12. Chapter 11
Alexiana
My body shakes as I squeeze my linked fingers together, staring at them while I’m sitting, leaning against the wall on the floor. My knees are to my chest, and nothing in the room comes to me, while everything around me chokes me to death at the same time.
Kayden. I want to die.
“Son?” I hear, but I don’t look up. Instead, all I see is my son being carried out on a stretcher covered in blood, his blood, his little body pale, all because a woman thought he was her husband's mistress's child.
She shot an innocent child.
My baby!
Kayden.
“That’s it, Kayden, come to Mama,” I cheer as I hold my hands out, and Kayden giggles as he takes his first steps, and rushes towards me, nearly tripping on his own two feet.
I giggle as I grab him then throw him up in the air and cheer, “Yay!” just as my old phone buzzes causing the other one to fall and stop the recording I had going and my smile disappears as my chest tightens.
Hayes…
“What do we know?” I hear demanded and Hayes chokes, “He’s in surgery, but Trick…”
“Buttercup, stay here, I’m going in, I’ve got medical clearance,” Trick commands, and I blink.
“Kayden Trent Smith!” I say, and my little five-year-old pouts and looks away from my mom glare. You know the one, the hands on the hips, head tilted, brow raised kind of mom glare.
“I don’t want a bath, I like being dirty!” he pouts, and I swear it takes everything in me not to smile, but my lips do twitch because damn, he looks exactly like his dad with that scowl on his face.
“Trouble, you’re covered in paint,” I say, “Now go get your little tooshie in the tub!”
“Fine!” he snaps before he stomps towards the bathroom, and my grin breaks free.
Damn child.
“Why didn’t she tell you about him?” I hear asked and Hayes says, “Dad, not now,” but Killer tries, “Sut she…”
“Not now, Dad!” Hayes snaps before I feel warm hands touching mine, and Kodi whispers, “Alex?” but I don’t see her, I just see my baby covered in blood.
Wait, when did she get here?
Why am I…
Kayden.
“Liam,” Kodi sobs when I don’t so much as blink before a small hand cups my cheek, and Clark comes into view.
“Alex, talk to me,” she chokes, but again, I don’t blink.
“Momma, can we afford this?” my sweet boy asks, and I look at him with wide eyes.
“What?” I whisper, and he flinches as he grips the jersey.
“Football is expensive,” he whispers, and I swear my heart breaks.
I hate that he knows I use coupons and that I’m struggling to keep us afloat. I never wanted to be like my mom, and I refuse to start now by not letting him live his dream, or one of them, even if it means I only eat the bare minimum.
“Trouble, I promise, if I couldn’t afford this, I wouldn’t put you onto the team. You want to be a wide receiver like your daddy, then you will be, plain and simple.”
“Crusher, how do we get her out of this?” I hear Clark ask just as a strong hand grips my cheeks, and Linc comes into view, my best friend, my brother, but not by blood.
“Alex,” he whispers as some tears fall from his eyes, but again, all I see is my son.
“We don’t,” I hear my husband whisper, “Not until we know, because as soon as she comes out of shock, I’m going to have to sedate her…”
Sobs echo as my son’s giggles echo in my head.
There’s a shooter.
The words echo in my head, and I feel like I can’t breathe—like I’m dying.
My son, she shot my son…
“I still don’t understand why she didn’t tell you, though, son, that is your kid, your seven-year-old kid, and she didn’t tell you,” I hear Killer snap before Hayes shouts, “I said that is enough!”
Linc shakes his head before he kisses mine, then gets up and states, “Is this really the time to have this fucking out, Killer? His girl is in a comatose state, his son, he didn’t even know about for reasons only his girl can explain, may not even fucking come through this, so sit your ass down and shut the fuck up! ”
“I agree with Blaze, shut the fuck up, Killer, or get out,” I hear before Cage comes into view, and he crouches down and cups my cheek. “Sweetheart, speak to me,” he whispers, but I don’t even flinch.
Kayden, my baby…
“Mama?” I hear a whisper, and I groan as I squint to see my little troublemaker standing near my bed, already dressed in his football gear, and I look at the clock before groaning.
“Kayden, it’s five in the morning, your game doesn’t start until nine,” I moan, and my boy gives me a little pout.
“Can we go now so I can practice?” he asks, and I swear his puppy dog look is exactly like his father's.
Crap.
“Kayden,” I sigh as I sit up, and the little cutie links his fingers and bats his eyelashes, and dammit, I’m about to give in…
“Trick?” I hear Cage say before there's a lot of commotion, but I don’t move.
“He survived the surgery,” Trick says, and the words swim.
Survived, he survived…
“But his heart did stop five times, five fucking times, so I need you to be prepared, brother, very fucking prepared.”
His heart stopped.
He could…
I could lose him…
“Fuck,” I hear Hayes choke.
“Brother, Alexiana,” I hear Linc whisper, and my husband chokes, “I’ve got her, but uh, Trick, be ready, brother.”
“I’m on it,” I hear Trick reply before I feel the warmest hands touch mine, the tingling covering my body slowly bringing me back, and I blink, causing several sobs to echo before I blink again and lock eyes with the ones who hurt me.
“Hey, long time no see, baby,” he rasps, and my tears fall, Trick’s words swimming in my head, that we have to prepare ourselves before all I see is red, my son's blood, and Hayes grips my hands tighter as the scream slowly builds.
He shakes his head and chokes, “I’m here, Alexiana, I’m here,” but the scream erupts with a loud, “No!” coming out as my whole body shakes and Hayes quickly takes me into his arms and I fight him, needing to see my baby, needing to get to him and I scream louder when I can’t get free and I hear Linc shout, “Trick!” before suddenly the man himself is in front of me.
I try to kick him away from me, and he just dodges me, making him curse before suddenly a needle is stabbed into my exposed stomach, and a cold sensation rushes through me, and I slur, “N-n-n-o, please, K-Kay-Kayden…” and everything goes black as Hayes holds me tight, sobbing in my neck.