4This is my first story on FictionPress so I decided to use a story that was near and dear to me. I also have an account on FanFiction under the same name and one look at my stories and you now this isn't the kind of thing I usually write but I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. Enjoy!
Return of an Angel
"Damnit! The ONE time you don't answer your phone! Cait's at the hospital! She showed up 'bout an hour ago from what we've been told but no one's allowed to see her! All we know is that she keeps crying for you! You better drag your frickin ass over here or so help me I'll-"
Liam stopped listening after that, he was in a state of utter disbelief. His angel was back, that was the only thing his mind had registered. She had comforted him during his time of greatest need, but she was like the spring rains. Disappearing just as suddenly as she had came, leaving him after their only night of intimacy. In her place there was only a note saying that she'd call him after her finals were done. That had been months ago and he hadn't heard a word from her since then, no one had, until now that is. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm the torrent of emotions stirring within him.
What was he supposed to feel? Happiness at her return? Relief that she was okay? Betrayed that she had left him? He just didn't know. Liam closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to center himself. His eyes opened as he rose off of the bed to get dressed, his mind had been made up the second he had heard where his angel was. He went over to his closest and grabbed a shirt and pants. Quickly getting dressed and giving himself a once over in the mirror. Normally he didn't really care what he looked like but this was different, he wanted to look somewhat presentable for her.
His crimson hair was worn in its usual manner, very messy and going every which way. The dark rings surrounding his jade eyes had darkened since he last saw her due to his insomnia worsening. His cheek bones rose high giving his face a sharp appearance, perfectly matching the scowl which usually adorned his face. His muscular chest was hidden by a loose-fitting deep red t-shirt, his arms by a black jacket. Covering his legs were baggy cargo pants accompanied by black sneakers.
He checked his phone to see that the message had been left about four minutes ago. The redhead cursed himself for not picking up when Aiden, Cait's foster brother and his closest friend, had called. As he left his townhouse he grabbed his badge, handcuffs, gun and keys. He was going to see the love of his life and not a thing in the world could stop him.
Liam managed to reach the hospital in record time and had, amazingly, not given into the temptation of turning on his siren to get here faster. He arrived to the sight of a tall man with spiked blonde hair pacing back and forth. His sapphire eyes were filed with worry and concern as he clenched and unclenched his fist multiple times to try to remain calm. The man wore a long-sleeved orange shirt with a blue vest on top with a pair of deep blue jeans. It was obvious the man worked out a lot from the way his shirt hugged his chest, revealing that he was very muscular but that was natural for someone of his profession. Normally he would be happy to see the blonde man but not under these circumstances, it was quite obvious Aiden's very being was consumed with worry over where his foster sister had disappeared to months ago.
Nearby there was a woman observing the distressed blonde. She had long raven hair and a very pale complexion. Her silver eyes radiated concern for her husband as he continued to pace. She was petite and her plump belly obscured her once very gracious figure as she was heavily pregnant. If he remembered correctly she had only about a month left in her pregnancy. Keira was currently in a violet maternity shirt with black sweat pants. It was obvious she wanted to do something to ease her husband distress but it was also equally obvious she didn't know what to do.
Across the room there was a man sitting nonchalantly listening to an iPod, his onyx eyes held annoyance and disgust at the scene in front of him. The man had cropped black hair and wore a navy polo with jeans worn haphazardly, giving the impression he just wore whatever cloths he happened to grab first. He always caused some sort of problem for his angel. When a group of their friends had went to a bar he had upset her, leaving her seeking his solace, the very reason they had been alone together. Liam glared at Devin, who responded in kind. But the exchange of heated stares was interrupted when Aiden caught sight of the redhead. "YOU!" he screamed while pointing an accusing finger at him, "What took you so long?!"
"I left as soon as I got your message," he replied, voice slightly agitated.
"Why didn't you answer when I called you?!"
"Aiden…" both turned to face Keira, "that's not fair to him, it's almost five in the morning. Liam was probably sleeping, like you were when we almost missed the call."
The redhead was sincerely grateful for her intervention. Aiden was extremely close to his foster sister and tended to become panicked when there was even a chance of something bad happening to her, or he hadn't seen her for a while. Same could be said for him, he might look calm on the outside but his mind was in complete turmoil. Having the blonde yelling at him in such a state would have resulted in them screaming at each other and possibly a fistfight. Aiden opened his mouth to reply when a woman entered the waiting room.
It was obvious she was a doctor due to the white coat and clipboard but other than that she didn't look the part. She had platinum blonde hair tied back in two ponytails. Her clothes were very tight fitting and her shirt exposed quite a considerable amount of cleavage, exaggerating the doctor's already voluptuous figure. She was relatively tall and had a stern expression on her face as her honey colored eyes glanced over the group, "I take it this is Cait's close friends and family?"
Aiden ran up to the woman, "Granny Riona! Is Cait okay?! Why is she here?! Why can't anyone see her?! Damnit, why didn't she at least call anyone?!"
The doctor whose name was apparently Riona smacked the blonde over the head, "Idiot!" she said at a relatively low volume, "This is a hospital! If you want to stay then you'll have to be quiet!" she smacked him again, "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me granny?!"
The blonde grumbled a few things as he rubbed the spot she had hit him. She sighed and looked over towards the redhead, "I take it your Liam?"
He was slightly confused as to why she wanted to know but nodded nonetheless. Riona motioned him forward, "Come with me please."
Liam followed the doctor through the double doors into the hospital hallway. The blonde woman spun around to face him, eyeing him as if she was trying to gauge his worth, "I need to know if you have any diseases or medical conditions before I take you into my hospital. I don't want to risk the health of my patients. Maybe something genetic?"
He thought back a bit, shuddering as he recalled bits of his past. The redhead pulled his right sleeve back to reveal a medical band, "I can't have blood thinners. Something about mutations and it causing the thickening of blood…?"
Riona nodded and jotted down a couple of notes, "Thought it was something like that," she mumbled.
He didn't quite catch what she had said but the blonde woman began to walk away before he could ask. He quickened his pace to catch up to her. The redhead looked around the white hallway to see if he recognized it. His job required him to visit the hospital quite a bit to interview witnesses and victims. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing they weren't headed to the ICU, that was a good sign. Problem was that he didn't know where they were going. "Where are we going?" he inquired.
The doctor looked over her shoulder, not stopping her walk, "Labor and Delivery."
His eyes widened a bit, why would Cait be there? Liam knew that she volunteered at the hospital every now and again but he didn't know that volunteers could work there. His brows creased in frustration, nothing was adding up for him. When Riona stopped at a slightly ajar door he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him, "What's going on? Why is Cait here? Why is she crying for me? And why aren't you telling me anything?!" voice raising slightly during the last sentence.
The doctor pulled him off to the side and motioned for him to be quiet. This only infuriated him even more. That is until he heard a voice coming from the room, a very familiar voice. "Shut up you stupid woman!" it was Devin, "Do you have any idea what I had to do to get here before the redhead and that bitch doctor! I had to sneak past tons of nurses and here you are crying for that… that freak!"
Liam's eyes narrowed at the man's nickname for him, he tried to go into the room but Riona put her arm in front of his and shook her head. The blonde woman grabbed her phone and dialed a couple of digits as they continued to listen.
"Tell me Cait, where did you go after you disappeared from the bar?" his cheeks started to become pink as memories of their night together came crashing down on him, he looked at the ceiling and prayed that the doctor didn't notice. But what Devin said next had effectively taken his mind off that, his voice filled with accusation and malice, "First you leave then the freak followed you a few seconds later. You went home with him, didn't you? You slept with slept with him, didn't you?! Yet you think you're too good for me you little whore!"
That was all the redhead could take. He swung the door open with barely contained and charged at Devin, pinning him to the ground. He reached for his handcuffs before glancing up but he found himself unable to look away. For the first time in nine months, he was staring into his angel's beautiful amber eyes. "Cait…" he whispered.
Liam got up and was immediately by her side, barely noticing the security guards dragging Devin away. He began rubbed her hand to try to comfort her, remembering just how soft her skin was as he indulge himself in the sight of his angel. She looked just as beautiful as he remembered, no he was wrong. No memory could ever compare the real thing.
Her long onyx hair cascaded down her back with her natural red highlights bringing his attention to her face. Her features were soft and delicate, giving her a purely feminine appearance. Her personality completely contradicted her looks; tough as nails and stubborn as hell, a tomboy at heart, always one of the guys. But not to him, never to him, she had been the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on twelve years ago and that still held strong today.
Her cheeks her flushed and sweat droplets where rolling down her forehead. Her eyes were welling up with tears but not from what Devin had said to her, the look in her eye was one of physical pain. It was obvious she was in pain and very uncomfortable. He raised his hand and started rubbing his thumb on her cheek, trying to ease some of the discomfort. Her amber eyes shined brightly before closing them and leaning into his touch. God, he missed her more then he had realized. He noticed that she was huddled under the covers but something was off. She seemed like she was, he didn't know, heavier?
Cait opened her eyes and stared deeply into his as he began to lose himself all over again in her amber seas. It was in this moment that the doctor made herself known, "Mr. Adael, if you wish to stay then you'll have to wear standard doctor apparel."
Liam managed to pry his gaze from his angel's long enough to nod at the blonde woman. He let the doctor help him get dressed but he still didn't understand what was going on. The situation only began clear to him with Riona's next sentence, "Mr. Adael we usually don't let fathers watch the birth of their child but Cait was adamant you be here. Luckily, you got here before we had to stave off her labor so this should go relatively smoothly."
The redhead's eyes went completely wide and he could of sworn he felt his heart skip a few beats. He turned around to see tears rolling down Cait's cheeks as she nodded and then began to hiccup. So looked scared, terrified actually. Was she afraid that he'd reject her? Liam was immediately by her side again and lightly kissed her cheek, reassuring her that he wouldn't leave her side. She grabbed his hand and started to squeeze it to help alleviate some of the pain. He was well aware that she was going, or already had, cut off his circulation but to see the amount of pain she was in was more then enough incentive for him to allow her to keep it.
He vaguely noticed more nurses appearing in the room, only focusing on his angel. She looked deeply into his eyes as if to try to ignore the pain she was experiencing. As her labor progressed her sobs grew more frequent and harder. Each time she cried out the redhead would kiss her forehead and softly whisper words of comfort to her. Eventually the doctors told her to push. Liam watched her face as she did so and he couldn't remember a time she had ever looked more beautiful to him.
After about an hour of hit and miss, Cait pushed one last time and collapsed onto the bed as the soft cries of a baby echoed in the room. She immediately bolted up and began to search for the child she had just given birth to. Her eyes were frantic, the redhead couldn't possible imagine what she was feeling right now. Riona walked over to her with a bundle in her arms, smiling down at the new mother, "Congratulations, it's a boy."
"A boy?" her voice hoarse from her cries from before.
The doctor nodded and handed her the bundle. She began to softly coo for the baby. He stirred slightly and opened his blue eyes, staring up at his mother, "Hey there little guy," she whispered softly to the baby before turning to face his father, her eyes shining brighter then he had ever seen before, "Liam… this is your son."
Her voice was so quite that he barely caught what she had said, his gaze still transfixed with her eyes. The redhead looked down at the baby to see him nuzzling against his mother's chest, "Umm… Cait, I think he's hungry," he whispered softly.
She waited a bit for the rest of the doctors and nurses to leave before opening her hospital gown and letting her child breast-feed. As he watched the child nurse only one thought was going through his head, 'Not just any child… your child. Your son.'
With a primal growl Liam scooted closer to the two and laid down on the bed with them. He wrapped an arm around Cait waist and brought her close to him, her side pressed against his. She sighed and laid her head against his chest. He looked down at his son and cupped the back of his head, it appeared that he had fallen asleep with the breast still in his mouth. The redhead's gaze shifted back to his angel when he noticed that she was half-sleep yet she still cuddled up to him. He sighed sadly, wishing his siblings could see him like this. They had only ever wished for his happiness and he was the happiest he'd ever been since their untimely deaths. He nuzzled his head against hers and tightened the grip he had on her waist before falling asleep.
What seemed like only mere minutes later, Liam awoke to a warm sensation rippling across his body. He cracked one eye open to see Cait still asleep while cuddling even closer to him. He let out a contented sigh as he heard the door open. He opened both eyes to see Riona entering the room, smirk on her face, "Just checking up. Didn't think you'd actually be awake, you fell asleep 'bout five hours ago, slept like a rock too."
The redhead's eyes widened, five hours? That was the longest he'd slept in months but he quickly banished that thought from his head as he realized he'd be late for patrol. Liam got off the bed, carefully as not to disturb the other two. He approached the blonde woman who had her brow raised, "You need something from me?"
"You see…I'm supposed to be at work ten minutes and-"
"And you need me to talk to your boss?" he nodded, she held out her hand, "Call them and I'll talk to them."
Liam thanked her as he walked over to his coat and grabbed his phone. He dialed the number and waited for someone to pick it up, "Hello Deidre? It's Liam could you put the chief on?" he rolled his eyes, "Deidre, I've told you before I'm not interested in going out with you… If you don't put him on then I'll get fired and you won't see me anymore… No, I'm not joking."
Riona grabbed the phone from his grasp and put it up to her ear, obviously very irritated, "Listen here you little twit, I'm the head doctor at Crestwood and if you don't put your boss on the phone I'll personally see to it that you never worked in law enforcement again," there was a moment of silence before her dark expression turned into a smug one, "Why heeellllloooo there Caine, long time no see… What do you mean?" she paused for a few moments before feigning hurt, "I genuinely wanted to talk to you… and I have one of your officers here," the redhead couldn't help but smirk and shake his head at her wicked look.
"Well, what will you offer for me to tell you who it is?… Dinner sounds like a fair trade, we'll discuss the details later. I have Officer Liam Adael here… No he's not injured, he's a father," Riona pulled the phone away from her ear as a very loud 'congrats' erupted from the receiver, his face turning as red as his hair. The doctor shook her head and placed the phone back by her ear, "I think he deserves a little vacation time… What do you mean 'no can do'?! The man just found out he was a father for god's sake! Give him a break!" there was some murmuring on the other line as Riona expression went from angry to dead serious as she turned to face Liam, "You need to hear this."
She handed him the phone and he spoke to the chief, slightly worried about what he'd hear, "Yes sir?"
There was a tired sigh before Caine spoke, "We finally caught them, the guys who killed your siblings. Thought you'd like to process them since…" he stopped listening after that, barely able to keep the phone is his hands. The people who killed his brother and sister were at the station? He thought he knew what he wanted to do, that is, until he looked back at Cait. His breath was bated as he looked around franticly for what he should do. The redhead turned to Riona, her eyes held sadness but she couldn't give him the answer he so desperately needed right now.
He closed his eyes to help him focus, nothing here could give him the answer so maybe they could. What would Myrna and Neil want him to do? Liam almost laughed at himself when he realized what he had just asked. He knew exactly what they'd want him to do and, if they were still alive, they'd both be screaming at him for even considering anything but that option. He took a few deep breaths to try to get his voice back to the normal calm tone he usually used.
He put the phone back up to his ear and gave his answer, "Sir, processing them won't bring my family back. It'll only… taint the case if it got out I was related to two of the victims. Someone else can deal with the scum," he looked at Riona to see her beaming with pride and relief.
Liam said goodbye and handed the phone back to her, smug expression back, "So that was worth more then dinner wasn't it? How 'bout some dancing to go with that dinner? … Sounds good, see you tonight," the doctor closed the phone and turned to face Liam, "Be thankful kid, I just got you two months off. Use it well," and with that she exited the room.
The redhead started to make his way back to the bed, expression downcast. Turning the chief's offer down had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. In reality, nothing would have pleased him more to meet the bastards who had killed his family and give them a piece of his mind. But in his profession he'd seen so many people whose lives had been ruined by revenge. Liam had always pitied them but he'd never thought he'd be put into such a position. He knew the vices all too well and had no intention of repeating the mistake so many had made.
He laid back down with Cait, observing her completely peaceful expression. A small smile touched his lips as he brought her closer to him, this was his family now. And if either one of his siblings ever got word he'd even considered leaving them… he shuddered a bit at the thought.
The woman in his arms stirred a bit and he chuckled. Liam bent his head over and placed a light kiss on his angel's lips. Her beautiful amber eyes opened to stare into his before both of their eyes slid shut, relishing in the kiss. He pulled back just enough to see her eyes once more, "Good morning," he whispered as a lover would.
"Morning," she whispered as she cuddled against his chest, pulling her hospital gown closed to preserve some of her modesty.
Both just stayed like that for a while, indulging themselves in the other's presence. Liam had so many questions flying around in his mind but decided to address the most obvious first, "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" his voice slightly hurt.
She sighed and shifted a bit to see his face, their child still in her arms, "I meant to call you after my finals like I had said, the thought of getting pregnant had never crossed my mind. But right after the last one I got a call saying that my grandmother was really sick. I got the soonest plane I could get to Naples be with her, same flight Aiden was on. Only few days after I got there she died, her last words to both of us were, 'When you find you love more then life itself then never let them go,' " she sniffed a bit before continuing, "Aiden left a week later but I stayed to get her affairs together."
"I ended up being there for a month and I'd started feeling sick all the time. At first I just thought I caught a cold or something until I realized I'd missed my period. After I came back to the city I went to see Riona immediately and she confirmed that I was pregnant," she cuddled even closer to him and looked him straight in the eye, "I wanted to tell you, I wanted to tell you so badly but Riona said that wasn't a good idea."
His brows creased in anger, "Why did she say that?" voice teeming with barely contained fury.
Cait shook her head before continuing, "It wasn't you that she was worried about, it was me. I have a rare condition that makes pregnancy very difficult," she seemed to notice his worried expression and shook her head again, "The danger was never to me, it was to the baby. I had to avoid any and all stressful situations or I'd lose him. Which meant I was stuck in the country for my pregnancy, Riona came every week or so to give me a check and see how I was doing. I couldn't get any messages out and it was probably for the better too. If certain people found out I was pregnant before the baby was born they'd try to convince me to use abortion… or force one on me."
Liam recalled how Devin was yelling at her as a menacing growl made its way up his throat. The bastard had been trying to get her so upset she'd lose their child! He felt the baby stir as if to remind him that the man's plan didn't work, swelling rage within him immediately disappeared. She placed her free hand on his face and turned him around to face her, leaning forward to kiss him. He met her halfway, it was gentle and soft, conveying all their feelings for the other. He pulled back and turned away, voicing what he had been inclined to believe after all this time, "I thought you regretted being with me… ashamed of what we had done," he said quietly.
The redhead heard her gasp and was about to turn to face her when he felt her hand smack him across the cheek, hard. He rubbed the spot and turned to see her with a stern expression on her face. He was about to saw something when she smacked him again, "Don't you ever think that!" she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.
It was nothing like their other kisses, this one was deep and passionate. It made it perfectly clear for him just what she thought of what they had done together. Just as suddenly as she pulled him down she drew away from him, "I've never wanted to be with another man and I haven't! You're my first and only and don't you ever think I'm ashamed about what happened!"
Liam's eyes went completely wide. He didn't remember… flashbacks started pouring into his head from their one night of passion. His chest tightened and his breathing had almost stopped. "I… I didn't realize… I thought that…" he groaned, placing his head on Cait's shoulder and starting to murmur to her, "You were tight… God, you were so tight… but I didn't know you were a virgin. I would have been gentler if I had known. Why didn't you tell me?"
The redhead felt her stroking his hair, reassuring him. He sighed, it was happening again. When he should be comforting her, she was comforting him. He kissed her neck to try and apologize, feeling her pulse quicken under his lips he smirked, "Because… you looked so broken. I could see your heart tearing itself apart through your eyes. I… wanted to comfort you, to take all the pain away. I wanted to comfort you any way I could… as friends, as lovers, whatever role you wanted me to be I was ready to fill. But I kinda hoped you'd chose the latter," the last part was almost inaudible but he managed to catch it.
His head shot up and Liam looked her straight in the eye, "What did you just say?" he didn't believe what he'd just heard, he needed for her to say it again.
Cait's cheeks reddened a bit and she looked away, "Ever since high school I've…kinda had this thing for you. Aiden knew about it and would tease me about it when we were alone. I had to threaten his life to keep him quiet about it. I never told you because I…" she gulped," I…was afraid. After me parents died haven't been able to tell anyone that I cared about them. It was only on my grandma's deathbed I was able to tell her for the first time since I was eight that I loved her."
His eyes were sympathetic, her brother had told him what happened. Cait's parents died in an arson fire fifteen years ago and she'd lived with her grandmother after that. She was in the same building as her parents when it had burned down but she had survived and, from what he could piece together, had blamed herself for their deaths and was afraid to get close to people again. Her grandmother had adopted Aiden and that's how he met her. They had already been friends when a family within the city adopted him. When he'd gone over to the house the blonde had just moved to he'd meet her for the first time. She'd been beautiful, even though she was only twelve at the time and had yet to fully mature. Back then she had been very cold and antisocial, that alone would have been enough for anyone to change their mind about her.
But not him, when he looked at her he didn't see the heartless and cynical girl most people thought of her as. What the redhead saw was someone in pain, someone that wanted to be healed but was afraid of getting hurt again. Over time the icy shell around her heart melted due to the efforts of Aiden and her grandmother. She was still slightly antisocial and could come off as cold but could also be very friendly and kind when she wanted to be, key words right there. Due to his relationship with her brother he saw her a lot and they talked every now and then. She had always been one of the few people that truly understood him, even when she was cold. Liam wasn't exactly sure when it had happened but one day he just knew that he loved her, simple as that.
Cait continued with her story, "When you showed to the bar that night I was so happy. But when Devin started bragging about the supposed things he'd done with me I was horrified… and disgusted, but mostly horrified. I ran off because didn't want to face anyone… especially you. And after I started crying I really didn't want anyone finding me. When I found me I tried to act like it was nothing but you stayed and comforted me anyway. You were so kind to me and when you found out about your family, you looked like your heart had shattered. I wanted to be the one to help you pick up the pieces and put it back together. I was ready to be what ever you needed me to be, as long as you could look whole again I wouldn't mind. But I let what happened happen mostly because I… I…," she paused, took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye, "Because I love you."
Liam swore his heart stopped beating, he crushed her into his chest as gently as he could since their son was still in her arms, "Say it again."
"I love you," she whispered as a lover would.
He crashed his lips down onto hers, kissing her with all the passion, all the love in his being. She responded in kind, expressing everything they felt for each other in that kiss. God, he'd always wanted to hear her say that to him, always pictured what it would feel like for her to say that. Needless to say, imagination was never better then reality. He pulled back slowly and looked deeply into her eyes, "I love you too," her eyes shown so bright that they outshone every star in the sky, "And I'm so sorry you had to go through your pregnancy alone… I should have been there with you."
Cait shook her head, "It's alright, he didn't give me a lot of problems. The strong, silent type… like his daddy."
He chuckled a bit and leaned down to kiss her again when he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down to see their son with a bit of his father's shirt in his petite hand and what looked like a scowl on his face. Cait laughed, "Looks like he got something else from you."
Liam scowled but that caused her to laugh even harder, holding up the baby for him to see, "See! Perfect match!"
Damn, he couldn't stay mad at her. Especially when she was laughing, she hardly ever smiled let alone laughed. She'd smirk a lot but he'd only gotten to see her true smile a handful of times and could count the times he'd heard her laugh on his fingers. It was the most beautiful music his ears had ever heard, so carefree and joyful. As soon as Cait got out of the hospital he'd personally see to it that she laughed more often. Her laughter stopped when she noticed their son reaching out his arms to his father, she smirked, "Oh, you want daddy to hold you?"
She tried to hand the baby to Liam but he looked confused, "Umm… I don't know-"
She giggled, "Here… I'll show you."
Cait placed their son in his arms and moved one of his on back, the other behind his head, "You have to support the head and his back, otherwise it's supposed to be bad for him."
He barely heard her, this time he was focused on the child in his arms. His son had tuffs of maroon hair on top of his little head. His was relatively small, even by newborn standards, and wasn't all that heavy. Physically, he looked more like him then Cait but the redhead could saw so much of his mother in their child; her stubborn attitude and fiery spirit were visible through his eyes. But this brought a question to mind, "Why are his eyes blue?"
She giggled, "Most babies are born with blue eyes, their natural eye color comes later," she cuddled against his chest, "I wonder if they'll be jade like his daddy, or amber like his mommy…"
Liam nuzzled her head, "I hope their amber like his mom…"
There was a few moments of silence before she sighed contentedly, "I'm really glad we forgot to use protection."
He pulled back a bit and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, me too."
He leaned forward to kiss her when he felt a tug on his shirt again. He looked down and chuckled, that scowl of his adorned their son's face. Cait giggled, "I don't think he likes it when we forget about him."
He kissed her lips lightly and looked down at their child, "We still have to give him a name."
She rested her head at the base of his neck, "I know… and I have one in mind. How about Colm?"
Dove, a universal symbol of peace and love, the animal that brought hope to Noah on the arc. He couldn't think of a more fitting name. He looked at her lovingly, "It's perfect…"
She cuddled up to his chest again and closed her eyes, "Thought you'd like it."
Liam ran his hand through her hair, he couldn't believe how lucky he was. Here was this beautiful woman lying against him, the same woman who had just given him a child, the same woman that he loved so dearly. He looked down at Colm to see that he was dozing off, eyes half closed. The redhead started to rock the child a bit, his eyes sliding completely shut. His free arm wrapped around Cait's waist and brought her closer to him while holding their child just a bit more securely as he thought back on the night that had made this all possible.
Aiden had invited him to a bar one of his friends owned, saying that everyone would be there. He was planning on declining until the blonde had said Cait was going, knowing exactly what he was doing by playing that card. He ended up going and talked with the woman of his affection quite a bit, both fostering the same drink the entire time. It was a pleasant conversation, talking about what they'd been up to see they'd last talked a few weeks ago. This had all ended when Devin had shown up and started to talk.
He had been trying to get Cait to go out with him for the longest time; his twisted mind had already decided that she was his, the only thing left to do was get her to realize that, by his thinking anyway. She had declined all of his advances, she and everyone else knew that Devin only wanted to sleep with her. So instead of backing off the man decided to spite her where it would hurt the most; her chastity.
Cait took great pride in her chastity and wouldn't sleep with anyone unless she loved them and planned to spend the rest of her life with them. Devin knew this, and he took advantage of it. Mortified and humiliated by his accusations and suggestive statements, she'd been forced to leave the bar before she either broke down or killed him. She'd sought the solace of the parking lot; dark, secluded and silent, the kind of place she always went when she wanted to be alone. The redhead left soon after that, thinking that he'd take a swing or two at the man himself if he didn't stop… probably more. It wasn't just what he was saying, it was the fact that none of her friends did anything to stop his lies. He didn't say anything because he felt that he didn't know her well enough to properly defend her. So he left before a fight between Devin and him broke out, especially since that he was positive that the only reason Aiden hadn't punched the man yet was because Keira, his fiancé at the time, was holding him back.
He went outside to get some fresh air when he heard some soft crying. Since he was a cop his first assumption was that someone got mugged. He drew the revolver he always kept on him and walked slowly toward the source, meeting an excepted sight. Cait was curled into a ball in her brother's pick up truck, crying. As long as he'd known her, hell, even as along as Aiden knew her she'd never cried. Crying was weakness in her eyes and admitting weakness was something she didn't do very easily. She was wearing a short fishnet shirt under a crimson halter, her pants were loose–fitting and black with several chains hanging down. He was planning on just leaving her like that, thinking it was better to let her think no one saw her crying. That was the plan, until his cell phone rang, catching her attention.
Liam put away the gun and answered his phone as he walked up to her. It was Myrna asking if he needed anything while they were at the store. Neil was driving her around since she'd broken her leg and was unable to drive herself. She briefly mentioned they were going to the bank and hung up. He snapped his phone shut and sank down into the seat next to her, asking if she was okay. Cait rubbed her eyes before trying to brush it off, saying she just had something in her eye. The redhead didn't buy it for a second but he did notice she was shivering so he put his jacket around her shoulder. He asked again, hoping that she'd be more cooperative. She sniffed a bit before breaking down completely.
Cait swung her arms around him and crushed herself into his chest, crying her heart out. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and placed the other on the back of her head, providing any comfort he could. He knew that this wasn't just about what Devin said, every tear and sorrow she'd held back all these years came bursting forward, finally given a chance to escape. Liam said nothing, only holding her tight to assuring her she wasn't alone. Between sobs he was able to make out her saying how humiliated she was and that if anyone had believed what the man had said then she'd never be able to live it down. Liam assured he didn't believe a word that the liar had said, her sobs lessened a bit.
After about a minute she'd stopped crying and was able to talk normally soon after. He didn't want to push her too hard after her little break down, so he started to talk about the past to get her mind off of whatever it was she was worried about. They ended up staying like that for awhile, her still in his arms, reminiscing about when they were younger, talking about everything from when they first meet till high school. They were interrupted when Liam's phone rang, he detangled himself from her and looked to see who it was. It was the department, he rolled his eyes thinking it was just Deidre asking him on another date. He answered, grunting into the receiver. Seconds later the phone fell out of his hand, jade eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Both of his siblings were dead, shot in an attempted bank robbery gone horribly wrong along with three other individuals. The redhead just sat there, unable to speak or complete a single thought. His chest tightened and he gripped where his heart was, unable to breath as it tore itself apart with grief. She leaned over to pick up his phone and started to talk to the frantic voice on the other end. Cait gasped as tears formed in her eyes again, thanking Caine for his condolences and promising to stay with the officer before she hung up. She placed her delicate hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. Liam could still see the sympathy in her eyes as well as the tears. That had been his undoing.
He crushed her into his chest and buried his face into her shoulder as mourned. He mourned the loss of his cheery, vibrant blonde sister; the loss of his silly, slightly perverted brunette brother and for himself… because now he was completely alone. Liam remembered how her hands had been stroking his hair to try and comfort him. Looking back he couldn't believe the turn of events; the comforter became the one being comforted.
He held onto her so tightly, almost begging her not to leave him. She clung just as tightly to him as she promised to never leave him alone, to always be there when he needed her. Liam had taken such comfort in her words, believing everything that she had told him. That's why when she'd left him without a single word or any way of contacting her he'd felt so hurt…so betrayed. He shook his head to rid of such thoughts, looking down to see that she was drifting off again. He smiled a bit, that night it was him that had been was half-asleep.
The redhead had exhausted himself to the point where he could barely function. Cait asked him for his keys, which he'd given her, and she had basically dragged him to his car. She dumped him into the passenger seat of his SUV, quickly ran around to the other side and drove him to his home. How she'd even known where he lived was beyond him, but she'd known and gotten him there safely. She stumbled into his house, dragging Liam with her. She'd tried to place him gently on the couch but he was too heavy and she ended up dropping him. Cait had be frantic when he'd fallen, until he pulled her into him. He sought the warmth she radiated to confirm that he wasn't alone, that she was still there with him. He'd lived on his own since he was eighteen and had never minded being alone, until now. She didn't move an inch, letting him hold her as she ran her hands through his hair.
When he'd placed a gentle kiss on her lips, she'd gasped but returned the kiss just as gently. One thing had led to another and… his face turned as red as his hair, turning from his son and angel. He knew exactly how their child came to be. Thinking back on it now, it was almost painfully obvious; she'd been shy, slightly afraid but in the state he'd been in he hadn't realized she was a virgin. He sought the solace of her body, mind numbing passion had been welcomed with open arms. And Cait had allowed it…because she'd loved him.
Liam nuzzled her head a bit and closed his eyes, about to fall asleep, until he heard some yelling. His angel stirred and rubbed her eyes tiredly, "What's that?"
He couldn't make out exactly what was being said but it was pretty loud regardless. It didn't sound like the yelling of doctors giving orders or of another woman giving birth. In fact, it kind of reminding him of the scoldings his sister gave to him when he was still a kid. There was a couple of crashing noises before the door slammed open, revealing a very tired looking Aiden. But his fatigue soon disappeared as soon as he saw Colm sleeping in Liam's arms. Shock briefly covered his face before a devious smirk appeared, "So that's what happened when you two disappeared," his expression went blank for a second before changing into an excited one, "I'm an uncle!" he ran up to the bed, "Oh! Can I hold it?!"
She smacked him over the head, "He's not an it!"
He rubbed the now red spot, "And I thought woman stopped being moody after they gave birth."
She hit him again, "I'm not moody!"
"Says you…"
She was about to hit him again when Colm started fussing around in his father's arms. All present looked down at the once sleeping child, Aiden looked at the redhead with a completely innocent expression, "Can I please hold him now?"
His angel rolled her eyes, "Of course you can, you're his uncle after all. And his name is Colm."
Liam handed the child over to his uncle, the blonde cradled him as he opened up his eyes. Aiden burst into laughter almost instantly, "Not even a day old and he's already glaring daggers at me! Like his dad!"
He scowled as Cait joined her brother in laughing, "See! I told you so!"
"Oi, what's so funny in here?"
All turned around to see Riona and Keira standing by the door, Keira's expression being on of shock and happiness. Cait smiled, "Hey Keira, knucklehead over here has you're nephew if you want to see him."
The raven-haired woman smiled gently as she made her way to her husband's side. Sitting by him she observed her nephew before giggling, "He has his father's scowl."
Aiden and his sister burst into renewed laughter, bringing a tinge of pink to Liam's cheeks. Riona made her way over to the group before smacking the blonde, "For the umpteenth time, this is a hospital! When you're in the hallways you have to be quiet! Not run and yell like a maniac!"
Both Keira and Cait giggled as the blonde glared at the doctor. As the scene before him unfolded he looked at the cheerful face of his angel, at his wondrous son, thoughts of the future and what it was to bring came rushing through his head. He bent down and lightly kissed Cait's lips, just as he'd done that night. She seemed to recognize this as her eyes brightened as she leaned against his chest. Some of that could wait for later, right now Liam was only focused on the two most important people in his life and their family.
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