’re sure he’s a part of it?”
She winced, and Hawk tightened his hold on her. “He told me. It was him all along.”
Colt and Hayes both left them sitting in the middle of the field.
“We need to get to Lach.” He heard the pleading in her voice, but there wasn’t anything more important than making sure she was okay.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. We have to tell him. I can’t imagine. That’s his best friend, Hawk. Dakota almost killed him.”
“He almost hurt you, Jess. I’m having a very hard time not storming over there right now.
But you and the baby are always going to be my priority.
” He ran his hand over her hair. “Let one of your brothers tell him. I’m carrying you to your parents.
If Dakota isn’t caught, then we need to get a plan in place for protecting you.
Gage and Gunner can schedule something out.
I’ll be with you, but I think we need to have someone else too. I’m not—”
“You’re exactly what I need. Don’t even try to blame yourself for this! But right now, I need you to take me to Lach’s. His cabin is right there.” Jessie pointed over his shoulder. She was right. It was a closer walk than to bring her all the way back to her parents’ house.
“Your brother was getting Birdie and Stone. They think we’ll be at the main house.”
“Text them. I don’t care. I’m telling you, Chief.
I know my body. I’m fine. Bee’s fine. But I have to be the one to tell my brother.
He lost… he’s struggling because of what happened and I’m the one who was there when it all happened.
It happened because of me,” her voice caught and he pressed his lips to her temple.
“Alright, Pretty Girl. We’ll go see Lachlan. But you’re riding in my arms. No complaints.”
Jessie bit her lip, and he watched her eyes flash with defiance, but she relented with a quick nod.
“Are you sure you feel okay to move? You were sick a minute ago. Nausea level?”
Her hand pressed gently against his chest. “I was sick because I just hoofed it out here with a watermelon bouncing on my stomach, and it’s so hot and humid. I’m fine.”
Hawk nodded. “Let’s take a couple deep breaths and then I’ll get you to Lach’s, okay?”
He felt her body finally relax into his. “Thank you.”
“Lachlan?” Jessie pounded on the door for the second time since Hawk helped her up onto the porch. “Lachlan!”
The door swung open, and her brother stood before her, supported by crutches, looking like a shell of his former self.
His shattered leg was slowly on the mend, but seeing the cage and the rods and knowing the pain he’d been in…
She couldn’t help it. Everything she’d been shoving down just rushed to the surface and she let out the most gut wrenching sob as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He teetered, and she felt a surge of guilt because she forgot his balance was off.
“Whoa. Jessie? What’s wrong?”
She wanted to answer her brother, but all she could think now was what a terrible idea it had been to rush over there.
Lach was barely hanging on. The dark circles under his eyes and pale, sickly skin tone hadn’t gotten better since his release from the hospital.
Jessie hated seeing him like that, and now she was going to add to his pain.
“This… This was a m-mistake,” she said over her shoulder to Hawk, who was rubbing circles between her shoulders. “We n-need to g-go.”
“Is this some sort of pregnancy thing happening? Or is something really wrong?” Jessie knew Lach wasn’t directing the questions at her any more, but she still couldn’t help shaking her head.
“Can we come inside for a few minutes? I need to get Jessie back to the house… hell maybe even to the hospital depending on what Birdie says, but she insisted we come here first.”
“Yeah, come in! And tell me what the hell’s going on?
You’re both scaring me.” Lach used his crutches to move out of the doorway, creating a space for Jessie and Hawk to walk in.
She was still an emotional mess, her tears blurring her vision as she made her way to his couch.
Hawk held her arm as she settled down on the sofa.
“Out with it, Jess,” Lachlan ordered as he sat in his chair, his head lolling back as he closed his eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I feel sick having to say this… to have to tell you what I just found out.”
“Just say it.”
“It was Dakota,” she whispered.
Lachlan’s head snapped up and his brows pulled together. “What was?”
“The person with the dragon tattoo… the guy who broke into Mom and Dad’s and trashed my room… the one who’s been stalking me all this time… it was—”
Her brother sucked in a breath and the last drop of color in his face faded away. “Jess.”
“Listen to me…”
“No, Jess. That’s enough!”
“He told me himself, Lach,” she whispered.
“I just saw the tattoo. It’s the same one.
He’s been wearing those stupid long sleeve shirts for weeks and saying he doesn’t want to get a sunburn!
He’s been hanging around us all this time trying to get a thumb drive back.
He hid it in the bottom of the vase of flowers he gave me.
Don’t you remember them questioning me about that stupid thumb drive?
” Her voice was climbing, louder and higher with each word that clawed its way out of her throat.
She turned to Hawk. “Can you get me some water, please?”
“Of course.” He pushed up off the sofa and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Jess, you need to drop this. Okay? Just… look, I appreciate that you came to tell me, but it’s so much more than you realize.”
Her stomach dropped as Bee thrust her foot into Jessie’s ribs. The action set off a contraction that nearly stole her breath. But she needed her brother to explain. She needed to know what he was talking about.
“What do you mean?” The words came out through her clenched teeth.
“I can’t talk about it.” His eyes dropped to his injured leg. “I can’t, Jess.”
“Did you know–”
A sharp knock at the front door shot through the house like a flash bang.
“How many guests am I gonna host today?” Lachlan grumbled as he leaned over and looked at his porch. Stone waved from the other side of the storm door and stepped inside.
“Hey, Lach. Good to see you home. How are you?” Stone’s smile was there, ever the calm presence Jessie realized fell into place when he was in medic mode.
“Can’t do much without those damn crutches right now, but everyone says I should be happy I got to keep my leg.”
“Yeah, well, physical stuff is important, but remember to keep up on your mental health too. I’m sure Sloane would be happy to see you, or refer you out to someone else if you wanted.”
“Maybe.”
Stone nodded, his attention never really leaving Jessie and the spot she was rubbing in her side.
“Hey, Jessie.”
“Stone.”
“Heard you might need some help?”
“Nope. I’m fine—” Just as she moved to get some relief in her back, her belly squeezed tightly. There was nothing she could do, it felt like the contraction hit her out of nowhere. All she managed was to close her eyes and groan.
“Ohh…” Jessie’s groan stopped Hawk dead in his tracks. He forgot all about the water he was bringing her and rushed to her side.
“Jess? What is it?” Lachlan asked, his face still the same pale color it had turned when his sister told him about Dakota.
But Hawk couldn’t focus on him. Jessie’s eyes were squeezed shut as she continued to groan out her breath, and pain was written all over her features.
“God, that one was intense.”
Hawk’s stomach dropped as he watched her grip her belly. “A contraction?”
“Yep.” She straightened her back and finally opened her eyes. “It’s okay, Chief. It’s not as intense as the ones I had at the house.”
The ones—plural—that she’d been having up at the house?!
Stone sat next to her on the couch. Hawk wasn’t sure how the hell he’d managed to show up in the single minute Hawk had been in the kitchen, but damn, he was happy to see his buddy there.
“May I?” Stone gestured to her wrist, and Jessie nodded in approval. What the fuck was going on?
“How many contractions have you hid from me today? How long have they been happening?” Hawk asked.
“It was just the stress with Dakota that got them going again.” Jessie stared at her brother, her eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms and shook his head once. What the hell had gone on between them? Jessie’s bottom lip was suddenly between her teeth, her eyes going wide as she looked up at him.
“Jess,” he groaned. “Are they real? Is it baby time?”
“No. We’ve been through this before. Birdie just told us at our last appointment that prodromal labor can happen for days, if not weeks, before the baby is born. You heard me telling Hayes that this morning.”
He crouched down in front of her and placed his hand on her belly. Fuck, it felt like it was tightening right under his touch. And her grip on his arm told him he wasn’t just imagining it.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Today is so important, and I was… distracted trying to get everything ready for the fundraiser. And then, everything happened with Dakota, and getting over here to Lach was most important.”
“Jess, you’re more important than any of that.” Lachlan stood, grabbing his crutches as he made his way to the front of his fireplace. “I appreciate you being the person to come tell me, but this place is barely set up for me to get around. You can’t have the baby here.”
“Of course not,” she laughed. “Oh. We’d h-have to get to the hospital…if this was real,” she groaned as Hawk felt her belly grow rock hard under his hand. When it finally softened, she took a big breath in and then continued. “We’d have to go to the house first. All our stuff is there.”
“Fuck that,” Hawk growled. “We’re going to the hospital right now. One of the guys can drop everything off.”
“Take my truck. It’ll be faster than trying to walk through the fields and back up to your place,” Lachlan offered as he swiped the keys off the mantle.
“Stop. There’s no need to panic. If Bee is coming—which I’m not totally convinced she is—we’ve got time. My water hasn’t even broken yet. So let’s all just breathe and go back to our house. Okay?”
Hawk looked over at Stone. “Doc?”
“That sounds like a good plan, and if it’s what will give Jessie peace of mind and help keep her calm, then I think that’s the plan we should go with right now.
” It sounded reasonable to Hawk, but his stomach still swooped with jittery anticipation.
“I’ll drive,” Stone added. “And I’ll stay close by.
But it sounded like Birdie was on her way over here now, so maybe we let her know there’s been a change of plans and you can all just head into the hospital together if that’s what needs to happen. ”
“Good. Good. We’ve got a plan. Alright, Pretty Girl. Are you ready?” His jaw ticked, the muscles aching as he pushed down the anger he felt towards not realizing she was in labor sooner.
“Of course I am…” He took her hands and pulled her up from the sofa, her breath pulled in sharply as she laid her head on his chest. “Hold… on… mm…”
“Okay. Okay. Just breathe, mama. I’ve got you.” Hawk dropped his hands to her hips, gently rocking their bodies back and forth.
“Mm.” Jessie’s grip loosened after another minute. “I think that one’s over. God, my legs are shaking.”
“Let’s just rest for a breath. It’ll only take us a few minutes to get back. Try to relax.”