Born Fighting
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Partย 7 of an Animal Kingdom x Sons of Anarchy Story
Y/N thought heartbreak was the hardest thing sheโd 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 Smurfโs house when his phone rang.
For the last four weeks, heโd slipped back into the rhythm of Oceanside like muscle memoryโrunning jobs, keeping his head down, pretending none of Charming had changed him. Pretending he didnโt leave pieces of himself behind every time he drove away from Y/N and the baby.
The phone buzzed in his pocket.
He glanced down.
Gemma.
His stomach dropped instantly.
Gemma never called him directly.
Not unless something was wrong.
โHello?โ
โDeranโโ Gemma sounded frantic. Breathless. Shaking. โDeran, itโs Y/Nโโ
The world stopped.
โWhat happened?โ His voice came out sharp and panicked. โWhatโs wrong?โ
โSheโs bleeding,โ Gemma cried. โShe started bleeding and we rushed her to the hospitalโtheyโre saying she has to deliver nowโโ
โNo.โ Deranโs grip tightened painfully around the phone. โNo, no, this can't be happening.โ
โSheโs terrified, sweetheart. She keeps crying for Andrew.โ Gemmaโs voice cracked.
That sentence nearly destroyed him.
The room tilted around him.
โShe keeps asking for him,โ Gemma whispered. โI didnโt know who else to call.โ
Deran forced himself to breathe.
โIโm coming.โ
โOkayโweโre at Charming Memorial.โ
โIโll be there.โ
The second he hung up, panic swallowed him whole.
The baby. You. Two months early.
Jesus Christ.
โDeran?โ
He turned sharply.
Smurf stood in the doorway watching him carefully, cigarette between her fingers, eyes sharp and suspicious.
โWhatโs wrong, baby?โ
His mind raced instantly.
He couldnโt tell her the truth. Couldnโt let her know about me. About the baby. About any of it.
โItโs Adrian,โ he lied smoothly. โHe got hurt. Bad.โ
Smurfโs expression shifted immediately.
โWhat happened?โ
โI donโt know.โ He grabbed his keys quickly. โThey just called me. I gotta go.โ
โWeโll come with you.โ She turned toward the living room immediately. โBaz! Craig!โ
โNo.โ
The word came out too fast.
Too sharp.
Smurf slowly turned back toward him.
โNo?โ
Deran forced himself to calm down.
โI justโฆโ He swallowed hard. โI need to handle this alone.โ
She stared at him silently.
Reading him.
Looking for cracks.
Finally:
โCraigโs going with you.โ
Deranโs jaw clenched immediately.
โSmurfโโ
โNon-negotiable.โ
God, he wanted to scream.
But he couldnโt.
Not yet.
Deran drove.
Craig followed two cars behind the entire way.
Close enough to watch him. Far enough to pretend it wasnโt surveillance.
Meanwhile Deranโs hands shook so badly on the steering wheel he thought he might crash.
Youโre crying for Andrew.
The words wouldnโt leave his head.
Finally, he grabbed his phone and dialed Adrian.
โYou need to leave town,โ Deran said immediately.
โWhat?โ
โRight now.โ
โDeran, what the hellโโ
โIโll explain later. Pack a bag and disappear for a couple days.โ
Silence.
Then cautiously:
โโฆDo you trust me?โ
โYeah.โ
โThen go.โ
Adrian didnโt argue after that.
Deran hung up and immediately pressed harder on the gas.
โ
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 outโ
Deran slammed him against the side of the car and shoved a gun into his ribs.
Craig froze instantly.
โWhat the fuckโโ
โYou've known.โ
Deranโs voice was ice cold.
Craigโs face drained completely.
โYou knew Y/N was pregnant before she left Oceanside.โ
โDeranโโ
โIf one word gets back to Smurf,โ he whispered dangerously, โI will bury you myself.โ
Craig looked genuinely terrified now.
โI wonโt say anything.โ
โYouโre damn right you wonโt.โ
Deran shoved him back roughly.
โYouโre in this now. Which means you either protect them tooโฆโ
His eyes darkened.
โOr you become the problem.โ
Craig nodded immediately.
Then both of them ran inside.
Because you needed him.
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.
Then suddenlyโ
โY/N!โ
Deran.
My head snapped toward the doorway.
The second I saw him, I broke.
โDeran,โ I sobbed.
He crossed the room instantly and grabbed my hand.
โIโm here.โ
โIโm scared.โ
His face nearly crumbled hearing that.
โYouโre okay,โ he whispered firmly. โYouโre gonna be okay.โ
โThe babyโโ Another contraction hit and I screamed. โHeโs too earlyโwhat if somethingโs wrongโโ
โHey.โ Deran grabbed my face gently. โLook at me.โ
I forced myself to focus on him through tears.
โYou are the strongest person I know,โ he said fiercely. โYou hear me? You can do this.โ
โI want Andrew.โ
The words shattered coming out of me.
โI know.โ
His own voice cracked saying it.
โI know, sweetheart.โ
Tara looked up briefly.
โNine centimeters.โ
Everything blurred after that.
Pain. Screaming. People talking around me.
Push.
Push again.
Again.
Again.
Then suddenlyโ
A cry.
Tiny. Weak. Alive.
I collapsed back against the bed sobbing instantly.
โIs he okay?โ
Tara already had him.
โHeโs breathing,โ she said quickly. โBut we need to get him to NICU now.โ
No.
โNo, waitโโ
Nurses flooded the room.
My baby disappeared into blankets and wires before I could even fully see him.
โI wanna hold him,โ I cried desperately.
โYou will,โ Tara promised gently. โBut we need to help him first.โ
Then he was gone.
And I shattered.
Deran wrapped both arms around me while I sobbed into his chest.
โHeโs gonna be okay,โ 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 thenโChibs, Opie, Bobby, Tig, Juiceโall spread across uncomfortable chairs drinking terrible coffee and waiting for news.
Craig stood awkwardly near the entrance looking wildly out of place.
Tig noticed immediately.
โWho the hell are you?โ
Craig shifted nervously.
โIโm with Deran.โ
โThatโs comforting,โ Tig muttered sarcastically.
Then Deran walked out of the hallway looking completely wrecked.
Everyone stood immediately.
โHow is she?โ Chibs asked.
Deran rubbed a hand over his face.
โSheโs okay.โ His voice cracked slightly. โThe babyโs in NICU.โ
Silence swallowed the room.
Then Tig looked back toward Craig again.
โSo whyโs Smurfโs boy lurking around Y/N? You especially?โ
Deranโs entire expression hardened.
โHeโs with me.โ
But Tig wasnโt done.
โOh, I get it,โ he muttered. โYou got a thing for your brotherโs girl? You after his sloppy seconds?"
The room went deadly still.
Deran walked toward him slowly.
โSay that again.โ
Tig opened his mouthโ
And Deran punched him hard enough to break his nose.
Blood hit the floor instantly.
Nobody moved.
Deran stood over him breathing heavily.
โIโm gay.โ
The room froze.
Tig blinked up at him, stunned.
โI donโt want Y/N,โ Deran continued coldly. โI never wanted Y/N. Sheโs my family.โ
Nobody spoke.
โIโm here because my brotherโs too fucked up to see what heโs losing.โ
The silence afterward felt enormous.
Then Chibs stood and pulled Deran into a hug.
โYouโre a good man.โ
And for the first time all nightโ
Deran finally looked like he might fall apart too.
Three hours later, I woke up.
Everything hurt.
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 couldnโt remember where I was.
Then the hospital smell hit me.
Antiseptic. Bleach. That cold, sterile scent that clung to everything.
My eyes opened slowly.
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.
โHey, baby.โ
My throat felt raw when I spoke.
โWhereโs my baby?โ
The tears came immediately.
Gemma squeezed my hand tighter.
โHeโs in the NICU,โ she said gently. โBut heโs stable. Tara says heโs doing really good.โ
I tried sitting up instantly.
Pain ripped through my stomach hard enough to make me gasp.
โI need to see him.โ
โEasy,โ Gemma whispered, helping steady me. โOkay, okay. Let me get Tara.โ
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.
โI expected nothing less.โ
โI wanna see my son.โ
And God, saying son out loud made everything feel real.
Tara nodded immediately.
โOkay. Weโll go slow.โ
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.
Nobody talked much.
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.
And then I saw him.
I stopped breathing.
Oh my God.
He was so small.
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.
โOh my God,โ I whispered.
Tara stepped beside me immediately.
โHeโs doing really well, Y/N,โ she reassured gently. โBetter than we expected.โ
I couldnโt stop staring at him.
โHeโs so little.โ
โHe is,โ Tara admitted softly. โBut heโs strong.โ
My vision blurred instantly.
โJust like his mom.โ
I reached trembling fingers toward the incubator glass.
โCan I hold him?โ
My voice cracked so badly it barely sounded like me.
Tara glanced toward one of the NICU nurses, who smiled warmly.
โWe can do skin-to-skin,โ she explained softly. โItโs really good for premature babies. Helps regulate breathing, heart rate, temperatureโฆโ
โYes,โ I whispered immediately. โPlease.โ
They helped lower me carefully into a chair beside the incubator while the nurse gently maneuvered all the tubes and wires attached to him.
Then finallyโ
She placed him against my bare chest.
The second I felt him, I broke.
He was warm. Tiny. Fragile.
But he was mine.
My hands immediately curled protectively around him while tears spilled freely down my face.
โHi, baby,โ I whispered shakily. โHi.โ
His tiny body shifted slightly against me.
โIโm your mama,โ I cried softly. โIโm right here.โ
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.
โDoes this little cutie have a name yet?โ
I looked back down at him.
At his tiny nose. His mouth. The shape of his face already looking so painfully like Andrewโs.
My chest tightened.
โColten,โ I whispered.
The nurse smiled.
โThatโs beautiful.โ
โColten Cody Teller.โ
Deranโs hand tightened slightly on my shoulder at the middle name.
The nurse wrote it carefully onto the chart.
โThatโs a strong name.โ
My throat closed painfully.
โCody is his fatherโs name,โ I whispered.
Even now, saying it hurt.
โEven ifโฆโ Tears slid down my face faster. โEven if he doesnโt wanna talk to me anymore. Even if he doesnโt want usโฆโ
My voice cracked completely.
โI still needed him to have part of his dad.โ
The room fell quiet after that.
Then softly beside me, Deran said:
โHeโs perfect.โ
I looked down at my son sleeping against my chest.
Tiny heartbeat fluttering against mine.
And for the first time in monthsโ
I felt something other than grief.
I felt hope.
A/N: Thank you all for letting my imagination become something beautiful, thanking for loving it as well. I love reading your comments. ๐
If youโd like to be tagged please comment so. ๐ซถ๐ป
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