***
“That’s the heart beating,” Lucy said watching the monitor with Kayla. “Still too early to tell the sex. As if we care.” Lucy laughed, making Kayla smile.
“Dr. Hawk says we should be able to tell when I’m sixteen weeks,” Kayla said.
She was already twelve weeks gone. Kayla did a quick calculation in her head. When she had gotten to know of her pregnancy, two weeks before Dean’s confrontation, the doctor had said she was already two months gone and that was eight weeks. Meaning at the time of the confrontation, she was ten weeks pregnant. Currently, it had been two weeks since the breakup with Dean…meaning she was twelve weeks already. Therefore she had four more weeks to go, to know the sex of her baby. Kayla couldn’t wait. Though she was curious, she didn’t really care about the sex. Her baby was going to be smothered with love no matter what sex it was.
“It can even be earlier than sixteen weeks.” Lucy laughed.
She’d conducted a thorough check on Kayla and told her everything she needed to know. Lucy was happy with all the results and had assured Kayla that, she and the baby were as fit as fiddles. Of course, she already knew that Kayla thought, amused at the excitement in Lucy’s eyes. One would think Dr. Lucy Broody had never seen a baby before, Kayla almost laughed out loud. The woman was simply adorable…just like her son, Kayla thought with a pang of sadness. She couldn’t help but wish Dean were by her side that very moment, watching their baby’s heartbeat on the monitor, with her.
“Dr. Broody?” A nurse stuck her head in the door. “Jean and Dean are here. They’re waiting in your office.”
And just like that, the part of the monitor that was reading the heartbeat of Kayla herself went haywire. Her heartbeat increased so fast, Kayla began to breathe harshly.
“Oh my god, Kayla calm down,” Lucy shouted, signaling the nurse to bring her a shot. “What is wrong, honey?” Lucy sounded desperate as she took the prepared syringe from the nurse and gave Kayla a quick shot in the arm. “Kayla?”
“I’m sorry.” Kayla gasped. “I’m okay.” But even as he assured Lucy, Kayla’s eyes looked frantically towards the door.
Lucy Broody didn’t need to be Einstein to figure out what had caused Kayla’s panic. The twins! Lucy was furious. Thank God for modern equipment, that had picked up on Kayla’s stress quickly enough. Anything could have happened. What the fuck had those boys done to Kayla, Lucy fumed? Kayla had mentioned the two of them not being happy with her when they came for her from the hospital. Lucy knew she couldn’t possibly ask Kayla what her silly sons had done to her in her current state. But if those boys knew what was coming to them…
Lucy turned to see that Kayla’s eyes were fluttering, her breath coming out softly. She was going to sleep because of that shot she’d given her. Lucy removed the sensors attached to Kayla and covered her with the covers. She was already fast asleep. Lucy tenderly ran her fingers through Kayla’s short hair and bent to drop a kiss on her forehead. She really didn’t know why but she adored Kayla as though she were her own child.
With a sigh, Lucy turned on her heels and headed for the door. Time to confront those silly sons of hers.
***
“What the hell did you boys do to her?” Lucy Broody asked without preamble immediately she entered her office.
Jean and Dean were in her office to take her out for lunch like they usually did on her birthday. The whole family would go for dinner the following day which was a Saturday. But according to the Broody tradition, her babies got to take her out to lunch whenever her birthday fell on a weekday.
“Did to who?” Both men asked at the same time, looking up at their mother with identical faces. If Lucy hadn’t been so angry, she would have smiled because she never ceased to find that adorable. She loved her babies to bits.
“Kayla. She’s terrified of you.” Lucy went to stand in front of her sons with her hands on her hips.
“Did she say we did something?” Dean asked.
“She didn’t have to. I have eyes. I can see terror when I see it. And I know my boys. Now I’ll ask one more time… What did you do to the poor girl?”
“We did nothing…” Dean mumbled.
“Well, I might have…given her the look,” Jean said sheepishly.
“The look?” Lucy screeched just as Dean turned to his brother with a bellow…
“You did what?”
Jean had a way of looking at people that made them feel like they were the very scum of the earth. The family called it the ‘vermin look’. The brothers actually went out of their way to sic Jean and his look on people they abhorred.
“Why would you give Kayla the vermin look?” Lucy looked shocked.
Jean flushed guiltily. “I thought she had… It was at the hospital. I… I didn’t know she hadn’t gone through with it then.”
“Jean Esau Broody, I’ve very disappointed in you. How could you?” Lucy gasped, staring at her son.
“Mum, my name is not Esau and you know…”
“Your name is whatever I say it is young man so shut your beak and listen to me. I…”
“I might have also said a few things to her,” Dean mumbled beside his brother, drawing his mother’s furious gaze from Jean to him.
“And what exactly did you say besides not wanting to be with her again?” Lucy demanded tightly. “Oh yes, she told me.” Lucy hissed when Dean’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That vague ‘we broke up’ was actually you, telling her you didn’t want to be with her again, I hear. Now spill…what other nasty stuff did you tell her?”
“I…I might have used the words, wicked and cruel and monster at a point.” It had been giving Dean nightmares ever since.
“What?” Lucy whispered.
“No, I didn’t use monster.” Dean quickly added. “She did. She said she wasn’t a monster.” Dean actually had the nerve to look relieved.
Lucy Broody looked incredulous. “Oh, and you think it’s okay because you didn’t actually use the word? How about the others? You implied perfectly that she was a monster.
That’s why she told you she wasn’t. Jesus. Haven’t I taught you idiots anything? That’s not how to treat women. Definitely not a pregnant one.” Lucy paused and took a deep breath. She was livid. “I really wish I could take both of you over my knees and tan that hind of yours…”
“Mum…” Dean groaned whilst Jean burst into laughter.
“Oh, you think this is funny?” Lucy turned her angry gaze on Jean. “Now this is how it’s going to be. You are going to go to Kayla and apologize.” She addressed Jean. “This is between Kayla and Dean and you had no right making her feel like filth. I don’t care how or where you do it, but you have to do it today. Got that?”
“Yes, mum,” Jean muttered, looking down at his shoes. Their mother had a way of making them feel like kids again. The boys knew that would never change.
“And as for you,” Lucy turned her attention on Dean, “we need to have a serious talk. Come by the house this evening.”
And with a final angry look at her sons, she flounced off, leaving her sons to wonder whether lunch was cancelled.