Part 24 (1/2)

Thirty minutes later, I was well on my way to being drunk, and cackling with the members of Dixie Wardens, bonding over Blair's big bush. Normus was a hoot, and he reminded me a lot of my daddy. He was sweet and cuddly, like a big old teddy bear.

”I see you met Dixie.” Sebastian observed as he came to a stop beside my chair.

I looked up at him, confused. ”Who's Dixie?”

Sebastian nodded his head in 'Dixie's' direction. ”Dixie? I thought your name was Normus.”

He laughed. ”It is. Dixie's my road name. Normus is my real name.”

Then I couldn't hold in the laugh anymore. Seriously, my ribs ached like a son of a b.i.t.c.h, but really, who wouldn't laugh? ”You're Dixie Normus?” I wheezed.

Sebastian, Normus, and everybody else in the room got in on the laugh.

”Oh, yeah. Want me to prove it?”

That was when I realized what I'd said. ”Uh, no thank you. That's quite all right. I'll take your word for it.”

Chapter 18.

Did a cartwheel the other day. Found out it is most definitely not like riding a bike.

-Note to self Baylee Two months later I woke up to screaming.

It was the type of scream that meant pain.

Johnny.

Lifting up, I rolled off the couch with the next breath, and ran down the hallway towards the screaming boy.

I heard larger, more prominent footsteps rus.h.i.+ng from the opposite direction at much the same pace as my own.

We both met at the porch door, Sebastian going out first, rus.h.i.+ng towards the screams that still hadn't abated in ferocity.

He vaulted the railing, landing lithely on his feet, before he rushed to Johnny who was curled up in a ball at the base of the trampoline.

By the time I made it down the steps and around to them, Sebastian was on his knees next to Johnny on the ground, holding him in place. ”What's wrong?”

”My arm!” Johnny wailed.

It was obvious to both of us that his left forearm was broken. It wasn't aligned correctly, with one edge of a broken bone pus.h.i.+ng against his skin forebodingly. ”It's broken. Go find me a magazine and some tape.” I instructed Sebastian.

Once he was gone, I went about calming his son. ”Hey there big boy. It's all right. I know it hurts, but if you keep flailing your arm around like that, it's just going to hurt worse. Shhh. It's okay. I promise. There's a good boy. Did you hurt anything else?”

Johnny's eyes came from Sebastian. With the tears swimming in his eyes, as they were doing now, they looked almost exactly like the golden brown of a Miller Genuine Draft. They were gorgeous on Johnny's tanned face. His hair was a snow-white blonde that stood out greatly, compared to his golden skin.

He sure was a cutie though.

Dirt smudged his face where he must've hit his head when he'd fallen as he tried to get out of the trampoline. ”Hold me, Lee.” Johnny sniffled.

Not able to refuse that sweet face anything, I gathered him up carefully just as Sebastian returned with a magazine and a roll of silver duct tape.

The next ten minutes were spent stabilizing Johnny's arm, finding him shoes, and then driving to the hospital.

We were seen quickly, due to Sebastian's notoriety in the Benton community, as well as the cut that was riding over his shapely back.

The first stop was the X-ray room where Johnny started flipping out when they tried to put him on the table. Since he was in my arms at the time, I tried to calm him; he clung to me like a scalded cat while Sebastian looked on helplessly.

”Ma'am, you can hold him, just bring him over here.” The x-ray tech instructed, indicating a small stool with the x-ray machine in front of me.

As they brought the metal vest over to me, they started asking routine questions.

”Is there any chance you could be pregnant?” The tech asked.

Pfft. Yeah right. Sebastian and I had been using birth control ever since we'd first had s.e.x. Well, most of the time, but my period hadn't indicated anything yet. Nor did I feel like I was pregnant. ”No.”

”Are you sure?” I asked.

When I hesitated, they persisted in that line of questioning. ”What type of birth control are you on? Are you s.e.xually active?”

My mouth opened and closed like a guppy. ”Well, condoms. And yes. Why does this matter?” I wondered.

”If you do happen to be pregnant, this could harm the fetus. It's against hospital regulations to perform this x-ray with someone that could potentially be pregnant. They always make us ask.” The tech explained.

”Just let me have him. I'll do it. I can't be pregnant.” He teased, but his expression was still dazed.

I pa.s.sed the weeping Johnny over to Sebastian, and backed out of the room, coming to a stop at the edge of the wall and sliding down to my knees.

”What the h.e.l.l?” I muttered.

However, the more I sat and thought about it, the more I started realizing a few things.

One, I hadn't had a period this month.

Although it was unusual for them to be off, I'd attributed the change in period to the accident that had held me from work for nearly three weeks.

But now, I had to wonder...could I be pregnant?

Would I be happy if I were pregnant?

I was happy now.

Ever since I had taken Sebastian's property patch, things had changed.

Sebastian was more open about everything that was going on.