The Baby Between Them

Chapter One - Present Day

"Sooo... How you doin?" Hunter turned and shook his head with a smile at the redhead who'd just walked into the room, giving her best Joey from Friends impersonation. His brother went to take the oxygen mask off his face, but the nurse next to him slapped his hand away.

"Touch it again Nash and I'll glue it to your face!"

"Aww go easy Abi. You know these two couldn't keep quiet to save their lives." Beautiful emerald green eyes snapped up to look at Hunter, only just realising that he was in the room as well.

"Oh! Hey Hunter." She said with a small smile.

"How's it going Rae?"

"Fine thanks. Looking sharp." Rae replied, giving him a wink. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she eyed up his uniform.

"Comes with cuffs too. Wanna try them out?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and had to bite his tongue to stop himself from smiling as her cheeks reddened.

"Hunter Hughes!" Abi turned around and slapped his arm. "That's my stepdaughter you're talking to!"

"Careful Abs... That's assault on a police officer." Rae said with a giggle.

"I think I'll let it slide. Just this once." A wide grin spread across Hunter's face, causing flutters to jump around in Rae's stomach.

"You'd do anything to get out of a math exam, wouldn't you." Rae laughed, plopping herself down on the chair beside Nash's bed, giving him a small shove in the arm. He gave her a wink and she smiled, before reaching over and lifting the oxygen mask for him.

"I think... I'd... Prefer to... Fail a... Math... Exam..."

"Raegan Beckett!" Abi turned and slapped her stepdaughters hand away, causing the oxygen mask to snap down onto Nash's face.

"Ouch!" He groaned.

"We're all getting the full names today!" Rae looked at Hunter with fake fearful eyes.

"She touches that mask again, you cuff her to the handrail. I'll be right back." Abi growled.

"Oh, so now I'm allowed to cuff her?" Hunter laughed at the look Abi gave him as she walked out of the room. "You're trouble you are." He added to Rae with a smile.

"You've known this my whole life. Don't start being surprised by it now." She replied with a shrug, settling back in the chair.

"You constantly surprise me Raegan." He said, his tone suddenly serious. His smoky grey eyes stared into her emerald green ones. Nash coughed, ripping them both back to reality as he lifted the mask from his face.

"Don't... Have a... Moment... With my... Best friend... Hunter... Gross!"

"Could you talk a bit faster Speedy? We're dying of old age here." Rae gave Nash a bright, cheeky grin, before helping him put the mask back over his mouth. Hunter chuckled at her antics. "Stop talking Nash." She added sweetly. "The sooner the meds are in, the sooner you're out. What set the asthma off this time?" She looked up, asking Hunter. The mischief in her eyes was gone now, replaced by concern.

As much as Hunter was jealous that Nash got to be so close to Rae all the time, he was glad his brother had her in his life. They'd been thick as thieves since they met in kindergarten and nothing had changed. How Nash didn't see her as anything other than a friend, had often confused the hell out of him. She was so incredibly beautiful and she didn't seem to realise it, which just made her even more gorgeous. He'd lost count of how many times he'd heard someone compliment her and she'd reply with 'I'm nothing special', but with her deep auburn hair, striking emerald green eyes and a small, but thin and curvy body that just begged to be touched... She was definitely something special. Add in that she was compassionate, caring and so very cheeky, she was the whole package and was Hunter's dream girl.

"Hunter?" He gave himself a mental shake and focused on her question, rather than what he wished he could do to her.

"Sorry. It's been a long day." He replied. Nash groaned and rolled his eyes. The kid wasn't an idiot and had known for a while that his older brother had a thing for his best friend. "Let's just say that if Edward Conrad isn't finishing his final year at a different high school, then I'll be laying charges." Rae frowned, before anger rippled across her face.

"What did that wanker do this time?!" She demanded as she jumped to her feet.

"He shoved Nash into the herb garden." Neither Nash or Hunter could decipher the muttering that came from her pretty little mouth.

"He knows Nash is allergic to coriander and it sets off his asthma. Fucking wanker!" She yelled, before taking off towards the door. Hunter ducked around the end of Nash's bed and managed to grab her around the waist just as she ripped the door open. "I'm going to kill that asshat!"

"Whoa there feisty!" He laughed.

"Let me go Hunter!" She growled, struggling against his arms.

"Do you really want me to?" He whispered flirtatiously into her ear, wondering if she still had a crush on him like she had when she was fourteen. Rae instantly stilled. Her breathing got heavy and she was just as acutely aware of every inch of his body that was touching her, as he was of her touching him.

"Scary clowns, scary clowns, scary clowns." Hunter chanted in his head, in an attempt to keep his libido in check.

He backed them both up slightly and closed the door again, but kept his arm around her waist. He could feel her heart hammering in her chest. It almost matched the speed of his own... Almost...

"If I let you go, will you sit that..." Hunter closed his eyes and groaned. "Ass of yours back down or do I have to get my cuffs out?" He asked quietly. At the mention of his cuffs, she stiffened against him, but she wasn't scared. He could tell that much. "Interesting." He thought to himself. "Rae?" She just nodded, not trusting her voice in that moment.

The moment Hunter let her go, Rae immediately wished his arm was back around her again and that they were somewhere other than Nash's hospital room. She turned and flopped heavily into the chair, keeping her mouth zipped shut.

Nash watched her, but he knew that when she got like this. When she got so insanely protective and wasn't allowed to protect her people, she needed time to stew. Instead of saying anything, he reached out and grabbed her hand. She gave him a small smile of thanks and squeezed his in return.

Hunter turned away to reply to a text message from Tyler, asking if he'd be back for the rest of their shift. It was also a good excuse to not find a scalpel and chop his little brothers hand off for touching Raegan.

"Alright Murderous Mary, out!" Abi said as she walked back into the room. Hunter laughed as he turned back around. "Visiting hours are over." Rae mumbled something under her breath, but stood up and kissed Nash on the head.

Hunter gripped his phone so tightly as he watched, that it sounded like part of it cracked. He shoved it into his back pocket to save it from any damage.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Rae said, giving Nash a small smile. "Hunter." She said with a nod in his direction. He forced a smile.

"You're going to be the death of me... Or the end of my career." Abi laughed as she walked out with Rae, closing the door behind them.

"Hunter... Make... Sure she's... Safe!" Nash managed. Hunter looked from the door to his brother and nodded.

"I'll walk her out. Have a chat. Don't fight the steroids this time Nash. Please." Hunter's eyes pleaded with his brother. He knew how much Nash hated how the steroids made him feel, but they were the only way to get his lungs strong enough to work without near constant oxygen. "If not for us." Hunter nodded towards the door. "Then do it for Raegan."

"Ok." Nash mumbled.

"Get some rest." Hunter walked over, ruffled Nash's hair and chuckled when his brother groaned at him. "I'll bring Mum up to see you after I finish my shift. Dad's on tonight, so he can't." Nash nodded, before pressing the button on his bed that shut the light above his head off. "Righto... Message received." Hunter laughed, walking out of the room.