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“Put yourself in her shoes,” Dad told my mom, speaking up. “She’s just lost Luke, her mother betrayed her, and she’s an only child. She doesn’t have any biological family to turn to in her time of need. The only person she’s been able to turn to is Cole. I imagine the last thing on her mind would be her baby.”
Hated to say it, but I had to agree with my dad. I had always been Amelia’s rock, even when she hadn’t noticed it herself. This had probably ripped her apart on the inside.
“I never acted that way when you were shot when I was pregnant with him,” Mom said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder towards me.
“Yes, but you and Amelia are so alike, but yet so different in so many ways,” he reminded her. It was true. When Amelia had first started growing up and figuring out who she was as a person, I thought she was way too much like my mom. Now, I knew that Amelia was ten times different from my mom and a hell of a lot emotionally stronger, too.
“You had your dad. You didn’t have the shit happen to you that happened to Amelia,” Dad told Mom, trying to get her to understand where he was coming from. “Cole was the only person that stood up for her, got her the help she needed, and stood beside her and believed in her besides Luke. Amelia is ten times more ruthless than you will ever be, Katie, and it’s because of what has happened to her. People hate her, even our own crew. When the entire world is falling apart around her and the one person that she had has been shot, I’m sure Amelia isn’t thinking much about a baby.”
I snorted. “No shit,” I muttered, thinking of Dad’s comment about the crew hating her. I had no idea Kale had felt like that about Amelia, and I wished I had known it sooner. I could have handled it properly. I looked at Mom. “The bullet that I took was meant for Amelia.”
“I knew that she was bad for you!” She yelled at me, jumping up from the bed, throwing her arms up into the air.
My dad grabbed her and yanked her back into his chest, saying words into her ear. She glared at him. “No, I will not fucking calm down! Cole could have died because of that bitch! You expect me to be calm about this?!”
“Yes, I do,” Dad ground out through his clenched teeth. “I would have done the same thing for you if I were Cole, so just shut the hell up. I understand where Cole is coming from.”
That was a first. My dad rarely saw anything my way.
“He doesn’t even love her!” she hollered. She looked over at me, narrowing her eyes. “Do you love her, Cole?” she demanded.
I shrugged. I really didn’t know. I knew I felt something strong for Amelia. Was it actually love? Hell if I knew.
My dad gripped my mom’s arm and swung her around to face him, his hard eyes glaring into her icy blue ones. “It doesn’t matter if he fucking loves her or not, Katie. Do you remember how long it took me to admit that I loved you, to even realize that I fucking did? Before I realized I loved you, I still would have gladly jumped in front of a bullet that was meant for you because I cared about you and couldn’t stand the thought of losing you or Cole. So, step back and think about what you’re fucking saying,” he snapped down at her.
She huffed and plopped herself into a chair. I chuckled. My dad and I were really the only people that could make my mom stop and think about something that she was doing or saying. When I saw my parents like that or hell, even when I saw my mom comforting my dad when Amy got locked up, what my grandad said rang through my head. I could see that my parents truly loved each other. It was a deep, passionate, reckless kind of love, and not one that showed its face all of the time.
We all sat there for a few hours, watching the news on the television in a comfortable silence. A little while later, I heard Amelia groan as she woke up. My mom instantly got up out of her chair and walked over to her, grabbing one of Amelia’s hands, which shocked the hell out of me. I never expected my mom to want to comfort Amelia. I guess what my dad said to her had really gotten through to her; he had a habit of doing that.
Amelia blinked awake, looking around. I noticed the second she tensed up, and tears filled her eyes. I felt my heart constrict. I really fucking hated seeing her like this. “Amelia, honey, Cole is here. Look,” my mom coaxed, trying to soothe her before she had another fit.
Amelia turned her head, and she grinned when she saw me, tears of joy running down her face. “I want—” she started, but I cut her off.
I shook my head at her. “You can’t, baby. You’re putting our baby at risk.”
“What?” she whispered, her eyes immediately jerking down to her stomach. “What happened?”
“You caused contractions three times,” I told her softly, knowing that if I continued talking to her like this, it would keep her calm. “You have to rest. Stop stressing yourself out, and stop panicking. I’m right here beside you,” I assured her.
My dad pushed her bed closer to mine, and I grabbed her hand since it was still restrained. I rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand, giving her a small smile. She sighed and relaxed back into her pillows almost instantly, closing her eyes. “Do you have a jacket or something?” she whispered, her voice showing just how tired she was feeling.
My mom went to my bag and grabbed my leather jacket, draping it over Amelia. Amelia smiled a little, relaxing even more against the pillows. “Don’t let go of my hand please,” she whispered as she started drifting back off into a peaceful sleep. “I hated not knowing that you were okay.”
I could hear the pain in her voice and the slight strain as she thought about the time she spent wondering if I was actually alive or not. I grimaced a little; it really was a miracle that she hadn’t miscarried from the stress she put herself through.
“I’m okay, baby, and I’m right here,” I assured her. Hell, I would never go anywhere.
She nodded sleepily. I sighed and looked at the ceiling tiredly. My mom pressed the button for a nurse and asked for her doctor. Dr. Kline came in a few minutes later. “Is everything okay?” he asked almost hesitantly, his tone a bit wary.
“She woke up, and she was calm,” I told him. “I think you can take her restraints off. She might be more comfortable when she sleeps.”
He nodded, taking my word for it, and undid her restraints. I kept her hand gripped in mine though, knowing she didn’t want me to let go. I wouldn’t.
She was mine, and I would be damned if she ever got taken away from me.
18
Amelia
