...Chapter 6...
"I'm so glad you're awake." Marie said, looking at the monitors. "You and the baby will be fine."
"Oh, my fucking God." Nicole's eyes widened. "Does Juice know?" both Marie and Katie nodded. "Oh shit, does my Dad know?"
"Everyone knows." Katie shrugged.
"That's just... fucking great." Nicole rolled her eyes.
A few minutes later, Crystal and Gemma walked into the room. "You're awake!" Crystal yelled and Nicole nodded, with a weak smile.
"How are you feeling, Baby?" asked Gemma. "Do you want anything?"
"I just want Jax here."
Katie grabbed Nicole's hand. "He'll be back in a little bit."
Seconds later, the door opened, and Crystal raised her eyebrow. "Cassie... where have you been?"
"Sorry, I had to check on the shop."
Crystal smacked her head with her hand. "I forgot about that. How is it? Not burnt to the ground, I hope."
"No." Cassie laughed. "It's still standing, just closed." she got closer to the hospital bed and smiled. "Welcome back, Nic."
"Yeah, thanks." Nicole nodded, with a weak smile, and looked over. "So, Marie... how long do I have to be in here?"
"About a week or until I say otherwise." she frowned. "It's for your own good, Nic. I want you and the baby to leave here healthy and strong."
"All right, fine." she groaned, then looked at Gemma and Crystal. "So, how much does Juice hate me?"
"Hate you for what?" Gemma asked.
"Because I'm pregnant." she looked down. "He's told me before, when I had that pregnancy scare, a few years ago, that he doesn't want a baby, ever."
"Nic..." Crystal started.
"No." she cut her off. "I don't want the baby, if he doesn't want it." a tear fell down her cheek. "I don't want anything to do with Juice and I don't want to see him again." then she shut her eyes closed.
None of them knew what to say, they were at a loss for words, then Marie grabbed her clipboard. "I'll, uh, check on you later, Nic." she slightly nodded and Marie walked out.
The guys got back to the clubhouse after their 'trip' up north, when Clay noticed Juice sitting on his bike, looking at the ground, and walked up to him. "How you doing, son?"
"I'm okay... I just want Nicole and the baby to be fine, but Nic's gonna need a long time to heal after all of this."
"Yes, she will." Clay nodded. "For what it's worth, you've proven yourself worthy to be with my daughter. If you hadn't pulled the trigger, then it either would have been me, Jax, Tig, or Happy."
"I know." Juice nodded. "I just kept thinking about what that bastard did to her and my baby... and I just lost it."
"Well, you definitely earned yourself a patch." Clay smiled, then smacked Juice on his shoulder. "You'll get it later."
"All right." Juice nodded, then Clay walked away. Minutes later, Juice's phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Hey Juice."
"What's up, Crys?"
"I need to talk to you and Jax... when you get back to the hospital." she paused. "And Colin was in Nic's room?"
"Yeah, but he's been taken care of."
"Oh... good, that asshole deserved whatever he got."
"Yes, he did, but why do you need to talk to us?" he asked, as Jax walked up to him. "Is Nic okay?"
"She's fine... I just really need to talk to both of you."
"All right, we'll be right there."
"Meet me in the little chapel."
"Okay." he told her, then hung up his phone.
"What is it?"
Juice looked up at Jax. "Crystal needs to talk to us, before we go in to see Nic."
"About what?"
"Don't know." he shrugged, then put his phone in his pocket. "But it sounds important."
"Let's go." Jax said, then got on his bike, and both of them rode off.
Jax and Juice walked into the little chapel and saw Crystal sitting in the front pew. Jax sat next to her as Juice sat behind her, then Jax said "What's up, Babe?"
"We have a slight problem."
"With what?" asked Juice.
"With Nic." she paused, looking at him. "She told us, you've told her in the past that you never wanted a baby and I know you haven't been able to talk to her since she woke up, but she has it in her mind that you won't even want the baby." Juice groaned, remembering that specific conversation. "And she also told us that she doesn't want the baby either."
"Shit." Juice said, putting his head in his hands. "I need to talk to her."
"Um... guys, that's not all."
"What else did she say?" asked Jax.
Crystal took a deep breath. "She also said that she doesn't want to see you again."
Juice snapped his head up. "She don't want to see me?"
"And she doesn't want anything to do with you either."
Juice paled, then Jax said "Okay, what'd you say?"
"I couldn't say anything... by then she closed her eyes and was done talking."
"Hey." Juice started, putting his head back down in his hands. "Can you two leave me alone, right now?"
"Sure." Crystal nodded, then stood up. "Come on, Jax."
"Coming." he got up and smacked Juice on his shoulder. "I can talk to Nicky for you."
"Nah, Man... dont, it's fine." he waved his arm.
Jax took Crystal's hand and both of them walked out into the hallway. She turned around and looked at him. "You need to keep an eye on Juice."
"For what, Crys?"
"He's gonna go out and do something stupid. He'll do something he'll regret, because he's hurting. I mean, he looked like he got his heart ripped out." Jax groaned. "Look, I'll talk to Nic and tell her why you couldn't be there with her and you go worry about Juice."
"All right." he gave her a hug. "You're the best, you know that?"
"Of course, I am." she giggled. "Now, go watch him like a hawk and I'll do damage control with your sister." he nodded, gave her a kiss, then he went one way, and she went the other.
Jax followed Juice around everywhere for two hours, until he finally stopped at a strip club outside of Charming. He walked in ten minutes after Juice did and saw him drinking at the bar with a stripper giving him a lap dance.
Jax shook his head as he sat down on the bar stool next to him. "What the hell are you doing, Juice?"
"Nothing."
Jax gave him that 'bullshit' glare, then he looked at the stripper. "You can leave now." the girl's jaw dropped, then she got off of Juice's lap, and walked away. Juice just death glared Jax, then Jax shook his head. "Let's go." he said, as he stood up. "You should be at the hospital."
"For what? There's nothing there for me." he shrugged. "Nic don't give a shit about me, so why should I give a fuck about her? She ain't nothing to me."
"Look, I know you're upset and maybe pissed off, but you better watch your fucking mouth, with the way you're talking about my sister, because you're dangerously close to crossing the line." Jax paused, then took the beer out of Juice's hand. "Now get the fuck up and let's go." Juice nodded, then both of them left the strip club, and headed back to Charming.
"Crys, I don't want this baby."
"Nic... you need to listen to me."
"What?" she groaned.
"You're being irrational and not really thinking clearly... just keep the baby, you have no reason not to."
"Juice don't want it and he's not gonna want me either, because if the fact that I am pregnant." she shook her head and started to cry. "He never wanted this."
"Shh... listen to me." Crystal paused. "Juice may have told you that before, but now, he does want you to have the baby, he told me that he did."
"When?"
"Earlier today... he wants to be there for both of you."
"Really?"
"Yes, Nic... I know he may not say it, but he does loves you."
Nicole wiped her tears from her face. "Okay, where is he?"
"Uh, out with Jax." Crystal paused. "Do you want me to call him?"
"Will you, please?"
"Sure." Crystal pulled out her cell phone and called Juice, then hung up. "Got his voicemail, let me call Jax." then she dialed Jax's number.
"Yeah?"
"Hey Babe, how are you and Juice?"
"On our way back, why?"
"I had a chat with Nic and she wants to see him."
"All right, we'll be right there." he told her, then hung up.
Crystal put her phone on the counter and looked up at Nicole. "He'll be here in a little bit."
"Okay, thank you."
"No problem, Hun." Crystal smiled, then Nicole closed her eyes.
A half an hour later, Juice walked into Nicole's room and said "Crys... Jax is waiting for you in the hallway."
She got up, grabbed her things, and walked up to him. "Will you stay all night with her?"
"Yeah, go and get some rest."
"Okay." she nodded. "Nic's asleep right now, so tell her I said good night."
"I will and Crys... thanks for talking to her."
"No problem." she gave him a hug, then walked out of the room.
Juice slowly walked up to Nicole's bed and sat down in the chair next to her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her stomach and thinking about what his son or daughter would look like, him or Nicole, or maybe a little bit of both; it just made him smile.
"Crys?" Nicole whispered.
Juice got up, leaning on the bed rails. "She's not here, but she says good night."
She opened her eyes and smiled. "Juice."
He grabbed her hand. "I'm here, Babe."
She frowned. "I'm sorry for what I said, that I didn't want the baby... because I really do."
"So do I." he nodded with the smile, that Nicole loves so much.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Juice placed his hand on her stomach. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm beyond terrified about becoming a father, but I'm willing to try and learn, so I can be there for both of you." Nicole smiled, then Juice caught the tear that was about to fall. "Baby, don't cry."
"Sorry..."
"No, don't be sorry either." he shook his head. "I'm the one that should be sorry."
She nodded. "Are you gonna stay with me? I don't want to be alone."
"I'm not going anywhere." he got up, took off his cut, then carefully laid down next to Nicole on the bed, carefully holding her in his arms. "Baby... we can do this, together." he kissed the side of her head.
"Okay." she slightly nodded. "Together." she said, with a yawn, then both of them fell asleep, and for once in a long time, Nicole felt safe again.