Consequences (Book 2 In Secrets Trilogy)

They're Okay

Dylan's POV
The doctor told me I had to leave the room as he spoke with Rydel, so I went into the small, private waiting room. I saw my beautiful wife and twin talking to a girl. Dani's face suddenly paled, and she slumped forward in her chair. I ran over and caught her before she fell to the floor.
"Rylin, what happened?" Lauren asked.
"Dani just fainted," the girl answered. I turned to her.
"Go get a doctor," I instructed as I tried to wake my sister. She ran off and came back with a nurse. The nurse picked Dani up and carried her into a room. Lauren and I followed as I guided Lauren. Rylin stood hesitantly. I looked at her. "C'mon sweetheart," I told her. Even though I was terrified about what had happened to my sister, I could tell this was a broken girl, and I wanted to know about her. When the doctor was checking Dani, I turned to Rylin. "Sweetheart, what happened?"
"I-I just told her who my mom was, and she paled and fainted," she told me.
"Who's your mom?" I asked her.
"Amber Daten." I took a sharp intake of breath about the mention of that name. I got lightheaded, but I controlled my breathing before I passed out.
"Baby, who's Amber?" Lauren asked me.
"Do you remember 16 years ago when we had that concert, and we brought the group of people in the room?" She nodded. "Do you remember the girl with the blonde hair that seemed like she hated us?" She again nodded. "That was Amber Daten," I told her.
"How does she have relation to you?" Rylin asked.
"She was Dani and I's bully in high school," I mumbled. Rylin staggered back in shock.
"That explains why she hates you so much," Rylin said as she started putting the pieces together. Dani woke up right then. She sat up in the bed breathing heavily. I ran to her side and rubbed her back.
"A-Am-Amber sh-she-" Dani tried to say. The doctor handed her a bottle of water, and she drank it as I explained.
"Yes Amber is Rylin's mother, I know sis. It's okay," I told her. She nodded and soon calmed down. Lauren and I walked down the hall to Rydel's room as Dani and Rylin talked.
"Mama, what happened to Dani?" Rydel asked me as I walked in guiding Lauren.
"She fainted because of something Rylin told her. She's fine now," I answered. Lauren sat in the chair beside Rydel. Rydel looked away from her. I knew she thought Lauren was still mad at her. Lauren sensed her uneasiness, and she reached over to grab her hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"RyRy, I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you for something that's not your fault. As for keeping your pregnancy a secret, well, I can't say much there 'cause I did the same thing. Your mom didn't know I was pregnant with Jaden for four months before she figured it out. I just can't figure out how you went seven months without anyone figuring it out," Lauren told her, laughing slightly at the last part.
"Have you gotten news back?" I asked Rydel as I grabbed her other had and rubbed my finger over it.
"Taylor's fine, it's Zayn they're worried about. He's extremely small, and his lungs keep filling with fluids. They don't know if he'll make it through the night. As for me, I'm okay," Rydel replied.
"Baby girl, Zayn's gonna be just fine. If his momma's a warrior, then he is too. Besides, he's a Lovato. Lovato's don't give up, no matter how young or old they are," I told her. Lauren smiled. She knew I was talking to her too. A nurse came in.
"Rydel, Taylor is being brought back to you now. Other than being slightly small for a newborn, she's okay. Zayn, on the other hand, has been placed in the NICU. His condition hasn't gotten better. He still has fluids in his lungs, but the doctors want to take him to surgery to help. Of course we can't do that unless you want us to. Do you?" The nurse informed us. Rydel looked at me. She knew I had dealt with this when her and Karla were born.
"How risky will the surgery be?" I asked.
"Judging by his size, pretty risky." I looked at Rydel.
"What do you suggest mama?" She asked. I turned back to the nurse.
"Go ahead and try it. Just know that if these doctors make his condition worse, all h*ll will break loose. You better do a d*mn good job, or you'll have the whole Lovato clan on you," I told her. She nodded and left the room. Dani and Rylin walked in. Dani was doing better now. Rylin looked tired. "Rylin, where's your family? We can walk you back to your room or to them if they're here," I asked her. She looked at me a little scared.
"I-I don't have family," she whispered.
"What do you mean? I thought you said your mother is Amber?" I said confusedly.
"She was. She was the one who put me in the hospital. I'm in foster care now. Once I leave here, I'm being sent to an orphanage." I reached out and hugged her. She could barely stand up because she was so tired.
"C'mere. Sit on my lap," I told her. She hesitantly sat on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and held her. She soon fell asleep in my arms. I smiled. A few hours later, the nurse came back in. Taylor had already been brought in, and she was now sleeping in Rydel's arms. Rydel looked tired, so Dani took Taylor from her to let her sleep.
"The surgery was successful. Zayn is still going to be in the NICU for a little while so we can monitor him, but hopefully we can move him soon. Two of you can come see him," she explained to us. Rydel had fallen asleep, so she couldn't go. I volunteered to go, and Dani and Lauren wanted Rylin to go with me for some reason. I slightly shook her, and she woke up. I told her what was going on, and we walked with the nurse to the NICU. The nurse, Nurse Jenkins, looked at Rylin. "Rylin, once we're done in the NICU, I need to put more ointment on your burn." Rylin nodded. "Okay, Rylin, you know what to do." The nurse left. Rylin and I washed our hands and put gloves on. She walked me to the place that Zayn was at and looked into his incubator. She opened these little doors and stuck her hands in. I walked to the other side and did the same. I put my hand under his head as he started crying. He was extremely small for a newborn, even if he was a preemie. There were so many wires hooked up to his tiny body, it was insane. He had a bandage around his chest where they had done the surgery. I knew that it would scar. He cooed and looked up at me with the eyes I knew so well and remembered from when Rydel and Karla were born.
~Flashback~
"It's two girls," the nurse said. She handed the larger girl to me. I looked into the beautiful piercing brown eyes of my daughter.
"What're you gonna name her Dyl?" Dani- or Caitlyn then-asked. I smiled at the baby in my arms.
"Rydel Leigh Hastings," I told her. She smiled, and little Rydel grabbed her finger. Little did we know that 18 years later little RyRy would have twins of her own.
~End of Flashback~
"Dylan? Dylan are you there?" Rylin asked me. I shook my head.
"Sorry what? I just had a memory," I told her.
"I just wanted to know why you zoned out," she replied.
"Oh, I was remembering when Rydel and Karla were born." She nodded, and we headed out of the room. We took off the gloves and went to Rydel's room. I took Lauren by the hand and brought her into the NICU with Dani following us as Rylin went to Nurse Jenkins. I showed Dani what to do, and I helped Lauren with everything. Dani handed Taylor to me, and then she took Lauren's arm and led her into the room as I went back in Rydel's room. Rydel was now awake and talking to the doctor.
"Oh mama, Dr..." Rydel trailed off. She didn't know his name.
"I know who he is, Jamison Beady, long time no see," I greeted. Jamison turned around and smiled.
"Dylan! I haven't seen you in years!" He exclaimed. I hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around my tightly.
"I missed you," I told him as I closed my eyes.
"Mama, who is this guy?" I heard Rydel ask.
"He's my adoptive cousin, Beck's son. He's the only sane person born to that family," I answered with a laugh. Jamison laughed too. Dani and Lauren walked back in.
"Jamison!" Dani exclaimed as she ran to him and hugged him. I grabbed Lauren's arm. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I kissed back and wrapped my arms around her waist, bringing her closer. We pulled away to someone clearing their throat. I looked towards the door and saw Jaden, Karla, Carter, Rachel, and Rylin standing there. Rylin looked behind her to two little girls. Both had hospital gowns and burns like Rylin's. The littlest girl looked up at Lauren and I. I bent down to her height.
"Hi sweetie, what's your name?" I asked her.
"Hailey," she said as she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Rylin picked her up and swung her onto her hip.
"Baby, show her how old you are," she said. Hailey stuck up three fingers. I awwed. The other little girl, who had been hiding behind Rylin, peeked out at me. I did a small wave. She returned it.
"What's your name?" I asked her. Rylin sighed as the little girl hid again.
"Her name's Megan," she told me. I smiled at Megan. Lauren smiled at hearing the girls' voices. I couldn't help but sigh and remember when our kids when little. Liam looked over Rylin's shoulder at me. I stood up and greeted him. Hailey tapped my shoulder, and I looked over at her. She reached her arms out to me for me to take her. I took her into my arms and held her. Liam looked at her with a funny face, and she giggled. Dani walked over to us and looked at Liam. They went out in the hall and started talking. Soon, Jesy, Perrie, Zayn, Jade, Sam and Jordan showed up. Jaden left with Carter and Rachel shortly after.
"Hey Jadey, hey Sam," I said.
"Hey Dyl, who're they?" Jade asked.
"This is Rylin, her little sister Megan, and this one right here is her littlest sister Hailey," I answered. Hailey looked at me.
"Can you ask her if she can hold me?" She whispered in my ear.
"Sure," I whispered back. I looked up at Jade. "Hailey wants to know if you would like to hold her," I told Jade.
"Aww! Of course love," she said as she reached her arms out to Hailey. Hailey went to her, and Zayn looked at me.
"What are their names?" He asked me. I knew he was talking about Rydel's son and daughter.
"She named the little girl Taylor Nicole, and I think she should tell you the boy's name," I replied. He walked over to Rydel and started talking to her. I smiled at Jade and Hailey. I looked back at Zayn and Rydel, and Zayn was grinning like an idiot. Megan tugged on my jeans. I looked down at her. She held her arms up wanting me to pick her up. I picked her up and looked over at Jesy and Jordan. They were talking with Rylin. I walked over to them as Lauren talked to Jade and Hailey.
"Aww, who's this little girl?" Jesy asked as she tickled Megan. Megan hid in my neck, and I could feel her smile.
"Her name is Megan, she's my little sister," Rylin explained.
"Why doesn't she talk?" Jordan asked.
"She can talk, it's just mom always got mad at her for talking," she answered. Carter, who had come back in to get something, shared a look with me.
"Boy do we know what that's like," we said in unison. Rylin smiled halfheartedly. I hugged Carter, and she left to go back to Lauren and I's place. Nurse Jenkins walked back in.
"Rylin, it's time for us to take you and the girls to the orphanage," she told her. Rylin's face paled.
"No, please not back there," she said. Megan violently shook her head too. Dani and Liam walked back in.
"Well, unless someone will adopt you three, you have to go. I know you hate it there, but it's my job to take you."
"NO! I'M NOT GOING BACK TO THE PLACE THAT THEY TRIED TO KILL MEGAN AND I!!!" Rylin screamed. She started crying violently. I handed Megan to Jesy, and I rushed to Rylin's side as she slid down the wall and cried. I could hear Megan's whimpers as Jesy tried to calm her down.
"Rylin, Rylin you won't go back there. I promise that we won't let that happen," I told her as I wrapped my arms around her and rocked her. Dani slid to the ground on my right, and Liam did the same on my left. They shared a look.
"Rylin, how would you feel if we adopted you?" Dani asked her. Rylin sniffled and looked at her.
"Why would you want to adopt me?" She asked.
"Because you remind me a lot of, well, me when I was your age, and I want to help you. Also, you seem like a great girl, and I'd really like to get to know you," Dani answered. Rylin looked up at them.
"So what do ya say? Can we adopt you?" Liam asked her. She smiled.
"I would love to call you my mom and dad," she answered. She got out of my grasp and hugged them.
"Well, that was heartfelt. Now it's time for you to say goodbye to Megan and Hailey because I need to take them," Nurse Jenkins said.
"There's no need for you to take them. We're adopting Megan," Jesy said as she looked at Jordan.
"And we're adopting Hailey," Jade added as she looked at Sam.
"Well then, follow me, and you can sign the papers," Nurse Jenkins replied. Hailey, Megan and Rylin stayed behind with Lauren, little Taylor, Rydel, Perrie, Zayn and I. Hailey looked up at Lauren. Lauren had her in her arms. Hailey kissed her cheek.
"You're comfy," she said sweetly. Lauren shook with laughter as we all awwed at Hailey's cuteness. Jade, Sam, Jordan, Jesy, Dani and Liam all came back with the nurse.
"Zayn, you and Perrie wanna go see him?" I asked. They both nodded.
"Four people can go into the room now," A new nurse said as he checked Rydel's vitals.
"Liam, you wanna come too? Dani and Lauren have already been, same as Rylin," I said. He nodded, and I led them down the hall. We went and washed our hands and got ready to go in. I stopped them before they went in. "He's really small. Also, he has a gash on his chest from where they operated on him. Don't be alarmed when you see Zayn, he's doing well," I told them. They all nodded, and we walked in. As soon as Perrie saw little Zayn, tears filled her eyes. We walked to his incubator, and I opened the little door so I could stick my hand in. Perrie did the same, and she cradled his head as I had earlier in the day. I rubbed Zayn's tiny arm, and he moved around in his sleep.
"You can take him out, you just gotta watch his IV and tubes," a nurse told us. I opened the top of the incubator and pulled little Zayn out carefully. I held him close and looked down at his brown eyes. I looked up at Perrie, who was stroking little Zayn's arm.
"You wanna hold him?" I asked her. She nodded hesitantly. I gave him to her carefully. Older Zayn wrapped his arms around Perrie and gazed at little Zayn. Liam looked at him. Perrie handed him back to me, and I looked at Liam.
"C-Can I hold him?" He asked. I nodded and smiled. I gave Zayn to him. Liam held him for a minute, and then he gave little Zayn to older Zayn.
"I can't believe she named him after me," he breathed out as he looked at the small child named after him.
"I can. She adores you Zayn. I think you're the most inspirational person to her in her life. You were the one that asked if she was okay the day she ran out of the hospital after all, and you were the one who comforted her when she was crying about the bullying. She went to you for that before she ever came to me or Lauren, and she only came to us because you told her to. She really adores you. I don't think you, or any of us, will ever understand how much you mean to her," I told him. He smiled, and I saw a tear slide down his face.
"I don't think she'll ever realize how much she means to me," he replied. Perrie rubbed his arm. Rylin walked in.
"Jackie said that Zayn can sleep in Rydel's room tonight. There's a monitor on his arm, so if something happens, it alerts the night shift nurses immediately," she told me as Zayn handed her ZR. She placed him in the bassinet, and then she left with him and the nurse. We all walked out of the room. As soon as we had come out, Lauren sensed it and pushed off the wall beside me. She grabbed my arm and kissed my cheek. She moved her mouth up to my ear.
"We need to talk," she told me with a worried look on her face. I waited for the others to pass us, and then I looked at Lauren.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"This," she replied as she handed me Rydel's phone. I looked at her quizzically before looking down at it. She had the message app pulled up to a contact marked "Jason". I looked at the messages, and that's when I understood why Lauren was worried. Rydel's messages were filled with insults and stuff towards her. The most recent conversation caught my eye.
Jason: Hey fat**s b**ch. I know you read these, so why don't you answer? Are you too scared?
Jason: You know what? I don't give a s**t about emos.
Rydel: If you don't care, then why are you texting me?
Jason: Go die in a hole.
I was shocked. Rydel didn't seem depressed. Then again, I hadn't been able to spend much time with her because management always kept me busy. Lauren looked shocked as well. We walked back to Rydel's room and saw her sitting alone. The others had gone home, or they were getting ready to go home. Karla had taken Taylor out of the room to quiet her. I walked up to Rydel. Her eyes were red and puffy, and it was obvious she'd been crying.
"Rydel baby, what's wrong?" I asked her.
"D-Donavan says h-he doesn't love me, a-and that I'm a-a sl*t," she told me with a shaky voice. I was the only one who knew about her and Donavan's relationship. I clenched my fist in anger.
"Where is that little sh*t?" I growled through my clenched teeth.
"He's outside. Mama, if you don't beat him, I will," Karla said as she walked in with a sleeping Taylor in her arms. I ran outside the hospital to see Dani walking near Donavan. Neither seemed to acknowledge the other.
"Dani! Get him!" I yelled as I ran to them. Donavan tried to make a run for it, but Dani was too quick for him. She tackled him to the ground, and he fell hard. I ran up and punched him hard in the jaw. I pulled him roughly to his feet by his collar. "If you ever, EVER call my daughter a sl*t again, I will kill you. Mark my words. If I ever hear that you hurt her, you won't just have me after you but our whole family," I snarled at him. I knew he was afraid of me. By then, Perrie, Zayn, Rylin, Jade, Sam, Liam, Jesy and Jordan had run up. I could see Megan and Hailey in their car seats in separate cars. Zayn spun Donavan around to face him.
"If you so much as talk to my goddaughter again, I'll f**king kill you too. Watch your back jack**s," Zayn growled as he punched Donavan in the nose and dropped him on the ground. Donavan's nose was clearly broken and bleeding, and he had a busted lip and a bloody cheek from my rings. He scrambled to his feet and ran off. I broke down in tears in Dani's arms. I faintly heard Liam tell Rylin to go to the car. Dani helped me back to my feet once I calmed down, and then she helped me back into the hospital and to Rydel's room. I wiped my tears quickly, and we headed into the room. Rydel was asleep, same as Karla and the twins. Lauren was on the verge of sleep, but she looked up at the sound of our entering.
"I'm going to your place sis, we gotta show Rylin to the rest of the fam. I just hope she'll be okay," Dani told me.
"I do too. I'm going to take Lauren home. Karla can stay with Rydel and the twins tonight," I replied. She nodded, and we parted ways. I wrote a quick note to Karla and Rydel, and then I looked at Lauren. She was asleep, so I gently shook her awake. "Baby, we gotta go home," I told her.
"Mm, carry me?" She asked. She looked so cute, I just couldn't say no. I picked her up bridal style, and she laid her head against my shoulder. I brought her to our car after saying goodnight to the night shift nurses. I laid Lauren, who had already fallen asleep again, in the passenger seat and buckled her in. I got in my side and drove to the house. I pulled up and got out of the car. I walked to Lauren's side and got her out. I decided to carry her to our room. I walked to the front door, and thankfully, Camila was there to open it for me. I nodded at her as I brought Lauren in. Ally looked worried, but I gave her a reassuring smile.
"She's tired," I whispered. She nodded, and I took Lauren down the hall to our room. I saw Rylin sitting in the hallway with her earbuds in her ears and her phone in her hand. She had her eyes closed, and she was nodding along to the music. I chuckled to myself as I laid Lauren on our bed. I pulled the blanket over her, and then I kissed her forehead. I walked out of the room and into the hallway towards Rylin. I tapped her on the shoulder, and she took an earbud out. "Can I sit with you?" I asked. She nodded. I slid down the wall beside her. "So, tell me about yourself."
"Well, my name is Rylin Nashell Daten-I guess Monk now- and I'm 13. My birthday is April 24. I mainly listen to music and read fanfics. I do a lot of reading of fanfics. I used to play soccer, but I quit a few years ago. I wanna start back up, but they won't let girls play in the community rec league. Besides, I don't think I know how to play anymore," Rylin explained.
"Well, in Dallas, their rec league is boys and girls. Your sister, Chelsea, and your cousin, Asher, both play. They love it. I'm sure they'd allow you to play," I told her.
"Really? Awesome! Wait, how do you know that?"
"For the first three years after Lauren and I married, we lived in our hometowns. We lived in Miami with the twins for a year, then Dallas for a year, then Germantown for a year, and we finally moved back here to LA. I go and see Chelsea and Asher's games all the time too."
"Oh. Well I'd love to play again. I just don't remember how to."
"Dani and I can teach you. We still play every once in a while. It's a lot of fun."
"Thank you Dylan! I can't wait to learn!" She began to give me a hug, but she hesitated.
"C'mere!" She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. I felt her take a deep breath and sigh.
"I-thank you," she told me. I pulled away.
"For what?"
"You, Dani, Rydel and Lauren saved my life. I was depressed, still am, and I uh, I used to c-cut. No one knew about it, but Amber found out one day and that's the day she put us in the hospital. She never loved us, I know, but she put on an act around others," Rylin told me. I couldn't believe what this kid had gone through.
"I'm sorry if this is hard to talk about, but who's y'all's dad?" I asked.
"Well, Megan and Hailey are my half sisters, and we don't know their dad. Amber was close with our dad at one point, but they rarely spoke after the night she got pregnant with me. He avoided her all together when she told him she was pregnant with his kid. His name is something like...uh..it was Nick something, yeah that's right! I think his last name was like Jocas or something."
"Wait, Nick Jonas?" I asked. Please tell me it's not him, I thought.
"Yeah that's it! Nick Jonas."
~~~
Woah, so Nick is Rylin's dad. To clarify, Demi and Nick had already been married when Rylin was born. So the quote of the week is by someone who seriously saved my life, like, she doesn't even realize how much she means to me. She's my best friend, and I hope that one day she'll understand how much she means to me. The QOTW is: No one ever truly knows something, there's always something missing. - rylin_d
YOU ARE AMAZING
Gracie

PS rylin_d plays Rylin Monk