Page 60 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

“I have an opinion you won’t get one punch to make contact. Not a fucking one. You know why? Because you’re a washed up piece of overweight shit who’s scared to fight for the title fight. You’re scared to be amongst your friends, and scared like a little bitch you might have to become a man and raise a child who doesn’t fall within the limits what you perceive as perfect,” I said as I raised my hands in preparation of what was sure to come.

I would give anything to have a relationship with a woman and have a child. If God so chose to have that child be born with special needs, so be it. I’d welcome him into the earth with all of the love, care, and hope for a future that he or she deserved. For Shane to run from his responsibilities made my temper flare to a point I really didn’t care if I had to fight him to make my point.

As he stood and glared at me, I continued.

“Did I hit a nerve? You afraid if you and Kace raise a special needs child someone might eventually call him a retard?”

His eyes narrowed and the muscles in his jaw flared.

Good, it’s working.

“You’d get mad if they called your little boy a fucking retard. Huh Dekk? Your little retard boy?” I asked, attempting to lure him into a fight.

His right hand twitched, and I swung my left arm upward in anticipation for one of his signature heavyweight right hooks. As I stepped into the punch, allowing his arm to go under my armpit, I turned, pulled my knife, and held it to his throat.

I chuckled a light laugh and pressed the knife to his throat. “You see Dekk, you threw the punch under the opinion you were going to teach me a lesson. But here’s the thing. I made those comments about your child knowing – absolutely knowing – I had to do so to make my point. You swung because you’re going to defend your child regardless. Special needs or not, he’s yours. Subconsciously, you’re already committed to him being your son. And you’re his father. You’re just fucking scared. And there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

I pressed the knife with slightly more force, just to make sure he was paying attention. “That doctor gave you his fucking opinion based on the amnio test they performed. He told you the kid might have some chromosomal disorder. He said he could be born with Down Syndrome, and you fucking disappeared. Well, I got news for you. My nephew is special needs. More specifically, he has Down Syndrome. And he’s one of the best damned people you’ll ever meet. Ever,” I growled.

“You see; special needs are nothing more than that. He has needs that are special. It doesn’t mean he isn’t deserving of anything and everything that every other person on this earth is deserving of. It only means he has a few needs unique to him – and they’re described as special. Special. You know the definition of special?” I asked as I released my grasp and pushed him to the side.

He stood with swollen tear-filled eyes and stared.

“Better or more important than others,” I said as I pushed the knife into the pocket of my jeans.

Without speaking, he began to softly cry.

“I didn’t mean a word I said about your child, Dekk. I was making a point, you need to know that,” I said.

He nodded his head.

“Now, you know what we’re gonna do?” I asked as I patted him on the shoulder.

“We’re going to get on our sleds and ride to Austin. You’re going to apologize to Kace, Ripp, Vee, Austin, the old man, and everyone else who’s been worried about you. I could give two shits whether or not you’re going to fight for the championship, makes no difference to me. But you’re going to support Kace through this. And the day will come when your little boy will be born. And every fucking one of us will love him – because he’s part of you, and he’s part of Kace. Now, you ready to ride or you want me to wad you up into another ball and cut you this time?” I asked as I bent down and picked up the cigarette butt.

“A-Train?” he asked.

I stood and shoved the cigarette into my pocket. “What is it, Brother?”

“I’m scared,” he said.

I nodded my head. “Been there plenty of times, Dekk. Generally, I’ll ask the man upstairs for spoon full of courage.”

He bit into his lower lip and nodded his head.

“You know what? He hasn’t let me down yet,” I said as I wrapped my arms around him.

I held him in my arms until he finally stopped crying.

After I released him he gazed down at the ground for a long moment. While clearing his throat, he glanced up with swollen eyes.

“Let’s ride,” he said.

“You lead the way, Brother,” I said. “I’ve got your back.”

And, little did he know it, but I had the back of his unborn son, too.