Page 9 of Dale
I have had a feeling I was pregnant for a while but I didn’t want to know the truth. I’m not sure if I didn’t want to know the truth because I didn’t want to be pregnant or if I wanted to be pregnant. I’m pretty messed up.
“We gotta get the girls outta here,” Colm says from the doorway. His eyes are looking over the carnage of my house. My beautiful place that I once thought Dale was going to live with me in.
If the piece of paper tells me that I am in fact pregnant, is Dale going to choose me? Is Dale going to want to be with Natalia? I’m nothing like her.
“I’m not going back to the clubhouse,” I mumble defiantly. “There is no way I’m going back to the clubhouse.”
Chase’s lips curl upwards and he’s trying to figure out what to say to me. I know he’s pissed that I’m questioning his call he’s about to make but he has to understand where I’m coming from. There is no way I could go back to the clubhouse where everyone knows what I just found out.
“Colm, we still got that hide-away home outta town?” Chase asks with his eyes cutting from Brielle’s to mine.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I can’t go there. I feel so stupid,” I admit.
Colm walks through the wreckage and helps me get up. “Cass, you didn’t know. It’s been eatin’ him up this whole time.”
I can’t listen to him defend Dale’s actions for keeping something like this from me. I couldn’t stand to hear him tell me that Dale didn’t do anything wrong.
“But you all knew and didn’t tell me,” I retort with attitude.
Brielle clears her throat and we all turn to look at her. “We get that you’re upset but we need to get out of here.”
I’ve packed a little bag of stuff for me and Brielle’s reported to have some stuff already at Chase’s so she doesn’t have to go back to her house. Colm invited himself to come with me to the safe house and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
We’re out the door before it is too late.
In the back of my mind, I wonder so many things. I wonder how Dale is doing. I wonder how I’m going to survive knowing that my boyfriend has been married this whole time and a father. I wonder if he knew about it. I also wonder what the hell am I going to do now that everything has fallen apart.
I look back at my home knowing this is probably going to be the last time I’m here. I can’t come back here. I can’t come back here with all of these memories of myself and Dale together in here. Dale spent a lot of time with me here and I see him everywhere. I see him on the couch with his lazy smile on his face. I see him in the shower with me and then I also see him sprawled out on my bed with a smirk on his face telling me to hurry up. Nothing will ever be the same.
Chapter Eight
Natalia
It has been a ten hour long surgery and Chase just came back to the hospital smelling like chemicals. Colm didn’t come back with him for whatever reason and I’m not going to press it. It isn’t my responsibility to ask these boys questions about why they do the things they do.
I have taken Maverick out of the hospital a couple of times for him to go be a kiddo at the park across from the hospital. He has eaten too much candy and has drunk too much pop. He’s probably going to explode from all of the energy he has in his body.
We are walking back to the hospital when Chase pulls into the parking structure.
He doesn’t say anything to me as he sits himself next to the other brothers in the room. I know I’m not wanted here and I’m not going to pretend that I want to be here, either. Being here is the last thing that I want to do.
I’m rubbing the back of my neck when the doctor comes through the door. “Dale has come out of surgery very well. He didn’t have any complications and should be able to accept visitors. He is asking for a Cassie at this time.”
I know that is supposed to sting me a little but it doesn’t. I can’t fault him for moving on with another woman.
“I’m his wife, Natalia. This is his son,” I point to my bored child in the chair next to me. I have never had to share my son with anyone before and this is about to be a very awkward situation.
“Please come back, Missus.”
I’m following behind him with Maverick dragging his feet. I know he wants to go home to play his video games or play with his friends in the neighborhood. This is such a life-altering moment and he doesn’t even know what is about to happen. He doesn’t even know he’s about to meet his father.
The hallway to Dale’s room is sterile- white, crisp and smelling like bleach. I can respect them for keeping the hospital as sterile as they do. However, a little character wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“It is this room. Dale is expecting Cassie. I’m just letting you know,” the doctor says gently.
I should put him out of his misery by trying to figure out who I am and then who Cassie is. I’m sure he’s really confused.
“Dale,” I greet him.
