Title: For Those Nights I Can't Remember
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: 7. Beautiful
Fandom: Degrassi: The Next Generation
Summary: It's been almost a year and finally, Clare's back at Degrassi, but she won't talk to anyone, but Alli. KC will do anything to figure Clare out, even break up with Jenna. Klare. Kenna. Jalli.
Comments: Listen to the song "For Those Nights I Can't Remember" by Hedly. It reminded me so much of KC and Clare and fitted this story. The title for chapter 7 is "Beautiful" by Eminem. It's a good song and perfect for this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.
"Clare..."
"Clare..."
"Clare..."
Clare's eyes slowly opened to be met with a light shining in her eyes. She winced with a groan, immediately closing her eyes to save her sight from the light. "Wha...?"
She slowly opened her eyes to find the small light shining directly in her eyes. She waved her hand out to push the light away, turned face into the pillow while closing her eyes.
Sighs filled the room and then a soft click sounded.
A hand brushed through Clare's hair.
"Oh god, Clare..."
Clare lifted her head enough to open her eyes and see her mother. "Mommy?"she whispered in confusion. She furrowed her brow, her head raising a bit more only to be met with a dizzy spell and dropped her head back against the pillow.
Judy shook her head, frowning, "Baby, just rest. You need some sleep."
Clare raked her brain for what happened before she got here. "KC... where's KC...?" she asked, still a bit groggy.
"He's in the hallway with Alli and Kent," Judy replied quietly. "I'll let him in when you're feeling a little better."
"No," Clare stated. "I... I want to see him. Please."
Judy sighed, "Clare, I don't think you should see..."
Clare pouted, shaking her head and starting to grow frustrated with her mother, "Just let me see him, Mom. It's not that difficult. Get up, open the door, let him in, and let us have some privacy."
"You're not getting any privacy. The last time I let you have some privacy with KC, you popped out Kent," Judy informed.
"Then have Alli come in with too," Clare said, her head still hurting. She pushed her hair back. "Just let KC in."
Judy blew out a breath of frustration and got up, leaving her daughter be.
D:TNG
KC was pacing the hallway outside of Clare's hospital room.
Alli was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with Kent in her arms. She sighed, closing her eyes, "KC, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy."
KC froze and turned to Alli. He sat down next to her with a sigh.
Alli looked up at KC. "KC... Clare... there's something really important she hasn't told you," Alli said softly, rubbing Kent'd arm with her index finger.
KC looked back at her with a curious face, "Like what?"
"Well... she..." Alli started, but was cut off when the door to Clare's hospital room.
KC and Alli both turned to the door to find Judy standing there restless, her eyes bloodshot from crying for so long. She stepped out of the way of the door and cleared her throat a bit. "She wants to see the both of you," she informed and walked away.
KC got up and helped Alli since she was swaddling the infant. The two walked in slowly, closing the door behind them.
Allie sighed in relief, tears filling her eyes at the sight of her best friend in the hospital, "Clare..."
Clare looked up and smiled a little, "Alli, relax. It was just a bad migraine. I'll be fine. I'm on the IV meds right now."
Alli nodded a little and quirked an eyebrow. "So does that mean you can't hold Kent?" she teased a bit.
Clare sat up a bit and shook her head, "I can always hold Kent." She held her arms out, "C'mere, Bumble Bee." Alli handed Kent over to Clare willingly. Clare held her son close and kissed his forehead. "Hello Angel. I missed you."
KC smiled a little and walked over to Clare's side. "Hey Beautiful," he greeted softly, running a finger down the side of her face.
Clare blushed slightly, leaning toward his touch. "Hi," she said bashfully. She looked up at him and frowned, "I'm sorry for scaring you."
KC shook his head, "It's okay." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and sighed, "I just didn't know you get such bad headaches."
Clare shrugged, looking down at Kent, who was sucking on his mother's finger, "They come and go. I usually only get one a day. They're not always this bad."
KC looked down at the infant in Clare's arms and furrowed his brow. "So why isn't your mom watching your brother?"
Clare searched her mind for some sort of a lie, but she was still a little hazy from the headache and passing out. "Ummm..."
"She was just... missing him so much," Alli lied for her friend with a hopeful smile.
KC gave Alli a weird look. "Alli, you so suck at lying," he stated and looked back at Clare for an answer.
Clare fixed the blanket around Kent and shrugged, "Well... it's... it's because he's mine. He's my son, KC."
KC's face dropped. She had a kid. He felt his heart race and shuffled his feet beneath him. "Who's is he?" he asked, praying to God it wasn't that Reese kid that had an infatuation with Clare. He hated that kid more than words can describe.
Clare looked up at him bravely and stared him right in the eyes. The words slipped from her lips confidently, "He's yours." She stopped, her eyes going wide in shock with how well she stated such a fact. She hadn't wavered or broke down cry like she thought she would. At least, not yet.
KC glared at her, clenching his fists, "Excuse me? You're telling me you had my own kid and decided not to tell me." He shook his head, anger boiling through his blood. "Tell me, Clare. How the fuck does that even make sense?" he shouted at her, making Kent cry.
Clare covered her son's ear, pressing his other ear against her chest to protect his sensitive eardrums. "Good job, KC," she said sarcastically, trying to rock him unsuccessfully on the bed. "And now I can't even rock him to relax him, dammit."
"Fuck that, Clare! You're avoiding my question!" KC continued to yell. He gripped her arm harshly to get her to look at him. "How the fuck do you keep something this important from me!?" he asked again, lowering his voice as not to scare her.
Clare pulled her arm from his grip, jerking her son which made him scream louder. "Because my parents made me! Okay? I didn't want to keep it from you. The more I thought about telling you, the closer it got to my due date. Then they induced labor because he was breached and it didn't work so they did a C-section..." she trialled off, closing her eyes to keep herself from crying. She took in a deep breath, refusing to look at him. "I knew if I called you to see me in the hospital, you'd know something was up."
"Obviously something had happened. You disappeared out of thin air, Clare," KC said, much calmer and gentler now.
Alli cleared her throat, taking attention away from the current situation. She pointed to the door. "I think I'll leave you two alone." She grabbed her sweater and walked out of the room.
KC looked back at Clare and took Kent from Clare. He looked down at him and bounced slowly from foot to foot, soothing Kent rather quickly and then looked back at Clare. "I don't see why you didn't call me. I would have loved to hold your hand," he informed softly.
Clare smiled softly, pushing the stray hairs out of her face, "I was scared you'd hate me."
KC shook his head, "Remember? I promised. I could never hate you, Clare." He looked down at Kent in his arms and grinned, "Besides, he's awful cute. He is your son." He gave the infant a kiss on the forehead and looked back at the child's mother.
Clare shook her head, "His prettiest feature is his eyes. They're definitely yours."
KC sat on the edge of the bed next to Clare and leaned in to her, kissing her softly on the lips. Clare kissed him back gingerly with a smile. She pulled back from him and then laid her head on his shoulder, clutching his arm and looking down at their son.