Look! An update! Thank you all so very much for your support! I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon. We do have an inspection coming up this week at work and I'm working overtime (boo) so next update may be delayed if I can't get it done tomorrow. In any case, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 25

"Sorry I ditched you at the party." I said to Tara as I sat down across from her at the cafeteria table. It was the first time I'd had a chance to sit down all day. Tara laughed and shook her head. "Did you and Jax get into it?"

"Uh, something like that." Her cheeks turned pink and a shy smile crossed her lips. I leaned back in my chair and pointed my fork at her.

"Spill, doc." I laughed. She shrugged and her smile grew.

"Jax found me in the bathroom. I was so angry about what Ima said. I planned on putting him in his place but we ended up having sex against the wall instead. Ima walked in just long enough to see what was going on. I think she may have finally gotten the message." Tara said with a giggle. I laughed and nodded although I doubted it would be that easy to get through Ima's thick skull. "Where's the weirdest place you and Happy have done it?"

"It? Fucked?" I laughed at her rolling eyes and thought about my answer. "I guess it was probably when we had sex on his bike."

"That's it?" She asked with a little chuckle. I smirked and stabbed my salad with my fork.

"I mean, it was in the middle of the day on the side of the road." I laughed. Tara's jaw dropped and I felt my cheeks starting to blush. "It was before I left for school. He was super nervous about being caught. It was hot."

"You know, most people would probably think that he was the crazy one. I know the truth though." Tara teased. I shook my head as I swallowed.

"Oh, trust me. He's still the crazy one. I've calmed down a lot since then." I reassured her. She didn't really seem convinced. My pager vibrated on my side. "Seriously, I'm on lunch."

"I heard you all had a couple call offs." Tara said apologetically as I stood up. I nodded and cleared the message. "I'll put your salad in my office fridge. You can get it whenever you can."

"Thanks. I'll see you later." I said, rushing down the hall. I skidded to a halt at the patient's bedside. "What've we got?"

Four hours later, I was scrubbing my hands after my first loss in a long time. The patient was a drunk driver that had caused a wreck that broke a little girl's leg. Regardless of his actions or who he was, the loss was still hard. His heart was just too weak for the surgery that he had to have. I know he would have died without the surgery but I still felt responsible. It was the doctor's curse. We're so accustomed to saving lives that when we can't, we take it personal, even if it was out of our control.

The day didn't get much better after the surgery. A girl vomited all over my shoes and a nurse decided to question me in front of a patient. If it wasn't for my phone going off in the middle of our 'discussion', it may have cost me a few days off and a write-up. I passed off my charts to the doctor that was relieving me and headed to Tara's office to throw out the salad I never got to eat.

"Sorry I missed your call. I was in the middle of something." I said, cradling my phone against my ear with my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm good. We ran into a problem on the run. Might have to extend it a day or two." I could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"Tomorrow is Sunday, Hap. The day after that is Monday. The day that I go to have my first ultrasound." I spoke slowly, hoping to keep the anger out of my voice. I heard him sigh and I knew this was going to turn into a fight.

"Alexis. I can't help this shit. I'm going to try and be there but I can't pull out of this right now." I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Babe, you know I wanted to be there."

"I wanted you to be there to, Happy. You said you would be but, of course, the club comes first. Check with Clay before you promise to be there when the baby is born." I ended the call and left Tara's office, slamming the salad into the first garbage can I came to. My phone was vibrating in my pocket as I walked out of the hospital. It stopped vibrating for a second but then started right back up as I got into my car. I knew he wouldn't stop calling until I answered. "What?"

"Don't ever fucking hang up on me again, Alexis." Happy growled. I assumed he wasn't yelling because other people were around. "Bobby is hurt and we're trying to find Tig. I don't have time to deal with your shit. I might be able to be there, a'ight? Calm the fuck down."

"Is that all?" I asked, in no mood to continue the conversation any further. He scoffed and I nodded. "Okay, well I'll talk to you later. You aren't the only one who's had a bad day."

"What happened?" I could still hear anger in his voice but he was obviously trying to smooth things over. I took a deep breath and started the car.

"I don't want to talk about it, Happy. I'll call you before I go to sleep." I said, waiting for him to acknowledge me before I ended the call that time.

"Yeah, alright." He ended the call and I tossed my phone into the passenger seat. I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and turned my face up towards the ceiling of the car. I didn't want to cry like this. Was I really so weak that I started crying anytime we got into an argument? I slammed my palms against the steering wheel and shook my head angrily.

When I got home, the prospect was sitting on his bike in front to the house. I twisted my mouth and got out of the car slowly. Happy hadn't mentioned anyone coming to check on me. I locked the car and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. The prospect started walking over, both hands shoved in his front pockets.

"Jax wanted me to come by and make sure you were okay. Don't tell Happy, okay?" He said, rocking back and forth on in his boots. I nodded and lifted a shoulder.

"I'm fine. I can handle an argument with Happy." I said. Half-sack nodded slowly and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "I won't say anything to him and I'll talk to Jax. Go enjoy doing whatever it is that you do when they're on the road."

"I mostly just play video games." He sounded a little embarrassed. I laughed and nodded, not at all surprised by that revelation. "I'm around if you need anything, Alexis. Have a good night."

"Thanks, you to." He was goofy and shy, not someone I would normally picture prospecting with the club. He was getting close to the year mark though. The guys must have seen something in him though, if not he'd have been cut loose by now. He mounted his bike and waited until I had closed the front door behind me to ride off. I put my bag away, toed my shoes off in the coat closet and headed straight for the couch. The day had gotten the better of me and I wasn't looking forward to sleeping alone for the first time in weeks. Even when Happy didn't get in until late, he'd be there when I woke up.

"Hey, are you busy?" I asked after he answered on the first ring. I slid beneath the sheet and blanket and tried to get comfortable.

"A little. You okay?" Happy asked. I could hear bikes idling in the background and I felt a little guilty for picking a fight with him earlier.

"Yeah, I'm just not used to sleeping without you anymore. I didn't mean to be so mean earlier. I know you'd be there if you could" I said, feeling about six inches tall.

"Hey, I may still get to be there, baby." I didn't want to get my hopes up and I could tell he felt the same way. "Get some sleep, Lexie. I love you."

"I love you, Hap." I said, pulling his pillow to my chest. I liked the way that it still smelled like him, even when he wasn't there. "Be careful, okay?"

"Only for you." He said before the call ended. I set my phone on the nightstand, making sure to deactivate any of my alarms. I really wanted to get caught up on some sleep, I was tired and sleeping would make the time without Happy go by faster. Unfortunately, Mom had other plans for my day off without Happy.

"Why are you still asleep? Are you sick?" Mom asked. I rubbed my eyes and tossed the door closed with a grunt. "Do you two even live here? I enjoy a clean house as much as the next person but this is a little much."

"I clean when I'm bored and Happy doesn't make a mess. I'm not sick." I muttered as I followed her into the kitchen. She started opening cabinets. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for coffee. You obviously need some." She said, finally finding the right cabinet and pulling the bag down. I bit my bottom lip.

"I'm trying to cut back. I've been drinking tea." I said. She looked back at me like I was a stranger. I shrugged. "It's better for you."

"Sure there isn't another reason?" Her intuition annoyed the hell out of me. I shrugged, hoping to stick to the plan of not making any announcements until after the ultrasound. She made a noise in ER throat and put the coffee away, pulling down a box of earl gray tea instead. "Go get dressed."

"Fine." I wanted to stay in pajamas all day and binge watch chick flick movies. Mom had a cup of tea ready for me when I came back, dressed in a plaid button down and boyfriend jeans with my converse high tops. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. "What? I want to be comfortable."

"Let's go. I need to get some shopping done for the clubhouse." She said, shaking her head again. I whined in protest, lifting my fresh cup of tea. "Bring it with you, Alexis."

"I don't know why you're dragging me around. You need to bond with Tara, take her." I grumbled. She shook her head and unlocked her car.

"How far along are you?" She asked after we loaded the groceries in her car. I blinked and stared at my feet, refusing to look at her. "Alexis, I've had three children including you and I know when something is off with you."

"We just decided to keep it recently and we wanted to wait until after my ultrasound tomorrow to tell anyone." I said with a frown. She shook her head and started backing out of the grocery store parking lot.

"I'm your mother, Alexis. I should have known second if not first. When did you find out?" She asked bitterly. I sighed and leaned back in the seat.

"When the doctor ran tests after what happened." I said, not wanting to think about the assault after finding that mask on the front porch. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Happy didn't want to keep it?" She asked. I scowled and looked over at her, wondering why she would think that.

"I wasn't sure if I was ready. Happy never said a word against it." I snapped. Her eyes widened. "Why did you think Happy wouldn't want to have a child with me?"

"I just never thought of him being a father. Don't be so sensitive." Mom said, pursing her lips and turning onto my street. Apparently she was done with the conversation. "I appreciate you telling me, Alexis."

"I told you! We weren't going to tell anyone until the ultrasound." She laughed and shook her head, stopping in front of Tara's father's house.

"I'm sure your doctor friend knows." She snapped. I threw the door open and got out of her car.

"You sound like a jealous child. I'm sure you were happier than this to hear about Abel. I guess I just can't do anything right though." I was deflecting my guilt back onto her. I remembered that much from my psychology courses in medical school. I went inside and cleaned the entire house. After running out of things to do, I drew a bath with bubbles in hopes that it would ease my mind. I was starting to feel like the world was working against me, like nothing was going right.

"Lexie. Wake up." I moaned and tried to roll over, wishing Happy's voice wasn't just part of my dream. "Hey."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and sat straight up, breathing heavily. Happy was standing beside the bathtub. It wasn't a dream. I looked down at the water. All the bubbles were gone and the water was no warmer than room temperature. My fingers were well past the pruning point and I was shivering. Happy grabbed a towel for me and gave me a hand out of the tub. I wrapped the towel around me and tried to keep my teeth from chattering.

"Baby, what were you doing?" Happy asked, rubbing my arms to try and warm them up. I explained that I'd taken a bubble bath and must have fallen asleep. He searched my eyes and pulled me to him, holding me tightly. "Damnit, Alexis. You could have drowned."

"I'm okay. Hey, it was an accident. What are you doing here?" I asked. He kissed my forehead and started rubbing my arms again.

"We took care of shit and I didn't want to stay for the party. Had better places to be." He said. I smiled and hugged him tightly. "Come on. You need to get warm."

He led me to the bed and made me sit down while he got me a clean shirt out of his drawer and my fleece lounge pants. I put both on quickly, savoring the little warmth they provided. I crawled into my side of the bed as he dug a blanket out of the closet. He got into bed next to me and laid on his side, wrapping his arm around me.

"Mom found out about the baby." I said. Happy nodded and rubbed his hand over my stomach. "I didn't tell her, she just sprung the question on me and I couldn't lie. She's mad because Tara knew before she did."

"She'll get over it, Lexie." He said, continuing to rub my stomach. I loved the feeling. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Me? I don't know. I just want them to be healthy. I'm really worried about them having cardiac problems, considering my family history." I said, biting my bottom lip. Happy shook his head.

"Won't happen. I've got good genes. Lowman babies are tough as nails." He said with a smirk. I laughed and put my hand on top of his. "I want a girl."

"What, so she can be a daddy's girl?" He nodded and I rolled my eyes. I could almost picture it in my head though. "You'll be a great dad. Girl or boy, they'll both love you so much."

"Hope so. You warm?" I nodded and he leaned over me, kissing my lips softly. "Go to sleep. I'm beat."

I couldn't seem to fall back to sleep. I would close my eyes and drift off but it was like I was still aware of everything going on around me. When the sun started peeking in through the blinds, I gave up on getting anymore rest. I carefully slipped out of the bed, hoping not to wake Happy. He had to be exhausted from so many miles over the past couple days.

I made myself some tea and took it out to the back porch. It was a cool morning and there was dew on everything. Summer was slowly giving was to Autumn. I was glad that I wouldn't be pregnant during the summer next year. I didn't see how it could be anything less than exhausting.

"Why are you nervous?" Happy asked, causing me to jump. He raised his brow and I sighed, dropping my shoulders and waiting for my heart to slow down. "You've been biting your nails."

"What if the baby has a heart problem? That's what happened to our brother Thomas. He was on medicine his whole life and had more surgeries than a person should ever have in their life." My heart was starting to race again. I brought my thumb up to my mouth and tugged at my nail with my teeth.

"When will we know?" Happy asked, avoiding eye contact with me. I shook my head slowly. There wasn't a way to know for sure until at least the last trimester.

"The third trimester or after they're born." I noticed that he was chewing on his toothpick a little harder. "There have been a lot of advancements in medicine since we lost Thomas though. Abel's fine. He'll be on medication for a few years, maybe the rest of his life but he'll have a long, normal life."

"Yeah, you forget your nephew's last name? I don't think normal is in the books for the Tellers." He was probably right. Still, at least he would be healthy. I glanced down at my watch and stood up. "Go, I'll wash this."

"Thanks." I kissed his cheek as he picked up my half-full cup of tea. I hurried to get dressed, picking comfort over fashion. I tied my shoes and grabbed one of Happy's hoodies before meeting him at the front door. He smirked. "Shut up. I'm getting probed. I get to be comfortable."

"Not complaining. Those show off your ass." He said, referring to my leggings. I rolled my eyes and took his hand, leading him out of the door. "I'm driving."

"Fine." I tossed him my keys and walked around to the passenger side. We were just on time to the appointment, thanks to his driving. "I'm not going to die if you drove a little faster."

"Shut up." He said, tossing the keys back to me. "You've got special cargo."

We went right back to an examination room after signing in with the receptionist. Several women gave me dirty looks and I wondered if it was because of the professional courtesy I was shown or who I was with. Either way, I didn't have to sit in the waiting room with them so I won in the end. My blood pressure was slightly elevated but I contributed that to my anxiety. When the nurse started taking my blood, Happy looked away. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Really? You're covered in tattoos." I teased. Happy shook his head, still not looking my way.

"Needles are way smaller and don't go all the way in." Happy grumbled, obviously annoyed that I was teasing him. I laughed and squeezed his hand.

"It's over." I said. He peeked over at me to make sure I wasn't lying. I pursed my lips and gestured to the bandage. The nurse left the room and I started getting butterflies. Happy was pacing around the room, looking at one poster and then the next. When the doctor came in and started the examination. He stood in the corner, arms crossed and eyes fixed on every move she made. When the ultrasound started, he stared at the screen like it was some mystical object.

"That, right there," the doctor pointed to the screen, "that is your baby. See the nose and the feet?"

"Fuck." Happy said, transfixed by the ultrasound. I felt tears rolling down my face. I was both excited and scared. How was I going to raise a child? I barely managed to keep my own life on track and now Happy and I were going to be responsible for someone. I could see some of the same thoughts written all over his face, more than that though, I could see how excited he was. I smiled and offered him my hand as he walked over.

"Still sure about this?" I asked with a smile. Happy laughed and nodded his head.

"Completely." He said before he leaned down and kissed me. I smiled, feeling reassured. "I need at least five copies of that."

a/n: this last part had me smiling as I wrote it. :)