When we got to California, the first thing I did was take Delaney to Shawn's clinic. A fourteen-hour plane ride and she was still completely knocked out. It was worrying the f-ck out of me. It couldn't be healthy for her to be out for this long, with no food and no water. It stressed me out and I found myself checking her pulse every hour during the plane ride.

Shawn wasted no time in taking care of Delaney. He was a close friend to her, so he worked carefully to make sure she was in good condition. She was put in one of his beds with a IV attached to her. Watching her just lay there was hard for me. I was so close to her, but I felt like she might as well still be in Iceland. I guess now I knew how she felt when I got my concussion. It was a horrible feeling and I couldn't wait for her to open her eyes.

After the fourteen-hour flight and a couple of hours of being in the clinic, Delaney finally moved. She jerked up with her fists balled up and screamed, "F-ck you! Let me go!" She scared the f-ck out of me and I jumped back from how quick she woke up. Her chest heaved, and she slowly put down her fist when she noticed she was in a familiar environment.

Her eyes got as big as the moon when she turned her head to face me. As if she just wasn't ready to fight someone, a huge smile spread across her face. She touched her face and felt her facial features as if to see if she was real before pinching her arm. My grin was wide as I stood up over her bed. She looked at me with her eyes twinkling with excitement. "I'm in Shawn's clinic! I'm here! I'm here! Andy!"

"Hey, darlin'. I thought you would never wake up. You were like sleeping beauty, but it was actually pretty sad." It lifted my heart to hear an adorable giggle come from her. I took one of her hands and she squeezed my hand tightly as if I was going to snatch it away. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?" I leaned down and kissed her forehead and she grabbed my face and stared into my eyes.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she said softly.

As if right on time to witness Delaney's alertness and also to ruin a moment, Shawn waltzed in with a clipboard in hand. When he saw Delaney was awake, he gave us an award-winning smile. "Well, look who's finally awake! How are you feeling, Delaney? Any pain?"

Delaney focused her attention on Shawn and I stood straight but continued to focus on her. I couldn't believe she was right here, safe and sound. I didn't want to lose her like that again. "My head's a bit foggy. How long have I been out? I'm pretty exhausted and a little nauseated, but nothing too bad. I kind of feel like I have a hangover? That probably sounds stupid."

"According to Andy and what your father told her, you've probably been in and out around thirty hours. Your system showed a high dosage of Rohypnol. The first go around, you were probably knocked out for eight hours and I think the last time he gave you the drugs, you were knocked out for twenty to twenty-two hours it seems. That's a very high and abnormal dosage for recreational use or harmful use. However, since Andy got you here as soon as she can, your vitals are pretty stable. We got you hydrated through the IV. The next thing is to get you to eat. Rohypnol victims are known to say that the symptoms after are similar to hangovers, but you should get over it within the next couple of days. For now, I'm going to grab you some ice-cold water and a snack to get your appetite back up. It's good to have you back, Delaney."

Shawn exited the room and closed the door behind him. I kept holding on to Delaney's hand but sat back down in the chair that I had scooted up to her bed. I kissed her hand gently and she let out a deep sigh. I knew we were going to have to talk about real sh-t. Diego. Luis. Her mother. Though, the news of Diego and Luis was good. The news of her mother was going to tear her to pieces and I wasn't ready for that.

"So, how's everyone," she asked me as if part of her didn't want to know. I really wish I didn't have to tell her and we could push all of this in the past and forget about it, but we couldn't.

"Well, everyone's good, well, okay. Camilo is healthy. His face is still messed up from when your dad got his crew to beat him, but he's recovering well. He helped us get you back from your dad. I don't know if you remember, but your dad took you to Iceland and he had you in this f-cking cottage. It was actually a beautiful scenery when I think about it, with the mountains and all. It was raining, and thirty degrees and I believe your father really thought we would never find him," I told Delaney slowly. I was trying to drag things out as long as I could, so I wouldn't have to break the news of her mother's death.

"How did you guys figure out that he had me in Iceland? Where was that slimy motherf-cker? Luis?"

"Well, do you remember what you did to Luis?" I wasn't sure if bringing up the rape attempt was a good idea. I didn't want to trigger her, so I decided to dance around the subject before I spoke bluntly about it.

She nodded his head. "He tried to rape me, but I seduced him into thinking I actually wanted to suck his d-ck and bit it before he could do anything. I grabbed his gun and he fainted or whatever. I hope he's f-cking somewhere rotting."

"Well, we call him D-ckless now because of that fact." Hearing a small laugh come from Delaney made me smile a little. "Camilo told us you were at your dad's house. We went through and found D-ckless. We tortured him until he gave up your dad's getaway location, which was in the middle of nowhere in Iceland. Leo finished off your deed and cut off the rest of his d-ck. When we went to get you, we had him tied up in the basement of the clubhouse but when we got back, Camilo went back down there and tortured him to death."

Delaney shifted uncomfortably, and I bit my lower lip. "Everything okay? I can not bring up Luis if it makes you more comfortable."

"Luis isn't what's bothering me. Why was Camilo so hellbent on torturing him to death? I get he's a serial killer and he tried to rape me, but I can't see Camilo spending hours torturing someone. He's not that kind of person. He had to say something super f-cked up for him-"

"Delaney, there's more to the story. When we were in the cottage, I started stomping your dad out and Camilo asked him where was your mother. Your father said that...he said that he murdered her and had Luis dispose of her body," I said softly. "Camilo began crying and that's when I finished off your father. I stomped him out until his brains was all over my shoe and then Camilo snapped and began shooting his dead body. He got the death that he deserved, Delaney."

As soon as I said her mother was dead, Delaney began sobbing. I felt like sh-t to have to deliver that kind of news to her. I tried not to make it graphic and give her the basics, but it still hit her hard. I understood, and I couldn't imagine having someone telling me this. I would have the same reaction.

She shook her head at me. "No, you have to be lying to me. Tell me you're lying, Andrea."

"I'm sorry, darlin'. According to your father, your mother pulled out a knife on him when he told her about his plan to take you away for himself. She wanted you to be happy and she wasn't going to allow your father to ruin your life. So, your father killed her. He didn't tell me how he killed her, but he did tell me about what he did with her body. Do-do you want all the details?" Tears flooded Delaney's eyes as they fell down her cheeks, but she nodded her head. "He got Luis to chop her body up and burn it. That's why Camilo tortured him and shot your father even after he was already dead."

I hated giving her all the details, but it was what she wanted and maybe it was for the best to not shield her from the truth. "I-I can't breathe...," Delaney was weeping uncontrollably and the only thing I could do was wrap my arms around her securely.

"Hey, Delaney, I'm right here. They both got what they deserved. It won't bring your mom back, but I'm sure she's happy. She's happy that you're not stuck with him."

-

It had been a month and things weren't quite back to normal yet. Delaney was still mourning the lost of her mother, therefore sometimes she just seemed distant. She was barely in good moods but when she was, I cherished them. I tried my best to make her happy and dedicated most of my time to her, leaving the Family in the hands of my friends. I think the Family knew about everything I was going through so things were tame. No one was doing stupid sh-t, and everything seemed to be running smoothly.

According to Gabriela, Camilo was also still taking things hard as well. The only time he seemed to be happy was with his daughter, Camila but other than that, him and Delaney were on the same level. To help them cope with their mother's death, Gabriela and I thought it'd be nice to orchestrate a nice ceremony to say their final goodbyes to their mother. Neither of us knew too much about their mother personally, but we did our best by organizing something small.

We all dressed in black, met on the beach where I had paid some professional funeral organizers to set up something appropriate. A huge portrait of her mother was on a stand with flowers wrapped around it and there was podium for anyone who wanted to voice their goodbyes. In attendance, my friends were supportive enough to come, Camilo's close friends, Gabriela, Camila and Delaney's friends. I even managed to get Eric and her parents to come down for extra support. Shawn had to be out of town, but I think she had enough support.

During the ceremony, Camilo told a heart wrenching story about how his mother was the most caring woman that he had known in his life. He painted Claudia as the caring, loving woman that I always saw her as. She was always shy in front of new people, but around her family she was sweet and funny. Camilo told tons of stories about his childhood and his mother's love.

He told a story about how the kids used to pick on him in elementary school because of his long hair. They would say he looked like a girl. He came home crying and demanding that Claudia cut it. She said she would cut it but only if he wanted to, but she thought his hair was beautiful and the kids were just jealous. She told him that she'd do anything he wanted to his hair and after a little thinking, Camilo told her he wanted to go to school the next day with pigtails. His dad didn't really approve but his mother still did it and because of Camilo's bravery and out of pocket hairdo, he gained more friends than enemies. I'm pretty sure that's why Camilo wasn't afraid of being vulnerable like most men who are gang affiliated or in his culture.

Delaney didn't have stories like that to tell about Claudia. She didn't get to know her all her life, like Camilo. However, she said sweet words about her mother and how she only showed her love for all the time that she knew her. She felt like she had known her mother her whole life, even though she hadn't been able to know her personally for a year.

At the end of the ceremony, we set off doves in honor of Claudia and proceeded to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. The dinner was way more lighthearted. I think all the tears were finally gone and it felt so good to see Delaney smiling again. Everyone was on their best behavior, even Delaney's weird ass adoptive parents. It was genuinely nice, and I could tell Delaney was thankful for what Gabriela and I did because she held my hand the entire time. She even kissed me for longer than two seconds, which was honestly the most action I got all month.

When we got back to my place after the dinner, I got even more action that I honestly was not expecting. I got to feel places I hadn't felt in a while, kisses places that almost seemed forbidden and I finally felt like Delaney and I were where we once were, if not even better.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of someone profusely vomiting in the bathroom. I knocked gently on the door before walking in and finding Delaney, vomiting into the toilet. "Darlin, are you okay," I asked as I bent down beside her and held her head back.

"I think I got f-cking food poisoning," she told me briefly but vomiting even more. "F-ck it, the shrimp was worth it," she told me as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

I laughed and shook my head at her. "You're f-cking crazy. Do you feel better at least?"

"I'd feel better if you give me a kiss," she puckered her lips, but I moved my face away. "Come on, you've done it before, bebé!"

"Yeah, but now you have vomit breath mixed with morning breath, so I'm going to have to pass, darlin'," I told her with a laugh. She laughed as well, so hard that she snorted. I didn't know why it was so funny, but she was so adorable that I gave her the kiss that she had asked for.

Things were going good, but Delaney started feeling more and more sick as days went by. I was thinking it was some kind of stomach virus rather than food poisoning, but neither of us was sure. Shawn was out of town, but he had left one of his trusted friends in charge of his clinic and supposedly he knew just as much as Shawn did.

The doctor was Kent and he was a little socially awkward with his stuttering, crooked glasses and messy brunette hair but he wasted no time to attempt to see what was up with Delaney. He did some simple tests, but he couldn't figure anything out until he did a blood test. Delaney and I waited patiently, and I even joked about her turning into a mutant that she secretly was. I don't think either of us thought it was something serious until Kent discreetly asked me to talk to him outside of the room.

He had said that a gang member came in requesting to see me, but when we walked out of the room I found no one waiting for me. Kent led me outside of the clinic and I gave him a confused glare. He seemed nervous or hesitant to tell me something, but when I simply said, "Speak up," he jumped in fright and immediately began talking.

"Well, she's pregnant."

"Excuse me?!"

"She's preg-"

"That can't be right! What the hell do you mean she's pregnant? How can she be pregnant!?"

Kent seemed at a loss for words and I was about to lose my f-cking mind. Pregnant? How was Delaney pregnant? She had been in mourning since Iceland and barely wanted to touch me until the other night and I doubt she wanted anyone else to touch her. We were together almost 24/7, so how could she be pregnant? It didn't add up. Luis didn't rape her and when she was with her father she was knocked out the whole time.

Suddenly, my stomach turned, and I felt like vomiting myself. I clutched my stomach and ran my fingers through my hair. I wanted to f-cking pull out every damn hair follicle from my head. How could this be happening? I wish I could revive Diego just to f-cking kill him again. The bruises, the fact that she was in men's clothes when we found her. He f-cking raped his own daughter while she was out. I shook my head. Delaney was done suffering. I wasn't going to let her go through this, not after she just got over her mother.

"Abort it."

"W-what?"

"I don't know how you'll do it, but you abort that f-cking baby and you do not tell Delaney. That baby inside of her is her father's. He raped her. You're going to abort that baby and not tell anyone about it. I don't care what you need to do. I don't care what lie you need to make up to get that baby out of her without her knowing, but you're going to abort that motherf-cking baby."

Kent was breathing heavily, and I thought he was about to have a panic attack. I didn't have time for this sh-t. I grabbed him by his shirt and shook him. "Get your sh-t together. Go in there and find a way to abort that f-cking baby."

And that's exactly what Kent did. He told Delaney that the blood tests came back, and she needed a minor surgery for some kind of malignant cyst in her uterus. The surgery would be immediate, and it would be a speedy recovery. Delaney believed it and with the way Kent put it, I did too.

The abortion was successful, and Delaney didn't ask questions. I felt bad for lying to her, but I knew I was doing what was best for her. I was protecting her, no matter how f-cked up it seemed. All I wanted was for her was to be happy. All I wanted was for us to be happy.

-

This is the last chapter of Book One. Book Two will be coming out...possibly mid-February. No promises, but it will be within a month to three-month span. Until then, check out my new book, Milk & Honey. Once again, it's going to be a great book, and eight chapters are already up. Show it some love.

How do you guys feel about Andy lying to Delaney and forcing Kent to give her an abortion? Was she right or wrong?