Clearwater’s Redemption by Tiffany Casper
Chapter 16
Fiona
That morning Knox and I were sitting in the waiting room at the Women’s Center while we waited to be called back. I was still floored at what he had shown me.
“Fiona McCord?” A woman in pink scrubs called.
We both stood, walking hand in hand, we followed her, all with the women sending lingering looks at my husband. They could look all they wanted, because at the end of the day, I was the one that got to lay beside him every night.
After the nurse got my vitals and had me pee in a cup we waited for the doctor to enter the room.
Knox took in the pictures on the wall and looked at me, ‘I'll be by your side the entire time Fi. You hurt. I hurt.” I looked at the picture that had his attention earlier, it was of the vagina and how everything worked.
“Love you honey.”
It was then that there was a knock on the door. “Hey Fiona, good to see you again.” I smiled at her.
“Good to see you too.” Dr. Chase had been the one to run every single test known to man when I had left Cole.
She had the results in her hand, “Congratulations are in order, this early in your pregnancy we can’t do the typical ultrasound but we can do it vaginally if you would like to see your baby?”
“Yes please.”
“Alright, let me get the technician in here so she can do that for you. Undress from your waist down, you can cover up with this.” Knox grabbed the cloth from her.
After she left, a technician came in with a machine. “Now this is going to feel weird but I promise it’ll be over soon. Keep your attention right on this monitor.”
With his hand in mine we did just that. And the moment we were able to see a black blob there on the screen I smiled wide. Then we both froze as the little thump-thump filled the room.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat.” She smiled wide at us.
“Knox, grab your phone, take a recording. I want to see if Clutch can tattoo that……. on me so we can use our phones to hear it anytime we want.”
His smile had gotten even bigger as he did just that.
She printed off some pictures and handed them to me. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“Dr. Chase will be in here in just a minute.”
Knox had taken the pictures from me as he studied them.
When she walked back in she said, “Due to your husband's size and your smaller stature, we will need to keep a close eye on the baby’s measurements as we go. I want you to take prenatal vitamins. Here is a little pamphlet of things you have to avoid and a list of medications that are okay to take. If you have to take any pain medication, take Tylenol only. Any allergies, Benadryl.”
Nodding, I grabbed the pamphlet and saw that Knox still hadn’t taken his eyes from the ultrasound.
“Any questions?” Dr. Chase asked.
That was when Knox lifted his head and boldly asked, “Sex?”
Dr. Chase smiled warmly as she answered, “Yes that is more than okay.”
I looked at him in confusion, and like the badass he was, he proudly said, “Don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”
My eyes watered, every single time he allowed that side of him to be seen I just couldn’t help myself.
“I see you did finally find a good one. And it was a question like that, that I’ll know you’ll make a great father. Congrats to you both.” Dr Chase smiled as she walked out ahead of us.
“Thank you Dr. Chase, for everything.”
“My pleasure. I’ll see you again at twelve weeks.”
The moment we got home, I took one of the ultrasound pictures and put it in a frame and sat it on the mantle next to our wedding photo.
Knox had been silent for the next few days. Which wasn’t uncommon for him, but it was weird that he had barely said a few words to me.
Cotton had arranged for other clubs to come to the clubhouse to discuss a few things and opening up another chapter.
The moment we made it to the clubhouse I was a little worried about Knox. He hadn’t said a word to me the entire drive.
After an hour of talking to the women and eating my ribs alone, I went in search of him. A lot of people were here for a meeting that the club had to have.
I spotted him leaned up against the fence outside with his back to everyone.
Walking up behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist, I felt his muscles tense, and then his body softened.
Pressing my face in the gap between his back and arm, he lifted his arm so I could see what had his attention. Smiling when I saw that it was our baby's sonogram. The little black and white photo that he carried everywhere. If it wasn’t on his person then it was set up somewhere where he could see it at all times.
He didn’t care that I had one of the pictures hanging up in the living room. No that wasn’t good enough,
“Okay?”
Softly I said “Yeah Knox, baby is happy. He loved the ribs.”
Knox simply nodded, “Are you okay?”
I watched as he closed his eyes, took in a breath, and let it out. “Not really.” He said quietly.
“Wanna talk about it here or at home?” I asked.
He wouldn’t ever talk about things if he could be overheard. I remember something happening a few weeks back.
We had been at the clubhouse and they were hammering out some details with a new alley that they had established.
A woman that had been talking to other people had made her way over to us and had sat down in a chair, not even asking if she could join us.
“So Knox… why do you have those black birds on your arm?” She asked as she made a move to finger one of his crows, Knox moved his arm out of her reach and placed it on my thigh.
“Crows.” I muttered softly at his side. This woman was really starting to piss me off. She hadn’t asked the ole’ ladies things, only the men and she was already getting death glares from the women too.
“I didn’t ask you honey fluff.” Not only did my spine straighten but Knox had just gone from cool and calm to postal.
I tightened my hand on his that still rested on my thigh. “And I don’t really care. You’re not his mother, his wife, his lover, nor his friend, so really when it pertains to Knox, it's none of your business.”
Nasally she said, “I’m just trying to get to know everyone.”
“Why? You’re not Wrath MC.” I told her with a head tilt.
“My husband’s club and theirs are allies now, come on your too pretty to be stupid.” It took everything I had to keep Knox’s hand on my thigh at that comment.
“Again that doesn’t give you the right to know anything about him or his brothers for that matter. You’re not an ole’ lady, you don’t have a property kutte. Just because you have a piece of paper doesn’t mean shit in this world, it’s the leather on your back that matters, and it’s the ink on your skin. And your damn lucky I have ahold of Knox’s hand, you would’ve had a bullet in your head a minute ago for saying that stupid comment.”
“I’m the wife of the president of an MC, how dare you speak to me in that tone.”
“And I am the wife and ole’ lady of Knox the Icer of Wrath MC. How dare you try to speak to him.”
She turned her glare away from me then softened her look at Knox, “You didn’t answer my question.”
Knox had pointed to me. “My ole’ lady knows.”
“Well yes, that’s all great and everything, but these are your brothers. How can they trust you if you don’t tell them everything?”
“Brotherhood isn’t built on that. It’s built-on actions rather than words. Actions that show just who a man really is. And if you take another verbal jab at my brother and his ole’ lady, ole’ lady or not, you’ll be thrown out of my clubhouse.” I had wanted to clap, go Cotton.
The woman’s man had walked over to her, jerked her up and pulled her out of the clubhouse. When he returned, she hadn’t been with him.
Knox pulled me into his embrace, and yes you guessed it, he rocked my world with what he said next, “I’m terrified I’m going to fuck this baby up Fi.”
I was aghast, “No you won’t, because I won’t let you.”
He looked down at me, “Neither one of us has memories to draw from.”
“That doesn’t matter. We raise them how we see fit. Besides, we’ve got a whole club at our backs if we need it, they are raising some kick-ass kids.”
When we returned back inside Cooper brought us over two beers, Knox grabbed one, and when he handed the other one to me, I bit my lip and shook my head.
Cooper froze, “You sick?”
“Not exactly.” Peering up at Knox underneath my lashes, I smiled up at him when he did the same, it was then that he placed his hand over my stomach and smiled.
“Wait? Are you serious right now?” Cooper asked with a shocked expression.
“As a heart attack.” Grinning Knox pulled the ultrasound picture out of the inside pocket that rested against his heart from his kutte and showed it to him.
“Holy fuck.” He shouted.
“Cooper, what are you hollering about?” Miriam asked as she looked at what he was seeing and then she too turned wide-eyed at us.
“Pregnant?” And that was when the entire clubhouse quieted down.
“Yes we are six weeks along.” I said proudly, Knox wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me into his chest.
Hollers, catcalls, whistles filled the clubhouse.
“Guessing this means you’ll be adding more crows to your arm if y’all have a daughter?” Cotton grinned widely.
I felt Knox tense. “No. I’ll dedicate my leg for that one.”
“Congratulations sweetie.” Marley said first.
“It's truly a miracle.” Lucy chimed in.
“I can't wait, I’m going to be the best damn aunt that baby has ever seen.” Phoebe grinned as she looked at the ultrasound that the women were passing around.
“Get in line.” Novalie told her.