Reckless (56 page)

Kellan sighed. “Yeah, I think so. We left out of the ER doors, so they didn’t see me. They may think I’m still in there . . . with you. I’ve already called the hospital
to give them a head’s up, so I don’t think you’ll be bothered on the inside. But just be careful when you do leave, please? I still haven’t had a chance to explain that
photo.”

“Yeah, thank you.” Great. Was I really going to have to deal with a bunch of rabid fans who probably hated me while trying to get my newborn niece back to her rock star daddy? And
just when I thought my life couldn’t get anymore surreal.

I woke up the next morning with a knot in my back, not feeling rested at all. Someone had come in every few hours to run tests on the baby, and I’d woken up every single
time. When I fully came to life, Gibson was gone. Guess I’d finally slipped into a deep sleep early this morning, if she’d been removed without me knowing. While I was pretty sure
Gibson couldn’t be taken out of the hospital without someone noticing—much like expensive merchandise, the babies all had bracelets around their ankles that sounded an alarm if they
passed through the front doors—a slice of fear shot up my spine anyway.

Anna was gone too, so I figured she was with her daughter. Slipping on my shoes, I debated scouring the hospital room by room to find my niece. That was panic talking, though. The more rational
part of me knew I could simply ask a nurse where she was. When I stepped into the hallway, I saw that it was completely unnecessary. Anna was walking toward me, dressed in a hospital gown, cooing
to Gibson as she cradled her in her arms. Relief instantly replaced my fears. Then amusement swept over me. A male nurse was walking a few paces behind Anna, and he had his arms weighed down with a
car seat, flowers, and two bulging duffel bags. Even hours past delivering a baby, my sister could still get men to do anything she wanted.

Smiling as she walked past me, Anna chirped, “Gibson just had her hearing tested. She’s perfect, of course.” Giggling at her daughter, Anna instructed the nurse to put the
things on her bed. He looked quite happy to do so, and even asked Anna if she needed anything else. She shook her head, her eyes never leaving Gibson.

After the nurse reluctantly left, I twisted to Anna and pointed at her supplies. “You, uh, go shopping this morning?” We’d left for the hospital with only the clothes on our
backs.

Anna kissed Gibson’s cheek. “No, Sienna sent it by. She knew I ran out of there and probably didn’t have anything . . . and figured none of the boys would think of those kinds
of details.” Anna laughed; her face was completely worry free.

I blinked as I examined Sienna’s gifts. That really was very thoughtful of her. I hoped there were toiletries in the bag; I would do just about anything for a toothbrush. “That was
nice of her,” I said.

Anna nuzzled her face against Gibson, then set her in her clear plastic bassinet. “Yeah, she even had a car and driver stay behind, so they can take us back to the tour when Gibson and I
are cleared to leave.” Walking over to the bags, she started removing clothes for her, clothes for the baby, and surprisingly, an outfit for me.

Disbelief washed over my curiosity. “You know, when she’s not trying to manipulate the public into believing that she has a steamy, album-selling relationship with my husband,
she’s actually pretty considerate.”

Anna paused in her clothes sorting. “You still think she’s after Kellan?”

I frowned. “I don’t think she’s actively pursuing him, but I don’t think she’d turn him away either.”

Not worried, Anna sat on the bed and resumed emptying the bag; she cringed a bit when she sat down, and I figured she was still sore. “Would anyone turn him away, Kiera?”

Grabbing the smallest pink and white onesie I’d ever seen, I told her, “Well, I hope
you
would.”

Anna snorted as she rubbed a soft pink blanket against her cheek. “That’s a given . . . same goes for you too, you know.” She raised an eyebrow, her expression completely
serious.

I choked on my own saliva and started coughing. “Griffin? You’re worried about me and
Griffin
?”

Anna started laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes. “No, not at all. I just wanted to see that look on your face.” Sighing, she shook her head in amusement.
“That was priceless.”

A pediatrician from the hospital came in after lunch to give Gibson a thorough physical examination. Slinging his stethoscope around his neck when he was finished, he told Anna, “Your
daughter looks perfect, and every test has come back within normal ranges. She seems well-fed, but are you having any problems with breastfeeding?”

My mind replayed earlier this morning, when Anna had sworn like a sailor while trying to get Gibson to latch on. Apparently, it’s not as seamless a process as you would think. But Anna had
successfully attached her daughter . . . eventually. Anna didn’t mention any of that though. She also didn’t mention that she’d be raising the baby on a tour bus filled with rock
stars. The doctors would probably put her up on the pysch ward if they found out about that little detail. “Nope, we got it.”

The doctor smiled and nodded. “Then I see no problem with the two of you being discharged today.”

Three hours later, after watching a very boring video about “Taking Care of Your Newborn,” Anna and Gibson were officially released from the hospital. While I called Kellan to let
him know we were about to head out, Anna finally called our parents. Dad didn’t handle the news very well. Cringing, Anna held the phone about a foot from her ear. Every so often, she said
things like, “Dad . . . but . . . I’m . . .” Dad never let her finish, so she stopped trying to explain herself. Rolling her eyes at me, she played with her daughter’s
fingers while she half-listened to Dad vent about her life choices.

Once Anna was done being chastised, she handed the phone over to me. As I was still talking to Kellan, I shook my head. I really didn’t feel like getting an earful right now. Anna
indicated that I should take it, and I sighed in Kellan’s ear. “Hey, Dad wants to talk to me, so I have to go.”

Kellan’s laugh made me smile. I missed his chuckle. “Good luck. I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah, bye.” Hanging up with Kellan, I reluctantly took Anna’s phone. Expecting the worst, I held it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, dear.” Surprise and relief washed through me. It was Mom, not Dad. There was a good chance that I wasn’t going to get yelled at for being an accomplice to Anna’s
give-birth-on-the-road plan, then. “I was just wondering if I’d see you for Thanksgiving. I’d really love to see you, since we have so much to discuss before the wedding next
month. And I’m dying to show you the dress I bought. It’s absolutely stunning, Kiera. You’re going to love it.”

I glared at my sister, and she started laughing. Feeling bad for what I was about to say, I turned my back on my gleeful sister. “Actually, Mom, Kellan really wanted to see his dad for
Thanksgiving, you know, since we’ll be spending Christmas with you guys.” In a quieter voice, I added, “I know we have a lot to talk about, but Kellan’s never had a decent
holiday with his family, and I really want to give him this. I’m sorry. Is that okay?”

Mom was silent for several seconds, then she sighed in defeat. “Yeah, okay. Of course, I understand. You’re married . . . almost. I’ll have to get used to sharing you.”
Her voice hitched, and I hoped she wasn’t about to cry.

Putting on my perkiest voice, I told her, “I’m excited to see everything you’ve picked out. And I know it’s going to be perfect. Thank you for taking care of everything
for me, Mom. I feel bad that I couldn’t help you with more of it.”

“Well, I know you’ve had your hands full, sweetheart.” I could hear the concern in her voice. She knew things were stressful right now. I was about to tell her for the
millionth time that everything was fine, when her tone brightened. “I’m so excited to see you in your dress!”

We chatted some more, then I told her goodbye and handed the phone back to Anna. Her face was incredulous. “I can’t believe you still haven’t put a stop to the puffy sleeves,
Kiera.” She exaggerated bulk around her arms. “We’re talking Elizabethan puffy. It’s hazardous, really. You could accidentally turn around too fast and knock your husband
out cold.” She giggled. “Then I’d have to resuscitate him.”

Smirking, I threw a plastic barf tray at her.

East Rutherford, New Jersey, was only a couple of hours away, so I knew catching up to the boys wouldn’t be a problem. If we hurried, we’d probably make it in time
for the meet-and-greet. Not that I planned on walking into a room full of fans and causing a stir again. No, thank you.

Anna called the driver that Sienna had left behind, so he could pick us up. When he arrived, he came up to the room to give us a hand with all of our stuff. Or Gibson’s stuff, rather. It
took us thirty minutes to secure Gibson in her car seat. Anna must have taken her out and readjusted her twenty times. She was nervous to put her in a car. My sister was a caring person, but she
wasn’t prone to worrying, so seeing her stressed was endearing. After the twenty-first adjustment, I grabbed Anna’s hands when she moved to unbuckle another strap. “She’s
fine, Anna. It’s perfect.”

Anna frowned at me. “You sure? Are the straps tight enough? Too tight? What about that thing around her head? Is her neck secure?”

Anna’s eyes were glossy as fear filled her. Grabbing her cheeks, I firmly told her, “She’s fine, and everything is going to be okay. Have faith.”

Anna took a deep breath, then nodded. “This pit of dread in my stomach sucks,” she muttered.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her. “Now you know how Mom and Dad must feel on a daily basis.”

That made Anna pause in picking up Gibson’s car seat. “Oh my God, you’re right. I owe Mom and Dad the biggest apology ever. Fuck.” I sympathetically patted her on the
back.

The driver had long ago packed our bags in the car. He was dutifully waiting for us right in front of the main hospital entrance. I could see the sleek, black sedan as we walked through the
hospital lobby. I could also see a swarm of ten to fifteen people that the driver was trying to keep away from the vehicle. Damn it. I’d forgotten all about the Kell-Sex fans that Kellan had
warned me about. I was going to ask the driver to pick us up around the back, but it had slipped my mind. And honestly, I thought they would have left by now. I could tell by the pink cheeks and
breathy exhales that it was frigid outside; it had to have been freezing last night. Did they come back this morning, or stay all night long? Either way, why would they do that? Surely they must
realize that Kellan had another show and had long ago moved on from Philadelphia. Were they really here for me? Was I that interesting?

Luckily, the driver’s imposing size helped keep the fans at bay, and there was a clear walkway to the car. Looking at the people outside, I suddenly felt like we were leaving a trial that
had ended with an unpopular verdict, and we had to wade through the protesters to get away.

Anna noticed the crowd right as the first set of automatic doors opened. “What’s with the groupies?” She twisted to me. “Are they here for you?”

“They’re probably here for Kellan . . . I’m just a lucky happenstance.”

Anna held the car seat a little tighter. “Maybe we should have the driver go around.”

I was starting to think the same thing, but a couple of the girls saw us and alerted the rest. Every head swung in my direction. Every expression turned dour. It was quite clear that all of
these diehards believed the gossip, and none of them were on Team Kiera. God, I hoped I wasn’t about to get stoned.

“Too late now. We’ve been spotted.” I met eyes with Anna. “We may as well get it over with.”

Anna glanced at her daughter as she chewed on her lip. “Yeah, okay.”

I waved at the driver, letting him know that we were coming and needed a quick getaway. The group hovering around the car started closing in on the door. I felt like we were in some old
spaghetti Western as we stared each other down. Even though the girls were on the young side, if one of them had leaned over and spat out a wad of tobacco juice, I wouldn’t have been
surprised. Well, maybe a little surprised.

Seeing the tension brewing outside, a couple of burly guys from the hospital escorted us out the main doors. They politely asked the group to stop loitering, but they may as well have been
speaking a foreign language. The crowd invasively pressed in around Anna and me once we were outside. The awkward sensation of having strangers in your personal space made me uneasy as I hurried
forward. A couple of brave girls shoved me into my sister’s side, but mainly the group was using their words to hurt me. And let me tell you, sometimes words cut as badly as knives.

“Leave Kellan and Sienna alone! They’re meant to be together! You’re nothing, a nobody! You’re not even worthy of breathing their air, ugly bitch! You should have never
been born! You should just do the world a favor and kill yourself!”

Anna’s face turned bright red, but I squeezed her arm and helped her get into the car. I didn’t need her fighting for me while holding her daughter. Since Gibson was going into the
middle of the backseat, I had to walk around the car to get to my seat.

The driver and the hospital guys helped me clear a path, and I noticed something I hadn’t before. A couple of photographers were in the crowd. They must have picked up on my location from
the fans. The social media sites were probably buzzing with the news that I was here. While the photogs snapped every angle of my face that they could, the girls continued taking pot shots at
me.

“You think you’re hot shit? You think Kellan gives a rat’s ass about you? He’s in love with Sienna, bitch! You’re just a worthless toy. Once he’s done with
you, he’ll toss you aside with the rest of the trash. Disgusting little cunt!”

Tears were stinging my eyes, but I ignored their hatred and lifted my chin. They had no idea what they were talking about. They had no idea what the truth of the situation was. If nothing else,
I could at least respect their devotion, although I would never condone verbally attacking a person with such malevolence.