Dean was still close enough to hear some of the conversations Alvarez was having with Fancher and Geraci.
"I hope the baby is okay. That might be the issue."
Dean's ears perked up. He got off the floor and came around the corner.
"What?"
The three of them looked over at Dean.
Alex walked over to Dean, and they went around the corner and into the empty hallway.
"Oh, that's right. You don't know. I thought she had told you."
"I was supposed to meet her tomorrow. What are you talking about?"
"Oh shit, it must be my birthday."
"What the hell are you talking about!"
"Congratulations dickhead, you impregnated your ex-fiancé and then abandoned her to go blow lines and get your dick sucked," Alex said.
"What! She can't get pregnant. The doctors said it wasn't possible."
"Yeah, and they also said no one could walk on water, but there were once these two guys..."
"So, she is really having a baby?"
"Yes. She is having a baby. Unfortunately, it's your baby."
"Why the fuck would she tell you before she told me. I am the father."
"She told me she was going to meet you to tell you. And she couldn't contact you numb nuts. I would have found out pretty soon when she started to show!
"I had to go to Atlanta the day she called me. Why didn't she tell me over the phone?"
"Unlike you, she can look people in the face when giving them life-changing news. I knew two days after she found out, Dean. One of the ultrasound pictures is hanging on my fridge—not that I'm ever at my house. Allie is 31 weeks—that's like seven months you've missed. She is pregnant. The night you told her you were leaving, she conceived. Congratulations, your daughter is due on January 22."
"My daughter? How do you know it's a girl?" Dean asked.
I convinced her to find out. I know all this because I was here with her. I had a feeling it was going to be a girl. I went to the doctor's appointment with her. She held my hand when she learned she was having a baby girl. If I didn't get put on this God-forsaken midnight shift, I would have been at home with both of my girls."
"Home? Her place is not your home. And you are not that baby's father. That's MY daughter growing inside her."
"Dean, I am more of a father to that little girl than you will ever be. I have eighteen weeks of your daughter's life, which you will never have. As long as your daughter is on this earth, remember I will always be with them more than you will. No matter what, she will not kick me out of her or Peanut's life. I have been living there for about five months. I moved in even before she knew she was pregnant. She asked me to stay with her. She didn't want to be alone, not in her state of mind. She may just have let someone kill her," he said.
Dean was becoming enraged. How dare this asshole stand in front of him and talk to him like Allie was his wife and the baby was his.
"The only reason you are with her is because I had to leave. So, you got her by default. You are her backup plan, number two. Now that I'm back, I guarantee she and I will be back together because I am and will always be her number one," Dean said.
"Ya know, you are kind of right. But you, Dean, are number two. Malibu will always be her number one. How does it feel to come in second place to a dead man? She couldn't have him, so she settled for you. You chose your job over your future wife. So, if I'm number three, I'm okay with that because I am the one with her now. Malibu is dead, and you are dead to Allie."
He jabbed Dean in the chest.
"I give the girl credit, man. She waited and waited for you. Then you decided to write her the letter letting her know that you were out there blowing lines and fucking other women. The narcotics; were they pills, or did you shoot them up?" he asked. "It's so easy to get addicted when you shoot up. Too bad you didn't get into heroin. Fuck. She and I would be married by now. I have to say, I give you credit too. You were really fucking honest. Really fuckin stupid, but really fucking honest. How many were there? Come on. Just between us guys. More than 10? 20? 25?" he asked.
Dean said nothing. His jaw just clenched over and over.
"Damn, man. Allie was right. You went from Zero to man whore in six months. So, while I was taking care of her and Peanut, you were out getting your dick wet."
He shook his head, popping his tongue with a disapproving look.
"She got that letter and sat down on the couch with me, and at her insistence, I read it to her. I tried to tell her she didn't want to hear it, but she was so excited to find out when you were coming home. Then, it was like a car accident. She couldn't look the other way. That girl cried. She cried so hard she could barely breathe. You made her vomit. Then again, I wanted to vomit after I read it too. But don't worry, I was there to hold her. I was there to make sure she was taking her meds. I ran out for the 2 a.m. cravings. I rubbed her growing belly, her swollen legs, her aching back. In fact, I rubbed her anywhere she asked me to. Soon I was rubbing wherever I wanted."
"You know what Alvarez? If I were you, I would shut my hole right now."
"Well, you're not me, Dean. Cause if you were, you'd be living happily with Allie. Are you mad, Dean? Are you upset? Do you feel betrayed? Now you know exactly how Allie has felt for the past seven weeks. Do you know what's more beautiful than a naked pregnant woman? Allie being that naked pregnant woman. I mean, her body is absolutely-"
"Are you purposely trying to piss me off?" he asked.
"No, you asshole, If I were trying to piss you off, I would tell you that this kid will be calling me daddy, and you would be called the sperm donor. Allie has already referred to me as Daddy. She has called us a family. Your baby knows my voice. Not yours. She kicks for me when I talk to her. I felt her kick. I felt her move. I have been there. Now you think everything will return to how things were before you left. But I do owe you a debt of gratitude."
He got close to Dean's ear. He talked low, almost in a whisper.
"You see, your little selfish fuckup got me off the couch, out of the friend's zone and into her bed. We've made love almost every night since she got that letter. And yes, it was love, not sex. If she weren't pregnant when you left, she would definitely have been by the time you returned. The first time was right after the letter came. She undressed me slowly, and we made love all night long. Want to know when she told me she loved me?"
That was the last straw. Dean picked up Alvarez by the horse collar of his Kevlar vest and slammed him up against the wall. His face looked possessed. He was only a couple of inches away from Alex, glaring at him.
Alex was not a small man. He was 6′3 and 235.
"What are you going to do, Dean? Huh? What? Do you want to hit me? Go ahead. I would love to put you in jail for assaulting an officer."
"I'm not going to assault an officer. I am going to rip the throat out of a smart mouth, mother fucking little bitch, and kick his ass so hard it will go up between his shoulder blades."
"Then go ahead and do it. I fucking dare you."
He was inches from Dean's face. He swam his hands in between Dean's arms towards the ceiling and slammed his elbows into the crook of his arms. He released his grip, and Alex was free from the wall.
"Let's see what you're really made of. Just two boys in the schoolyard fighting over a girl."
Alex took off his duty belt. "Come on, Carron, I know you've wanted to do this since the day I went under that table at Jake's."
Dean clenched his fists. Beads of sweat were forming on his brow.
"What? Did you think I didn't see you there? I saw your reflection in the window. What did you see? Did you see me bury my face between her thighs? Want to know how many times I've done it since?"
He couldn't contain himself any longer. He swung at him. Alex ducked, and he hit nothing but air. He grabbed him by the waist and ran Dean into the concrete wall, knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for air, Dean slammed his fist down onto his back. The Kevlar vest hindered his blow. Alex released him and backed away. Dean went to grab him, but Alex was fast and agile. He landed a jab to Dean's ribs. He responded with an uppercut, hitting him on the chin. He stumbled backward. He swung, and Dean blocked it with his left forearm. He hit Alex on the left cheek with a right hook. Alex grabbed Dean by the neck and slammed him into the opposite wall, pinning him there. Dean grabbed Alex's wrist and turned it to the side, causing him to release his grip. He started to twist it around his back. Alex slammed his steel toe boot down onto Dean's foot. He let go of his arm and landed an elbow on the side of Dean's head. Dean stumbled a little. He was not used to having such a worthy adversary. Alex backed off slightly. They were both breathing hard, circling each other in the small width of the hallway. Dean charged him, and Alex kicked him in the stomach and threw him into the wall. Dean's head struck the concrete.
"Cock sucking little bitch," Dean said, gasping for air.
"Now, now Dean, is that any way to talk to your baby's daddy," Alex said.
That was it. Dean's inner Mikey came out. He propelled himself off the wall, and once again, he picked Alex up and threw him up against the wall. He was now holding him about two feet from the ground.
"I am going to fucking kill you. You know that, right? I am going to rip you apart with my bare hands, starting with your tongue!"
"Dean, what the hell are you doing!"
Natalie and Makayla came around the corner into the hallway.
"Dean! Put him down! Not here. Not now," Natalie yelled.
She ran up to him and started tugging his arm.
"Stay out of this, Natalie! This doesn't concern you."
"Dean!"
But Dean wasn't in control. Mikey was. And he was getting annoyed with this little bug.
"Are you deaf?" he yelled at her.
He turned and looked at her. His eyes were empty and cold. It was the first time that Natalie had looked Mikey in the eyes.
"BACK THE FUCK OFF!" his voice boomed in the hallway.
Natalie slowly backed away. Her face turned red, and fear was in her green eyes. She started to shake with fright. She turned and ran down the hallway.
"Wow! You are a shitty big brother. I bet you're going to be an even worse father."
They could hear the boots running in his direction.
"Sounds like my friends are coming. Bet your buddy Bruss is with them."
Dean opened his grasp, and Alex dropped flat-footed to the floor.
"What the hell Is going on?" Bruss asked.
Alex was straightening his uniform and putting his duty belt back on.
"We were just having a little conversation. That's all. Boys being boys."
Their bruises were already beginning to show on both of them. Dean was holding his ribs.
Bruss was standing at the end of the hallway. He had three officers behind him.
Sgt. Alvarez, I suggest you get back out on the road. You are your district's OIC (officer in charge) right now. You might outrank me, but I am better friends with the commissioner, so I suggest you take my advice. There's nothing more any of us can do here. She's still in surgery. I'll keep you updated.
No problem. Let me know when she wakes up and asks for me.
Dean stood there, his chest heaving with anger.
Alex hitched up his duty belt and headed out of the hall. The other three officers followed suit.
"Is that him?" Geraci asked.
"Yeah, that's him."
"Fucking piece of shit," Fancher said.
"Did you get any good hits in?" Hobart asked.
"He's going to bruise where you can see it. That's the important part."
"Nice," said Fancher.
Dean took a step forward, and Makayla stood in front of him to stop him.
"Go ahead. Try to get by me, mother fucker. What the hell Is wrong with you, Dean?" Makayla asked. "This is neither the time nor the place to go full jackass! And don't you EVER talk to Natalie that way again? She's more my girlfriend now than she is your sister!"
"Look, he goaded me on! He poked the bear. He was talking all this fucking bullshit about going to the doctor's appointments with Allie, spending every minute with her since the day I left. She referred to him as the baby's daddy. He called me a fucking sperm donor! What the fuck was I supposed to do! Just let him shit all over me and not do anything!"
"He was there from the beginning. She asked him to be there for her, and the part about the doctor's appointments is true. He started going with her. She was embarrassed going alone. So, she asked him if he wanted to go with her. What did you want her to do? Makayla said.
"I wanted her to wait for me!" he yelled. "I wanted her. That's all I have ever wanted since the day I met her. I want to go back eight months and resign from my job. He called me a fucking sperm donor!"
Dean punched the wall over and over. He left bloody knuckle prints on the concrete.
"She did wait for you, Jackass! She waited from the moment you left till the minute before she read that letter. And how dare you say you wanted her to wait for you! You waited what one month? Six weeks? How long was it before you started the beneficial relationship? Alex would make a better dad; you are just a sperm donor, Dean. You haven't been here. You left the first night you started fucking someone else. No matter who it did it, you or Mikey."
Bruss came around the corner. "Sorry to interrupt you, but Dean, I need you to come with me."
"What's up?"
"I'm about to talk with a doctor."
He stood up and pulled Natalie up, and she went two feet in the air before her feet hit the floor.
"I love you, Bug, and I will try to make up for my behavior. Please let me know what I can do." He hugged her and