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PartΒ 7 of an Animal Kingdom x Sons of Anarchy Story
Y/N thought heartbreak was the hardest thing sheβd ever survive. Then she went into labor two months early. As Charming waits anxiously outside the delivery room and Deran risks everything to stand beside her, one tiny baby changes all of their lives forever.
One month later, everything fell apart.
Deran was standing in the kitchen at Smurfβs house when his phone rang.
For the last four weeks, heβd slipped back into the rhythm of Oceanside like muscle memoryβrunning jobs, keeping his head down, pretending none of Charming had changed him. Pretending he didnβt leave pieces of himself behind every time he drove away from Y/N and the baby.
The phone buzzed in his pocket.
His stomach dropped instantly.
Gemma never called him directly.
Not unless something was wrong.
βDeranββ Gemma sounded frantic. Breathless. Shaking. βDeran, itβs Y/Nββ
βWhat happened?β His voice came out sharp and panicked. βWhatβs wrong?β
βSheβs bleeding,β Gemma cried. βShe started bleeding and we rushed her to the hospitalβtheyβre saying she has to deliver nowββ
βNo.β Deranβs grip tightened painfully around the phone. βNo, no, this can't be happening.β
βSheβs terrified, sweetheart. She keeps crying for Andrew.β Gemmaβs voice cracked.
That sentence nearly destroyed him.
The room tilted around him.
βShe keeps asking for him,β Gemma whispered. βI didnβt know who else to call.β
Deran forced himself to breathe.
βOkayβweβre at Charming Memorial.β
The second he hung up, panic swallowed him whole.
The baby.
You.
Two months early.
Smurf stood in the doorway watching him carefully, cigarette between her fingers, eyes sharp and suspicious.
βWhatβs wrong, baby?β
His mind raced instantly.
He couldnβt tell her the truth.
Couldnβt let her know about me.
About the baby.
About any of it.
βItβs Adrian,β he lied smoothly. βHe got hurt. Bad.β
Smurfβs expression shifted immediately.
βI donβt know.β He grabbed his keys quickly. βThey just called me. I gotta go.β
βWeβll come with you.β She turned toward the living room immediately. βBaz! Craig!β
The word came out too fast.
Smurf slowly turned back toward him.
Deran forced himself to calm down.
βI justβ¦β He swallowed hard. βI need to handle this alone.β
She stared at him silently.
βCraigβs going with you.β
Deranβs jaw clenched immediately.
God, he wanted to scream.
Craig followed two cars behind the entire way.
Close enough to watch him.
Far enough to pretend it wasnβt surveillance.
Meanwhile Deranβs hands shook so badly on the steering wheel he thought he might crash.
Youβre crying for Andrew.
The words wouldnβt leave his head.
Finally, he grabbed his phone and dialed Adrian.
βYou need to leave town,β Deran said immediately.
βDeran, what the hellββ
βIβll explain later. Pack a bag and disappear for a couple days.β
ββ¦Do you trust me?β
Adrian didnβt argue after that.
Deran hung up and immediately pressed harder on the gas.
By the time he reached Charming Memorial, it was after midnight.
The hospital parking lot sat nearly empty under harsh fluorescent lights.
Deran barely got the Jeep into park before Craig pulled in behind him.
The second Craig stepped outβ
Deran slammed him against the side of the car and shoved a gun into his ribs.
Deranβs voice was ice cold.
Craigβs face drained completely.
βYou knew Y/N was pregnant before she left Oceanside.β
βIf one word gets back to Smurf,β he whispered dangerously, βI will bury you myself.β
Craig looked genuinely terrified now.
βI wonβt say anything.β
βYouβre damn right you wonβt.β
Deran shoved him back roughly.
βYouβre in this now. Which means you either protect them tooβ¦β
βOr you become the problem.β
Craig nodded immediately.
Then both of them ran inside.
And nothing else mattered anymore.
The labor room smelled like blood, antiseptic, and fear.
Machines beeped constantly around me while contractions tore through my body hard enough to make me feel like I was splitting apart.
I was barely aware of anything except pain.
Gemma held one of my hands tightly while Tara moved around the room calmly giving instructions.
Jax hovered near the door looking terrified despite trying to hide it.
My head snapped toward the doorway.
The second I saw him, I broke.
He crossed the room instantly and grabbed my hand.
His face nearly crumbled hearing that.
βYouβre okay,β he whispered firmly. βYouβre gonna be okay.β
βThe babyββ Another contraction hit and I screamed. βHeβs too earlyβwhat if somethingβs wrongββ
βHey.β Deran grabbed my face gently. βLook at me.β
I forced myself to focus on him through tears.
βYou are the strongest person I know,β he said fiercely. βYou hear me? You can do this.β
The words shattered coming out of me.
His own voice cracked saying it.
βI know, sweetheart.β
Everything blurred after that.
Pain.
Screaming.
People talking around me.
I collapsed back against the bed sobbing instantly.
βHeβs breathing,β she said quickly. βBut we need to get him to NICU now.β
My baby disappeared into blankets and wires before I could even fully see him.
βI wanna hold him,β I cried desperately.
βYou will,β Tara promised gently. βBut we need to help him first.β
Deran wrapped both arms around me while I sobbed into his chest.
βHeβs gonna be okay,β he whispered over and over.
But I could hear the fear in his voice too.
The waiting room felt suffocating.
Half the club had shown up by thenβChibs, Opie, Bobby, Tig, Juiceβall spread across uncomfortable chairs drinking terrible coffee and waiting for news.
Craig stood awkwardly near the entrance looking wildly out of place.
βWho the hell are you?β
βThatβs comforting,β Tig muttered sarcastically.
Then Deran walked out of the hallway looking completely wrecked.
Everyone stood immediately.
βHow is she?β Chibs asked.
Deran rubbed a hand over his face.
βSheβs okay.β His voice cracked slightly. βThe babyβs in NICU.β
Silence swallowed the room.
Then Tig looked back toward Craig again.
βSo whyβs Smurfβs boy lurking around Y/N? You especially?β
Deranβs entire expression hardened.
βOh, I get it,β he muttered. βYou got a thing for your brotherβs girl? You after his sloppy seconds?"
The room went deadly still.
Deran walked toward him slowly.
And Deran punched him hard enough to break his nose.
Blood hit the floor instantly.
Deran stood over him breathing heavily.
Tig blinked up at him, stunned.
βI donβt want Y/N,β Deran continued coldly. βI never wanted Y/N. Sheβs my family.β
βIβm here because my brotherβs too fucked up to see what heβs losing.β
The silence afterward felt enormous.
Then Chibs stood and pulled Deran into a hug.
βYouβre a good man.β
And for the first time all nightβ
Deran finally looked like he might fall apart too.
Three hours later, I woke up.
My body felt heavy and numb at the same time, painkillers dulling the sharpest parts of it but not enough to erase the ache deep in my stomach and hips. My head felt foggy, like I was underwater, and for a second I couldnβt remember where I was.
Then the hospital smell hit me.
Antiseptic.
Bleach.
That cold, sterile scent that clung to everything.
Gemma Teller Morrow was sitting beside my bed holding my hand, exhaustion written all over her face.
The second she saw me awake, her expression softened.
My throat felt raw when I spoke.
The tears came immediately.
Gemma squeezed my hand tighter.
βHeβs in the NICU,β she said gently. βBut heβs stable. Tara says heβs doing really good.β
I tried sitting up instantly.
Pain ripped through my stomach hard enough to make me gasp.
βEasy,β Gemma whispered, helping steady me. βOkay, okay. Let me get Tara.β
A few minutes later, Tara Knowles walked into the room carrying a chart.
The second she saw me trying to climb out of bed, she smiled softly.
βI expected nothing less.β
βI wanna see my son.β
And God, saying son out loud made everything feel real.
βOkay. Weβll go slow.β
The walk to the NICU felt endless.
My legs were weak beneath me, my body still trembling from labor while Gemma kept one arm firmly around my waist helping me walk. Behind us, I could hear Deran and Chibs following quietly through the hallway.
The hospital lights were too bright.
The halls too quiet.
Every step made my anxiety worse.
Then Tara pushed open the NICU doors.
The room was dim and warm, soft monitor beeps filling the silence while rows of incubators lined the walls holding tiny fragile babies no bigger than dolls.
My heart started pounding instantly.
Tara guided us toward the far corner.
Smaller than I ever imagined possible.
His skin looked red and delicate beneath all the wires and tubes wrapped around him. His tiny chest rose and fell rapidly while machines monitored every single heartbeat.
A ventilator.
An IV.
Heart monitors.
My knees almost gave out.
βOh my God,β I whispered.
Tara stepped beside me immediately.
βHeβs doing really well, Y/N,β she reassured gently. βBetter than we expected.β
I couldnβt stop staring at him.
βHe is,β Tara admitted softly. βBut heβs strong.β
My vision blurred instantly.
I reached trembling fingers toward the incubator glass.
My voice cracked so badly it barely sounded like me.
Tara glanced toward one of the NICU nurses, who smiled warmly.
βWe can do skin-to-skin,β she explained softly. βItβs really good for premature babies. Helps regulate breathing, heart rate, temperatureβ¦β
βYes,β I whispered immediately. βPlease.β
They helped lower me carefully into a chair beside the incubator while the nurse gently maneuvered all the tubes and wires attached to him.
She placed him against my bare chest.
The second I felt him, I broke.
He was warm.
Tiny.
Fragile.
My hands immediately curled protectively around him while tears spilled freely down my face.
βHi, baby,β I whispered shakily. βHi.β
His tiny body shifted slightly against me.
βIβm your mama,β I cried softly. βIβm right here.β
One tiny hand flexed against my skin.
And that absolutely destroyed me.
A sob left my chest before I could stop it.
Beside me, Deran wiped quickly at his face while his hand rested gently on my shoulder.
Gemma was openly crying now too.
Even Chibs had turned away pretending to look at something else while he wiped his eyes.
The NICU nurse smiled softly at all of us.
βDoes this little cutie have a name yet?β
I looked back down at him.
At his tiny nose.
His mouth.
The shape of his face already looking so painfully like Andrewβs.
βColten,β I whispered.
βThatβs beautiful.β
βColten Cody Teller.β
Deranβs hand tightened slightly on my shoulder at the middle name.
The nurse wrote it carefully onto the chart.
βThatβs a strong name.β
My throat closed painfully.
βCody is his fatherβs name,β I whispered.
Even now, saying it hurt.
βEven ifβ¦β Tears slid down my face faster. βEven if he doesnβt wanna talk to me anymore. Even if he doesnβt want usβ¦β
My voice cracked completely.
βI still needed him to have part of his dad.β
The room fell quiet after that.
Then softly beside me, Deran said:
I looked down at my son sleeping against my chest.
Tiny heartbeat fluttering against mine.
And for the first time in monthsβ
I felt something other than grief.
A/N: Thank you all for letting my imagination become something beautiful, thanking for loving it as well. I love reading your comments. π
If youβd like to be tagged please comment so. π«Άπ»
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