Never Say Never (6 page)

“Everything okay?” Lucas asked.

“Melody is completely hysterical. She and Owain saw some guy looking at them through the window.” Hayley explained.

“What? Oh my god!” Grace gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “Are they okay?”

“Melody is a bit shaken up, and Owain won’t stop crying.” She frowned at him and threw her phone back into her handbag. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Grace, you can stay if you want.”

“No, I’ll come with you.” Grace offered and grabbed her bag.

“Really, you can stay. It’s okay.” Hayley shook her head.

“I’ll come with you.” Lucas stood up. “You can’t go by yourself. It’s not safe.”

Hayley looked at Lucas, Grace and Nick and frowned. “No, it’s fine.”

“Hayley, Lucas is right. If there’s a perp lurking in the bushes, you’ll need someone who can actually fight him off.” Nick said.

“Spoken like a true officer.” Lucas mocked Nick.

“He is right you know.” Grace nodded.

“Yeah, he is.” Hayley grimaced and looked at Lucas. “Okay.”

They walked out to the parking lot and Hayley stopped in front of her car.

“Where are we headed?” Lucas asked.

“Two fifty Aberdeen Street.” Hayley said.

“Are you serious?” Lucas asked.

She turned to him and frowned. “Yes, why?”

“I’m in two seventeen.” Lucas looked amazed.

“Are you serious?” Hayley frowned and looked at him.

“Yeah.” Lucas nodded.

“Well, at least you know where it is.” She smiled slightly.

He nodded again and watched her climb into her car.

Chapter
3 – Bodyguard

“Owain, it’s okay!” Hayley whispered into Owain’s ear. She was sitting on the floor, with Owain on her lap, holding onto her for dear life. Hayley looked over at Melody standing in the corner, too scared to move.

“What exactly happened?” Hayley asked her.

“We were watching a movie and I heard something outside. I looked over at the window and there he was, looking at us.” Melody stuttered, pointing at the window. “As soon as he saw me, he ducked away and I heard footsteps on the lawn. I checked out the window and he ran to a black car, and they sped off. I phoned you immediately after…”

“Well, at least you are okay.” Hayley muttered and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Hayley...” Melody frowned. “I…

“It’s okay, Melody.” Hayley ran her fingers through Owain’s hair and looked at Lucas coming in from outside. “Did you see anything?”

“There are a lot of footprints everywhere. It seems that he went around the house a couple of times.” Lucas said and dug his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

“Hayley, can I go home now?” Melody asked and Hayley looked over at her.

“Yes, of course. Are you okay to drive?” Hayley nodded. “Lucas can drive behind you…”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just going to crash at Grace’s. I’ve got a key.” Melody nodded and knelt down next to Hayley and Owain.

“Night Owain.” Melody stroked his back.

“Bye Lody.” Owain turned his head and looked at her.

“Night Hayley.” Melody stood up and headed to the door.

“Drive safe.” Lucas smiled at her and she left the house.

He closed the door and walked over to them, still on the carpet. He knelt next to them and he smiled slowly.

“Hey buddy.” Lucas touched Owain’s arm and Owain’s head snapped up.

“Lucas?” He frowned through his tears.

“Yeah, how you doing?” Lucas asked.

“I’m okay.” Owain sniffed. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Lucas gently placed his hand on Owain’s head.

“Well, thanks for coming.” Owain nodded at him.

“No problem, buddy.” Lucas smiled at him.

“Are you sleeping over?” Owain asked and Lucas chuckled.

“Owain, why would you ask that?” Hayley frowned.

“Okay, I will rephrase my question. Mom, can Lucas sleep over tonight?” Owain asked with a slight pout.

Hayley tilted her head at him and smiled slightly. “I don’t know, you have to ask him.”

“Lucas, do you want to sleep over?” Owain asked.

“I don’t know, buddy…” Lucas frowned.

“Please, Luke? The bad man might come back.” Owain whined and Hayley and Lucas exchanged glances.

“How do you say no to that face?” He asked Hayley.

“With great difficulty.” She admitted.

“Do you always get what you want?” Lucas chuckled and looked at Owain.

“Not always.” He sniffed again. “So is that a yes?”

“If it’s okay with your mom.” Lucas smiled at Owain and looked at Hayley.

The two men looked at her and she opened her mouth. She honestly did not know what to say and tilted her head. “Sure.”

“Yay!” Owain sat up and laughed. “You are like our own bodyguard!”

“Okay, okay, quiet down.” Hayley frowned at him and stood up from the carpet. “You guys entertain yourselves, I’m going to go change.”

“Okay Mom!” Owain nodded and turned to Lucas. “Luke, do you like Spiderman?”

“Are you kidding?  I love Spiderman. He’s my favorite Superhero.” Lucas grinned.

Hayley watched as Lucas and Owain started talking superheroes and she leaned against the wall. Lucas met her gaze and gave her a soft smile.

A few hours later, after they watched a few cartoons, Hayley had to put Owain to sleep. He was fighting with her to stay awake a little more, but eventually succumbed to her authority. She closed his door and walked into the lounge where Lucas was sitting on the couch, with a grin on his face.

“I’m so sorry about this. I am sure this was not how you planned your night to turn out.” She sat down next to him.

“It’s okay. It was quite entertaining, to say the least.” Lucas smiled and looked at her. “Is he asleep?”

“Yeah, eventually. He’s stubborn.” Hayley frowned. “At least something he got from me.”

“He definitely didn’t get your light features.” Lucas smiled at her.

“No, definitely not.” Hayley leaned against the armrest of the couch and crossed her arms.

“I am pretty sure he screams louder than you too.” Lucas grinned at her.

“Did I scream when I drove into your car?” Hayley frowned at him.

“A little.” He laughed.

“Oh my god, I still can’t believe that I drove into you.” Hayley shook her head.

“Well, to be dead honest, I never had such an eventful night as tonight.” Lucas admitted.

“Really?” Hayley asked.

"Yeah, really." Lucas chuckled.

"I'm glad you find this amusing." She frowned at him. A small smile formed on her mouth and she chuckled.

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” Lucas laughed.

“Thank you for staying.” She looked over at him. “It means a lot, to the both of us.”

“Any time. Your kid is amazing, by the way.” He smiled. “I’ve never met a kid that smart.”

“You meet a lot of kids?” Hayley turned to him and pulled her feet up onto the couch.

“I do. It’s not a good thing though.” Lucas’ expression became sad and serious.

“How do you mean?” Hayley asked and looked at him.

“Well, I’m an ambulance medic for Mease, and usually the kids I meet are either seriously injured or…” Lucas spoke slowly and softly.

“Oh my god. How do you do it?” Hayley gasped softly.

“I’ve been doing it for so long, so a person tends to get a bit desensitized.” Lucas frowned. “But some days are worse than others.”

“I can imagine.” Hayley nodded. “It takes a special type of person to do something like that.”

“You think?” Lucas looked at her.

“Absolutely. I have a lot of admiration for people like you. Because of people like you, there are survivors.” She smiled at him, a slight trace of sadness in her eyes.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He chuckled.

“Honestly, when I saw you tonight, I actually thought you and Nick were both cops.” Hayley admitted.

Lucas let out a laugh from the pit of his stomach and looked at Hayley.  “Me? A cop?”

“Yeah, you looked buff and badass.” She admitted.

“Buff and badass.” He smirked and let out another laugh. “I’ll take that as a compliment as well.”

“Will you stop making fun of me?” She held her hands up in defeat and Lucas laughed.

“I’m sorry, I won’t laugh again.” Lucas tried to keep a straight face. “Well, at least you were half right.”

“Have you been friends with Nick for a long time?” She smiled at him and twisted the hair of her ponytail around her finger. It fell back over her shoulder as she cocked her head to the side.

“For about three years, since I moved here. He’s my neighbor actually.” Lucas grinned.

“Oh my god! That explains everything!” She exclaimed and let out a small laugh.

“Tell me.” He sounded intrigued.

“It’s not as intriguing as you think.” She frowned and he grinned at her. “I always thought that there was some kind of criminal activity going on in my street.”

“Because of the patrol car?” Lucas frowned.

“Exactly.” Hayley nodded. “But it’s comforting to know that there’s a cop living in the same street.”

“Right.” Lucas also laughed.

“So where were you before Dunedin?” She asked.

“I grew up in Jacksonville. My parents are still there. I studied in New Orleans, then moved to Tallahassee and then I moved here. You?” Lucas looked at her.

To him, she was becoming more and more beautiful every minute he looked at her. Her long blonde hair was tied up loosely and a few pieces were hanging in her face. Her white vest made her skin look golden brown and she smelled of tropical fruit.

“I grew up in Atlanta with my Dad. My mom died when I was really young, and so I don’t have any brothers or sisters. After I got my degree, I moved down here.” She explained.

“And when did Owain happen?” He asked.

“It was about three months before graduation that I found out I was pregnant. I found out relatively late.” She said.

Lucas nodded at her and wanted to say something, but didn’t.

“Look, I know what you’re probably thinking, because most people think exactly the same. Owain was unplanned, sure. It was a shock to me, and obviously there were other options, but I chose not to take them. I don’t care what people think about me, they can think whatever the Hell they want to. Owain is my son and he’s the best decision I have ever made, regardless of what anyone else thinks.” Hayley blurted out.

“I admire you for that.” Lucas looked at her and she could see that he meant every word.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Hayley smiled at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “People are so quick to judge.”

“I know what you mean.” Lucas nodded.

Suddenly there was a sound coming from outside and Hayley and Lucas jumped.

“What was that?” Hayley jumped up and looked at Lucas.

“I don’t know.” He stood up and walked to the front door. He opened the door and let out a chuckle.

“What?” She asked and walked closer to him.

She stood beside him, half shielded for the outside by his shoulder and looked out onto the driveway. Two cats were jumping off the garbage cans and Hayley let out a soft laugh, softly grabbing hold of Lucas’s arm. She felt his muscles under her hands and she looked up at him. He met her gaze and the corners of his mouth curled up.

“Buff and bad-ass.” He winked at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and playfully smacked his arm. He laughed as they walked back inside and sat down on the couch.

They spent the rest of the night talking and
eventually Hayley fell asleep. Used to staying up the whole night, Lucas sat on the couch watching her, wondering what she was dreaming about. At about five in the morning, he finally dozed off for the first time.

She stared at the doctor in disbelief and shook her head. “No. That’s not…are you sure?”

“Yes, one hundred percent.” The doctor nodded. “Seventeen weeks.”

She felt her heart stop and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked over at Daniel sitting next to her and he was as pale as a sheet.

“That’s almost halfway.” She whispered.

“Yes.” The doctor nodded with a frown. “Unfortunately we cannot terminate the pregnancy when it is so far along.”

“What do you mean?” She frowned.

“It means you have to have the baby.” The doctor answered.

“No!” Daniel exclaimed and jumped up from the chair.

“I agree, I can’t have it.” She frowned.

“If you won’t do the procedure, then we will go somewhere else.” Daniel snapped.

“Well, good luck with that. There is not a clinic in the country that will agree to perform that procedure.” The doctor said .”That I can promise you”

Lee and Daniel exchanged horrified glances and Lee sighed miserably.

”I can’t believe this is happening.” Daniel muttered. ”How could you let this happen?”

“Danny, don’t…” She shook her head.

“You can’t have it, Lee.” Daniel shook his head in disgust. “I won’t allow it.”

When Hayley opened her eyes sleepily, she saw that it was light out. She shifted herself into a sitting position and smiled when she saw Lucas fast asleep on the couch. She slowly slid off the couch and tiptoed to the kitchen. She took out two cups of coffee and placed it on the counter. She then filled the kettle with water and switched it on.

“Good morning….” She heard behind her and let out a shriek. She whirled around and saw Lucas standing behind her, looking very attractive and very amused, his hair was a bit
disheveled, but he looked attractive nonetheless.

“You scared me.” She exclaimed.

“Good morning to you too.” Lucas grinned at her.

“Mom! Mom!” She heard Owain come running down the hall and she frowned.
“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, baby.” She answered and kissed the top of his head.

“Then why are you screaming, Mom?” Owain asked.

“Because Lucas crept up behind me.” She said. “I thought he was asleep.”

“Mom, you should really learn to trust your Spidey senses.” He frowned.

“I will remember that.” She nodded and kissed the top of his head. “Good morning.”

“Good morning Mom. Good morning Luke!” He pulled himself away from Hayley and hugged Lucas.