Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
I nodded once. “Please get us into the ultrasound room,” I pleaded. “I need to get her out of here soon.”
The doctor nodded in understanding. I lifted Jessie into my arms, ignoring the looks from every nurse as I followed the doctor down the hall to the ultrasound room.
I followed the technician’s instructions, managing to get Jessie undressed from the waist down with one hand, covering her up with the paper sheet.
“Just breathe, my girl,” I crooned, brushing my lips to her forehead. She shook her head. I knew she didn’t want any part of this, but it had to happen. “I’m not going anywhere.”
A couple of minutes later, our baby popped up on the screen. Jessie stared at it, her lips trembling. “Is that . . .”
“That’s your baby,” the technician confirmed, pointing it out with her mouse before she began to take measurements. It was nothing more than a tiny ball, but my heart skipped a beat in my chest.
Jessie cried harder. I ripped my eyes from the screen and focused on my woman, needing to keep her grounded, at least until we got back to the clubhouse where she could scream and cry all she wanted.
When the technician was done, the doctor quickly wrapped up our appointment, and I carried Jessie out to Alejandro’s SUV. Eventually, she fell numb again, and when we got home, I laid in bed with her, holding her as she just blankly stared at the wall.
She was breaking, and I didn’t know how the fuck to help her.
18
I slowly slipped out of bed the next morning, being careful not to jostle Jessie awake. I needed to sit in on church this morning. I’d already missed yesterday’s, and while I knew Jessie would always be my number one priority, I also had a duty to this club.
I was the VP. The club relied on me to always have my head in the game.
After getting dressed, I walked out of the room, quietly thanking Elaina when she handed me a cup of coffee. I could see the question in her eyes. She wanted to know how Jessie was doing, but I stalked off before she could ask.
The only person I wanted to talk to Jessie about was her brother. I was at a loss for what to do, and I was hoping like hell that Joey could shed some light on this shit for me. Not to mention, it would be downright fucking disrespectful to my best friend to talk about his little sister with his old lady rather than him.
I found Joey sitting in the chapel, a cup of coffee in front of him with some paperwork. I knew Whiler did his job well, but Joey was particular. He wanted to see everything himself as well.
“No church?” I asked him.
He didn’t look up. “No. Told everyone to sleep in. You’ve been MIA, brother. Had too much shit going on.”
I closed the chapel door behind me and dropped into a chair. I set my coffee down and shoved my hands through my hair.
“I don’t know what to do, brother,” I confessed.
Joey looked up at me, arching a single eyebrow at me. He was tired. Dark circles lined his eyes, and overnight, he looked to have aged a couple of years.
The cheerful Joey we’d all come to know since he got with Elaina was missing.
“I’ve been trying to keep my nose to myself,” he told me. “But I’ve been fucking worried sick, Ink. Brother, I need to know what the hell is going on. She’s my sister, and you’re not just my brother, but my best fucking friend. I’m worried about both of you.”
I clenched my jaw. “Joey, she’s pregnant.”
His eyes widened. His face paled. “Fuck,” he breathed. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
My eyes widened. What the fuck did he know that I didn’t?
“Joey, tell me what the fuck is going on,” I demanded.
He leaned back in his chair and dragged his hands down his face. “Our mother had a nervous breakdown after she had Jessie,” Joey informed me. “She had postpartum depression after she had us, but it went untreated. Postpartum psychosis ripped us of our mother.” He drew in a deep breath. “She wasn’t able to care for us. Believe me, she tried, brother, but there was a blockage in her brain that kept her from taking care of us. It was the only thing that seemed to keep her from losing grip on her sanity when she came around us and tried to be a mother.”
I had never fucking known.
“We never blamed her. Bad mental health isn’t something that you can pick and choose to have.” I understood that. Hell, I was trying to save his sister from herself every fucking day. “You can’t help the symptoms. And yeah, medication kept her from freaking out, but it either turned her into a zombie or the medications fucked with her heart and put her in the hospital.”