Page 74 of Piston

Cassie nods. “You didn’t have your seatbelt on, and your car flipped.” I wince, and she continues, “You had a concussion, but you slept most of that away. You had internal bleeding, and I had to remove your spleen, which, thankfully, all went well. You coded three times before surgery, so we weren’t sure whether you’d wake up, but all your tests came back clear, you just didn’t want to grace us with your presence.”

I snort. “Well, I have been extremely tired lately.”

She gives me a tight smile before sitting at the edge of the bed. I furrow my brows as she grabs my hand.

“Remember three years ago?” she asks, and I flinch but nod. She continues, “I saw you at what I believe was your worst. You blamed yourself, and you gave up on life, but what did I say to you, Nat?”

My eyes stare into hers, and I whisper, “You said it wasn’t my fault." She nods. “You said that maybe it just wasn’t mine and Elijah’s time for a baby, and when it was, I’ll make the best mom because I care so much and always put other people's feelings before my own. That I adore kids so much I’m stupid enough to work with them.”

She grins as Eli snorts, squeezing my other hand, but I don’t take my eyes off the woman who gave me my first drink after I met Eli.

She gives me a small smile and says, “And I meant every word then as I do now. You are going to be the best mom, and your child is going to be one of the most loved and luckiest kids out there.” My heart pounds, hearing her meaning. “You’re six weeks pregnant, Natalie, and so far, you are showing no signs of miscarriage.” She squeezes my hand. “With the trauma you’ve gone through, the car accident, and then after…there is a chance you may still lose the baby. But as long as you stay calm, and take it easy, things may be alright. I removed your contraceptive patch, and have been giving you vitamins through your IV.”

My tears fall, and she leans forward, taking me in her arms as the first sob releases.

Pregnant. I’m pregnant.

Half an hour later, after Cassidy finishes her checks she decides to leave so Eli and I can talk, stating she’ll come by in a before the end of her shift to see me. She says she’ll allow me at least ten minutes to give her a lecture about her leaving five years ago.

“She’s just trying to deal, Diamond,” Eli says after she shuts the door, my eyes firmly on it, still mad at her for leaving the way she did.

She works at Memorial, so she must have stayed here all this time. She told me she was on loan but wouldn’t say from where, and by the time I was discharged, she would be gone again.

I nod. “I know, but she didn’t give us a reason why she left like that.”

I look at my husband, bags under his eyes. He sighs as he admits, “Steal held a gun to her head and told her to leave, orhe’d kill her. He…uh, fuck, he was told she was the one who stabbed Brute….”

I frown. “Cassidy doesn’t have a bad bone in her body, let alone the courage to kill someone. She’s a healer, Eli.”

He nods, grabbing my hand, playing with my fingers. “I know, Diamond, but the cameras were cut in the kitchen, and Faith said she walked in on her stabbing him in the chest. Steal never looked into it, believing Faith because of their history.”

My nostrils flare. “The same Faith who still hangs around the club, mainly around him? The same woman who wants his patch?”

He winces. “They’re not together, not that I know of. Anyway, I heard Cass on the phone the other day. It sounds like she’s seeing someone.”

I nod. “Good. Steal doesn’t deserve her if he wasn’t even willing to look into it.”

He smirks before getting serious. "Are you going to keep stalling, or are you ready to talk about it?”

I sigh. “I’d rather keep stalling, and discuss your shenanigans with my baby brother….”

My eyes widen. Cooper! The message from Henry! I try to remove the sheets and stand, but Eli quickly grabs hold of me.

“Don’t even think about it, Diamond,” he snaps.

I shake my head, tears building. “No, no, I need to check on Cooper. Is he okay? Henry messaged me, he said, he said….”

Eli stands and grabs hold of my shoulders. "He’s okay, baby. I promise he is.” My heart races, and he gently rubs my cheek. "Try and stay calm. Think of our baby, please….”

My tears fall. “Christy, she?—”

He cuts me off. "She is currently on the run. I’ve sent every sighting of her, so far, to our contact in the FBI, and now that you're awake, I’ll try harder to track her." He kisses my forehead, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I promise he’s okay. They sent him home two days ago.”

I furrow my brows. “Two days? How long was I out?”

He sighs. “A whole fucking week.”

My heart pounds. A week?

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