Stuck Between Brothers

Chapter 16: That Took A Turn

"Juuuuuude. Hey, Juuuuuuude. Its time to wake up now." I can hear someone faintly calling my name, I think its Tiara.

"Kennedy is sure missing her mama." I hear my uncle's voice add.

My entire body feels heavy. I search my brain trying to remember what happened. Dr. Hopper came in and examined us, he said I was going to get to go home today. I remember getting up to go pee and feeling pain in my belly and seeing blood. What happened to me?

Groaning, I try to open my eyes, only to be blinded by the light in the room.

"There she is. You had us worried for a bit there, princess." I feel my uncles hand pet my head.

"What happened?" I ask finally opening my eyes then trying to sit up.

"You fainted and Dr. Hopper found you." Tiara tells me with a sad look in her eyes. She pushes the button on the bed to help me sit up.

"Why do you look so sad?" I ask. My body feels heavy and I can tell my speech is slurred.

"You hemorrhaged, J. There....There was so much blood." She throws her arms around me and sobs in to my shoulder. I was fine? My bleeding was fine.

"I dont understand. they said everything looked fine." I look over at my uncle and he just looks at me sadly.

"You lost a lot of blood, baby girl. They had to give you a transfusion and take you in to surgery." He holds my hand tightly.

"Youve been in a coma for a week." A whole week. I missed the first week of my childs life? Theres a knock at the door as it opens.

"There she is. I'm glad to see you awake!" Dr. Hopper goes to the sink and washed his hands. Then he walks to me and starts listening to my chest and back.

"You sound good. You had us all worried there. Im glad I left my pager in here and found you when I did. You hemorrhaged, and lost a lot of blood. I was able to go in during a minimally invasive procedure and get you to as good as new. Your body will feel weak and sore for awhile, so please take it easy. Were going to keep you here for a few more days to make sure everything stays good, then you can go home." He said while taking my hand and looking in my eyes.

"Wheres my baby?" Thats the only thing I care about. Taking my hand out of his, I look around the room and dont see her there.

"Shes with Martha in the cafeteria. Shes doing so good. Shes such a good baby, J." Tiara tells me.

"I want my daughter." I state.

"What has she been eating?" I ask, feeling a sudden panic. If I wasnt feeding her, who was?

"Shes had some formula, but also some breastmilk that was donated." Tiara says while biting her thumb.

I turn to the doctor feeling tears form in my eyes and ask him, "Will I still be able to breastfeed her?"

"You can! Some of the medications we had to give you werent safe for your milk. Your friend here is a persistent little thing and made sure to pump for you to help keep your supply up. We can take you off the medication now that youre awake, give it 48 hours and you can continue breastfeeding her." He smiles warmly at me.

"You did that for me, T?" I turn to my friend and ask her.

"Of course I did! I had to make sure my girl was taken care of." She winks at me. The door to the room opens and Martha walks in carrying my baby.

"Youre awake!" She exclaims and rushes over so I can hold my daughter. The doctor walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a couple of pillows and walks back to me.

"Youre body is still weak, so lets prop some pillows up under your arms so you can hold your girl." He starts situating pillows under my arms, and helping me adjust so that I can hold my daughter. When he's convinced everything is good, he steps aside so Martha can hand me Kennedy.

"She is such a doll, Jude!" She coos at my baby and lays her in my arms. Kennedy is wide awake and looking around at her surroundings. Her green eyes are lighter than they were and her hair has beautiful curls in it. She really is a doll.

"Kennedy." I sing her name out so she looks at me. She relaxes more in to my arms after hearing my voice and I snuggle her closer to my chest. I kiss her head, her perct chubby cheeks. The door closing startles her, and i kiss her hand thats raised. I kiss everywhere I can on my perfect baby girl.

"Dr Handsome has been here every day checking on you, even on his days off." Tiara wags her eyebrows at me. I feel my face flush as my head pops up to look for the dr. I guess he's the one who left the room.

"He's just doing his job." I push my face further into my daughter to hide the red on my face. My stomach grumbles and I chuckle a little.

"I guess I'm hungry." My uncle laughs as he gets up.

"What do you want to eat. Name it and I'll get it!" He grabs his wallet and keys from the bedside table.

"I want chili cheese tots and a big juicy cheese burger. OH and a chocolate banana milkshake." My stomach rumbles again as my uncle kisses my head and walks out of the room saying his goodbyes.

"I have to get going too. You take care of yourself young lady." Martha gives me that stern grandmotherly look. She smiles and pats my arm before leaving as well.

"Well, now that were alone, I need to tell you something." Tiara looks nervous. I look down at Kennedy as shes letting out small breaths, asleep in my arms.

"Can you take her and lay her down? My arms are hurting." I ask my friend. She walks over and grabs Kennedy and takes her to a bassinet that was left in my room.

"Sit." I pat the bed next to me as she walks back. She slides in to the bed next to me and lets out a deep breath.

"I f****d up, J." Her voice barely above a whisper.

"What happened?" I throw my arm around her shoulders and she leans her head against my shoulder.

"I guess that when you were having Kennedy, Jordan had called me. My phone was in my back pocket and somehow answered. He heard everything. I tried to tell him that it was my cousin but he kept hearing everyone say your name." She rushes out. I feel my shoulder getting wet. This wasnt good. Jordan would probably tell Lucas. I just hope Lucas doesnt care enough to leave it alone.

"Im sure its fine. Lucas probably wouldnt believe him anyways." I try to convince her and myself.

"Thats the thing though, he put the phone on speaker and Lucas heard everything." I cant see it, but I'm pretty sure my face lost all of its color.

"It gets worse. When I was leaving to come here, I told Jordan where I was going. He thought I was going to be here to see my cousin, but now he knows I was here to see you." I try to breathe but my lungs cant seem to find air.

"They're here in Savannah, Jude." Uncle Donnie comes back in the room at this time with a smile on his face. His smile falters as he takes in the scene in front of him.

"Whats going on?" He walks over to me and sets my food down.

"Lucas is here. He knows." I finally find my breath.

"He doesnt know anything else. Theyre here and looking around, but I havent told them where you were or anything. I swear, Jude." Tiara is in tears now. I know my friend feels guilty, and I cant help but feel mad at her. I know its not her fault. She didnt intentionally set out to tell my secret.

"What do you want to do?" My uncle rubs his face then looks at me.

"I dont know. He didnt want a baby, you both heard him when I found out. Why did he drive all the way here?" Im confused. I reach over and grab my burger, pulling off the top bun. I pile some of the chili cheese tots on it and then take a bite. Uncle Donnie puts the straw in my milkshake and hands it to me.

"He was tore up when you first left. He was angry at everyone around him. Nobody could talk to him for weeks." Tiara tells me.

"He missed you, Jude." She says. I feel that empty feeling in my chest again, the one I felt when their whole family disowned me. I sit for awhile in silence while I eat my food running through everything in my head. Finally, after all the food is gone and my belly is full I look at my friend. I pull her to me and give her a big hug, feeling her body relax against mine.

"Tell them to come here." I tell her.

"Are you sure?" My uncle gets up and walks over to me.

"Yes. As long as you stay with me. You know how Lucas is, he wont give up. He would probably move here in hopes of catching me at some point. Might as well get his curiosity out of the way so he goes home." I shrug.

"Okay, I-Ill go call Jordan." Tiara gets up and leaves the room. I can do this. Ive had the entire second half of my pregnancy to really work through my feelings for Lucas. There will always be a part of me that loves him, but I'm ready to move on. My door opens again, and Tiara comes in.

"Theyll be here in 10." She says. Kennedy starts to stir in her bed and starts fussing.

"Bring her to me." Tiara grabs her up and walks over to me and lays her down in my arms.

"Shes probably hungry." My Uncle gets up and starts to make a bottle for her. Tiara brings over a diaper and baby wipes and sets them down next to me.

"Do you want to change her diaper?" She asks.

"Yes. I want to feed her too." I lay Kennedy down between my legs and unwrap her. This is the first time I really get to look at my baby. She has impossibly long legs and the cutests rolls all over them. I kiss her toes as i left her legs up and get her diaper changed. Shes mad at this point and is letting us all know how she feels.

"She sure has a set of lungs on her." I hear from the door. I look up to see Dr. Hopper walking in. He goes to the sink and washes his hands before walking over to us.

"I see youve gotten something to eat." He eyes the trash left on the try next to my bed. I notice a bag in his hands.

"I brought you the best cinnamon roll this town has to offer." He gives me a little smile as he sets the bag down beside me.

"You didnt have to do that!" I tell him. He helps me wrap Kennedy back up in her blanket and helps me adjust the pillows so i can feed her. Uncle Donnie brings me her bottle and I pop it into her mouth and she instantly relaxes and starts to eat.

"I was there getting myself one and thought you might want something sweet." He moves to the sink to wash his hands again. This guy stays keeping his hands clean.

"She got something sweet alright." Tiara says suggestively. I shoot her a look. She starts to laugh when the door to the room swings open and standing there is Lucas. His eyes big as he looks at me. We lock eyes and he just stands there frozen.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Dr. Hopper asks, looking from me to Lucas. Lucas ignores him and starts to walk past him, towards me. The dr reaches out and grabs Lucas' arm to stop him.

"I am going to call security." Dr. Hopper informs me.

"You dont have to, hes here to see her." I motion to Kennedy. He looks at Lucas and takes him in. Then he nods and leaves the room.

"You can come over and see her." I tell Lucas, breaking him out of his trance. He shakes his head and starts walking towards me again. I notice Jordan awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"You dont have to just stand there Jordan." I tell him and smile, trying to ease some of the tension. Lucas makes it to where I am and is standing there staring at Kennedy. His eyes are big as he takes in her thick brown hair and puercing green eyes. Eyes that he knows belongs to him.

"She really is mine." He whispers. Shock evident on his face. His beautiful face looks tired. He has bags under his eyes, his hair is a mess.

"She is."

"Can I hold her?" He asks, I can tell he's nervous.

Kennedy finishes her bottle and i pick her up to my chest to burp her. She lets out a pretty big burp for a little baby.

"She really is yours." Jordan says while everyone in the room lightly laughs. I look at my uncle, nervous about letting this mountain of a man hold my little baby. His chest is broader than I remember, you can tell that he has definitely spent some time in the gym. My uncle gives me a slight nod and I look at Lucas.

"You have to be sure to support her head." I tell him as he reaches his hamds out to grab her. He brings her to his chest and dips his head down and takes a deep breath. He looks back at me with tears forming in his eyes.

"Shes so little." He says. Tiara snorts a laugh.

"Little my ass. That child weighed nearly 10 pounds when she was born!" Lucas looks at me and back to Kennedy.

"Big girl, like her daddy." He coos and nuzzles in to her.

"Big girl, like her mommy." I correct him. He may be a big guy, but I'm not small for a woman. Im 5'10. He looks at me for a moment and nods his head.

"Right." He sounds defeated. He walks over to the chair and sits down with her. He doesnt look up from her. 10 minutes pass before Jordan clears his throat.

"How about a picture, big guy?" Jordan smiles. He takes out his phone and goes to snap a picture of Lucas holding Kennedy. Tiara lurches across the room and snatches his phone away before he can.

"How about you ask the mother if its ok to take pictures of her daughter." She says in a voice that sends shivers down my back.

"Uhh, can I take a picture of Lucas and yalls daughter?" He turns to me.

"Her daughter." Tiara stresses.

"Sure." I tell Jordan before they can continue their argument. The cats out of the bag anyways.

Lucas looks up at Jordan and smiles as Jordan snaps a picture. Lucas then pulls his phone out snapping a few of just her and a few of him with her.

"Your grandma is going to be in love with you." He says to Kennedy. My heart stings a bit at hearing him mention his mom.

"Do they know?" I hear my voice break.

"Yeah, they do." He looks at me and holds my gaze.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" It comes out like a question, but its more of a demand. My uncle gets up and leads Tiara and Jordan out of the room. I hear Tiara start tearing in to Jordan before the door even closes.

"He sure has his hands full with that one." Lucas chuckles. We sit there in silence for awhile. Lucas stands up and walks over to the bassinet and lays Kennedy down gently. Then he turns to me and starts towards me. My breath catches in my throat as he bends down and pulls me in to a tight hug. He sits on my bed and hugs me for what felt like hours before he pulls away. His hands find my cheeks, and I feel his thumbs swipe against the wetness on my face.

"I missed you, JuJu." He whispers. Before I could respond, his lips find mine. He kisses me hard. His tongue shoots across my lips asking for entrance. My body reacts before my mind can and I open my mouth to him. Our lips move in sync with eachother and our tongues do a dance that feels forbidden.

I push him away when I realize whats happening. My brain took long enough to catch up.

"You cant just kiss me, Lucas. What are you doing here?" I ask him, wiping at my mouth. I cant believe I just gave in to him so easily.

"I had to see you. Ive looked all across the whole state for you. When I got your letter, my world fell apart. My family fought every day. Josh moved out and no one has seen him since. I didnt care about anything other than getting you and bringing you home. I love you, Jude. I messed up but I want nothing more than to be with you and our daughter. I was hesrtbroken when you found out you were pregnant. We had just broken up and I didnt think you'd come back to me. I want you. I want you both." His eyes are pleading with me to believe him. A part of me does. The other part just wants to be left alone.

"You cheated on me Lucas. Then you said you didnt want Kennedy and it broke me. You were really just going to leave me to raise her alone." I feel the heat building up in me as I remember the day he cheated and our conversation on the hospital.

"Never, Jude. I was hurt and angry. I went out and got a job amd immediately started saving up. Even when Josh spouted off some bullsbit about the baby being his, I knew she wasnt. I knew that I was the only one you had ever been with. I knew she was mine and I spent all that time trying to figure out how to win you back. Youre it for me Jude." He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. Im at a loss for words.

"Did you say Kennedy?" He asks while turning to look at her. I nod my head.

"Kennedy Blake." He whips his head back around to look at me.

"You named her after me?" I can hear the hope in his voice.

"Yeah. I planned to let her alwys3have a puece of you because I never planned for her to know you." My words came out colder than I meant for them to.

"Im not moving back, Lucas. I know you drove all this way in hopes to bring me back, but this is my home now. This is where I want to raise my daughter. Im sorry you came all this way, but dont get attached." Im still so angry at him, I can feel the harshness in my words.

"Dont get attached? What are you talking about, Jude. Ive been attached to you my entire f*****g life. You dont want to go back with me, fine. Ill move here. I have nothing if I dont have you." He tries to kiss me again, and I let him. Not because Im falling for his words but because I missed kissing him. Im so angry and hurt at him that I kiss his mouth as hard as I can. I bite and suck his tongue and lips. His hands wrap around my face as he tilts my head to deepen the kiss. He kisses me back just as hard. Tears are pouring down my cheeks as I smack his hands away. I push him back and hit him against the chest. He sits there and takes it. My arms get tired quickly and then he pulls me against him in a hug, and I let him. I dont know why I let him, but I do. I feel a sense of security wash over me. I feel safe. My eyes start to close as my body feels like its shutting down. I pull back from Lucas and move to lower my bed. I lay down and look at him.

"Will you lay with me?"