"I-I feel sick, maybe it was just shock..." she mumbled.

Johann didn't reply. He accepted her answer though and led her back to the room. He didn't push her into eating and she was glad he didn't. She hopped into bed and he followed. She then closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take over.

**

It had been three days since the commotion in the bathroom and since her father's appearance. Johann had informed her that Carter was his cousin and that he was here to help out with something. She wasn't sure what he was helping with though. But she was glad he came when he did because she didn't know what would have happened to her if he hadn't.

She looked into the mirror of her bathroom nervously. This was the third day of vomiting. There was no way she could be pregnant... Johann would probably die of shock. She knew he wasn't ready for this—he wasn't even ready for a proper relationship, let alone a baby. She sighed and brushed her teeth.

She needed to go shopping for some food. Her house seemed to be empty. She felt far too normal after just re-encountering her father. Maybe it had something to do with her fear for her mother, who was hiding inside Patrick's hospital room. Her mother was turning into a shell of a person and it was honestly scaring the fucking shit out of her.

Johann had been questioning her continuously, a nonstop occurrence for the last three days. She didn't blame him; after all, she too would like to know what was going on. However, the first time it happened she hadn't really considered pregnancy. Now it seemed to be the only thing on her mind. She might actually have a baby inside her, and although the thought frightened her, she also felt really lucky.

She made her way to the shopping center and bought all the items she needed. Once finished, she looked across the street. Her stomach dropped and she froze. She might be able to find out if she was pregnant right now.

She lowered her head as she walked to the local clinic. Once inside, she immediately went to the receptionist. She asked if a doctor could see her, and the woman told her to wait until their OB-GYN was free. She sat in one of the plastic chairs and fiddled nervously with her fingers.

She was more nervous about how Johann would react. She didn't mind the thought of being pregnant. Slowly, a smile graced her lips. She would really like to have a baby. She watched as one by one people came and went from the surprisingly large waiting area.

Finally, her name was called. She was led down a white hall and into an open door. She looked up and saw the doctor typing at her desk. As soon as the woman turned around, Lacy fought the urge to run.

"L-Lacy."

"Mary." She smiled through a grimace.

Mary shook off her shock and stood up. She looked so different with her hair pinned up and dressed in professional work clothes. The only times Lacy had seen her before were when she was in shorts or old jeans. "Please, take a seat." She motioned to the chair opposite her desk.

"I-I just remembered I have something on..." Lacy flustered.

"Lacy!" Mary grabbed her arm, pulling her back from rushing out the door. "They've already told me what you've requested, and it is my job. So please, take a seat."

Lacy looked at her and realized that if she really was pregnant, Mary would definitely tell Johann. She wasn't ready for him to know. She didn't want anyone to know. She wanted to have this little moment to herself... even just for a while.

"No, really, I was just worried. I only really have one symptom and it hasn't happened that often," she lied. Mary didn't need to know she had been vomiting for a couple of days.

If she was pregnant, then this was her baby, and she would make choices that she felt were beneficial for her little boy. She knew it was far too early to tell the gender, but in her heart she was sure he was a him. Telling Johann—or worse, him finding out from his sister—was definitely not beneficial.

"A test won't hurt." Mary didn't let go of her arm.

"I know, but I don't need it... I haven't even taken a pregnancy stick test thingy..." she laughed it off, hoping Mary would drop it.

Mary smiled softly. "I can do one here."

"No, thank you. I'm fine." Her voice came out more forcefully.

Mary seemed to realize she wouldn't change her mind. She sighed and released her. "Well, you know where I am."

Lacy smiled and prayed she hadn't just put herself on Mary's bad side.

"Wait!" Mary called out just as Lacy exited the room.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"He has a right to know. From the way you're acting, I know he doesn't. If you are pregnant, then this is my brother's baby too, so just keep that in mind. Don't you dare run. I will not take nicely to having to deal with my brother's reaction."

Lacy stared, shocked at her stone-cold face. Is this the Mary that I know? Her anger flared, and as much as she tried to shut it down, she couldn't. She would probably regret what came out of her mouth in the next two seconds.

"You may be right, but this is my baby! Don't you dare tell me what to do—you have no right." She glared, her words tight through gritted teeth.

Mary stepped forward. "You already look ready to bolt. I think I do have some right!" She crossed her arms.

Lacy's whole body heated, tears springing to her eyes. "No you don't!" she nearly shouted. "This baby is mine. If I run because I know Johann will never be ready for a family... then I fucking will, and you can't stop me!"

"I'll keep you locked up if I have to. You're not leaving without telling my brother first!" Mary threatened.

The thought of being locked up again instantly dragged Lacy's mind to darker places. She slowly began to walk away, a tear escaping. Mary's stone face softened into worry.

"Lacy, I—I didn't mean it like that!" Mary rushed to explain.

"It's fine." Lacy turned and rushed out of the clinic.

Having no idea where to go or what to do, she opened her truck door and just sat there. Her mother would probably know what to do, but she would also insist on telling Johann. She'd probably kill her if she knew Lacy was thinking about leaving.

She started the engine and drove in the direction of Johann's house. It was time to tell him she was leaving.

Fifteen minutes later, she was idling in front of his house. His car was there—no going back now. She turned off the engine and hopped out, walking up to the front door, her stomach churning. She knocked and waited.

When he opened the door, his eyes widened slightly. She looked up at him curiously.

"Look, we need to talk," she muttered, trying to shuffle past him. Her manners were the least of her worries.

Johann grabbed her arm and stopped her in the hallway. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook his arm off. "Why aren't you letting me inside?"

He looked down at her. She had no idea what he was thinking. "You can tell me what's wrong here."

"Or you could let me inside."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. She took advantage of his distraction and pushed past him. Speed walking into the living room, she halted in her tracks.

You've got to be fucking joking!

Johann came to a standstill beside her. With his back to them, Carter stood in the middle of the room holding a bottle of beer. On the table, she was sure, was a bag of drugs.

"Are you fucking serious right now!" she shouted. Gregory and Claire jumped, spinning to face them. Rage burned through her—she was ready to claw Claire's face off.

Johann clamped her shoulders and tried to pull her toward his room. "I swear to all that's holy, if this is some kind of drug gathering..." she threatened, fire in her eyes. She would never let her baby grow up around this shit.

Just then, the door burst open. "Johann, we need to talk... it's Lacy!"

They all turned to see Mary emerge into the room. For the second time that day, Lacy was shocked by her face.

"Wow, didn't even wait a day, let alone an hour," she sneered.

Mary had the decency to look down, embarrassed. Johann grabbed Lacy's shoulder and turned her around to face him. He looked so angry and for some fucked-up reason she smiled up at him.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that." His grip on her was tight and painful.

"No Johann, stop! Don't." Mary moved forward, clearly seeing exactly why Lacy wasn't telling him.

Lacy looked at her. "Do you need another reason?"

"Lacy, can we please talk... just hear me out. I know where you were coming from, please let's talk." Mary took a step toward her.

"Why the change... you were so easy to threaten me before!" Lacy glared at her.

Mary looked almost pleading. "Don't do this, you'll regret it... trust me."

"Trust you? Are you serious right now!" she shouted.

"Lacy!" Johann yelled, scaring the shit out of her. She tensed up and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Mary looking guilty and scared.

"Shit, shut up Johann. Shut up before you fuck this up!" Mary ran a hand through her hair.

Johann took a breath and then looked down at Lacy. "What is going on?"

"Get. Your. Hand. Off. Me." she bit out.

He looked confused, angry, and shocked, but she really didn't care. Her only priority was her baby... and then she remembered she wasn't even positive if she was pregnant. But even if she wasn't, she was done being here with Johann.

"Johann, man, I'd listen to her," Gregory butted in. Lacy thought he knew why she had come here. She had told him when she first started working that she wasn't sticking around for long. She guessed she had lied a little because she had been here for far too long.

Now that her father was out of the picture, although the memories would remain, she thought she could leave and start fresh in a new town. Maybe even build a home. Believe her when she said that new town was not this one.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Johann snapped.

Carter stepped up and pulled Johann away from her. "Dude, you don't even know what's going on..."

Johann glared at Lacy and then turned to his sister. "Then tell me!"

Mary continued to look at Lacy. "It's not my right to say."

Lacy breathed a sigh of relief and sent her a thankful nod. Mary smiled slightly. Hopefully, that little nod fixed whatever damage was said at the clinic.

Lacy began walking to Johann's room, but Mary stopped her. "You need to tell him today. As much as I hate myself for speaking to you like that... he is my brother, you need to see where I'm coming from. For me, family comes first. I know you'll never forgive me, but if you don't tell him... I won't be able to stop myself."

Lacy decided not to continue the fight and didn't reply. She shrugged away from her and walked into his room. Once inside, she kept her back to him.

"My patience is thin... you come barging in here, you threaten my sister, and then deny me the truth. Start talking!" Johann demanded.

He wasn't controlling her or this conversation. She wouldn't let him. With her back still turned, she spoke strongly. "I'm leaving."

He obviously didn't expect that because a few seconds later he forced her to spin and face him. He pushed her backwards until her knees hit the bed, then pushed her down.

"What do you mean leaving?" he said through his teeth, crouching down in front of her while keeping her hands captive in his.

"How hard is it to understand? I'm leaving this town, people and... you." She pulled her hands free.

"No, you're not." He didn't let her meet his eyes, but his voice was hard.

He didn't get to decide that, and she said just that. "It's not your choice."

"The fuck it isn't!" he shouted.

"I'm not going to continue fighting this with you. My mother and I are leaving. You can't keep me here... remember this all is just sex. There is nothing but that between us." Her heart was killing her. The pain hurtling through her body was far worse than anything her father did to her. She controlled her tears and remained still.

Johann stood up so quickly she was sure her neck received whiplash. He looked down at her angrily and paced in front of her.

"Just sex..." he muttered, then drove a fist through his wall. Lacy jumped to her feet and slowly edged toward the door.

"Stop!" Johann turned around furiously. Her heart raced, this time in fear—complete fear. She was so thankful when the door slammed open and Gregory and Carter rushed inside.

They stared at the scene, stunned. She didn't blame them.

"You need to calm down." Gregory stepped forward.

"Just sex!" Johann boomed. Lacy's eyes widened further—what was wrong with him! He looked like a fucking enraged animal.

She moved toward the open door and Johann stepped forward. Carter and Gregory instantly grabbed a shoulder each, stopping him from moving further.

"Let me fucking go!" he thrashed around, Gregory losing grip on him.

Lacy knocked her arm against the door in her rush to leave, groaning through the pain, knowing it was going to bruise.

"Fucking stop it, you're only making it worse!" she heard Carter shout.

"Leaving, fucking leaving... Fine!" Johann shouted. She didn't know if he was telling her he was fine with her leaving or responding to Carter.

She stopped and turned to look at him from the door. "Goodbye..." she mumbled, hoping her voice didn't give away how hurt she was.

"I swear to god, don't you dare move!" He looked panicked, still fighting to break free from the two men. Her feet wouldn't move—her body betrayed her, craving to follow his orders.

She shook her head and watched, shocked, as he broke free. She hadn't expected him to be that strong—Carter and Gregory hadn't either.

Her feet finally moved and she gasped when Carter swung a fist into Johann's side, knocking the air out of him.

"Stop!" Carter snapped.

She took this as her chance to leave and rushed back into the open area where Claire and Mary were.

"I told you I will not deal with his reaction!" Mary panicked, grabbing her arm.

Lacy shook out of her hold. "Neither will I."

"You're a coward. As much as I'd love to see you gone, you're fucking everything up. What's the reason? You have no need to fear your father any longer... you should be thanking him," Claire snapped.

"How do you know about that..." Lacy questioned, goddamn pissed and confused.

Claire sneered. "What, you think Johann doesn't tell me anything..."

Mary stepped in. "Don't even start, Claire!"

"Why? She's making this bigger than it needs to be. I knew from the first day I saw you that you're just an attention-seeking whore!" Claire stepped toward her. "It's a good thing she's leaving... honestly, it's about damn time. You took my man and look where it's gotten you." She laughed.

"Oh, piss off!" Lacy turned on her heel and left all that mess behind.

As soon as she was in her car, driving away from Johann, her tears fell. She made her way to the hospital and found a place to park.

She walked inside the large structure to where she knew her mother was waiting. She knocked on the door and heard her faint whisper, "Come in."

"How is he?" Lacy questioned quietly.

"Still not waking up..." her mother sighed.

"He will."

Her mother stood and pulled her into warm arms. "Honey, I know you're in love with Johann..." She stopped Lacy from denying it. "You are, so I won't ask you to come with me. But I think you should know I've decided to leave. I don't want to hurt Patrick any more. He never asked for any of this, and although we aren't running any more... I think I just need somewhere new."

Her warm breath was comforting on Lacy's shoulder. Like mother, like daughter.

Lacy almost laughed humorlessly. "I was coming to tell you the same thing, Mum. Maybe it's in our nature now... we'll always be runners..."

They stayed in that same position for some time. Her phone buzzed, and she broke away from her mother, walking outside the room to answer it.

"Where are you!" Lisa practically screamed as soon as Lacy picked up. It seemed like it was just one thing after another... when would I catch a break!

She sighed. "At the hospital, with my mother... why?" she questioned.

"Give it back!" Lacy heard Lisa shout. She waited until Lisa spoke again. "Because I hear you're leaving?" she questioned. "Get him back here!" she shouted. It wasn't directed at Lacy, so she waited until she was sure Lisa was listening.

"You heard correct... this town's mouth is so fucking big," she whined.

"Why!" Lisa demanded.

Lacy took in a few breaths. "Come on, you knew this wasn't long term."

Lisa didn't answer for a while. "I don't understand you right now. I thought you were different, but turns out you're just pathetic. You'll always run. It's become an excuse for you now, and trust me when I say you won't be happy..."

"I'm sick of listening to everyone telling me how unreasonable I am, so I'll end this conversation here... before we say something we can't take back." Lacy ended the call. Is she right?

Her phone buzzed again and she slid her finger across the screen to view the text message.

[Johann knows...] –Mary

Those two words changed everything. Lacy rushed back into the hospital room and skidded to a stop when she saw Patrick grab her mother's hand. Fuck, she couldn't mess up their moment. She eased back out of the room and then began a mad dash down the hall.

She was stopped by a doctor who wanted to talk to her about Patrick, so she impatiently waited for him to finish. About seven long minutes later she tried her second attempt at leaving the hospital.

Just as she thought she was free, a strong arm wrapped around her body. "Stop. You're pregnant?" Johann turned her to face him. He looked out of breath, as if he had run the whole way there. She wouldn't put it against him—the information was quite shocking. She took in his expression. He didn't seem excited by the possibility.

"I don't know for sure..." she grumbled.

"Then we need to get a test now!" he stated. He was obviously in a rush. God, he was probably afraid of having to commit to her!

She decided to get it done and over with. If she was pregnant, then she wouldn't ask him for anything. She would leave and that would be that. If she wasn't, well, at least he would have peace of mind.

"Fine," she replied.

He led her back into the hospital and had them checked in. She followed him up to the next level and took a seat in the waiting area. He filled out some papers and then came to sit down next to her. From the corner of her eye, she saw his hand move towards hers. She bit her lip as he left it resting on his lap. She knew he wouldn't be happy about this.

Her name was called and Johann stood up with her. She told him to sit back down, as she wanted to go through this by herself. She didn't need to see his reaction to the outcome.

She was led to a room almost identical to Mary's office. The doctor motioned for her to sit on the paper-covered bed.

Lacy closed her eyes as the doctor went through his motions, answering questions and replying at the right times. She bit her lip nervously and waited for instructions. The first thing he asked her to do was pee in a cup. She slipped out of the office and into the bathroom opposite the room.

After finishing, she walked back to the room and placed the cup on a tray. She lay back on the bed and waited. The doctor left and once again she closed her eyes, a million thoughts running through her mind. One thought stuck out—I really hope I am pregnant.

She sat up as the doctor re-entered the room. "It seems you are not pregnant... however, you do have gastroenteritis. The sickness usually passes in about ten days without medication, but I will prescribe some to speed up the process. The first few days tend to be the worst, but you'll need to stay hydrated."

"So just to clarify, I'm not pregnant?" she questioned, subconsciously wrapping her arms around her stomach.

The doctor moved to help her up. "Unfortunately not. However, you don't seem to have any complications, so if having a baby is what you want, then go right ahead."

"Oh, okay." She stood up a little shell-shocked. At least Johann wouldn't have to worry about a baby any time soon. The doctor printed out a prescription and handed it to her. She clutched it tightly.

The doctor opened the door for her. "If you need anything, or if the vomiting continues, drop by any time."

She thanked the doctor before turning around and looking down the hallway. Johann was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, looking nervous. She walked to him slowly, but as soon as he saw her he strode her way.

"What did he say? Are you pregnant? Are you okay?" Johann fired questions at her when all she wanted to do was sit down.

"I'm not pregnant," she whispered quietly.

"What was that?" He leaned down.

"I'm not pregnant," she repeated.

She slid down the wall and sat, Johann turning his back to her. She knew he was glad—glad she wasn't pregnant. He didn't want any proper relationship with her, and she had probably scared him with this. He straightened and turned back around.

She watched cautiously as his hand came down to lift her up. She slipped away from him and stood on her own.

The walk to the car was silent, and she didn't break it. She really didn't want to speak to him. Some part of her had wanted that baby, and feeling pregnant—having that thought in her mind—was... nice.

Johann opened the door for her, and she allowed him to help her inside her car. She relaxed into the seat. Johann began the engine and she closed her eyes, allowing her body to shut down.

**

"I wish you were pregnant..."

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at Johann's handsome face. He couldn't have just said that, right? It had to be her stupid mind playing tricks.

"What?" she questioned.

"Nothing. I said nothing." Johann pressed the button on her buckle and undid it for her.

She knew it. Her foolish mind was trying to convince her he actually did want a baby with her. This one moment completely convinced her Johann was definitely not the man for her. He would never be able to have a relationship with her. His need for drugs and alcohol scared her, and most of all, he would never be able to be a father to her babies.

"Okay," she mumbled before sliding out of her door and walking across the lawn. She allowed Johann to follow her inside her house before closing the door behind them. He flipped on one of the switches and she remembered all the boxes.

Johann watched her cautiously. He took a seat on her bed and pulled her between his legs. She didn't fight him on this, and then he said, "I want more..."

She stared at him, shocked. More? He wants more what? Sex?

"You should go home..." she whispered, unable to look at him without crying her eyes out.

He held her tighter. "L-Lacy?"

"Please leave..." she pulled out of his hold. She didn't want just a sexual relationship anymore, and she knew that's all he wanted. Johann looked away from her.

This was it. There was going to be no more make-up sex, that was for sure. As soon as he went home, she knew she had to leave. She didn't want to stay here any longer. But she couldn't tell her mother that right now—she was with Patrick. And as much as her mother wanted to leave him, Lacy didn't want her to, and something told her Patrick wouldn't allow her to.

She watched Johann walk to his home.

She waited for the lights in Johann's house to turn off before grabbing her suitcases and a few essential boxes. She placed them all in her truck and then locked up her house.

She stood outside for a moment, just looking across the street at where her heart would most likely always remain. "Goodbye, Johann..." she whispered into the cool night before hopping into her truck and driving away.