The driver of the semi never saw the Taurus that slammed into him, nor did he know at the time that the woman was pregnant. Later, when he found out, the man sank to his knees and cried like a baby. The woman had gone into a coma, and the doctors didn't know when or IF, she would come out of it.
The wreck had made all the local news. Car rear-ending a semi during a pouring rain! The woman's identity was reported and when Kane heard Kali's name, he bolted up out of his chair. After finding out where she had been taken, he rushed right over.
"What room is Kali McLoed in?" Kane's voice trembled, as tears filled his eyes.
"Sir, she's in ICU!" The nurse looked up, alarmed at the massive size and sudden appearance of the man in front of her.
"Kali is pregnant with my child. May I see her please!" Kane pleaded, softly.
The nurse studied him for a second, then relented. "Just for a few minutes!" She got up and led him back to Kali's cubical.
"She's in a coma! If you want to talk to her doctor, I'll page him!" She said quietly.
"Yeah! Do that! I'd like to talk to him!" Kane replied, fear for the woman laying on the bed easily read in his hazel eyes.
Kane stood there watching her breathe with the help of machines. Leaning over the bed, he kissed her tenderly on the cheek, then went to talk to the doctor in charge of her care. What that man had to say, wasn't encouraging.
Over the next six months, Kane spent every minute he could, at Kali's bedside, talking to her, telling her how much he loved her, talking about their son.
Taker and Kane talked about the wreck, about Kali and about the baby. Then, late one night, he got the call that Kali had gone into labor. By the time the two big men got there, the baby boy had been delivered.
"We had to do a c-section. She developed complications, which forced us to do the section. She went into labor, sooner than we expected the baby to come. Since she is in a coma, we were going to do the section anyway, but mother nature had other ideas. Right now, she seems to be resting comfortably, but she's still in a coma!" The doctor gave the two big men permission to visit her and the baby. As Taker went on ahead, Kane hung back, having something to say to the doctor.
"Can you do a paternity test on the baby? Either one of us could be the father. She and I had planned to be married when she learned she was pregnant, but there is a slight chance that he's the father, rather than me. Both of us want to know for sure!" Kane's soft voice and serious eyes convinced the doctor that he wasn't kidding.
****************
Several days later, Taker stopped off in Knoxville to see Judy. It was the middle of January and the roads were bad. What ever possessed her to want to live in the area with weather conditions like these, he would never knew! It had started snowing again! Damn!!!!! He hated this shit!
He found her shop closed! Dreams in Ink would be closed till the first of February! Evidently, she had taken a vacation! Getting back on the interstate, Taker made his way carefully up to Judy's cabin.
As he pulled in to the drive way, he saw smoke coming from her chimney, so he knew she was home. Getting closer, he saw that she also had company! That temper of his surfaced when he recognized the truck as Brian Lee's.
"Damn the man!" Taker parked his truck, and went up to the door, not even bothering to knock.
Both people looked up in surprise as the door swung back hard enough to hit the wall behind it. When Judy saw who dared to enter uninvited, she snorted in disgust, and looked away angrily.
"What the hell's going on here?" Taker said, hands on his hips, staring angrily at the two of them.
"You are interrupting a chess game!" Judy said sarcastically. "But since you're here, you might as well sit down! Do you want some hot chocolate?" She asked, getting up and heading toward the kitchen, not bothering to wait for an answer.
Brian watched the exchange between the two, and couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped his sensuous lips. His resemblance to Taker was amazing, even for cousins, it was amazing.
"Man, you need to get a hold of that jealous streak of yours! I told you some time ago, that she's not interested in me that way." Brian was amused by the big guy's bad mood. He knew that Judy was taking things one step at a time with his cousin, and suspected that she wasn't sleeping with him either. But not from lack of trying, if he knew Taker. This thought made Brian laugh softly.
Taker eyed the other man warily, wondering what the hell he was laughing about. This only made him frown even more. Brian laughed out loud when he saw that glare!
"Just how much time Do you spend with her?" Taker asked suspiciously.
"Not enough, cousin! Not enough! She's special, and the pleasure is ALL MINE! But I can see my company isn't wanted, so I think I better go!" Brian got up to leave just as Judy entered the living room.
When she saw Brian preparing to leave, she tried to get him to stay. "We haven't finished our game yet! You can't leave!" She said, glancing in Taker's direction and giving him a dirty look.
Brian only laughed and said they would finish it next time. Leaning down, he kissed her full one the mouth, startling her, but doing it for Taker's benefit. As he straightened up, he winked and offered an encouraging smile for her benefit.
"I'll call you later in the week, but if you need me, you know how to reach me!" he said, casting a warning glance in Taker's direction. Brian then left the two angry people alone.
Taker stood there till he heard Brian's truck going down the drive way. Only then, did he relax some what.
"Here's your hot chocolate! To what do I owe this honor? Especially on a night like this!" She was only slightly annoyed with the huge man.
Taking the mug, Taker's whole demeanor softened as his green eyes met her blue ones. "I wanted to see you!" He said softly.
"Let's sit here!" She said pulling the huge square cushion Brian and she had been sitting on, over in front of the fireplace.
They made themselves comfortable, leaning back against them. Taker set the mug down on the sofa table next to the chess set. Turning to face her, he leaned forward and gently kissed her soft lips. She responded instantly. Pulling back slightly, Taker looked questioningly into her blue eyes, then kissed her more deeply!
Her arms went around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Her lips parted slightly, and he took full advantage of her willingness. Pressing her back against the cushion, Taker's hands roamed at will, even as they kissed hungrily. Her hands pulled at the band holding his hair back, till it popped, freeing his long, silky mane. Taker pushed her sweater up till he could pull it off. Judy eagerly assisted in removing the bulky garment.
In the soft lighting, she had never been more beautiful to him, then she was right now. Taker gazed down at her with love in his eyes.Throwing one of his legs over hers, he took his time, showing her with his hands and his mouth, the depth of his feeling for her! He didn't stop till she was whimpering with desire, begging for more.
"Please! I want you!" She whispered, her blue eyes nearly black with desire.
Taker groaned, then quickly removed her clothes, then his own. Within seconds, his big body covered hers. As their bodies became one, Taker groaned and stopped moving. It had been a long time! She fit like a glove and he was in danger of losing all control. Judy's body spasmed, then she too, went still. Finally after what seemed an eternity, Taker began to move against her. After a minute or two, Judy was pushing against his massive chest, attempting to push him away.
"Please! Back off!" She softly pleaded, looking up into his green eyes.
Confused by her actions, Taker pulled back, sitting on his haunches, his big hands resting on his thickly muscled thighs. All he could do was gaze down at her in confusion and more than a little hurt, wondering what she was to.
Getting to her knees, she pushed him down on the floor! He caught a glimmer of anger as well as passion, in her eyes, as she straddled his hips. SO! She wanted it that way! "You walk into my home, as though you have every right to, run off my guest, then think you can have your way with me! All this, after no word in almost two months!" Her soft voice had just a touch of anger, even as she guided him into her softness.
Taker smiled to himself, knowing better than to let her see it. So, this was going to be sex with an attitude! He could get into this! Taker had the feeling she intended to "punish" him!
Grabbing hold of her hips, Taker let her have her way with him to a point. He let her berate him, fuss at him, even insult him, to a point. After that, Taker decided it was time to turn around.
With his lightening fast reflexes, Judy found herself laying on her back, staring up into a pair of green eyes with a wicked gleam in them! He meant to punish her for sending him away all those nights, for making him wonder just where he stood in her affections. Within minutes, this rough sex, sex with an attitude, had the desired results as wave after wave of pleasure washed over them both. For them, the night had just started.
****************
The next morning over breakfast, Taker told Judy about the birth of Kali's baby, and about the paternity test that was going to be done.
"Is she still in a coma?" She asked quietly, looking down at her plate, suddenly no longer hungry.
"Yeah she is." Taker replied, sitting there bare-chested and bare-foot. He knew this was a touchy subject between them.
Just then, his cell phone rang. Getting up to answer it, he listened for several minutes before hanging up. "That was Kane! The results are in. I'm the baby's father. And Kali is awake!" The look of shock could not be disguised.
Judy sat there, too shocked and hurt, to say anything, as Taker started getting ready to leave.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter Twenty-Two~~~Kaliegh
Kali could hear Kane talking to her and she could feel him holding her hand, but she couldn't see him. Her eyes felt so heavy and she couldn't get them to open. If only she could get her eyes to open…..
"Kali, please wake up. Your baby needs you….I need you." Kane pleaded, whispering softly in her ear.
Just then Kali's doctor came into the room, holding the results of the paternity test in his hand. Taking a deep breath, Kane asked if he was the baby's father.
"Well, first I want you to know that these results are 99.9% accurate. And according to this, you are not the father of this baby." The doctor could plainly see the hurt in Kane's eyes and although he usually tried not to get too involved in his cases, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the big man. Then turning to check on his patient, the young doctor was surprised to see that she had awaken during his conversation with Kane.
Without thinking, Kane rushed over to her side, taking her hand in his. "How are you feeling?" Kane asked as his other hand tenderly caressed her cheek.
"Kane? What…What happened?" Kali asked, her eyes wide as she looked around the hospital room.
"You were in a car accident, and have been in a coma for the last six months." The doctor answered as he stepped around to the other side of the bed and began checking her vitals.
Panic gripped Kali's heart when she heard this. Her hands automatically went down to her flat stomach, hoping that her baby was not hurt in the accident. "Where's my baby? What happened to him?" Kali's voice rose hysterically as she said this, and her questioning eyes first looked at Kane and then at the doctor.
"He's okey, Kali! He was born early yesterday morning." Kane said softly. He was still stunned by the results of the paternity test and found it hard to talk about the baby that he was so sure he was the father of.
"He's in the nursery. I'll have the nurse bring him down to you if your vitals are stable and you're feeling up to it." The doctor went on to say as he continued checking her over.
**************
Judy sat silently watching Taker rush around her cabin trying to get a flight, and get dressed at the same time.
"I finally got a flight! I swear, everyone and their grandma must be traveling today." Taker said as he came into the kitchen and poured himself another cup of coffee. "The flight departs in about an hour and a half , so I'll need to leave shortly."
"When will I see you again?" Judy asked softly. The shock and hurt was plainly visible in her eyes and in her voice, but Taker didn't seem to take notice. The initial shock that he had felt had mostly faded in the short time since Kane called. Now all he wanted was to get to the hospital to see Kali and their son.
"Judy, I don't know." Taker said as he bent and quickly kissed her cheek. "I've got to get going now. I'll call you." Then he hurried out the door.
Judy sat there by the table for awhile, staring out at her mountains. Her heart felt heavy with hurt over the fact that Taker was the father of Kali's baby, and that he had rushed off so quickly after Kane's phone call. Getting up from her chair, she walked over to the sink and rinsed her coffee cup. Then walking into the livingroom, Judy decided what she was going to do. Picking up the phone, she punched in Brian's number.
****************
When Taker arrived at the hospital, he met Kane, who was on his way out. "Well, you certainly made it here in record time." Kane said to Taker in a rather rude tone. He knew that it wasn't Taker's fault that he turned out to be the baby's father, but Kane couldn't help but to feel angry towards him Kane also knew that Kali had slept with Taker, even after she and Kane had made love. Kane felt very hurt by her betrayal, now that he knew who really was the baby's father. Kane couldn't understand what had gotten into Kali to make her sleep with Taker after he had already hurt her so bad. She definitely wasn't the same Kali he knew ten years ago.
Taker was at a loss for words and could only stand there looking at Kane. Finally Kane turned away to go back to his hotel. He loved Kali, but he had some serious thinking to do about the future.
Taker walked into Kali's room and saw that she and the baby were sleeping soundly. Taker carefully took the baby from her arms and sat down in one of the chairs, taking in all the features of this miniature person that he held n his arms. He was amazed by the tiny hands and fingers….the tiny feet and toes. Taker was further amazed as he fully realized that this little human being was a part of him.
"He's precious, isn't he." Kali said softly. She had awoke when Taker took the baby from her and she had been watching him just now as he became acquainted with his son.
Taker looked over at Kali, a warm smile on his handsome face. "I'm glad you've decided to come back to us, and you're right, this little guy is amazing." Taker said as he gazed down at the little baby who had wrapped his tiny fingers around one of his own.
A week later, when Kali was ready to be released from the hospital, Kane still hadn't come back to the hospital, or even called. Kali assumed that Kane wanted nothing more to do with her, so when Taker insisted that she and the baby come and stay with him during his three-week vacation, Kali accepted his offer.