Chapter 109 - Bleeding (Or Leonard Cohen Was Right)*

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This chapter dedicated to @polaris1401
Cuz she's totally my superfan and is not going to flame me for the one little detail I added into this chapter!
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Tissue Alert:
You're gonna need'em.

Amber and Matt retreated inside the main cabin, while Noah, Bear and Gabe stayed with Rainy in the yard, starting a fire and trying to get her mind on something else.
Bam and October took Isabella back to the trapper shack to have a few moments alone. As soon as they were inside the door, Bam took October into his arms. "Baby, you're trembling." She nodded and closed her eyes while taking several deep, calming breaths. She leaned her cheek against his chest where she could hear his heart hammering at double time like her own. After another moment, Bam's deep voice rumbled in his chest. "Damn, Woman. I don't think I have ever loved you more than I do at this moment." He whispered against her ear. He hooked his finger under her chin to raise her mouth up to his. Their kiss quickly became heated. Bam curled his hands around October's forearms to pull her firmly against the length of his body. She moaned into his mouth and Isabella made a tiny cry at being squished between her parents. Bam broke away quickly and chuckled. He took Isabella from October's arms and placed her in her bassinet. He returned to October who hadn't moved from her place by the door since they'd come in. She remained still and very deep in thought. "We need to get ourselves into that land leasing meeting."

~*~

Matt hissed as Amber took the ice pack off his bruised knuckles. "Careful, honey." Amber murmured. "Your hand is already swollen quite a bit." She carefully wiped the blood off the wounds with antiseptic wipes and blew on them gently. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked as Matt watched her intently.
"Do you know how much I love you?" He smiled despite the throbbing ache of his hand.
Amber shifted away from him. "Matt, don't." She warned.
Matt wrapped his good hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I can't help it. I love you. Would you please just marry me? I'll give you anything you want. I'll do anything you want. I'll say anything you want."
Amber exhaled slowly keeping her attention on his injured knuckles. "I want you to tell me that it doesn't matter that I can't have babies. I want you to tell me that you don't care if you have children."
"Okay." Matt nodded. "It doesn't matter."
"I'm serious, Matt. Say it like you mean it."
"How do I do that? How am I supposed to say it so you believe me?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. No matter how often or how sincerely you say it, I will never believe you." She took a step back from him.
"So where does that leave us?" He asked, afraid that he already knew the answer.
"There can't be an us, Matt. You will only be resentful and disappointed in the end,"
A look of sad realization dawned in his blue eyes. "Are you breaking up with me?"
Amber grazed her fingers across his cheek. "No, baby. I'm letting you go. I'm setting you free to find someone who can give you everything you want."
"Don't do this Amber. I love you. You love me." He pleaded.
"Love has never been our problem, Matt. I went to the clinic today."
"And?" Matt asked hopefully.
Amber dropped her gaze. "And nothing, Matt. I won't get my test results for a week but I already know what they're going to say. And so do you."
Matt's brow knit together. "But I love you."
"I love you too, Matt. More than anything and that's why I've got to do this." She kissed his cheek gently and walked away, leaving him standing in the kitchen, bleeding.

~*~

Bam sat in the centre of Browntown, staring into the fire before him. There were so many thoughts swirling in his mind he couldn't sleep. He heard the door of the main cabin open and Matt shuffled down the steps. Matt pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket, lit one and took a long drag.
"Got any more of that?" Matt nodded towards the beer sitting in the bench beside his brother. Bam reached underneath his seat, grabbed a cold beer and tossed it over the fire. Matt caught it, before sitting down on the bench opposite Bam. He twisted off the top and drank down half of its contents before stopping. "Why aren't you in bed with your wife?" Matt asked.
Bam snorted and set his beer back down on the bench. "Couldn't sleep. Too much going on up here." He tapped his forehead with the bottom of his beer bottle.
"Yeah." Matt replied flatly as he threw his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out with his boot heel.
"Why aren't you in bed with your fiancée?" Bam countered.
Matt watched the log in the firepit shift and the sparks fly up into the darkness. "She's gone." Bam let out a string of obscenities under his breath. "Yeah. That about sums it up." Matt nodded slightly. "A shitty end to a shitty day."
"You weren't wrong in doing what you did." Bam started. "He's had that coming for a long time. I'm only sorry that it wasn't me."
"You need to keep your nose clean, little brother. You can't be doing anything like that if you want custody of Rainy." Matt warned.
"Do you think it's going to come to that?"
Matt nodded gravely. "He doesn't care about her. He just wants her so you can't have her." Matt thought for a moment. "And maybe he wants to sign her on with that modelling agency he's been talking about."
"That's not going to happen on my watch." Bam growled.
Matt grinned. "That's why you don't get to punch him."
Bam tipped his bottle up and drained it of it's contents. He stood up and dusted off his jeans. "I'd better go. Bella will be up soon and October is not feeling well. I should let her sleep."
Matt nodded and held up his bottle in a toast. "You going to be okay?" Bam asked, the concern evident in his tone.
"Don't worry about me. Go take care of your family. Hold on to them with all you're worth. I'll be ready for work on Monday, captain." He said with a mock salute.
"More." Bam called as his figure faded into the darkness.

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*when he wrote 'sometimes love just ain't enough'.

Hello My Pretties,
I'm totally working off my (Canadian) Thanksgiving turkey hangover! Turkey sandwiches and turkey soup and turkey casserole. Oh my! Hope you all had a nice long weekend!

XOX -PC

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