Tess watched as her father and her boyfriend digested the news that she’d just announced. It wasn’t something she had talked about often, and it was something that she had been ashamed about since it had happened. She felt Nitro’s hand loosen a little and she looked over at him nervously. The look on her father wasn’t much better.
“Let me explain…” she started slowly, sitting up straighter.
“We’re listening,” her father assured her, looking in her eyes softly.
“It was a few months ago, as you know…” she began. “I didn’t want it to happen, and had insisted so much that I wanted to take things slow with him but he kept pushing for more. Then that night he managed to well… get me drunk…” she looked down. She was too ashamed of herself. “I don’t even remember much about that night but then I started getting sick… That’s why I stopped coming to those family dinners,” she said, looking up at her father.
“Why didn’t you tell us, honey?” Richard asked, the pain obvious in her voice.
“I was too upset that it happened! But I didn’t want to do anything to hurt the baby, wanted or not wanted. It was still a human life and I wanted to give it a chance. I… I wasn’t sure you’d…” she hesitated, not wanting to say the words.
“We would never have told you you couldn’t keep the baby, Tess.”
“No, maybe not but… you would have sent people after William and done whatever you could to keep him away from me, which would have meant that my baby couldn’t have seen her father.” Richard stayed quiet and she knew that he wasn’t going to argue the point. Tess looked over at Nitro and swallowed hard. “Say something…” she pressed him.
“What happened to the baby, hon?” Nitro asked, looking into her eyes with nothing but compassion.
“I lost it… and William got pissed. He thought that I had gotten rid of the baby on purpose and was lying to him about the miscarriage. That’s why he’s still coming after me, I guess.” She looked down, feeling the tears threaten. “And now he’s taking it out on Andrew and… forcing me to come back home.”
“Hey…” Nitro pulled her chair over and reached around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. “Honey, we’re not upset… We just care about you, and want to protect you. We can’t do that if we don’t know what’s really going on.”
Tess let the tears fall and leaned against Nitro’s shoulder, burying against him. Richard stood and came over to them, putting his hand on her shoulder gently as he stood quietly beside her. After a while, she sat up and looked up to her father. “We should go see Andrew.”
“Yes, we should… We’re going to need to be back by four though… We have a rideout tonight with our MC. You two are welcome to join if you wish to,” Richard said, squeezing Tess’ shoulder.
“Really?” Tess looked up at her father in surprise.
“Yes. You’re my daughter but now you’re also a visiting MC guest. And women of other MC’s have always been welcome to join in on rides. We will talk more about that when we have some time to be alone, but for right now… I would really like you to join us this afternoon. It’s Easter, after all… The Ol’ Ladies are joining in too… Some are even dressing up.”
Tess choked back the emotion and nodded to her father. “I would be honored to join in. Thank you, Dad.” She stood and gave him a hug, unable to say anything. She had wanted nothing more since she was old enough to drive to join in on a ride. To be finally allowed to join in on a ride that her father was leading, it was a huge deal.
They headed to the hospital and talked with Andrew a while. His leg was in a cast and it would have to be for at least six to eight weeks, but other than that he was better than had been expected. He was relieved that Tess was home, but insisted on her not going anywhere alone. Nitro promised that that wouldn’t be a problem and they told him to get better soon.
The ride was a blast as they drove through the city. Some of the wives were dressed up in bunny costumes, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Tess had grown up around this group her whole life, though of course she hadn’t been able to be around the clubhouse or a part of the business side of things. She still knew these guys and their wives very well though, and it was great to catch up with them all again. In spite the circumstances for why she had come home, she was relieved with how well the talk had gone and with how her father and Nitro had responded. She hoped that they would be able to figure out who had hurt Andrew and could get back to New York soon to join Paradise MC once again.
“Let me explain…” she started slowly, sitting up straighter.
“We’re listening,” her father assured her, looking in her eyes softly.
“It was a few months ago, as you know…” she began. “I didn’t want it to happen, and had insisted so much that I wanted to take things slow with him but he kept pushing for more. Then that night he managed to well… get me drunk…” she looked down. She was too ashamed of herself. “I don’t even remember much about that night but then I started getting sick… That’s why I stopped coming to those family dinners,” she said, looking up at her father.
“Why didn’t you tell us, honey?” Richard asked, the pain obvious in her voice.
“I was too upset that it happened! But I didn’t want to do anything to hurt the baby, wanted or not wanted. It was still a human life and I wanted to give it a chance. I… I wasn’t sure you’d…” she hesitated, not wanting to say the words.
“We would never have told you you couldn’t keep the baby, Tess.”
“No, maybe not but… you would have sent people after William and done whatever you could to keep him away from me, which would have meant that my baby couldn’t have seen her father.” Richard stayed quiet and she knew that he wasn’t going to argue the point. Tess looked over at Nitro and swallowed hard. “Say something…” she pressed him.
“What happened to the baby, hon?” Nitro asked, looking into her eyes with nothing but compassion.
“I lost it… and William got pissed. He thought that I had gotten rid of the baby on purpose and was lying to him about the miscarriage. That’s why he’s still coming after me, I guess.” She looked down, feeling the tears threaten. “And now he’s taking it out on Andrew and… forcing me to come back home.”
“Hey…” Nitro pulled her chair over and reached around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. “Honey, we’re not upset… We just care about you, and want to protect you. We can’t do that if we don’t know what’s really going on.”
Tess let the tears fall and leaned against Nitro’s shoulder, burying against him. Richard stood and came over to them, putting his hand on her shoulder gently as he stood quietly beside her. After a while, she sat up and looked up to her father. “We should go see Andrew.”
“Yes, we should… We’re going to need to be back by four though… We have a rideout tonight with our MC. You two are welcome to join if you wish to,” Richard said, squeezing Tess’ shoulder.
“Really?” Tess looked up at her father in surprise.
“Yes. You’re my daughter but now you’re also a visiting MC guest. And women of other MC’s have always been welcome to join in on rides. We will talk more about that when we have some time to be alone, but for right now… I would really like you to join us this afternoon. It’s Easter, after all… The Ol’ Ladies are joining in too… Some are even dressing up.”
Tess choked back the emotion and nodded to her father. “I would be honored to join in. Thank you, Dad.” She stood and gave him a hug, unable to say anything. She had wanted nothing more since she was old enough to drive to join in on a ride. To be finally allowed to join in on a ride that her father was leading, it was a huge deal.
They headed to the hospital and talked with Andrew a while. His leg was in a cast and it would have to be for at least six to eight weeks, but other than that he was better than had been expected. He was relieved that Tess was home, but insisted on her not going anywhere alone. Nitro promised that that wouldn’t be a problem and they told him to get better soon.
The ride was a blast as they drove through the city. Some of the wives were dressed up in bunny costumes, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Tess had grown up around this group her whole life, though of course she hadn’t been able to be around the clubhouse or a part of the business side of things. She still knew these guys and their wives very well though, and it was great to catch up with them all again. In spite the circumstances for why she had come home, she was relieved with how well the talk had gone and with how her father and Nitro had responded. She hoped that they would be able to figure out who had hurt Andrew and could get back to New York soon to join Paradise MC once again.
