I worked in the local primary school full time. I taught second-class students and worked from eight thirty in the morning to three in the afternoon, except for Fridays when it was a half-day and I finished up at one in the afternoon. Kane’s timetable for his injections was one jab in the morning, and one jab in the afternoon, after he ate. I worked it around my work schedule, so the past week I had been arriving at Kane’s house at eight in the morning to give him his first injection, then I’d come over on my lunch break to give him his second.

It was difficult and I’d resorted to doing ridiculous things just to take his mind off the impending injections. The lowest level I stooped to was flashing my boobs at him just to fight off a panic attack I was convinced he was going to have. He worked himself up over the injections, and a couple of times he repeated for me not to ‘stab him’ and I had no idea why. I was extremely curious as to why he repeated those same words to me, but when I asked his brothers about it, they told me to ‘drop it’ so I did.

For the time being anyway.

It was Friday afternoon, and I had just arrived at the Slater residence after coming straight from work. Keela let me into the house. She came over to check on Kane, but he was in his room behind his locked door so she was leaving. She stopped to talk to me since I was there and I used the time to vent to her.

“I came here this mornin’ on me way to work and do you know what he did?” I asked Keela.

She shook her head.

“He wouldn’t let me into his room to give him his injection. I have no idea what is up his arse, but he needs to get rid of it so I can give him his damn insulin,” I stated and pushed loose strands of hair that escaped my hair clips back from my face. “I’m gettin’ grey hairs stressin’ out about him and worryin’ about his injections. It’s not even funny how childish he is being.”

Keela shook her head but said nothing.

“I thought since he agreed to let me give him his injections that he would be reasonable, but he isn’t. He has been nothing but difficult,” I said to Keela. “He is rude, mean, and a complete arsehole to me. I’m this close,” I held my index finger and thumb a hair away from one another, “to stabbin’ him in the fuckin’ eye with his insulin pen.”

Keela’s lip twitched. “If anyone can get him to take his medicine, it’s you, Ado.”

I groaned. “I don’t know why, all we do is argue. Literally. It’s all we do. It’s all we’ve ever done.”

Keela giggled, “Maybe he gets off on your bickerin’. Have you ever thought of that?”

No, because that was a stupid idea.

“Please, he can’t stand me just as much as I can’t stand him. We’re happily in hate, Keela.”

She laughed and shook her head. “You’re both crazy.”

“I know I’m crazy,” I stated. “Only a crazy woman would put up with his hormonal arse. I’m tellin’ you the woman who ends up with him will have to have the patience of a bloody saint.”

“I can fucking hear you, big mouth!” Kane roared down the stairs as he descended them.

I growled and in a low voice, I said to Keela, “I’ll kill him before his diabetes does.”

She silently laughed and looked at Kane when he stepped off the last step of the stairs.

“What’s so funny?” Kane asked her.

“Nothin’,” she replied and wiped tears from her eyes.

I narrowed my eyes at Kane. “What time do you call this?”

He glanced at the clock on the wall behind me and said, “Two thirty in the afternoon.”

“I call it lazy bastard o’clock,” I hissed.

Keela reached out and held onto me as her silent laughter upgraded to audible wheezing.

“Sorry, Mom. Was I supposed to be up before noon for something?” Kane asked, snickering.

I glared. “You know good and well I had to give you your injection at eight this mornin’. I stopped in on my way to work and you wouldn’t open the door. Don’t feed me your bullshit about not hearin’ me either. I heard you laugh when I was threatenin’ you.”

He smirked but didn’t deny the charges.

“You’re unbelievable,” I growled. “Do you want to fall ill? Because not takin’ your insulin will result in you being unwell—no one else—just you.”

Kane continued to smirk. “Maybe I enjoy self-inflicted pain.”

“Keep talkin’,” I warned him, “and I’ll inflict all kinds of fuckin’ pain on you.”

“Is that a promise, babydoll?” he asked and made kiss noises.

I screeched and slapped at Keela’s shoulder. “Do you see? Do you see what I’ve to put up with? A fuckin’ man-child!”

“I’m all man, baby. You see my cock enough to know that,” Kane snickered, again.

Keela paused mid-way through her fit of laughter to stare at me with a what-the-fuck wide-eyed stare.

I growled, “By that, he means he mostly goes commando when I have to give him his injection on his thigh and forces me to look at his penis.”

Keela walked over to Kane and high-fived the arsehole. “That’s brilliant.”

Brilliant?

“Whose bloody side are you on?” I demanded of Keela.

“The side of love.”

Of love?

“What?” I snapped.

She was still laughing as she turned and walked towards the hall door, not answering me or even saying goodbye. I turned and stared at her back.

“Where the hell are you off to?” I angrily asked.

Keela lifted her hand and waved without turning around. “Me first therapist appointment is in half an hour. I need to leave here; otherwise, I’ll pass out from laughin’. Laters.”

I huffed, “Right. Good luck, you’ll do great.”

“I second that,” Kane said from behind me. “See you later, darling.”

“Be good. Both of you,” Keela shouted, then laughed as she closed the front door behind her.

“No promises,” Kane answered.

I turned to face him and glared so hard I hurt my face.

“Kitchen. Now,” I snarled and brushed past his large body as I walked down the hallway and into the empty kitchen. I glanced around the room and frowned. I knew Branna was at work because she had horribly long shifts from Monday to Friday this month, but I had no clue where Ryder was.

“Where is Ryder?” I asked.

Kane shrugged his shoulders. “I just walked down the stairs, how should I know where he is?”

The attitude!

“You need to perk up and stop being such a cheeky prick. I’m gettin’ fed up with you being so rude and snippy with me. I’m here to help you, not receive your dick tantrums,” I said as I stretched up and grabbed his insulin kit from the middle shelf in the cabinet above the toaster. I also grabbed the pouch that contained his glucose meter. I needed that to check his blood sugar levels before I injected any insulin.

“Take the damn pregnancy test and I won’t act like such a fucking dick to you.”

I froze then turned around.

I managed to go the entire day without thinking about that situation.

“Is that what this is about?” I asked. “You make it hell for me to get your insulin into you, you act like the mother of all fuckers, and all because I haven’t taken a pregnancy test yet. Are you bloody serious?”

Kane shot forward and got in my personal space. He glared down at me as I pressed back into the kitchen counter. I held his stare, but my nerve was slipping with each passing second because when Kane was mad, he looked terrifying.

“Yes,” he growled. “That is exactly why I’m behaving this way. I want to know if you’re pregnant. I’m done waiting.”

I was done waiting too, but fear stopped me from taking a test. I put it off every chance I got. I barely plucked up the courage to check Ryder and Branna’s bathroom for the test I previously took, but it was gone, and I was too scared to ask if someone found it.

I groaned, “I told you that me, Bronagh, and Branna made a deal to do it together tomorrow. It’s Saturday, Branna and I have no work so it’s the best time.”