*Author's Note*

Thanks for reading, faving, following, and reviewing.

WARNING!: NOVA MAKES A DUMB DECISION IN THIS CHAPTER REGUARDING SHAW!

You have been warned, but shouldn't be too surprised since Shaw's more or less a warning in himself.

Also, there's LEMONS in this. I'm not saying who the lemon involves, but I think you can figure it out…

Anyways, read and enjoy.

Late Night Calls

Nova POV:

I had to admit that a part of me didn't believe that Shaw would actually get me a Spicy McChicken and bring it to my room as a peace offering in exchange for the chance to talk and hangout as friends. So, when a knock lightly sounded on the door a less than 10 minutes later, I was a bit shocked. Even more so whenever I heard his voice call out from the hallway with, "Nova, it's me, Shaw. I got your Spicy McChicken; a large sweet tea too, so let me in, babe."

Holy shit, he actually showed up. I didn't say a word, just stood up from my spot on the bed and crossed the small distance to the door. I unlatched it and opened it up only to reveal Shaw standing right in front of the door with a bag in one hand and a large foam cup in the other. A lopsided grin appeared on his scruffy face, pulling his golden-brown mustache up in a funny angle, as he gave me a hug and said, "I've brought ya some comfort food and friendship, honey."

"You know, I almost didn't think you'd actually come up with the McDonalds." I admitted while breaking our hug and stepping to the side to give him a berth to enter my room with.

"Damn, babe, you must surround yourself with a helluva lot of losers and ass-wipes if ya didn't believe me when I said I'd be up with whatever you wanted." He told me as he walked inside and went over to the nightstand by my bed; setting down the takeout on it before taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the desk chair in the corner by the nightstand all the while I shut and locked the door before making my way to the bed, which was the only one in the room since I rented a single cause I didn't see the need to pay extra for a room with a double in it.

"Reckon so considerin' I more or less got myself stuck between Tolbert and Cap at the moment." I half-sighed half-dryly scoffed as I went over to the bed and took a seat on it next to Shaw.

"Tolbert's your client and Cap's your husband, but I take it it's not as cut and dry as that." He stated, not asked, as he took my sandwich out of the takeout bag and handed it over to me.

"No, unfortunately, it's not." I sighed, taking the sandwich from him and unwrapping it.

"Is that why you're so down in the dumps? You know, bein' stuck in the middle of two guys ya care for?" My new friend asked my as I took my first bite out of my Spicy McChicken, which tasted like heaven since I was always craving chicken anymore cause of my pregnancy.

"Yea, I guess so." I mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"Nova, babe, talk to me. I'm your friend; I'm here to listen to you and be a shoulder to lean on." He told me with kindnessin his honey eyes as I quietly ate my sandwich. "Ya don't have to be miserable alone; I can support you in your misery." Shaw reminded me as he placed a gently hand on my shoulder, rubbin' it lightly and in a soothing way.

"I fucked up and I don't know what to do to fix it."

"Okay." He nodded before saying, "Go on, I'm listenin'."

"I'm married to Cap, who I was seein' for a few months back in Baltimore before this murder trial started, but I got myself wrapped up with Tolbert the minute he revealed to me that he named me the sole guardian of his daughter if he went to jail or died." I began only for Shaw to look at me studiously and nod to let me know that he was ready to hear more of my explanation if there was more to it. "Maybe a part of me was always tied to Tolbert considerin' I dropped everything and moved back here, to a place I haven't been to in a decade, but I ran to him the moment things got bad between me and Cap. I mean right after I told Cap 'bout bein' named Sally Elle's guardian in something happened to Tolbert and begging him to plead him out to a lesser charge that could be done with house arrest all my husband did was coldly tell me that he wasn't pleading him out cause he's a murder; that I better get him to name somebody else as his daughter's guardian too cause if I take her on then our marriage is either goin' to suffer or die." I took a deep, but shaky breath, before concludin' my confession with, "So, I went to Tolbert cause my uncle wouldn't take me in. Of course, old habits die hard and I ended up playing house with him and his daughter. But tonight, when I was unpackin' the takeout I brought home for dinner, we had this big blow out fight right infront of his kid and she was screaming and crying for us to stop. I had to leave cause I realized that it wasn't right for me to stay there with Tolbert; that Sally Elle can't have us as a family unit 'til he gets locked up cause we're too volatile and explosive together." Shaking my head, I took another bite out of my sandwich.

"Wow, that's some heavy shit." Was the only reaction I got from Shaw.

"I know, Shaw, and I don't know what to do to fix it. I've done gone fucked everything in my life up; other people's lives too."

"Hey, don't put yourself on a guilt trip." He told me in a soft tone as I ate my spicy chicken sandwich. "Those guys are just as guilty in this fuckery as you are. They pull and tug ya every which way til you go along with it cause you've got a big heart." Grabbin' my drink off the nightstand and handin' it to me, he simply said, "Here, take a drink 'fore you burn your mouth off from eatin' half that Spicy McChicken."

"Thanks." I simply told him, taking the offered drink and sipping from the straw that he was so kind to put into the cup for me. "I told Tolbert that you're a nice guy, but he wouldn't have any of it and bit my head off."

"You told Tolbert 'bout me?" He asked with a brow quirked up as I took a large bite out of my sandwich.

"Yea, well, you came up when I mentioned going to the diner for lunch. I also had to tell him 'bout your sister's pregnancy so…" I told him in between finishing up my sandwich.

"Tolbert's hated me practically all his life. Goddamnit, he even tried to kill me once." Shaw told me, takin' the empty wrapper I handed him and placing it into the McDonald's bag that was on the nightstand.

"What?" I gasped, my eyes wide since this was the first I've ever heard about Tolbert trying to kill somebody when he was younger. I knew he fought a lot, but try to kill somebody…Jesus…

"Mhm, when I was 'bout 12-or-13 I was hangin' out with Tolbert. We were playin' a lousy card game and I won, cleanin' him out of 20 bucks. Turns out he felt I cheated and tried to shank me in the gut. Fortunally for me he was haf drunk and got me right by the hip, but if he was sober, I would've been dead or close to it from his blade."

"Oh my god…I never knew that." I told him between sipping on my tea.

"Why would ya?" Shaw rhetorically asked before going on to say, "I doubt he goes 'round braggin' bout all the bar brawls he's been in or the scuffles he gets into at seedy poker games."

"You didn't tell anybody cause your folks are friends, huh?"

"Yep." He popped his tongue. Shaw shook his head before telling me in a low scoff, "Mom and dad didn't want my fight with Tolbert over a lousy $20 card game ruinin' their friendships with the McCoys so they told me to keep my mouth shut 'bout it." He gestured to his jaw while adding in, "Actually, my dad busted my jaw to get me to comply 'bout not tellin' anybody."

"Oh…" I trailed off cause I didn't know what else to do or say. I mean what do you say to something like that?

"I've got the scar to prove I ain't lyin', babe." He told me 'fore askin', "Wanna see it?"

I should've said no, but curiosity got the better of me. I mean, hearing that Ellison wasn't the first man that Tolbert stabbed took me aback and being able to see prove of that intrigued me. "Sure." I simply said, sipping on my sweet tea.

Shaw grabbed the hem of his white t-shirt and lifted it up, showcasing his side. I took in not just the silvery line of a scar left by a blade, but the ripple of his toned abs and a tattoo of a deer with large sprawling antlers flanking his side. I felt my mouth go dry and I knew that I was in trouble; was playing with fire by bein' in my room alone with Shaw. I'd already crossed the line of infidelity once with Tolbert; what's to say that I wouldn't cross it again with Shaw. He was a handsome and kind man. He was showing an interest in my wellbeing as a friend, but with all the self-induced drama I've seemed to stir up with my husband and my ex turned client turned lover I craved a sense of solidarity and I might just end up doing something rash and in the heat of the moment with this golden-brown haired man that was assuring me that my problems weren't entirely my fault; that I was still a good person despite it all. This man that had his own weight and family burdens on his shoulders was trying to comfort me and assure me that I'd be okay.

I took a quick sip of my tea in order to wet my dry mouth. "You're lucky it was by your hipbone and not a few inches over." I dumbly told Shaw, literally stating what he'd just told me a few moments ago.

"Yea, I was, wasn't I?" He asked, noddin' his head while shootin' me a thin line of a smile as he dropped his shirt; causing it to wrinkle just a bit as it laid against the waistband of his jeans. A serious look overcame his rugged facial features as he asked, "If it's not too much to ask, why are you here instead of back home with Cap since ya walked out on Tolbert tonight?"

"Honestly?" I asked, wanting to make sure that he really wanted to hear my answer before I gave it.

"Yea, honey, honestly." He softly nodded. "I won't judge ya, I swear." He added in as an afterthought to assure me that whatever I said wouldn't be picked apart and scrutinized.

I let out a deep sigh before revealing, "Honestly, I don't know if I'm ready to go home to him yet. Not with everything that's happened."

"Oh…" He trailed off in a sigh. "So, if you were to go home do ya think he'd greet ya with open arms or be too busy workin' on the case; trying to find a way to polish his antics since there's a lull in the trial?"

"Prolly the latter. This case has him consumed with revenge and hate. So much so that it fuels him and he's prolly workin' 'round the clock to try and find a way to undermine my defense once the trial does resume."

"Oh…" Shaw trailed off with a nod.

"Yea…" I replied, my own voice lingerin' awkwardly in the air. I stretched over Shaw in order to place my cup onto the nightstand, but I lost my balance and ended up fallin' on him as soon as my cup hit the bedside table. He caught me, quickly grabbing my hips in order to keep me balanced and prevent me from falling. Out of pure instinct, I grabbed his shoulders in order to keep myself from falling. Our noses were an inch or so apart as we stared in each other's eyes. Our stare was intense, cornflower blue gazing into honey brow eyes in a way that felt as if we were lookin' into each other's souls.

I don't know who broke first, who initiated it, but one minute we were gazin' in each other's eyes and the next our lips were melting together in an intense and hungry kiss.

Oh god…I'm a goner…I'm such a horrible person…Such a horrible, weak person and Cap deserves so much better…God, after this trial's over I'm gonna do every in my power to be the best and faithful wife I can be to Cap.

When we broke apart for air, Shaw gently ran his thumb along my cheek bone while giving me a questionable look. He was silently asking me if he overstepped his boundaries; if I was okay. I tried to tell him it was okay, that he didn't overstep, but my mouth wouldn't open and the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. "I'll go if ya want me to." He softly told me, gently brushing his knuckles against my jaw.

"No, don't go." My traitorous mouth squeaked out. Damnit, I was craving affection and sadly, Shaw was giving it to me. What the hell was my problem? Oh my god, I need therapy or something.

"Nova, baby, you know what'll happen if I stay." Shaw told me, his deep timbre holdin' a softness in it. His honey eyes were locked onto my cornflower blues as he asked, "Can ya handle crossin' that line in our friendship; becomin' friends with benefits per say?"

"Yea, I can handle it." I squeaked out with a nod. God, I should kick him out, but I was too far gone to do that. I was a moth and I was caught in the flame that was his kindness and affection.

"I'm a simple man, baby. I won't ask for more then you're willing to give."

Shaw POV:

Hell, I knew as soon as we shared our first kiss that I was gonna be balls deep inside of her. Of course, I had to act like a respectable gentleman and give her the choice (well, think she had a choice) of turning me away. I knew that Nova would beg me to stay; beg me to fuck her too just from how intense our lip locking was. And boy was I right. She let me stay, knowing that we were gonna become fuck buddies. Okay, well, I worded it nicer to her by using the term friends with benefits, but essentially, we're gonna be fuck buddies now.

I usually wasn't too big on making out and foreplay since I was one of those guys that just liked to fuck and go (except with my ex-wife, I actually did some kissing and foreplay with her, but we were married so…), but with Nova I let her straddle my lap and kiss me until we were out of breath. I let her set the pace even tho that went against everything in my red- and hot-blooded male nature. God, I grew harder and harder with every needy, bitin', and lip tuggin' kiss we shared. Hell…

When she pulled away only to tug my shirt hastily off of my I knew that I was in, that as soon as she set her pretty blue eyes on my bare and broad chest that she'd be so wet in her panties (bet it's a thong cause she's in leggings and doesn't have any panty lines) that she'd be grindin' up on me and begging me to take her. As soon as she got my shirt off and tossed it behind her, Nova's eyes roamed up and down my chest. They stopped on the Navy anchor tattoo that I have on my left pec. Her hand instantly went to it. "Got anymore tattoos to show off?" She asked, tracin' my tat with her fingertips.

"Nope." I popped my tongue before expanding my answer with, "Just this one, the one of my side, and the ones on my arms." The feel of her fingertips ghosting along the lines of my pec tat was intoxicating. So much so that I let out a knowing smirk of, "You seem to be fond of ink, baby."

"Mhm…" She hummed 'fore leanin' forward and pressin' a kiss to my tattooed pec. Sweet Jesus, if I wasn't rock hard before then I definitely am now. I know that she feels how hard I am since she's straddlin' my waist.

"Got any tats yourself?" I asked, feeling her lips glide over my skin right before her teeth grazed my nipple. Holy shit, I needa get inside of her and soon.

"Well, you'll have to take my shirt off to find out." Nova told me, her breath hot 'gainst my chest.

Dippin' my knuckles under her chin and lifting her head up so I could look into her eyes, I told her with a smirk, "Well, reckon your shirt's gotta come off."

"Reckon so." She agreed with a nod.

Nova sat straight up, causing me to grab the hem of her loose-fitting black t-shirt and pull it over her head. My mouth watered as I tossed her shirt aside while staring at her perky tits. Damn, I had no idea that she was goin' braless underneath her black tee, but hell I wasn't complaining 'bout it either. Her bare upper body was spotless, causin' me to quickly come to the conclusion that her ink must be on her back. Well, I'd turn her over to inspect her for a tat in a minute or two, but right now I wanted to play wit' her tits (which looked nice and round from bein' pregnant). God, I swear, pregnant women have the best tits. Always weighty and round, but not too big unlike women with implants. Yea…okay…so I've been with my fair share of ladies and have strong preferences. Luckily for me, Nova checks off all the boxes of what I prefer.

"God, baby, you're perfect." I told Nova as I cupped and weighed her tits in my large calloused hands. I brushed the rough pads of my thumbs over her pebbled nibbles, only to earn a throaty gasp from her, while smirkin', "You're fuckin' perfect."

"Shaw…" She gasped as I latched my mouth on one nipple while pinchin' and teasin' the other with the thumb and forefinger. I ran my free hand up and down her body while I worked my mouth on her. Her chest was heavin' and she was pantin' somethin' fierce as I removed my mouth from her with a loud and wet pop. Instead of moving onto the other breast, I placed open mouthed kisses on the valley of her breast. I trailed open mouthed kisses up to her collarbone, over to her shoulder, and up her neck. I latched my mouth on a sweet spot right below her earlobe, causin' her to let out a string of mewls as she furiously grinded on top of me.

Yep, she was totally ready for me. I wasn't ready to take her yet tho. No, I still needed to study her back and find that tattoo. Pullin' my mouth off of her neck, I told her, "I still need to find that tattoo, baby.", while flankin' my hands up and down her sides.

"Okay." She nodded before quickly getting off of my lap. My eyes caught sight of the wet spot on her crotch and a smug smirk crossed my face. Oh yea, I knew I was makin' her gush like guizer.

"While we're untangled, we better get our pants off." I suggested, only cause I wanted to see her in her panties.

Nova didn't say a word, just stood up and quickly scrambled out of her leggings while I took off my boots and socks. I looked over at her as she sat back down on the bed and had to bit my cheek to keep from smirking cause low and behold, she was in a black thong. Goddamnit, I have this sweet lil redhead all figured out. Quickly, I stood up and unbuckled my Wranglers. I pulled them off and stepped out of 'em, leaving me in only my black boxer-briefs. As I went to get back into bed Nova's cornflower blue eyes fell on my rock-hard bulge, causin' her tongue to slip between her lips and wet them in anticipation. God, her reaction to what I looked like in boxer-briefs fueled my sex-drive (as if it needed a boost…).

"Well, let's take a look at this back tattoo." I said a bit playfully as I kneeled on the bed, causing her to quickly scrambled on her knees and kneel with her back facing me. My breath hitched as I took in the site of a tribal turtle tramp stamp right above her thong. Oh god, she was so fuckin' perfect. This lawyer that was smart and sassy and this sexy side to her that was real and messy, not prim and proper like a lot of girls raised by good church goin' families in the back hills. "Oh, baby…" I sighed in awe as I reached my hand out, tracing her tattoo in the same way that she did mine. After a few moments, I wrapped my arm around her waist and brought her flush against me. Slightly grindin' into her thinly covered and wet core, I whispered in her ear, "Nova, honey, do ya want me to take ya like this? From behind?", as I slide my other hand down and inside of her thong, using my middle dinger to lightly trace and flick her swollen clit.

"Yes, Shaw. Please, no more foreplay. Please, I'm aching so bad, worse then I have with any other man, and I need you to take care of me so bad. So so bad, please, Shaw. Please, take me now." She cried, her voice strained, high pitched, and full of honestly.

Hearing that out of everyone she's ever been with that I'm the only one to drive her crazy, to make her ache so bad that she needed relief or she's been in tears all night, it changed my entire demenor. Being with her was no longer a notch on my belt or a status thing to make all of Pike County see that I'd became something, but it was now about giving this vunerable and beautiful woman what she needed. I felt a tug in my heart and knew that as soon as I slipped into her I'd be lost and, sadly, in love with her forever. I don't know how one moment this was a game and the next it became more, but somewhere in our foreplay that happened.

Maybe my outlook and feelings changed for her cause I saw so much of myself in her. Somebody broken that used physical comfort to fill the holes in their heart.

"Nova, baby, don't cry. I promise, I'll take care of ya." I whisepered into her ear. "No more teasin', we'll make love." I assured her, using words (make love) that I never used, while quickly pullin' down her thong. "Just brace yourself, I'm not goin' in slow." I warned her as I pulled off my boxer-briefs.

She nodded before bendin' forward and grabbing a hold of a pillow to brace herself with. I settled behind her, placed a hand on her hips, and plunged right into her warm and inviting heat, causng us to both let out moans of each other's names. Quickly, I settled into a steady pace. With every movement I made Nova let out a breathy moan, begging me for more. God, her moans and pleas drove me wild.

When I felt her begin to clench around me I knew she was ready to cum, but I didn't want her to do it with me behind her. Quickly, I pulled out of her and flipped her onto her back. Nova arched one of her thing auburn brows at me, put before she even had a chance to ask me what I was doin', I simply told her, "I wanna look into your eyes when we cum together, baby.", before sliding right back into her awaiting warmth.

"Oh Shaw…" She sighed, her voice a low moan as she felt me fill her up once again.

"Just look at me, baby. Keep your eyes on me and I'll make us cum." I told her in a loud grunt as her fingers dug into my shoulders as I braced my weight my placing my palm onto the mattress. I used my other hand to grab her leg and hike it high over my hip 'fore drillin' into her as hard and fast as I could.

It only took a moment or so before we were moaning each other's names in unison as we came crashing down off the edge and finding our releases. She looked so beautiful as she came, her blue eyes wide with passion as her toes curled blissfully. My own eyes rolled into the back of my head before I let out a shaky breath and collapsed on her.

After a moment or two I rolled off of her and onto my back. I wasn't much of a cuddler (I mean I did it with my ex-wife, but we were married so…), but I reached out to Nova and brought her into my side. I kissed her on top of her sweaty copper hair covered head before pulling the blankets over us. She didn't saw a word, just traced her fingers over my pec tattoo. I ran a hand lazily up and down her spine.

"That was amazing, Shaw, but I'm married; it shouldn't 've happened."

"Baby, I know you're married, but we made love cause ya needed it. You need comfort and love; I just happened to be the one to give it to ya." I softly told her as I continued to lazily run my hand up and down her spine. "I meant it when I said I wanna be your friend, Nova.. Whether we ever hook up again doesn't mean a thing; I just want us to be good friends."

"We can be friends, Shaw." She told me, makin' my hear soar. "I've remained friends with somebody I had a fling with before." Nova added in, referring to her thing with Senator Brooksdale. Yea, everyone in the area knew about that thanks to the trail.

"Okay." I simply told her, makin' her think that I was fine with being just friends. What she didn't know is that we wouldn't be 'just friends' anymore. No, not after the soul binding move making experience we had. Unlike that senator, I was young and the ying to her yang. We were both broken and lost souls that had roblems loving people that we claimed to 'love'. Me and Nova'd end up together in the end. After all was said and done, I'd have her instead of Cap or Tolbert. Reaching over and grabbing the remote off of the side table, I turned off the tv (which had Blue Bloods on) and suggested, "Why don't we just try and sleep."

Lookin' at me while I placed the remote back, she asked, "You're gonna stay with me?"

"Yea, baby, of course I'm gonna stay." I softly told her before turning off the lamp and laying down next to her. "You mean a lot to me, Nova. I'm not just gonna take off and leave ya 'lone." I assured her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, before wrapping my arms around her and settling us into a comfortable cuddling position to drift off in.

Tolbert POV:

After Ella walked out on me I lost it. I cleared everythin' off the table wit' a swift whack of my arm an' in my anger I overturned the table. I screamed, yelled, an' cried til I was hoarse an' couldn't make a sound no mores. My lil girl ran to her room an' locked herself inside cause my outburst scared the bejesus outta her. God, I felt so bad that I scared Sally Elle after I came to my senses.

I ended up cleanin' up my kitchen an' rightin' my table 'fore takin' a shower an' goin' to bed. All I did was lay in bed, starin' up at the ceilin' as I replayed my fight wit' Ella ov'r an' ov'r 'gain in my head. Hell, I should've just bit my tingue when it came t'Shaw an' his whore sister; nev'r should've brought up Cap either, but I did an' it cause Ella to snap an' walk out once my daughter begged us t'stop fightin'. God, I can't believe that she actually went back to that one-eyed ape. Goddamnit, I bet they're makin' up right now too. It just ain't fair. I always lose her cause of my stupid big mouth.

Cap POV:

After a long day at work I went to the tavern in Mate Creek t'drink my sorrows 'way. My marriage wit' Nova was unravelin' and I didn't know what to do to fix it. I mean the only way to get her back was to set up a sweet deal for Tolbert, so that he'd be able to keep carin' for his kid, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't let that murderin' crazy McCoy get 'way with killin' my Uncle Ellison in cold blood.

So, I fell back onto old habits and decided to drink whiskey and take up with a whore for the night to get my frustrations out. Hey, if Nova could mess 'round wit' Tolbert and shit on our marriage then I had the right to get off wit' a barmaid *cough* whore *cough*.

Moses POV:

I couldn't sleep so I was sittin' outside on the porch, starin' up at the night sky. The stars were brightly twinkling and the moon was a crescent tonight. I was staring at my phone, lookin' at my sister's name in the address book. I'd tried to call het twice to talk, with no avail. She was prolly asleep, but the fact that her phone ringing wasn't wakin' her up bothered me.

God, everythin' that happened with Billy was running thru my head. The guilt was too much; was swallowing me alive. I sent my sister a quick text, telling her goodbye and that I loved her, before poppin' open the bottle of pain killers I swiped from Jim's medicine cabinet. I downed them all and leaned back in the rockin' chair I was in. I closed my eyes and waited for the darkness to take me.

Jim Vance POV:

Mr. Howles was pawin' at the door, yodelin' in a distressed way, an' woke me up. I knew somethin' was wrong by how frantic he was bein'. "What is it, boy? Hmm, somethin' wrong wit' Moses?" I asked my dog as I got outta bed. Moses ain't been right since that racin' accident that killed Billy McCoy. Boy's been blamin' himself for it even tho it weren't his fault. "Let's go check on him, boy." I told Mr. Howles as I walked over to the door."

After openin' my bedroom door my dog ran over to the front door an' started pawin' on it while yodelin'. I knew deep in my gut that Moses was outside an' that it weren't goona be good. I hope that boy didn't get 'hold of one of my guns an' et a bullet.

Quickly, I went ov'r to the door and opened it. When I stepped onto the porch I saw Moses slumped ov'r in the rockin' chair. An empty pill bottle was danglin' from his hand while his phone was on the ground my his feet. "Goddamnit, ya fuckin' jackass!" I shouted at the boy, even tho he was OD'd an' couldn't hear me, as I ran over to him. I took the pill bottom out of his hand and read the label only to see that he stole my prescription of Vicodin for my knee pain an' gout; down it all too. Sighin', I picked up his phone in order to use it, but noticed that it was open on his sister's name. Actually, it was open on her message bubble. I read his last message to her, which was only a few minutes old.

Sissy, I love u. This isn't your fault. I just can't live with the guilt anymore. Get away from these hills unless you want guilt to kill ya too. Cya in heaven. Mo.

Oh my god! This boy's takin' himself out ov'r the bullshit accident that killed Billy McCoy. Dear lord, he needs help.

Quickly, I exited out of the message screen and dialed 9-1-1.

Nova POV:

"Baby, wake up. Your phone went off." Shaw nudged me awake, only to hand me my phone.

"Oh, okay." I tiredly mumbled, taking my phone from him and sitting up. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked at my phone only to see that I had a couple missed calls and a new text from Moses. I unlocked my phone and opened up the text from my brother. After reading it I let out a blood curdling scream and dropped my phone right into my lap.

"Nova, babe, what's wrong?" Shaw asked me, concern shining in his honey eyes as he stared into me in the dark room we were sharing.

"My brother texted me a goodbye-no no-a sucide note."

"Jesus Christ…" He muttered, wrappin' an arm tight around me.

"I need to call him; try to stop him." I told Shaw as I quickly picked up my phone and pressed on my brother's name. I hit the option to call him and listened to the phone ring. I prayed that I wasn't too late, that I could save him.

"Nova, I found your brother OD'd on my pain pills for my bad knee an' gout. We're in the ambulance bein' taken to Logan Regional Medical Center now."

"Thank you, I'll be there as soon as I can." I told Uncle Jim before hanging up and puttin' my phone on the night stand. I could feel Shaw's eyes on me as I turned on the table lamp. "That was my uncle-in-law. My brother's been stayin' with him and he found him OD'd on pain pills; they're on their way to the hospital in Logan and I gotta meet them there." I explained while getting out of bed and collecting my clothes off of the floor.

"You're too shaken up to drive all the way to Logan. I'll take ya." He told me, gettin' out of bed and beginning to pick up his own discarded clothes.

"Are you sure?" I asked him, pullin' on my underwear. "You don't have to do that." I told him as I pulled on my geo-print leggings.

"I don't mind, babe. Besides, what're friends for, Nova?" Shaw told me, flashing me a soft, but friendly smile, as he pulled on his Wranglers.

Pulling on my shirt, I nearly cried. "Thank you, Shaw." As he pulled on his own t-shirt, I added in softly, "Really, thank you."

"Get your shoes on, baby." He told me, pulling his boots on over his bare feet. "Get your phone too." He added in while grabbing his jacket off of the corner desk chair.

Quickly, I did what I was told and followed Shaw out of the room. Silently, we rushed over to the elevator bank. As we waited for it to arrive, I mentally prayed that my brother would be okay. It was as if Shaw could read my mind cause when the elevator doors ringed open, he ushered me inside while assurin' me, "I'm sure they can get him to the hospital and pump his stomach out in time, Nova." I just nodded, causin' him to hit the button to close the doors followed by the button for the lobby. "Do ya wanna call your uncle when we're in the car; let him know 'bout your brother?" Shaw asked me, his deep timbre soft and suggestive, as the elevator carried us down to the lobby.

"Uncle Perry's in the hospital worryin' 'bout whether Roseanna's gonna die from a bad lupus attack; the last thing he needs is hearin' the Moses OD'd and wit' Jim Vance's meds too." I bluntly told my friend (well I guess we're a little more then friends right now, but whatever) as the elevator stopped and the doors opened up to reveal the lobby.

"Okay…then I guess he can find out from the hospital in Logan when they call since he's kin." Shaw told me, leading me out of the elevator and down the hallway that'd bring us to the front of the hotel and the doors.

Silently, we made our way out of the hotel and across the parking lot to his truck. It was a nice truck, a black Ram 2500. He opened the door for me and helped me into the passanger's side before roundin' the truck and climbin' up into the driver's seat. Without a word, he turned on his truck, put it in gear, and pulled out of his parkin' spot. It only took a few seconds for him to pull out of the lot and onto the highway.

As he drove down the highway, towards the direction of the Tug Fork River Bridge, he turned on the radio. "Ya wanna listen to country or hook up my phone and listen to one of my Spotify playlists?" He asked me, his finger hovering over the menu screen of his touch screen radio system.

"Your playlist is fine, Shaw." I softly answered, worry and dread shaking in my voice.

He quickly opened up the Spotify app and selected a playlist called 70's Rock-Ultimate Playlist. "That'll soothe ya; make you feel a lil bit better, baby." He assured me as the melody of Born To Run began to sound out of the speakers and into the cab.

I just nodded my head and listened to the Bruce Springsteen song while Shaw drove down the highway at a faster speed then what the speed limit allowed. I couldn't help, but to be reminded of the time my husband took me to the Pikeville police station to pick up my brother after the truck accident. Come to think of it, Shaw reminded me of Cap in many ways or at least he reminded me of him before his hate filled need for revenge on the McCoy boys consumed him.

AN:

So, yea, all of that happened. Holy shit, talk 'bout angst and drama. Oh, any guesses as to why Shaw reminds Nova of Cap? Hmm, anybody?