Part 2: Bay and Ty (Chapter 2.1)

ORIGINAL CONTENT OF D.C. BLU. DO NOT COPY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S PERMISSION. PLAGIARISM IS CRUEL. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.

Part 2: Bay and Ty (Chapter 2.1)

2.1

Feeling like the world was falling apart, Bailey listened as his half-sister told him about Cody’s condition.

“She’s stable now.” Val’s velvety accented voice stole some of the worry away. “They got her blood pressure back up. Stopped the bleeding. Now that she’s stable, they’re prepping her for an emergency C-section. I got Walthour hooked up and donating blood so she can have a transfusion.”

“Shit, did he say if he’s going to kill me or not?” Bailey asked rubbing his brow in frustration, feeling dread overwhelm him. Cody was going to live. She’s going to live! He chanted in his head.

“He’s unconscious, so he’s not saying anything and is harmless right now.” Val mentioned.

“Why? How… I don’t want to know do I?” Bailey sighed knowing Val was pretty skilled at disarming a threat or just killing them.

“Just hope Cody lives, not just for your sake, because if he comes after you, I’ll have to put him down to protect all three of you,” she said looking up at Matt who stood behind her with a solemn face like a bodyguard.

“You think he’d kill all three of us?” Bailey asked, shocked, and instantly worried about his brothers.

“No.” Matt spoke up. “He’d kill you. And he’d have to kill me and Tyler ’cause we’d destroy his ass.”

Val nodded in agreement. “It’s a fragile situation. But that’s the worst case scenario. Right now, Cody’s still fighting so we need to be supportive. Go speak.”

“She’s awake?” Bailey’s heart lifted.

“For now.” Matt answered frowning and running a hand over Val’s waist.

Bailey immediately left to go down the quiet hall. He didn’t like the eerie quiet. He knew that Walthour had made accommodations for Cody to have a section all to herself, but the silence remind him of all the things he could lose, making his life just as somber.

When he got outside Cody’s room he took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he would see.

He walked in. There, laying on the bed, was his very pregnant friend with a hospital bonnet covering her chocolate curls. She held her stomach covered by the bed sheets. Leaned back weakly against the raised back of the bed she stared up at the television watching a football game — probably George’s game. A nurse sat in the room with her.

“Is George playing?” Bailey asked coming around to the side of the bed where he leaned over and kissed Cody’s forehead.

“Yep. His team’s losing, dammit. No fault of his though.” Her voice was weak.

“I’m surprised they don’t have you sedated.”

“I am, but not heavily. The real stuff is coming soon though.” She didn’t look at him as she continued to stare at the screen, breathing in and out, hand slowly circling her stomach.

“I’m sorry, Cody. I should’ve never-“

“Shut the fuck up, Bailey. Me and the kids are chill, so let it go,” she said even as her fist laying on the bed balled tightly.

Bailey reached for that hand and wiggled a finger in the knot of her fist until she opened her fingers and took his. “Stop trying to be tough and look at me.” He demanded.

She poked out her bottom lip looking all kinds of pouty and adorable. Finally, her emerald eyes peeked at him with tears glittering, threatening to spill.

That look stabbed into his chest. This was his fault. Her pain was his fault. Why did he agree to this?

“I tried to take care of them, Bailey. I did. I really tried, man.” She screwed up her face as a tear trickled down.

Bailey sat on the side of the bed to face her. He grabbed tissue from the bedside table and began gently wiping her face.

“You did great. We can’t predict everything.” No matter how much I wanted to.

“But-“

“Preemies happen all the time. Like the doctors said, it’s hard to determine sometimes why the body starts to reject the babies when it happens. I’m just glad you are all okay. I am a bit overwhelmed. I just wanted a little girl. And instead, I got a little girl and a little boy. I’m excited to meet them.”

Cody laughed even as she cried. “You’re going to have to fight George for the boy. He says he wants the next all-star.”

“Fuck that. I’m not bargaining with my kids.”

Cody nodded. “I warned him.” She sniffed before she leaned her head into the tissue he held and blew.

He chuckled helping her to wipe her nose.

“You’re such a good dad.” She grinned.

“Ms. Delarosa. I don’t mean to interrupt.” The nurse spoke standing up. “But it’s time.”

Cody hummed acknowledgement before leaning into Bailey. Their foreheads touched.

“Though I suck at it, I’m saying a prayer for you.” Bailey whispered.

“What about the babies?”

“As much as I want the little ones to make it, you are more important to me. Because if you die…nothing will survive.”

Cody cringed. “Yeah…” She said understanding completely what kind of monster would rise in his expensive tailor-made suit.

Bailey left the room and met the medical team waiting out in the hall.

“She’s ready,” Bailey said. They swarmed in like an army.

Bailey stood outside as Matt and Val walked around him for support. Val hugged him around the chest and Matt leaned into him making him feel grounded. Even though he hadn’t known Val long, he was grateful to have her solid presence. Despite her nature being nearly as diabolical as Tyler’s, she was more sensible than all of them. Maybe it was being older or a mother that gave her that calm demeanor.

He put his arm around Val, accepting her comfort. It was hard to believe that someone so warm and caring was an assassin. And killed their father. That last part was the hardest to believe…and swallow.

The door opened and they pushed Cody out on a transport bed. She looked bleary eyed as more tiny tubes were stuck to her arm. Eyes slowly closing, she had no knowledge of their presences as they wheeled her away.

An hour later, two babies were delivered. And Cody was in intensive care after her blood pressure dropped again throwing her into a coma. Bailey ran his fingers through his hair repeatedly while he sat beside her, anguishing about her physical health. This was his fault.

Before he could dig his fingers into his scalp again, thin fingers took hold of his. Bailey looked over at Val who looked at him with such patience and understanding.

“Don’t dwell on this, Bailey, or you’ll miss the important details.” She whispered walking with their fingers still intertwined. He followed. “Mario, Michel, and Matt will watch over Cody. You have three priorities that need your attention.”

He frowned. “You mean two.”

“Did you forget, Tyler? I hate to break it to you Bailey, but you can’t ignore your brother. If you do, those children won’t be safe.”

Bailey sighed, nodding. Matt had already warned him several times.

“But you have me, Matt, Pam, Cody, Molly, George, Michel, Donya, Mitchell, and Dorian all ready to help you with the twins.”

“Mitchell and Dorian?” Bailey chuckled not remember recruiting his two friends.

“Yes. They said they want to practice just in case they plan to adopt.”

Bailey stopped walking fearful of Dorian near any child.

“And you have a team of five nannies that me, Pam, and my contacts vetted for you, so we know they’re good and ready to work with you. And you have my guarantee they’ll not only help you take great care of our babies, but they’ll also keep them as safe as humanly possible.”

Bailey just looked at Val, hesitant about what that guarantee meant. Though he was getting used to his sister, he was still weary of her being an assassin. And from what he could tell from what he saw of how she handled Mr. Walthour’s criminal organization, Val was respected on an almost unnatural level. So any order she wanted to carryout would be executed.

Val just smiled that sultry smile that made him blush before she tugged on his hand to make him continue following.

They walked until they were in the private nursery where two tiny bodies lay together in an incubation chamber.

“They were born too soon so this will be home for a while.” Val told him.

Bailey nodded. “So small.” Two little bundles with tiny arms and legs laying inside the glass chamber in the secure nursery, eyes closed. Matt was bigger when he was born.

“Aren’t they?” Val agreed pulling out her phone to take pictures. “I’m sending Christophe pictures of his new cousins.”

Bailey smiled at hearing Christophe’s name. “He’ll be ordering them around in no time.”

Val laughed. “My little dictator. He and Pam should be here in the morning.”

“Good. I want him to break the tie.”

“Tie?” Val frowned looking up at him.

“Between me, George, Molly, Donya, and Pam. We’re arguing about names.”

“You still haven’t come up with names?” Val’s brows rose.

“We thought we still had time.” Bailey defended.

“They are your children, Bailey, name them what you want.”

“I was going to name the boy after dad, but Tyler and Matt said I would curse the child.” When he saw Val wince, he knew he struck a nerve. It bothered her that she killed the man to get revenge on her own parents only to learn he was actually her biological father. Now, she could never get to know the man. “Sorry.”

She just shook her head and waved as if to say not for him to worry about it. “So, it’s the boy’s name you’re having trouble with.”

“Well, I was going to name the girl Lynn after her mother, but Cody refused saying the name has no meaning since its not her real name. So, I was going to name her after my mom, but…”

“It made her feel bad didn’t it?” Val smirked up at him.

Bailey nodded. Because his mother hadn’t been there for him and his brothers, she felt guilty and therefore didn’t feel like she deserved the honor.

“So now I have a list of names, but am no closer to picking the right name.”

“And you want Christophe to pick from the names?” Val chuckled. “This should be interesting.”

Bailey sighed. “Yeah.” He stared at the two new additions to his life. So small and defenseless. For the first time since meeting Val, he was grateful that the assassin was his sister. Because if any harm came to his kids, she would be there to exact revenge, without even having to be asked.

“Val, what were your parents’ names?” He turned to her.

“You know my fathers name.” Val frowned.

“I’m talking about the father who raised you.”

Val opened her mouth to answer and then paused. Then she shook her head. “Bailey you can’t-“

“Val, my father took the life of two people you loved. And while he was your father too, he wasn’t the father you knew and loved. Let me give you something for that loss.”

She twisted her lips then her brow dipped in thought. “You don’t need to do that. It’s not like some debt you have to pay.”

“But I want to. Please.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close. “Please, sis,” he said low bending down to kiss her cheek.

Though she turned her head to hide her blush, he saw it. “I swear. I spoil you guys.”

He chuckled.