Stryker’s Fight by Erin Osborne
Chapter Three
Sally
WAKING UP THIS morning, I have to rush to the bathroom because I’m nauseas as hell. I barely make it in time, so I don’t get sick all over the bathroom. For the past week or so, I’ve been noticing a few things out of the normal for me. I’m hungry all the time even though I don’t want to eat. My boobs are extremely sore and getting slightly larger than normal. When I’m not crying over the dumbest things, I’m emotional in other ways. Natalia won’t leave my side for much of anything either. Today, I think it’s time to go see the doctor to find out what’s going on.
After I get done in the bathroom and clean up for the day, I go check on Natalia. She’s still fast asleep sprawled out on her bed with the blankets twisted all around her body. My baby girl sleeps so crazy I’m surprised the blankets are covering even a small portion of her body. Even when she was an infant, Natalia slept all over the place. When she’s having a bad night, it sucks to sleep with her in the same bed as me because she spins and moves all over the place. It makes for a very sleepless night for me. Still, I will always do whatever my baby needs in order to give her peace of mind when she’s having a bad night.
Heading down to the kitchen, I make pancakes for Natalia. My stomach is still feeling very off so I’m not sure if I’ll have any. With it being just the two of us, I always cut the batter in half so there’s not as many leftovers. Just as I’m done cooking breakfast, the little pitter patter of Natalia’s feet fills the house. She’s stumbling around the hallway as she makes her way to me.
“Mama,” she says, rubbing her eyes as she steps in the kitchen.
“Good morning baby girl. I made you pancakes this morning,” I tell her as her eyes widen in happy surprise.
“Yay!” she squeals out in delight.
Natalia gets up in the chair at the table. She practically bounces in the chair as she waits for me to butter her food and place syrup on the cut-up pieces of pancake. After putting her plate in front of her, I head to the refrigerator to get her a glass of milk. Sitting down with my own cup of milk, I watch my baby eat her breakfast. She’s been telling me all about the few hours she spent with Stryker yesterday. I’ve been hearing about it since she got home. I’m not going to complain though.
Stryker is a good man. He loves my baby with his entire heart, and I know he’d do anything for Natalia. I know he’d do anything for me too. That’s not the problem I have with him. My only problem literally is his role within the club. I love the club and what they do to help victims of domestic violence and how they protect everyone in their community. However, it’s another thing entirely for me to get involved with a man who’s the Sergeant at Arms willingly. I do care about Stryker and love him. He’s the one man I’ve been able to love since losing Killian. Even if I can’t tell him how I feel about him.
“Done mama,” Natalia pulls me out of my head.
“Okay honey. Go get cleaned up and I’ll be up to help you get dressed in a few minutes.”
As Natalia leaves the kitchen and makes her way to the bathroom to clean her face up and go to the bathroom. I pull out my phone and call Gwen. She’s the only one I know I can count on to watch Natty for me while I head to the doctor’s office. Even if I don’t tell her my possible secret, she won’t push me to explain things.
“Hey Sally. How was your trip?” Gwen asks, answering her phone.
“It was okay. A much-needed thing to do. Um, are you busy right now?” I question her as I put the dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher.
“No, I’m not busy. What’s up?”
“I need to see if I can get an appointment with the doctor. I haven’t been feeling the best. Can you watch over Natalia while I go there?”
“Absolutely. I miss her. I’ll be there in about a half hour or so regardless of if you get an appointment.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
Hanging up the phone, I make a call to the doctor’s office. They can fit me in this morning after I explain what’s going on and how I’ve been feeling. With no other calls to place, I make my way to the bathroom so I can help my daughter with her teeth before getting her dressed for the day. She’s up on her small step stool when I walk in. Grabbing her toothpaste and toothbrush, I put it on for her before wetting it. Natalia brushes her teeth while I grab her brush and pony tail holder. Today she’ll wear her hair up. Or I’ll at least attempt to keep her hair up. It usually only lasts for so long with Natalia.
Natalia and I walk to her bedroom as a thought hits me. I’m going to need to figure out something about our living situation. With Stryker moving out of his home, I know I can’t live here forever. Not when I have no clue what I’m going to do about things. I’ve lived with him for so long now, it’s going to suck not calling this place home but it’s what I have to do. Stryker and I both need to move on with our lives until firm plans are put in place. Then, we can figure out where to go from there.
Picking out a pair of shorts with a tee-shirt to go with it, I help Natalia get dressed before sitting on her bed. She sits in front of me on the floor and I begin to brush her hair. There are so many knots in her hair on and off throughout the day because she’s so active. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my daughter though. She makes me want to get out of bed each morning just to see what kinds of trouble she’ll get into each and every single day. Plus, her laughter makes me laugh right along with her. Natalia is a gift I am thankful for each day.
“Gwen is going to come spend some time with you today. Mommy has to run out for a little bit,” I tell Nat.
“Yay! I love Gwennie,” she tells me as if I don’t already know that.
“I know you do sweetheart. She’s gonna play with you until I can get back.”
By the time I’m done with Nat’s hair and we walk back to the living room, Gwen is knocking on the door. I let her in before grabbing my things so I can head out. Kissing Natalia goodbye, I thank Gwen again as I walk out the door. While Natty is consumed with my friend, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to rush out the door. I still have a little bit of time to get to the doctor, but that’s okay. I don’t know if I’m going to get sick again so there’s no point in delaying my trip there.
Pulling in the parking lot, I find a space and park my car. I don’t feel sick to my stomach right now, so I make my way inside. There is no way I want to be even a second late considering they’re fitting me in. I walk in the building and give my name to the receptionist. She lets me know the doctors are a few minutes ahead of schedule so it shouldn’t be very long before I get taken back to see someone.
Sitting in the waiting room, I don’t pay attention to anyone around me. Various women are waiting to be seen. Some are obviously pregnant while others have recently had their babies based on the infants filling the car seats with the new moms. Picking up a magazine in front of me, I absently flip through the pages. My mind is honestly on the possibility of being pregnant again. This time I more than likely won’t have to go through it alone. However, I honestly have no clue how Stryker will feel about becoming a father. If he doesn’t want to be a part of our child’s life, I won’t make him. I can raise Nat and this new baby on my own.
“Sally,” a nurse calls out, pulling me from my head.
Tossing the magazine back on the table in front of me, I make my way to the open door where Danielle is standing. She’s one of my favorite nurses here because she doesn’t probe into your personal business. Even when guys from the club accompany one of us here, she minds her business and doesn’t try to capture their attention.
“What brings you in today?” she asks me, her voice bright and cheerful as normal.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve had my period. There’s been a lot going on. This morning I woke up sick. There is a possibility I’m pregnant though,” I answer her, my voice strong as I say the words out loud.
“Okay. I’ll get your vitals and check your weight before you leave a sample,” she tells me.
Nodding my head, I let her do her thing before walking into the bathroom right next to us. When I’m done, I step out from the door and follow Danielle to the exam room I’ll be in. She asks me a few more questions before telling me to strip down so Doctor Sanchez can perform an exam on me. As soon as she shuts the door behind her, I strip down and place the scratchy paper gown on my body with the opening in front. Sitting on the table, I place the sheet over my lap for some sort of covering. It’s not much, but that’s okay.
Before I can let my mind wander again, there’s a knock on the door. Doctor Sanchez walks through the door with my chart in her hand.
“Hello Sally. How are you doing?” she asks, looking up as she makes her way to the sink.
“I’ve been better,” I answer honestly.
“I see that. Well, I can let you know now you are in fact pregnant. Danielle said you don’t know when your last period was?”
“No. I know it sounds stupid, but I’ve never been all that regular and I can’t remember. Things have been crazy,” I answer her.
“Okay. I’m going to perform an exam today. We’ll get you set up with an ultrasound to check how far along you are. You haven’t had any morning sickness or anything?”
“No. Well, not until this morning. I’ve felt a little nauseas the last few days, but not to the point I got sick.”
I lay back as the doctor performs her exam on me. With the possibility now reality, I realize I’m happy to be pregnant again. When I was pregnant with Natalia, I loved being pregnant. Watching all of the changes going on with my body and then feeling my baby moving while still inside me. It’s all so amazing and I already love this little one so much. No matter what happens with Stryker, I’ll still have a piece of him with me every day.
“Okay. Everything looks good. I’m going to want to see you back in a month. I’ll make sure you get seen as soon as possible for an ultrasound though. You’ll have to start prenatal vitamins immediately since we’re not sure how far along you are. Is there anything else you need today?” she asks, a friendly smile on her face.
“No. I just needed to make sure if I was pregnant or not,” I tell her as she helps me sit up on the exam table.
“Alright. Someone will call with an appointment for the ultrasound. Get your script filled and we’ll go over everything in a month when I see you.”
Without another word, I watch as Doctor Sanchez leaves me alone in the room. Getting dressed, I make sure I have everything before leaving the room. Stopping at the front desk, I make an appointment for a month from now and get my script to pick up from the pharmacy. She reminds me I’ll be getting a call from them with a day and time for my ultrasound. After thanking her, I leave the office and feel lighter than I did on the way in. For some reason, this is meant to be. I don’t care what happens with my relationship, or lack of relationship, but this baby will not know a day of feeling unwanted or unloved.
Getting in my car, I turn it on and roll the windows down. My music blares from the speakers as I head a little further into town so I can go to the pharmacy. Pulling up in front of it, I get out without rolling up my windows. I barely lock my car in town because not much happens around here. Especially when people know you’re affiliated with the club in some way. The only time we ever have to worry is when something is going on with a rival or some new club is trying to assert themselves against the Phantom Bastards.
I walk around the pharmacy while the pharmacist fills my medicine. Unconsciously, I make my way down the baby aisle to see what new things they have since Natalia was a baby. There is so much in here from different bottles, toys, some clothing, and other items baby’s need on a daily basis. I can’t imagine going to a larger store or one catering to expecting parents. Though excitement fills me at the thought of shopping for this new little one resting safe inside me.
After several minutes, I make my way back toward the counter where I’ll pick my medicine up. Since I have no questions, I pay my co-pay and grab the small bag hiding what medicine I’ll be taking for the duration of my pregnancy. Heading out of the store, I pause for a mom pushing a stroller down the sidewalk. Sitting inside is a young baby only a few months old. The little boy is all smiles as he gets fresh air while listening to all the sounds of the town around him. I smile at the mother as she continues on her stroll.
With the sidewalk clear, I continue on to my car. Getting in, I head straight home. I’m sure Gwen has things to do, and I need to take my medicine and figure out where to go from here. If I thought I needed to move out of Stryker’s home before, I definitely need to now. In order to do that, I need to find a job somewhere in town. Like I said, I’m going to give him an opportunity to be a father to our baby. That means not moving out of town. Plus, with the club here, they’re my baby’s family and I’m not going to deprive him or her of so many aunts, uncles, and cousins. That’s wrong on so many levels. It’s honestly the only reason I agreed to come to Benton Falls after learning I was pregnant with Natalia. I wanted her to grow up with so many family members as she would if I stayed in Dander Falls.
As I head out of town, the rumble of a motorcycle startles me. Looking in my mirror, it’s no one from the Phantom Bastards. This bike looks like it hasn’t seen a shop or a paint job in years. The man riding the bike has a long beard that’s blowing in the wind and already appears greasy and unkempt. His cut is full of stains too as he gets close enough for me to see it. I can’t read the patches on the front of his cut as he continues to get closer to me. He’s revving his engine and getting closer before backing off. This man repeats the process for several minutes as I debate what to do. I don’t want him to follow me home since Stryker is no longer living there, and I’m too far from the clubhouse to get there.
Choosing the next best option, I turn down some random streets. The biker follows me as I continue to weave my way around town. There is no way in hell he doesn’t know I’m on to him following me. I’m also not going to stop. If any of the ally clubs were coming into town, I would have been told about it. Even though I’m not a house bunny or an ol’ lady, I still go to the clubhouse for parties and family days. Before it was with Stryker, now it will be to help out the ol’ ladies prepare for whatever event is going on.
My heart is racing as this unknown man follows me. I try to keep my breathing even and normal, so I don’t have a panic attack while I’m driving. It’s bad enough my hands are shaking uncontrollably. Turning down my music, I don’t need any distractions as I try to figure out what to do. The only thing I can think of is to call someone from the club and let them know what’s going on. They can help me figure out what to do so I don’t lead this asshole to Stryker’s house where my daughter and I stay.
Picking up my phone from the passenger seat where I tossed it when I got in, I try not to take my eyes from the road as I unlock it and find someone to call. Before I can pull up someone’s name, the biker revs his engine one more time before passing me and almost tipping his bike as he quickly takes the next street. The rumble of his bike is louder than anyone from the clubs I’m familiar with. I’m going to say it’s from lack of care about his machine and not any other reason.
Turning around, I cautiously make my way back to Stryker’s house. My phone is in my hand in case something else happens. I can immediately place a call to someone so they can get to Gwen and my daughter. There is no way these assholes don’t already know I’m staying at Stryker’s if they’re following me. For now, the call can wait until I get home and can talk to someone without being behind the wheel. My only concern is getting to Gwen and my daughter to ensure they’re safe.
