Hailey curled her fingers around the rim of the toilet seat and pulled herself up. She winced as her stomach swirled and she tossed up the contents of her stomach. Her mother had gone out of her way to make her a stack of belgian waffles, despite Hailey’s earlier warnings that sweet smells were becoming harder to tolerate.
Hailey pushed the plunger down and rose to her feet. Sweat covered her forehead, and she dabbed a towel against her face. Although she’d never made a particularly strong effort to visit her mother, a part of her wondered if it’d be easier to just move in and enjoy all of the nice trappings of Anna’s brownstone.
It feels like it’s been a century since I’ve had a decent shower. Hailey tugged the robe that she wore tighter around herself and stepped out of the bathroom. She moved down the hall, being careful to move slowly across the hardwood floors. Anna had been all over her since she arrived, and a moment of quiet in her bedroom was sorely needed.
Hailey opened the door to her bedroom and moved over to the canopy bed in the center of the room. Years ago, the room had been decorated according to what a teenage Hailey might have liked, the carpets were bright white, the duvet was white with gold colored stitching. A small writing desk was in the corner of the room, across from the spacious walk in closet.
The robe fell to the floor and Hailey stepped inside of the closet. She pulled an old dress off of the rack and slipped into it. She stepped out of the closet and a thick feeling of worry fell over her.
Can I really do this? Am I really going to be able to pull this off? Raising a baby alone? She turned to the side to examine her still flat belly, and envisioned what it would be like to waddle around the brownstone with a large belly. She wondered if her life would be full with just the baby. Years from now, what would she tell her child about their father?
Hailey shook her head and moved into the hallway and moved down the stairs. Anna raised her head up from her desk and started to open her mouth to ask what she could do. Upon noticing the look on Hailey’s face, she thought better of it and returned to the work that was displayed on her laptop screen.
Hailey eased onto the sofa. I wonder how Rocco is taking this. He’s probably pissed that I took his bike. Hailey turned her head and peered out the window. A group of people meandered along the sidewalks, and they felt like a stark contrast to someone as broody and tough as Rocco. It occurred to her that she might not ever meet someone like him again.
Hailey hopped off of the sofa and said, “Mom, do you want to go somewhere? I think I might like to go shopping for maternity clothes.”
Anna slipped her thick rimmed reading glasses off of her face and said, “I’d love to take you shopping for maternity clothes, sweetheart.” Anna jumped to her feet and grabbed her purse off of the dining room table.
“Let’s get going,” Anna hooked her arms around Hailey’s shoulders and steered her towards the front door.
Hailey put on her best smile and willed her muscles to relax. Now isn’t the time to think about my regrets. I’ve got more important things to worry about.
***
Rocco looked over his shoulder before he waved his hands towards Becca. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Becca hurried out of the apartment building and followed Rocco down the sidewalk. Rocco threw his leg over his bike and said, “Get on.”
The smell of cigarette smoke was heavy in the air. Becca swiveled her head from left to right and took a deep breath before she hopped on the bike with Rocco. She circled her arms around his waist and said, “Are you sure that this isn't going to get you into trouble?”
Rocco scoffed and said, “I don’t know how I could get myself into even more trouble. However, I know that Hailey wouldn’t want for any of Meish’s guys to get their hands on you just because I was looking out for myself.”
They eased into the street and moved down the road. Becca pressed her cheek against Rocco’s back and said, “You’re really loyal to her.”
Rocco zipped down the street and narrowed his eyes. Streetlights were spart in the part of town that they sailed through. Rocco couldn’t risk taking his normal routes and running into a few riders, and more importantly, he wouldn’t be able to stop them from dragging Becca back to the club.
“Better to finish what you start,” Rocco mumbled, and drove towards the highway. He raised his voice and told Becca, “I’m going to get you to the train station. I’ve cashed out $500 for you to use. I wish I could help you more, but things are kind of a mess right now.”
Becca nodded and said, “It’s okay, I know a place that I can stay at so that I can lay low for a little while.”
They drove the rest of the way to the train station in silence. Becca yelped and squeezed Rocco tighter around his waist as they drove on the highway. The minutes flew by, and Rocco eased his motorcycle to a stop in front of the train station.
Becca hopped off of the bike and Rocco nodded to her. “Okay, be safe.”
Becca grinned and wrapped her arms around Rocco. “Thank you for everything. I never thought that one of the riders would be the person to save me from that hell.”
“It’s nothing,” Rocco said. He took his wallet out of his pocket and handed five, crisp one hundred dollar bills to Becca. “Be careful.”
Becca nodded and waved goodbye before turning on her heel to leave. She disappeared through the doors of the train station and Rocco watched her go. He sighed and started his engine. He turned around and headed in the opposite direction.