Molly's POV
"Are you okay?" Sierra is down on the ground beside me.
"I'm fine," I grit out, ignoring the painful burning all over my skin.
"You need to go to the hospital," Luke states, trying to help me onto my feet.
"No," I push him away, "I'm not. I don't want to go."
"Molly come on," he huffs, "Inferno burned you. You need to go get checked out to make sure the baby's fine."
"No!" I shout, startling him, "I'm done with the hospital. I'm so tired of doctors."
"Why?" Sierra's voice is gentle and calms me slightly.
"They don't fucking know anything. The hospital doesn't know shit about if I'm fine or if my baby is fine because they don't know how to treat people with powers. They don't know how fast my baby is supposed to be developing or if she's healthy because they haven't dealt with this before. Every single doctor in this goddamn state wants to be the one to deliver her, so they can get credit. I just-"
"Shh," Sierra soothes, pulling me into her arms. I lay there, my head resting against her chest, "It's alright Molly."
"No it's not," I mumble, seemingly numb, "Everything is falling apart. I don't know what to do anymore. I've been trying to hold it together, but I can't. I don't have a father for my child, I don't have a clue about where Inferno will strike next or what his plan is, I can't figure out how to beat him, and I'm due in a little over three months, assuming the baby doesn't come early. I just feel like the world is spinning and no matter what I do, it's wrong. I can't even protect you two in our fucking home."
"That's not your job," Luke assures me, brushing the hair out of my face, "I know you're a super hero, but you don't always have to be on guard, Molls. You can't always be on guard."
I break down sobbing against Sierra's shirt, "I'm so tired."
"I know Molly," she whispers, rubbing my arm, "I know."
"I just want everything to go back to how it was before that stupid prison fire. Before Calum hated me and before Inferno."
"Calum doesn't hate you-"
"He won't even respond to my texts!" I sob harder, my body shaking.
"Molly, listen to me," Sierra instructs, "Calum is being a dick, and Inferno is terrifying and unpredictable-"
"Not helping, babe," Luke cuts in, giving her a confused stare.
She ignores him and continues, "Shit happens to you at the worst fucking times. I mean, Aftershock and Shockwave popped up almost right before graduation and right after your parents and brothers got here. You got through that though, and you're gonna get through this. I know it. But you can't keep putting all of the blame for this shit on yourself and making yourself miserable because of other people's actions. If Calum's being a dick about your baby maybe having powers and doesn't want to be there one hundred percent during your pregnancy, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't enjoy being pregnant. I know how excited you were before all of this drama. Don't lose that, Molly. You owe it to yourself."
"Thank you," I choke out, squeezing her tightly. Sierra nods and hugs me back. Luke joins in, wrapping his arms around both of us. I feel Petunia lay against my legs before sighing heavily.
"You should still go to the hospital though Molly," Luke pipes up.
"Lucas," I warn, "Don't try me." He sighs, but gives up on trying.
Ashton's POV
"What do you want?" Calum asks as soon as he opens his front door. I push past him, moving inside his house.
"Why are you treating Molly like shit? You both were so excited for this baby, and now you're acting like you don't want your daughter at all. What changed?"
"I don't want to talk about this with you."
"Well I don't give a shit. You owe Molly an explanation, but I don't really think you deserve to be around her at the moment. So, what i- Why is Duke locked in a kennel?" My frown deepens, an alarm going off in my brain, "Duke is never in a kennel."
A menacing grin spreads across Calum's face, "Three guesses Ashton." I slowly back away from him, trying to come up with a way to escape.
"Where's Calum?" I demand, my voice shaking. My back hits the counter, trapping me in the kitchen with Inferno. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
"You'll find out sure enough," he assures me. He lunges. I try to jerk out of the way but smack my head against something, making the world go dark.
