Fall On Me (14 page)

"I'm not five, baby," I mumbled. "Just…just
go lie down. I'll sort this out."

"I don't want you to go," she begged as she
gripped the sides of my pants with her fists. "Please don't go. I'm
sorry for not telling you, okay?"

"He's not getting away with this, Lee," I
whispered, my anger re-filling to the point I felt I would burst if
I didn't get it out. "He could have killed you. That's neglect. I
am not paying those goddamn doctors a fortune to talk shit to you."
I shook my head in pure rage. "No one is going to dismiss you like
that and get away with it."

"He probably didn't check my file," she said,
obviously trying to comfort me. "He may not have known about my
kidneys, Kyle."

"He's a goddamn nephrologist," I spat as I
desperately tried to rein in my temper. "You were hardly calling
him for a friendly chat. It's his job to check your file, Lee. He
is
paid
to know about
your
kidneys."

"Are you going to leave me, Kyle?" she asked
in a soft tone.

"Leave you?" I shook my head and gaped at
her. "No. Jesus, Lee, what the hell are you talking about?"

Stepping back from me, she looked into my
eyes. "People mess up all the time, Kyle," she told me before
climbing onto the bed and crawling over to her side. "I'm hurt over
what you did tonight, too, you know, but you don't see me running
out looking for a fight." She curled into a ball on her side before
whispering, "You don't always have to use your fists to prove a
point…"

"Lee," I sighed as I climbed into bed and
curled my body around hers. "I'm sorry, okay? For ambushing you
with Tracy…for fucking up...I won't do it again."

"Please don't," was all she said and I wasn't
sure if I'd gotten off lightly or if I was in deeper shit than I'd
originally thought.

****

Chapter 8

Baby
brothers

Lee

I was having a bad day. Every inch of my body
ached as I made my way down to the lobby with Hope in my arms. My
limbs felt like noodles and my mind was stuck in the past. I hadn't
touched the prescription of sleeping pills I'd been prescribed, but
last night I'd woken up from a nightmare in such a panic that I'd
staggered into the shower at 5am and scrubbed my skin raw. It
hadn't helped. I still felt dirty. I could still feel her blood on
my hands.
All over my body…

The elevator pinged as the doors slid open. I
was glad I'd tucked a muslin cloth over my shoulder. Hope was a bad
traveler when it came to elevators. Stepping out of the elevator, I
stood to one side as I cleaned us up as best I could. Thankfully
she hadn't ate lunch yet and I had my hair tied back. Otherwise
this would have been a code red puke-fest.

Kyle would probably kill me if he knew I was
wandering around the hotel, but I had to get out of that room. I
needed to integrate myself back into society again and he needed to
let me. I planned on doing this by having lunch in the hotel
restaurant. We had been doing really well, but things were tense
between us now. I was mad at him for forcing my mother on
me–although, to be fair, he did seem to have dropped it. He was mad
at me for not telling him I was sick. I'd suffered for my omission.
Kyle had been methodical in having me test my urine every morning
since. He had also re-enforced his sex ban. He hadn't actually told
me that, since we weren't really speaking, but I guessed sex was
off the menu when he started wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt to
bed. Although, apparently it was absolutely fine for him to have
sex with himself. He hadn't even blushed when I walked in on him
jerking off in the shower this morning. I'd almost died of
embarrassment while Kyle had just grinned and carried on. To be
honest, I could have sworn he enjoyed my eyes on him. But he really
didn't have to bother wrapping himself up at night. The only thing
I was tempted to get on top of right now was my bed, and the only
thing I was getting under was my duvet.

I was so exhausted from lack of sleep. My
nightmares were plaguing me lately and even though Kyle was mad at
me he still held me when I woke at night and comforted me until I
fell back to sleep. Being in love helped when we drove each other
crazy and trusting him helped even more. There was a structure to
our relationship that hadn't been there in the beginning. A
security. But sometimes it was hard to find a steady medium when
we'd lived the past couple of years in a state of constant drama. I
was working on not running when things upset me. And Kyle was
working on not losing his temper with me when I pissed him off. I
thought we were doing a good job until my mother had jostled her
way between us. Now all I wanted to do was run and all Kyle wanted
to do was shout.

Stupid damn
woman…

"Miss Bennett."

I groaned internally when I saw Kyle's
henchman approach me with a frustrated look on his face. "You're
not supposed to be down here," Marcus stated as he stood in front
of me with his hands on his hips. He–like most others–towered above
me, which made me wonder how tall my daughter would grow to be with
Kyle's giant genes in her. She was a long baby–had weighed eight
pounds when she was born. I had a feeling I was going to be the
shortest member of our little family.
Maybe if we got a
dog…"
Mr. Carter said…"

"I know, I know," I mumbled as I cradled Hope
to my chest. I couldn't rest her on my hips because my scars were
feeling tender. I felt like a child being told off by a grownup
which was absurd considering I was holding my own child in my arms.
"I just felt like stretching my legs and grabbing a bite to
eat."

I hated explaining myself to every tom, dick
and harry he had watch me. I found it especially embarrassing since
I'd worked alongside the majority of the staff in this place when I
first moved to The Hill. I was totally paranoid that they believed
what was written in the papers about me. I hoped they didn't
believe it, but I wasn't a fool either. I'd made it to the top of
the gossip pile when I fell pregnant with the boss's babies, but
we'd kept the details within our small circle of friends. Now they
could read all about it. It felt like light-years ago. It was a
simpler time. Hurtful, but less complicated. I never knew where I
stood with Kyle back then, but I had Cam back then...

"Mr. Carter gave you implicit instructions
not to come down here, Lee," Marcus said in an embarrassed tone. I
was glad he felt embarrassed. This was ridiculous. At least he
called me Lee today. I was getting tired of this Miss Bennett
trick. I wasn't posh. I was simple. I was one of them. I wished
they would remember that. "You would be doing me a huge favor if
you went back to your room."

"Where is Kyle?" I asked as I shifted around,
trying to keep my grizzly baby content. I guessed she didn't like
her mommy being interrogated either. Sometimes I felt like I was
the one who had committed a crime instead of being the victim of
one. "Is he here?"

"Who knows," Marcus grumbled and I didn't
miss the 'as usual' he added under his breath. "Linda isn't here
either which leaves me in charge. And no offence, Lee, but I value
my job a little more than you value your appetite."

"Leave her alone, Marcus. She needs to come
out of that room sooner or later," I heard a male voice say from
behind me and I wanted to run back into the elevator and hide. I'd
been avoiding him with months. I didn't have anything to say to him
and there really wasn't anything I wanted to hear from his mouth
either, unless it was an apology to Derek.

"Well, you can explain this to the boss,"
Marcus grunted as Kyle's half-brother, Mike, came to stand beside
me.

"I will," Mike said in a firm tone. Marcus
glanced at me in annoyance before storming off.

"How have you been?" Mike asked, turning to
face me. I wished I was quick tongued like Kyle so that I could
toss out a sharp retort, but sadly when it came to uncomfortable
situations, nine out of ten times, I became a mute. "Lee…"

"Fine," I managed to squeeze out. My face was
burning, but I wasn't blushing, I was anxious. I didn't want Kyle
to find me talking to him. He would freak out and I'd put him
through enough last year. I hadn't seen it at the time, probably
due to the pregnancy hormones, but I'd been a bitch. I had a lot of
time to think when I was lying in that hospital bed. I'd thought
through all of our behaviors and I'd come to terms with the fact
that I'd pushed Kyle's buttons on purpose. Cam had been right when
she said I was being deliberately cruel to Kyle. I had been. I was
actually pretty mortified about my behavior and anytime I saw Mike
my shame intensified.

Mike had been to every doctor appointment
when it should have been Kyle. He was such an amazing dad and I
felt sick with guilt over the way I'd forced him out. I felt even
worse when I thought back to the night when Cam had tried to force
me into the bathroom.
"I was there too, Cam. Every fucking
night. I never left,"
Kyle had said. I hadn't thought about it
much at the time, but I thought about it now. I thought about it
every time he held his daughter and every time he smiled at
me...

"She's getting big," Mike crooned as he shook
Hope's tiny hand. Hope gave Mike a wide smile and scrunched her
little hands out for him to pick her up. I stepped away quickly and
rushed for the restaurant. I needed to teach my daughter not to
smile at snakes. It would be a good lesson for her to learn. She
needed to know that some of the most dangerous people came in
beautiful packaging. "Lee," Mike called out as he stepped around me
and blocked the restaurant doorway. His brown eyes were sunken in
his face. His blonde curls were limp on his head and I would bank
money on the fact that the clothes he wore hadn't been ironed. He
looked awful and I had to slap away the worry that was seeping into
my heart. He was deceitful. He was the same as his father. I needed
to remember that. "I know this is probably bad timing, but do you
think I could come with you and talk?" He sighed and shook his
head. "Please…I could use a friend right now."

"I have a friend," I said quietly as I held
Hope tightly. "His name is Derek Porter, and because of your
selfish actions he's living in hell. In hell, Mike. And I don't
think he'll ever pull himself out of it. So, no. I'm sorry but we
can't be friends. I won't risk my relationship with Kyle and my
friendship with Derek for you. I made too many bad choices when it
came to you in the past. I won't make another."

I forced myself to step around him. The look
of hurt on his face was something I refused to feel bad for. Mike
was a risk, one I wasn't willing to take.

I swung the door of the restaurant open and
came face to chest with the most dangerous person I'd ever come
into contact with, wrapped in beautiful packaging. "You need to get
your hearing tested, princess." Kyle glared down at me and I could
feel the anger emanating off him. It was thick. It was directed at
me. "I could have sworn I told you to stay …"

"Back off," I snapped. "I am hungry, I am
tired and I am not in the mood for your caveman antics. I'm not
breaking your rules, Kyle. You said stay in the hotel. I am. Now, I
am
going to eat in here." Meeting his stare with a glare of
my own, I mentally patted myself on the back for not whimpering
under his hard stare before saying, "If you want to join us, you're
more than welcome, but if you want to continue glaring at me like
that then maybe you should go take a time out."

Kyle eyes moved from my face to behind me.
The anger I felt coming from him multiplied in waves. "You need
something?" he growled. I craned my neck around to see who it was,
even though I already knew whose face I would see.
Oh yeah, I
was having a swell day.
Mike stepped closer to us and I groaned
loudly. I swear I had enough of today and it wasn't even ten o
clock. I didn't need this crap.

"Just a word with Lee." Mike inclined his
head in my direction and Kyle's spine straightened. "It won't take
long." Good god almighty, this was uncomfortable.

"Not happening," Kyle hissed as he took Hope
out of my arms.

"I already told him no," I told Kyle. If I
was about to be thrown to the wolves, I wanted my name cleared
first.

"My office. Now." Kyle looked between the
both of us when he spoke and for a moment I wasn't sure who he was
talking to.

"Me?" I asked in a squeaky tone. I cleared my
throat and straightened my stance. I had nothing to be nervous
about. He wasn't my boss anymore.

Kyle glanced down at me and his expression
visibly softened. "No, princess," he said in a softer tone. "Go
eat. Just…just stay inside."

"But what about Hope…" I started to say, but
my words fell on deaf ears. I watched in dismay as Kyle stalked off
with our daughter in his arms and his brother reluctantly trailing
after him. I secretly wondered if I should slip Kyle some of those
sleeping pills I'd been prescribed. Maybe they would calm him down
a little…

****

Kyle

"You've got one hell of a nerve to even
approach her," I said in a low tone as I sat at my desk and propped
Hope on my knee. I hated when she talked to him. I fucking hated
it. He'd wanted Lee for as long as I had. I didn't blame him for
being attracted to her, I could understand the attraction, but he
needed to back the hell off. She was mine. For Christ's sake, even
when she was pregnant with
my
baby he had sniffed after her
like a dog.

Mike had a problem with crossing lines. He
screwed Derek over. He wasn't going to get a chance to do that to
me. Never again. "You know why I can't fire you," I told him
because it was true. It was in writing. A stipulation of my
inheritance. "But don't push me, Mike. I'll break all my rules for
her. Upset her again and you're out."