by Maya Banks
Toni turned away from Simon, the pain she felt at his presence far superseding the pain that racked her body. She felt his hand curl around hers, and comforting warmth snaked up her arm. She was afraid. So afraid. And of course he would be here. She was pregnant with his baby after all.
She closed her eyes willing the baby to move within her, needing to feel the stirring of life within her. The on call obstetrician had visited her a few minutes ago, checking her cervix for dilation and listening for the baby’s heartbeat.
The heartbeat had been strong much to her relief, but she had yet to feel it move within her womb. The doctor had explained that after a shock, it wasn’t uncommon for the baby to be still for a longer period of time. He felt confident the baby was fine, but he ordered a monitor hooked up so they could make sure she wasn’t contracting.
Her head hurt, her arm hurt, her legs hurt, her heart hurt. She struggled to remember the chain of events that left her lying in the emergency room. She vaguely remembered another car, blinding headlights and overwhelming pain and fear. And then Simon, begging her not to leave him. Commanding her to wake up. Had she dreamed all that?
She chanced another glimpse of Simon who still stood rigidly by her bed. He looked back at her, concern flaring in his eyes. And something else. Was it fear?
She looked away, no longer able to meet his eyes. Her shame was too great. He had every right to be angry with her. His words—the last words he’d spoken to her—rang in her ears. Yet he was here. Did she want to know why? Yes. Yes, she did.
She raised her eyes once more to meet his and opened her mouth to speak. Her throat felt funny, and her tongue wouldn’t cooperate at all. She tried again, and Simon put a finger over her lips. “Shh, sweetheart. Don’t try to talk right now. Just rest. I’ll be here when you wake up I promise.”
She felt oddly comforted by his statement, and for a minute, she could forget he despised her. Her eyes flickered to the doorway as she saw it open. A.J. peeked his head through then walked in, followed closely by Matt.
“We only have a minute,” A.J. said as Simon stared questioningly at them. She glanced between them, her head hurting from the effort. “They’re about to move her to the floor.”
A.J. walked to her bedside, and Simon moved back out of the way. He bent over and kissed her softly on the forehead. “You scared us, girl. Don’t ever do that again.” He attempted to tease her, but she could hear the stark fear in his voice.
Matt stood at the foot of her bed looking guilty. Her brow furrowed as she watched him fidget, his eyes full of regret. “I’m sorry, Toni,” he said in a tortured voice. “I should have been there. I was an ass. A complete jerk for being mad at you.”
Confusion filled her mind. What was he talking about? Why was he mad at her? Her head began to pound all over again. She looked at
Simon then back at Matt. Matt was angry with her. It was more than she could stand at the moment. Faced with losing the man she loved and her best friend to boot, having her big brother pissed at her was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Tears filled her eyes and she tried hard to speak. To say something. That she was sorry. But nothing came out. A.J. looked angry, and Matt looked more contrite than ever. The nurse pushed her way into the door and quickly ordered them all out. Simon lingered until the nurse took his arm and all but dragged him from the room. “We’ve got to cast her arm then we’re transferring her to the floor. You can see her later,” she said firmly.
Toni watched them go then slumped wearily against her pillow. The doctor came in with a clipboard and stood a few feet from her as the nurse began swabbing her arm. “You’re a lucky young lady,” he said, eyeing her over his glasses.
She swallowed hard and tried once more to find her tongue. “W-when can I go home?” she rasped. Her free hand came to her throat and massaged absently.
He laughed. “Go home? You’re in an awful big hurry. You won’t be going home for a few days. I want to keep an eye on that head injury of yours. And your obstetrician wants to monitor the baby. Make sure the little tyke stays put. We’re going to give you a fiberglass cast. Nurse McGregor will give you your post release care instructions, but the floor nurse will run through it all again before you’re released. Do you have any questions?”
“I hurt,” she croaked.
He gave her a sympathetic look. “Your OB left orders as to what you could have. I defer to him on matters of pregnancy. I’ll make sure you’re given something before you leave the ER.”
“Thank you,” she managed. The effort of speaking was overwhelming, and she closed her eyes, exhausted.
The nurse’s ministrations barely registered, though she winced when her arm was set. She was given an injection of pain medication, and soon she floated in a sea of painlessness.
She vaguely held a sensation of moving, the blurry walls of the hallways passing by her. She saw Simon’s head bob in front of her view then fade away as her eyes grew heavy.
She opened her eyes, and at first, she had no idea where she was. It wasn’t as bright as the emergency room had been, the dark soothing to her aching head. As her vision cleared, she could see she was in a private room.
As she scanned the room, her eyes came to rest on the chair next to her bed where Simon slouched, asleep, his head lolled to the side. She drank in the sight of him. His dark hair fell forward over his forehead. Dark shadows left imprints under his eyes. He looked as bad as she felt, but he’d never looked more desirable to her.
She tested her arm, waiting for the flash of pain when she lifted it up to inspect the cast. To her relief, all she felt was mild discomfort.
She reached up with her unencumbered hand and felt the bandages on her head. The doctor had explained to her she’d suffered a large laceration to her scalp that required multiple stitches, but thankfully it hadn’t resulted in a serious head injury.
She allowed her hand to fall back to her chest then she slid it down over her belly. She rubbed in a circle, sending a mental apology to her
unborn baby. When her belly shifted and fluttered under her fingers, she gasped, tears flooding to her eyes.
Simon came awake immediately, lurching to his feet and coming to her side. “What is it? What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“N-nothing,” she stammered, relieved she wasn’t as hoarse now. “I was worried about the baby and she just moved.” Tears slipped down her cheeks unchecked.
His reached his hand out and smoothed it over her belly. His touch comforted her in a way no medication could. Warmth burned through her where his hand soothed. “So he or she is okay,” he said, relief evident in his voice.
“The doctor says so,” she said lamely.
A knock sounded at the door, and Simon raised his head, an irritated expression on his face.
A.J. walked in ahead of Matt and Stephanie, his face lighting up when he saw Toni. “You’re awake.”
She swallowed. “You act surprised.”
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Hell yeah. You slept all day and all night.”
She frowned. “You mean it’s tomorrow?”
He laughed. “Yeah, you’ve been asleep over eighteen hours.”
“She needed the rest,” Simon said grumpily. “What are you guys doing here? I told you I’d call when she woke up.”
“I see you did just that,” Matt said with a raised eyebrow. He leaned over and kissed Toni on top of the head. Stephanie stood anxiously beside him, her worried gaze on Toni.
“How are you doing, Toni?” she asked.
“I didn’t call because she only just woke up,” Simon replied.
“I’m okay,” Toni said in answer to Stephanie’s question. She tried a convincing smile, but it made her head ache so she dropped the effort.
“We were worried about you,” Matt said, staring intently at her. “You shouldn’t have been out on the roads.”
Heat crept into her cheeks.
“Shut the hell up, Matt,” Simon growled. “She d
oesn’t need a lecture right now. We all know whose fault it was she was out there.”
Toni froze, his words cutting deeply into her. He couldn’t have said any clearer that he blamed her for the accident. She bit her lip, wishing she could sink back into oblivion. It didn’t hurt so badly when she was asleep.
“Why don’t the two of you go take a hike?” A.J. said evenly. “I want to talk to Toni, and the two of you are only upsetting her.”
Stephanie frowned. “A very good idea,” she said fiercely. She hooked her arm through Simon’s and all but dragged him and Matt toward the door.
A.J. shot her an apologetic look and pulled Simon’s chair up to the bed. He sat down and picked up her hand. “Nice cast,” he said, eyeing her other arm.
