Chapter 87: Promises

Warning: Language



   "Mom?"

   Luna still couldn't get over the fact that this tall, handsome young man with the deep voice was her little boy Trevor.  Where had all the time gone?  "Yeah?"

  Trevor grinned.  "I got it."

 

   Luna squealed.  "You did?"  She hugged him tightly.  "I'm so proud of you!"

  "Mom!"  Trevor laughed.  "I need to breath!"

  "Oops, sorry."  Luna smiled and let him go.  "When do you start?"

  "Tomorrow."

  "So soon?"  Luna said, disappointed. 

  "This is my big chance Mom, I'm ready."

   "I know you are, it's just..."  She sniffed, trying to keep her tears at bay, "I'm just really going to miss you."

  
   "Mom, it's okay!  You act like you're never going to see me again."  Trevor chuckled.  "I'll still be around."

  "Maybe." Luna acknowledged.  "But with your big important job, you might not have time to come visit little old me."

  Trevor shook his head in exasperation.   "I'll always have time for little ole you Mom."  He hesitated for a moment, and then said,  "Now don't freak out, but Mayor Raas has put me in charge of setting up a program to help prevent domestic violence."

   Luna stiffened, and then forced herself to relax.  "Really?"

  Trevor nodded.  "I want to help make sure that others don't have to go through what you went through."  He paused for a moment, and then said in a rush, "Mom, what really happened to my father?  Do you know?  I haven't seen him since I was a little kid, and I always wonder if he's going to show up one day.  And then what would I say to him?  I know I'd like to punch him for what he did to you."  

  Luna sighed heavily.  She had known that eventually she and Trev would need to talk about Trevor's biological father, she just hoped that what she had to say didn't hurt him any further than he had already been hurt.   "For many years, I didn't know."  She paused, gathering her thoughts.  It was so hard to think of Devin, and to remember her younger self, and how much she had suffered, how much Trev had suffered, all of it needlessly.  It shamed her even now to think of it.

  "I didn't want to know."  She confessed.  "I was so torn and mixed up, but a few years after moving here, I finally asked your Grandpa, just what had happened, how did he die."

  Trevor stared straight ahead, his face emotionless.  "He's dead?"  He was silent for a moment, he had hoped his father was dead, and then felt guilty about it.  Shouldn't a son love his father no matter what?  But he hadn't, he had only felt relief as a kid when his father had suddenly stopped coming around, so much relief he hadn't even asked why.  He had always considered Tanner more his father than his real one anyway.  "And what did happen?"

  Luna looked away.  "Something I never expected."

 

  Trevor turned back towards her, curious.  "Like what?"

  "Trev..." Her voice trailed off.  "I'm scared that you'll pursue this, and I don't want you to."

  "Mom, I'm an adult now, not a little kid.  I can handle the truth, and I'm fully capable of making my own decisions."

  Luna bit her lip.  "I know.  I just..."  She sighed again.  "When your father, well, that last time he hurt me pretty badly, and I ended up in the hospital, I nearly died.  Your Grandpa was so p*ssed, he didn't even pack a bag, he just left for Bridgeport, with one thing on his mind.  Finding your father.

  He wasn't gone very long, and when he came back, as you've heard, he refused to talk about it.  Until that day, when I finally asked him.  Did he kill him?  I was so sure he had, because the police reported that your father disappeared, and he has never been seen again."

 

   "Whoa!?  You mean his body was never found?  Couldn't he still be alive then?"

   "Yes, his body was never found, and no, he's not alive.  According to your grandfather, after searching the city for a couple of days with no luck, he found out that a Mr. Nickolas Alto owned the team that your father played for.  He marched into Mr. Alto's office, and demanded to know where Devin lived.  Mr. Alto threatened to have your grandfather arrested if he didn't leave immediately, which, " Luna sighed, "Dad didn't take too kindly to.

  After Dad took care of Mr. Alto's security team, Mr. Alto decided it would be wise to hear Dad out.  So they talked, for hours I guess.  Dad told him why he was looking for him, what had happened to me, and about you, and Mr. Alto then let Dad in on a few truths about Devin.  One, he had married Mr. Alto's sister right after graduation."

  Trevor was stunned.  "He did what?!"

  Luna smiled sadly.  "Yeah, he did.  He married her, because her brother owned the best team, and your father, Devin," Luna corrected herself, Devin had never been a true father to Trevor,  "was an ambitious man.  He was determined to make it to the top, by any means necessary."

  "But, what about you, or me?  Why?  I don't understand!"


 

  "We just fed his ego, that's the sad truth.  Me, I was his conquest, proof that he could juggle more than one woman at a time, and what did I ask of him?  Very little.  I was such an idiot.  You, you were his only son, and that went back to him proving his manhood."

  "His only son?  The way you said that..."

  Luna said quietly, "He and his wife had two girls, twins."

   Trevor stared at his mother.   "So, I have twin sisters?"

  "Yes, but Trev, please leave it alone!  The Alto's are bad news, they're part of the mob, you'll get yourself killed snooping around.  It was Mr. Alto that had Devin disposed of, before your grandfather ever had a chance to get anywhere near him.  Mr. Alto had Devin cemented and deposited into the Bridgeport River.  Mr. Alto owns the police around there, so no law will ever find him, he didn't take too kindly to Devin playing his sister like that."

  "I don't know what to say."

  "Tell me you'll stay away from them."

  Trevor hugged his mother.  "Of course Mom."

 

   "I have all the family I need, right here."

  Luna sighed in relief.  The truth was out, and she was so relieved that Trevor wasn't going to pursue it further.


~<>~


  Skye felt nauseous.  What had she eaten for lunch again?  Oh yeah, a corndog.  She had been craving one, but it seemed the corndog was not loving her back.  She put her hand over her mouth, and groaned.  Definitely no more corndogs, they weren't worth this misery.

  Another wave of nausea hit her, and she tried valiantly to beat it back, but it didn't work.  She raced for the bathroom, and puked her guts out into the toilet.

 

~<>~


  "Hey Nate!"  Colin greeted his best friend.  Not only had they instantly hit it off, but Colin had discovered that Nate was also highly skilled in the art of Wu Ying Tao.  They had both agreed to get together at least once a week to test each other's skills, and spar.   Colin had kept up with the discipline, using a training dummy that Wu had gifted him long ago, but to have an actual person to spar with?  F*cking priceless. "Are you ready to get your a*s kicked?"  

 

   Nate smiled.  "I wasn't the one on the ground last time buddy." He said easily.

  Colin smirked.  "You took me by surprise, that's all.  Don't expect it to f*cking happen again."

  Nate chuckled.  "You must love the taste of crow."

  Colin and Nate good naturedly traded insults until Nate's daughter interrupted with a groan.  "Really guys?  Are you ever going to spar, or am I going to die of old age here?  Do you really need me to count points Daddy?  If you don't, I'd rather go to bed, I'm tired."

  "Go head Tasha.  That way there won't be an audience to Colin's defeat, he has a delicate psyche you know."

  "Ha!"  Colin snorted.  "Delicate my a*s.  Prepare to eat your words a*shole."

  "Bring it on."

 

  Colin did a left front kick, which Nate easily blocked, and the game was on.  While they sparred, they talked, like they usually did, about their families and such.  "Smart move giving that position to Trevor."

  "He was the best qualified."

  "Of course he was."  Colin said as he blocked a downward strike.  "He's a smart kid, takes after me."

  Nate laughed.  "Sure he does."

  "Just you wait, someday he's going to be f*cking doing your job, and he'll do it better."  Colin bragged.

  

  "I hope so."  Nate commented, as he blocked another kick.  "I want to retire someday, and just sit and do nothing for a change. Trevor is ambitious, empathetic and he's got a good head on his shoulders, he'd make a great mayor.  "

  Colin chuckled.  "Yeah right, like you would ever f*cking retire.  What the h*ll would you do with yourself?"

  Before Nate could answer, his wife, Bethany opened the front door.  "Nate, the baby wants you."

  "I'll be in a minute."  He bowed towards Colin, and Colin returned the bow.  "Duty calls.  Until next time?"

    "Saved by the baby again."  Colin snickered.  "Other than family, you're the only person I know of who has more kids than I do, what do you have, a dozen of them?"

  Nate's eyes twinkled.  "We're working on a baker's dozen, after that, well, we'll see."

  "That's a sh*tload of kids."

  Nate laughed.  "What can I say, I find my wife very attractive."

  Colin shook his head.  "On that note, I'm getting the f*ck outta here."  Colin didn't begrudge his friend's happiness, he just couldn't f*cking stand to be around it too much.  It just reminded him of what he had lost, who he had lost.  Even all these years later, he still couldn't f*cking move on, despite the many interested looks thrown his way, and despite the urging of his kids.


~<>~

    
  Hawk tried to concentrate on his book, but he was too worried about his wife, and he kept sneaking glances at her.  She was always pale, tired, and she couldn't keep anything down.  Thinking she was pregnant at last, he had bought a pregnancy test for her, but the test was negative.  She wasn't pregnant.

 

 

  If she wasn't pregnant, then what was wrong with her?  She was supposed to have seen the doctor today to determine that.  He resisted the urge to wake her up, she needed her sleep.

  He flipped another page without reading it.

  She had lost weight, and there were hallows under her eyes.  He had mixed up some herbs for her, to help her stomach settle down, but nothing had seemed to work.  He hated to see his wife so miserable.

  Skye stirred, and then sat up with a yawn.

 

  She noticed Hawk quietly studying her.  "Hey, you're home."  He nodded.  "Did you find the rare herb you were looking for?"

  "No,"  Hawk answered her, "but I'd rather hear about your appointment.  Are you okay?"  His worst fear was that something was seriously wrong, and that he would lose her.

  She smiled.  "I'm pregnant."

  Hawk stared at her.  Had he heard her right?  "What?  But the test..."

  She shrugged.  "I guess I took it too early."  She bit her lip.  "I don't want to tell anyone yet, because I could still..."  Her voice trailed away.  She left the word miscarry unsaid, but Hawk heard it anyway.

  He hugged her.  "Whatever you want Skye."


~<>~

  "...and I don't ever want kids."   

 

   The local highschool had a Real Baby program to help prevent teen pregnancy by giving them a small taste of what it was like to be responsible for a baby.  Each teen had been paired with a partner, Kalen had been paired with Mona Capp.  She had decided their 'baby' was a girl and had named her Kate.

  Kalen hadn't cared what it was, or what the name of it was, he had thought the whole thing was stupid.   What could he learn from dragging a dumb doll around for a couple of weeks?  Turned out he had actually learned quite a bit from it, the most important of which---he definitely didn't want kids.  They were a pain in the butt.

  "All it did was cry, cry, cry!" he complained.  "I didn't get any sleep for two weeks straight!"

 

  "Kate did cry a lot."  Mona agreed.  "Mr. Lamour says that some babies are like that, they have colic, they're not always smiling and happy like they show them in the baby commercials."

  "Ain't that the truth!"

  Mona smiled shyly.  "I'd still like to have kids though, someday."

  Kalen stared at her.  "Really?!  Why?"

  She shrugged.  "I like kids."

  Kalen shuddered.  "I don't.  I'm glad we don't have any real babies around the house.  Mom's done with having kids, and Aunt Skye has never had any.  I think she's getting too old now anyway."  Kalen nodded his head.  "Yep, too old."  Besides that, he didn't like to think of any of the adults in his household having s-e-x, it was just too gross.  Aunt Skye and Uncle Hawk?  His mom and dad?  Ewww!

 

 


  "After we finish up this school report, do you want to go to a movie or something?"  Kalen had always found schoolwork a deadly bore,  but at least with this assignment, he had someone else to do the work for him.

  "Sure, I'd love to."  Mona handed a pencil.  "I'll speak,  you write."

  "What?!  It was supposed to go the other way!"

  Mona rolled her eyes.  "Nice try Kalen."  He blew a raspberry at her, and she grinned back.  "Let's get to work."

  "I hate that word."  Kalen grumbled as he sat down beside her on the ground.



~<>~



 "I think we're really going to have a baby!"  Skye's eyes shone as she looked up at her husband.

 

  Hawk hugged her.  "What all did the doctor say at your appointment?"

  "He said everything seems to be okay so far, there's no real signs of my body miscarrying this one.  I've had a few twinges though, and since I'm a high risk pregnancy he gave some rules to follow.  Like no heavy lifting or anything.  I might have to stop teaching for a while, and go on bed rest towards the end of this pregnancy.  He said we'll take it step by step.  Oh Hawk!  I can hardly believe it!  You always had faith that it would happen, but I didn't!"

  He smiled weakly.  "Yeah, I always knew it would happen sooner or later."  He had just assumed it would happen sooner, and now, after all these years, they were finally going to have a baby.  A son, the child of promise...  The ramifications of it all started to hit him.  The prophecy.  His mother.  He had to keep his son and Skye safe.  But how?

  Skye frowned.  "Aren't you happy about it?"

  "Of course I am."  He answered swiftly.

  "Oh, you just seemed, I don't know, troubled."

  He forced a smile, to try and reassure her.  "I'm just stunned."

 
  Skye smiled happily.  "I know!  Me too!  It's a wonderous thing, I think it's time to let the family know."

  Hawk nodded.  "I'm sure your dad will be thrilled with another grandson."

  "You seem so sure that this baby is a boy.  What if it's a girl?"

  "I just have a feeling it's a boy."

  "Really?  Well, I for one, hope it's a girl.  I can dress her up in those frilly dresses, do her hair, I could teach her how to dance, oh, it would be so lovely to have a little girl."

  Hawk pulled away from Skye, and talked directly to his son.  "Hey there little guy, this is your daddy.  You stay nice and cozy in there, and don't worry, I'll always protect you."  Somehow.

 

  Skye laughed.  "You persist in the son thing, hmm?  Well, I wouldn't mind a little boy either, just so long as our baby is healthy."

  Hawk smiled at his wife, this time his smile was genuine.  "Agreed." 


~<>~


  When Skye told her dad, he didn't seem all that surprised at her surprising news.

 "I've had a few kids."  He reminded her as he gave her a congratulatory hug.  "I can spot a pregnant woman a mile away."

 "But I didn't even know until not that long ago, how could you have known?" 

 

  "My heebie jeebie radar went off."

  Skye rolled her eyes.  "Daddy!"

  He held his hand up.  "Scout's honor."

  "I know better, you were never a scout."

  He sighed.  "Too true.  If I had been, I wouldn't have my built in heebie jeebie pregnant woman radar."

  She shook her head.  "You're impossible."

  ~<>~

    The first thing Hawk did in the mornings, after kissing his wife, was to say hello to his son.

 

 
  He was worried, but he kept it to himself.  Who would he tell after all?  To confess why he was worried, would be to confess to a few other things, and he just wasn't ready for that yet.  He needed more time.  As more time passed though, the more he worried.  Would Skye ever forgive him?  Could he keep her safe?  Could he keep their son safe?

  And what about her family?  His mother had something special planned for Skye's father, but she had never clued him in on that plan.  At the time he hadn't cared, but now...what was she planning?  He hadn't contacted her for a while, and he knew his mother didn't have much patience to start with, he really needed to send another message, soon.  Before leaving Midnight Hollow he had set up some safety protocols, redirects and the like, with the hope that it would slow her down, and give him more time...

  But how long would it work?  That he didn't know.  He knew that eventually she would tire of receiving encrypted electronic messages from him, and she would seek him out.  Only to find that he wasn't in Midnight Hollow anymore.  She would be furious.  He cringed.

  That was why whenever he was left alone in the house, he spent all his time practicing, honing his skills, for as many hours as he could. He couldn't afford to become rusty, his family's life depended on it.

~<>~


  Hawk held Skye's hands.  "How are you feeling today Beautiful?  Aren't you supposed to be lying down?"

    Skye sighed heavily.  "I'm bored."  After a rather serious scare and some time spent in the hospital, Skye had been diagnosed with preclampsia.  She had been released under strict orders, most of which boiled down to bed rest.  Lots and lots of bed rest.

 She had managed to get her husband and doctor to agree to let her lie on the living room couch, so she could at least watch tv, but she was even bored with that now.  She was an active person, lying around and being waited on hand and foot wasn't the life for her.  "I just wanted to stand up for a minute and stretch my legs.  It's so hard just lying there doing nothing."

  "You're not doing nothing Skye, you're taking care of our baby."

  "I know, I just hadn't expected it to be this hard.  I'm sorry I'm so whiny."  Skye knew logically what she was doing was best for her baby, that every day their baby stayed inside the womb, would make the baby stronger.

  "Well," he teased, "if anyone was entitled to be whiny, it would be you."  He smiled at her.  "I'm done with the day's herb scavenger hunt, so my time is all yours."

 "Well, you can watch reruns of Simnanny 911 with me, I've only seen them a hundred times or so." 

  Hawk grinned.  "Only a hundred?"  Skye scowled at him, and he chuckled.  "You're cute when you're all disgruntled.  Well, we could come up with a name for our son."

  Skye rolled her eyes.  "Our daughter you mean?"

  Hawk shook his head.  "No, son."  He smiled at her again.  "I was thinking we could name him after your father, then he might actually like me."

  Skye cringed.  "No!  Oh no, that would be like tempting fate, and there's no way I could handle two of them, one of him is more than enough!"  She paused, "I like the name Julia though."

  "Julia?"  Hawk pretended to ponder the name.  "I think that's a terrible name for a boy."

  Skye groaned.

 

  He sat on the couch, and tugged her down until she was snuggled on his lap.  "What about Peregrine?  We could call him Perry for short."

  Skye loped her arms around his neck.  "Another bird name?"

  "What's wrong with bird names?"  Hawk asked.  "It's kind of a family tradition."

  "Is it?  You never talk about your family at all, and I haven't pushed it because I sense there's some pain there, but..."

  Hawk realized his error too late, he had slipped up, and given her an opening.  Or given him an opening.  He looked at her, at the trust and love reflected in her eyes, and he just couldn't do it.  He didn't want to lose her just yet, he wanted a little more time, so he took the coward's way out again.  He distracted her with a kiss.


~<>~


  It was in the early hours of the morning when Skye woke up to a sharp pain across her stomach.  She gritted her teeth, and carefully sat up.  Her water had broke, soaking the bed, but worse than that, were the blood red streaks on her sheets. "Hawk," she shook her husband," Hawk,  I need to go to the hospital, now."  Hawk mumbled something.  She shook him again.  "I'm bleeding.  I need to go to the hospital."

  Hawk's eyes flew open, and he bounced out of bed.  "Sh*t!"

 

  "Hold on Baby, I'll come around and carry you out to the car, just let me throw my shoes on."  He glanced down at his bare chest.  "And a shirt."  He picked up the shirt he had thrown on the floor the night before and pulled it on.  He didn't care if it was dirty, time was of the essence.  Once he had his shoes on, he grabbed Skye's jacket and shoes, and helped her put them on.

  He gently lifted her into his arms, her face was pale, and she moaned as another pain hit her.  "It hurts."

  "I know, Baby, I know.  Hold on, I'll have you at the hospital quicker than you can say spit."


~<>~


  The Hospital front door banged open as Colin quickly strode through it.

   
   He made a beeline for the Nurse's desk to find out where they were keeping Skylar.  He had come as soon as f*cking birdboy had phoned him, letting him know that Skye had lost too much blood, and the doctors were trying to save her life.  Colin couldn't even f*cking conceive of losing his baby girl, so the f*cking doctors had better f*cking fix her.  Or he would f*cking fix them.

  He was directed to a small waiting room, where f*cking birdboy was frantically pacing back and forth.  "What the h*ll is going on?"  He barked, and Hawk jumped.

  "They kicked me out."  Hawk said, his voice was thick with emotion.  "They won't let me in to see her, she's lost so much blood.  So...much...blood."  His voice broke.  Hawk had learned at an early age, never cry, tears were weakness, but he couldn't stop them, no matter how hard he tried. He worst fear was coming true, but in a way he had not expected, or anticipated.  It wasn't supposed to go like this.

  "What the f*ck?"  Colin snarled.  "They better f*cking tell me what the f*ck is going on..."  He stopped his rant, when the doctor came into the room.  Colin pounced on him before the doctor could say a word.  "How the f*ck is my daughter doing?  What the f*ck is going on?  Where the f*ck is she?"

  The doctor tensed.  "Please, calm down Sir, and let's all sit down..."

  "F*ck that, talk before I f*cking shove your a*s down your f*cking throat."

  The doctor began to talk...


~<>~


  Hawk was torn.

  He wished he could be in two places at once, at home with his daughter, and at the hospital with his wife.  No, more than that, he wished his wife was well, and at home with them, where she belonged, not lying lifeless in a coma, in a hospital bed.

  Hawk had only heard bits and pieces of the doctor's explanation of what had happened to Skye; something about her uterus rupturing, which had immediately endangered her life, and Julia's.   It had been touch and go for several hours, they had successfully saved his daughter, in fact, she had been able to go home within a week.  His wife, on the other hand, still battled for her life.

  He cuddled his daughter, and smiled sadly.  He had named her Julia, because that was the name Skye had chosen if they had a girl.  He only wished that Skye could hold her, that he could hear her voice tell him, "I told you so."  She had hoped for a daughter, he had believed they would have a son.

   Why had he believed so strongly that they would have a boy?  The prophecy had said a child, it had not said whether it would be a son or a daughter,  yet he had assumed...out of his arrogance...that of course it would be a son!   Now he held a daughter in his arms, his precious daughter...

  He looked at her sweet, innocent face, and he felt an intense, overwhelming rush of love for her, and a fierce desire to protect her, and keep her safe.  "My Julia, if only your Mama was here."  He brought Julia to the hospital with him, to visit her mother, as often as he could, but hospitals were no place for a newborn.

  He traded time with his father in law, so that Skye would never be alone.  Tanner and Luna helped out as much as they could, but none of it was right.  It was all wrong.  Skye was supposed to be the one that rocked Julia to sleep at night, who fed her, cuddled her, played with her.

  Julia yawned sleepily.  He smiled at her.  He regretted a great many things, but he could never regret having Julia.  Never.  He gently laid her in the crib.

 

  Julia waved her little arms and legs about, and Hawk stroked her soft, downy hair.  "Sleep well Pumpkin, I will keep you safe, I promise."

___________________________________________________________________________________


Notes:  Mean cliffhanger, yeah, sorry.  We'll find out if Skye recovers or not, next chapter.  It was so hard to make Skye and Hawk wait so long to have a child.  They both rolled immediate baby wishes right after they got married, but I wanted to do something a little different.  Skye is part fae---and as I wrote many eons ago---they do have troubles conceiving, and that is why their numbers are down---and why Ellie sought out a human mate (Reilly).

  Of course, neither Alder nor Colin had that trouble, lol

  I'm not a doctor or anything; uterine rupture is a real thing, and it is serious, but I have taken some artistic license with it. 

  Speaking of Colin, no, he didn't murder Devin, though if he had been able to get his hands on him before Mr. Alto had, he would have.  I thought about it a lot, and decided I didn't want to make Colin a killer---justified or not.  However, I couldn't let Devin live either, haha!  So, enter the mobster.  Devin was playing a dangerous game, convinced he would never be caught, except he was.

  Colin and Nathaniel are best friends.  As soon as the family moved to Sunlit Tides, it was like Colin knew he was there, because suddenly he was rolling wants to spar with someone.  I rarely ever bother with the martial arts skill, especially for inactives, but of course, Nathaniel Raas comes with level 10 martial arts skill.  So it's been fun watching the two of them spar.  Colin wins some, loses some.  But hey, he's sparring the Grandmaster himself!!

  I am missing Alder and Ryder quite a bit.  Ryder was my clean sim, and was constantly cleaning up after everyone.  It was very handy in this hands off generation!  Alder was always good for laughs, he was always up to mischief!!  And he cooked. lol

  A closer pic of Trevor's face, because the pics I used of him in this chapter, he's pulling different facial expressions, lol  I think he's pretty cute.

  Julia. <3  It is probably pretty obvious, but I will state it anyway,  Julia is my Gen 9 heiress.  I'm pretty excited about her storyline, and I can't wait to delve into it!

 Questions?  Comments?  Thanks for reading!  =)