“Shit,” he hissed, looking up at the sign that read Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Is that where I am? I must’ve made a wrong turn somewhere. Jack sent me to check on Jimmy Gold’s status and somehow I wound up here,” he explained.
I raised an eyebrow questioning him but then my eye caught the clock on the wall.
“Dammit,” I said.
“I’ll walk with you,” he offered. “At least I won’t look like a moron if I’m accompanying someone who belongs in this part of the hospital.”
“Okay,” I said, standing there for a moment before pointing behind him. “My doctor is down the hall.”
He fell into stride beside me as we walked down the corridor.
“How do you feel?” He asked.
“Pretty good,” I said. “The baby kicks a lot now, keeps me up most of the night.” I added with a smile. “I keep thinking to myself I can’t wait for him or her to be here and then I stop myself because it’ll be over before I know it and then I’ll probably miss feeling her inside of me.”
He smiled.
“You sound pretty confident it’s a girl,” he commented. “Do you have any names picked out?”
“No names yet,” I admitted but left out the reason I hadn’t chosen any names. I hated that Riggs wouldn’t be a part of choosing Pea’s real name. As silly as it sounded, I sort of hoped I was having a girl because then I could really name her Pea, something Riggs and I both called her. If it was a boy, well I didn’t want my kid growing up with a permanent “kick me” sign on his back so Pea would be out of the question.
We reached Dr. Goodwin’s office and I looked through the glass door, spotting the three couples in the waiting room, the women just as far as long as me, if not more. There were a few other women in the waiting room but they were probably there for routine check-ups. I glanced back at Bones.
“It’ll probably be a few minutes before they’re ready for me…would you keep me company while I wait?”
He rocked back on his heels for a moment before nodding slightly and reached around to pull the door open for me.
“After you,” he insisted.
I smiled and walked into the office, checking in with the receptionist as Bones slipped into one of the seats and immediately buried his face into a Parenting magazine. I laughed slightly as I made my way toward him, taking the seat beside him.
“Preparing yourself Uncle Bones?” I asked, taking the magazine from him.
“Uncle Bones,” he repeated thoughtfully before smiling. “I never thought I’d be anyone’s uncle.” He said, more to himself than me but when he turned his gaze to mine he explained. “I’m an only child.”
“Is it okay then if Pea calls you Uncle Bones?”
“It’s more than okay.” He winked.
“So how is everyone else doing? You know, Jack, Pipe, and the rest of the crew?” I asked nonchalantly as I smoothed my shirt over my bump. “Any wild and crazy clubhouse parties?”
“You want to know how Jack and Pipe are?” He questioned, and I heard the amusement in his voice.
I didn’t say anything, pleading the fifth, knowing very well Bones knew I was fishing for information on Riggs.
“He’s miserable,” he said finally.
I snapped my eyes to his and stared at him as he blew out an exasperated breath.
“He’s not staying at the clubhouse either, goes home every night to the apartment,” he revealed.
I was torn on how I felt about that, knowing he wasn’t staying at the Dog Pound but choosing to go home, our home, gave me that false hope I’ve come to associate with Riggs. Then I wondered if he was bringing other girls to our home and that shit didn’t fly with me.
“Lauren, he thinks he’s protecting you and the baby. He thinks if stays away from you then no one will ever look to hurt you guys. Jack wanted to put a prospect on you until this club business blew over but that wasn’t enough for Riggs. He asked Anthony to watch out for you because he knows he’s your brother, that baby’s uncle, and he wouldn’t think twice about stepping in front of a bullet for you.”
I glanced down at my lap as tears welled in my eyes.
Hope.
Don’t fall for it again.
Hope.
Stay strong.