"There's always gonna be someone better looking, there's always gonna be someone smarter, there's always gonna be someone who works harder. What you have to offer is yourself, so don't lose it, focus on it and try to bring it out."

-Jared Padalecki

Cassidy was going in and out of sleep for the remainder of the night. Her eyes felt like it sand had been poured on them; her body felt heavier; her breathing felt somewhat labored. If Cassidy was going to be honest with herself, she was feeling like shit. All of that to keep herself and her kids safe? It was already wearing Cassidy down. If being on the run, living on the streets, had that kind of effect on the young mother only after one day, she could only imagine how much worse it'll be the longer it takes her to find Akihito. Cassidy was already starting to feel a bit of pressure fall on her shoulders the longer it took her to find her father. She didn't want to go back to Eiji. To finally be able to leave that abusive environment, to be able to feel so close to freedom - Cassidy couldn't allow herself or Kai to be taken back. She had told herself that countless times since the day before, but she had to keep reminding herself that. No good would come out of being sent back to that man. If Eiji didn't beat them half to death for escaping, he'd certainly kill them for doing just that.

Letting out a sigh, Cassidy ran a hand through her son's curls. She was trying to find a way to comfort herself. She had watched absently as the sky went from black to a dark grey, the sun slowly coming up. And then a nauseous feeling started to rise in Cassidy's stomach. Similar to the one she endured in the store. Her breathing quickening, Cassidy managed to shake her son awake. Kai's initial confusion didn't last long before Cassidy quickly unlocked the door and stumbled out with her son right behind her. Vomit spewed from the young mother's mouth, spattering all over the concrete. Morning sickness was definitely something Cassidy didn't experience often, especially when she was pregnant with Kai. She remembered the rare occurrence of being nauseous, but never sick enough to throw up. This pregnancy was already starting to feel different. The second time within a couple hours, Cassidy couldn't tell for sure if her second pregnancy would be doing any mercy on her body or not. Before she had gone to the doctor, the young mother certainly believed she was pregnant - she thought she was experiencing a few early signs. Never in that time leading up to the appointment did Cassidy feel nauseous nor did she vomit.

Another wave rolled through her body, causing another wave of vomit to spew out. Kai let out startled screams, certainly not liking seeing his mother in such a condition.

"Mama!" he cried. Kai's small hands gripped his mother's pant legs, hoping to get her attention. "Mama, stop!"

After a minute of Cassidy heaving, the nauseating feeling in her slowly went away. And with that, she could try and gather her belongings and calm Kai down.

"Kai, get our stuff and close the door, OK?" Cassidy rasped, looking at her son desperately. Tears were trembling on the edges of Kai's eyes, a terrified look on his face. He wasn't used to his mother being in such a condition, and Cassidy couldn't hold that against him. The nausea was scaring her, as well. Considering she never experienced anything like that before, it made her wonder what was going on with her current pregnancy. Was it at all related to the condition of her baby's conception? Maybe there were abnormalities the nurse overlooked. But she wouldn't be able to find a decent doctor in the district she was in. Letting out a wheezing breath, Cassidy threw another look her son's way. "Kai, please get our stuff."

~. . . .~

The one thing Cassidy was grateful for was that it was early enough for there to not be as many people roaming around the streets. Kai managed to struggle to get their few belongings out of the car, and Cassidy made sure everything was together before closing the car door. It was hard for the young mother to try and go about her day after that. Waves of queasiness rolled through her stomach as she struggled to get to her feet. Each step made Cassidy's stomach feel like it was being tossed like a football. Each breath she took felt painful and heavy. God only knows how long the sickly feeling would last.

What if the fetus was starting to display abnormalities? the young mother thought. Her stomach knotted up worriedly, making the queasiness worse. If the abnormalities got too bad, would it result in a miscarriage? Or would it be a stillbirth if it went on long enough? Tears prickled in the backs of Cassidy's eyes. After all the hard work she went through to ensure her baby and Kai got a better life, she wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to her unborn child. It could just be her overreacting to morning sickness, but considering her children were the product of incest, birth defects could not be ruled out.

Setting her jaw, Cassidy tried her best to push those thoughts out of her head. She understood that their incestuous background was problematic for them. Kai and the baby could develop serious issues early on or later in life. Despite that, however, Cassidy felt as if it would be in the best interest of her children to not tell them about that little detail unless it was medically necessary. How would Kai react if he found out his great-uncle was also his father? Would he hate Cassidy for withholding that kind of information from him? What about the baby? Should the baby come out normally, how would it react to that kind of information when it was older? Cassidy couldn't do that to her kids. She wanted what was best for them, and info like that could alter their lives forever.

Looking down at her son, Cassidy felt guilt riddle through her body. His face was tearstained and his eyes were still a bit glassy. Kai Hisakawa was such a gentle soul, and Cassidy loved that about him. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, and the young mother hoped it stayed that way.

Gently placing a hand on her stomach, a thought came to Cassidy. What would her baby be like? Would it be gentle like Kai? Would it have more of Eiji's personality? God help that child if it did. Would it have more of Eiji's physical features or Cassidy's features? The one thing the young mother was thankful for was that Kai had more of her features than Eiji's. While it didn't matter to the vile man she called an uncle, Cassidy was so happy for that. Something so small as hoping her child didn't obtain her rapist's features filled her with a little bit of joy. Was that weird?

Whether it was weird or not, Cassidy couldn't have been happier for that turn out. Part of her did hope that the baby had more of her features than her uncle's. It would be like another little joyous moment for her. She also hoped that, after its birth and it had time to grow, that it didn't have any of Eiji's personality traits. That meant Cassidy would have to work even harder to protect herself and her kids.

A small wave of nausea rolled itself through the mother's stomach. Cassidy grimaced at that, removing her hand. If she kept walking, maybe she'd be able to find a place to rest for a little bit. After her vomiting episode by the car, she had to put distance between herself and the mess she made. However long that took.

(A/N):

Sorry for the delay, but here's the chapter. Not the best, but hopefully it's somewhat decent. If you've got constructive criticism, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? That kind of stuff is super important.

Nothing in the OHSHC belongs to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I put in.

As an FYI to anyone who cares: Someone - the assistant manager, specifically - at my job got fired because she got caught stealing. At the place we both work at. In front of other people. It took the store MONTHS to actually fire her, since I've been hearing she has been stealing from the store for a long time. But yeah, she's been let go and now we're all getting her hours which means I'll have even LESS time to work on my stories. Though I kind of have a sporadic updating schedule for this anyway. Whatever. What I'm trying to say is that there will be huge gaps between updates, and if I do update and there's an even longer gap to the chapter actually coming up, notice that it's probably me being distracted with work and school. It's not me purposely shoving this thing off until I decide to finish it, it's actually me thinking I had time to start and finish within a certain amount of time, but I got sidetracked by other things that have a little more importance.

Anyway, whatever. That's a little thing I thought was important.

What do you guys think should happen in the next chapter? Should Cassidy and Kai meet one of the Host Club members? Should she run into someone working with her uncle? Give some thoughts.

Thanks a bunch.

Willow