Yours After Dark

by Marie Force

  Janey hugged Maddie. “What can I do?”

  “Mac might need a bottle around four.” Maddie’s voice sounded shaky.

  “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about a thing.”

  “Thanks for coming, brat.” Mac led Maddie out the door and helped her into her SUV because it was more comfortable than his truck. As he drove them through the darkness to the clinic in town, he realized his hands were shaking. At times like this, island life totally fucking sucked. He wanted a top-level hospital and had to make do with an island clinic. Not that Victoria and David weren’t the best at what they did, but what if Maddie needed something they couldn’t provide? Like the day that Janey had needed an emergency C-section in a clinic not equipped for surgery… Mac’s own heart began to feel like it might explode inside his chest, which of course his perceptive wife picked up on.

  “Take your own advice, Mac. Breathe.”

  He tightened his grip on the wheel and focused on breathing. The last thing she needed from him was stress. She needed him to be calm and focused on her, not filled with dread over the thing that was not happening. It couldn’t be. Not when he’d finally gotten his head around the idea of twin girls.

  Driving a little faster than he should have, Mac got them to the clinic in ten minutes. In the parking lot were two other cars—Victoria’s and Adam’s white BMW SUV. “What’s he doing here?”

  “I was just about to ask you that. I hope Liam is okay.”

  Mac hoped so, too. He couldn’t bear to think of anything being wrong with the baby who had made Adam and Abby so happy. After helping Maddie out of the car, he walked her inside with an arm around her shoulders. They encountered Adam walking a squalling Liam in the waiting room.

  “What’s wrong?” Mac asked his brother.

  “Abby is crazy sick. Can’t stop puking. She’s dehydrated, so Vic put her on an IV. Liam doesn’t appreciate the middle-of-the-night outing. What’re you guys doing here?”

  “Maddie is feeling weird, so we came in to get her checked.”

  “I hope everything is okay,” Adam said.

  “You and me both, brother. Come on, Maddie. Let’s go find Vic.” He led her through the swinging doors that led to the cubicle area, where they were greeted by the sound of violent retching.

  “Oh God,” Maddie whispered. “Poor Abby.”

  Victoria came out of a cubicle, saw them and directed them to the room on their right. “I’ll be there in one minute.”

  “I hope you don’t get whatever she has.” Mac felt like a caged tiger in the small room. He wanted Victoria to come in there and tell them they had nothing to worry about. Until she said those words, he wouldn’t be able to relax.

  From her perch on the exam table, Maddie held out a hand to him. “Come here.”

  He went to her, took her hand and let her tug him into her embrace.

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “You’re not breathing.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “How’s your ticker?”

  “It’s not racing like it was, but it still feels faster than it should be.”

  Mac rested his head against her chest, listening to the rapid beat of her heart and wishing he knew what it meant.

  Victoria came in five long minutes later. “So sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “Is Abby okay?” Maddie asked.

  “She will be.” Victoria waved her hand under the sanitizer dispenser and rubbed the liquid gel into her skin. “Now what’s going on with you?”

  “My heart has been racing, and every time it happens, I break into a sweat and my chest feels tight.”

  “How many times has it happened?” Mac asked, alarmed.

  “This is the third time.”

  “Maddie! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t think anything of it at first, but this time was worse than the others.”

  Victoria reached for a stethoscope. “Let me have a listen.” She closed her eyes and listened intently, moving the device around on Maddie’s chest until Mac was certain he was going to lose his mind if she didn’t say something soon.

  Another minute passed before Victoria opened her eyes. “I don’t hear anything unusual, but I’d like to put you on a monitor for a couple of hours, just to be sure.”

  “What about the babies?” Mac asked.

  “I’ll put a monitor on them, too.”

  “You don’t think…” The fear was so intense, he couldn’t find the words to articulate it.

  “We’ll know much more in an hour.”

  He would lose his shit by then.

  Victoria left the room, saying she’d be right back.

  “Mac.”

  Raising his gaze from the floor, he found his wife watching him in that knowing way of hers. “Come here.”

  “I’m here.”

  “Closer.”

  He did as directed.

  She grabbed a handful of his T-shirt and brought him in close enough to kiss. “Relax, would you?”

  “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “Go get your nephew so Adam can be with his wife.”

  Mac stared at her until she poked him in the chest to get his attention.

  “We need the distraction, and Adam needs to be with Abby.”

  “I don’t want you to catch what she has.”

  “I was with them yesterday. If the baby is carrying it, I’ve already been exposed. Go get him.”

  Mac went to the waiting room, where Adam continued to pace back and forth with Liam, who was now quiet and sleepy-eyed. “Maddie says to bring Liam to her so you can go to Abby.”

  “She doesn’t need to do that.”

  “I told her that, but she’s insisting. If you guys have cooties, I don’t want her getting it.”

  Adam snorted out a laugh. “Cooties? What’re you, eight?”

  “She doesn’t need the stomach flu, Adam.”

  “Abby doesn’t have the stomach flu, Mac.”

  “Then what’s wrong with her?”

  “She’s pregnant.”

  At first, Mac thought he’d heard him wrong. “She’s…”

  “Pregnant. By now, you should know what that word means.”

  “But, I thought she couldn’t.”

  “So did we.” Adam blinked and swallowed hard. “Turns out we were wrong. Victoria confirmed it earlier and put her on an IV for dehydration.”

  “That is the best news I’ve heard in, well, ever. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” Adam’s jaw clenched with tension as he glanced at the doors to the treatment areas. “I just hope she’s not going to be sick like this the entire time.”

  “Some people are. Laura was.”

  “I know, but hasn’t Abby been through enough already? She’s due for a break.”

  “I’m sure Vic will have her feeling better in no time.” Mac reached out to take Liam from his father. “Go see her. Maddie and I will keep an eye on him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. She’s on the monitor for the time being, and it was her idea to come get Liam so you could go to Abby.”

  “Thanks, Mac.”

  Mac snuggled the now-sleeping baby into the crook of his neck and shoulder. “No problem. Go take care of your wife. We’ve got your little man.”

  * * *

  Adam went through the double doors to the room where he’d been forced to leave Abby alone when Liam started fussing. He’d never felt so torn between the two people he loved best, but when Abby had told him to take Liam for a walk, he’d taken Liam for a walk.

  He stepped into the exam room to find her dozing, her face so pale as to be alarming. Standing at her bedside, he reached over to brush the dark hair off her forehead.

  Her eyes popped open. “Where’s Liam?”

  “With Mac.”

  “What’s Mac doing here?”

  “Maddie’s not feeling well either.”

  Abby closed her e
yes and licked her dry lips.

  “How’re you doing, honey?”

  “Awful.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. Vic said I’ll feel better in a few hours when the IV does its thing.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  She offered a feeble smile. “Be careful what you wish for, huh?”

  “No kidding.” He continued to stroke her hair, wishing there was more he could do to comfort her.

  “It’ll be worth it, though. Whatever we have to go through.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

  “Of course I feel that way. I wanted this my whole life.” Her eyes filled. “Everything I have now… It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

  He leaned over the bed to kiss her.

  She made a face and turned away from him. “You can’t kiss me when I have puke breath.”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “No, you can’t. You’re never going to want to kiss me again.”

  “Now that is just not true, and you know it.” He touched his finger to her lips. “These are my favorite lips to kiss.”

  “When they don’t stink like puke.”

  “Any time. All the time. For better or worse.”

  “You’re the best husband I’ve ever had,” she said, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

  “I’m the only husband you’re ever going to have.” He kissed her forehead. “Get some rest, love. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Take care of my son.”

  “I will. Don’t worry about a thing. Just rest.”

  * * *

  Mac carried Liam into the exam room, where Victoria was attaching Maddie to the various monitors. Nerves fluttered through him as he stressed out about what they’d reveal.

  Maddie held out her arms for Liam, and Mac carefully transferred him to her.

  “Your heart rate just slowed considerably.” Victoria glanced at one of the screens. “That’s the cure. You need more babies in your life.”

  “Two more babies and that’s it,” Mac said. For Maddie’s benefit, he added, “Here’s a newsflash. Abby isn’t sick. She’s pregnant.”

  Maddie gasped. “What?”

  “You heard it here first.”

  “That’s incredible! They stopped trying and boom! I’m so excited for them.”

  “I am, too. I just hope she’s not going to be sick like this the entire time.”

  “Some moms are,” Victoria said. “It’s awful, but they get through it.”

  “Like Laura.” Maddie shuddered. “I don’t know how she went through that twice.”

  “Luckily, she got three kids out of two pregnancies,” Mac said.

  “True.”

  “And she would probably tell you that she’s so busy with three little ones that she rarely thinks about how sick she was having them,” Victoria said.

  “For sure.” Maddie stroked Liam’s downy soft dark hair. “It’s a good thing babies are so cute. They make it easy for us to forget pregnancy and delivery.”

  “The fathers never forget.” Mac shuddered at the memory of Maddie delivering Hailey in the midst of a tropical storm with the island’s only doctor on the mainland. Thank God David Lawrence had been home for a visit and had come when Janey called him.

  Maddie reached out to him. “Don’t think about the bad stuff.”

  “Kind of hard not to when you’re in the clinic, attached to monitors in the middle of the night.”

  “An abundance of caution,” Vic said. “I don’t see anything to be worried about so far.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Maddie said.

  “I’m wondering if what you’re feeling is caused by anxiety and not pregnancy.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “After what you went through with losing Connor, it’s only natural that you would be concerned about it happening again. That fear can manifest itself in physical symptoms like the ones you’re describing.”

  “But she didn’t have this when she was pregnant with baby Mac,” Mac said.

  “True, but this time around is more complicated due to the multiples and the fact that it’s her fifth pregnancy.”

  Mac looked to Maddie for answers. “Do you think it could be stress, hon?”

  “Possibly. I think all the time about losing Connor and how there was no sign of trouble before he was just…gone.”

  Victoria patted her arm. “I understand that fear. I truly do. But you’ve had three successful pregnancies, which puts the odds very firmly in your favor.”

  “I know.”

  “Try to get some rest while you can. I’ll be back to check on you after a while.”

  After Victoria left the room, Mac stood at the side of the bed looking down at Maddie and Liam and wondering if he’d missed the signs that she was unusually stressed out. “Did I miss this?”

  “Miss what?”

  “That you’ve been so worried about losing the babies that you’ve given yourself heart palpitations?”

  “I haven’t been sitting around stewing about it, but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with my heart pounding because I dreamed about it happening again.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me up when that happened?”

  “Because. It was just a dream, and you work so hard. I don’t want to disturb you.”

  “Madeline…” He shook his head in disbelief. “After all this time, how can you think I wouldn’t want to be disturbed if you’re upset or worried or freaking out or anything?”

  “I knew you’d want me to wake you up.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “Do you think I can’t see how exhausted you are after working a million hours a week to get the Wayfarer done in time for the season? And now you’ve got the marina to deal with, too. I don’t know how you do it all.”

  “Look at me.”

  She looked at him with those caramel-colored eyes, and as always, his heart fluttered.

  “If you are scared, lonely, anxious, horny—middle of the night or middle of the day—you wake me up or call me, and I’ll come running.”

  She laughed even as her eyes went shiny with tears. “Leave it to you to toss horny in there.”

  “I mean it, Maddie. It kills me to think I slept through you having a panic attack about losing these babies. Don’t let that happen again, you hear me?”

  “I think the whole island can hear you.”

  “Maddie!”

  Liam let out an indignant squeak and then settled once again into sleep.

  “Hush,” she whispered. “I hear you, and it won’t happen again. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize to me.”

  “Don’t scowl at me.”

  “I’m not scowling.”

  “Yes, you are. Knock it off and kiss me.”

  “I’ll do you one better.” He walked around to the other side of the hospital bed, kicked off his shoes and climbed in next to her, wrapping an arm around her and Liam.

  “Much better,” she said, smiling at him.

  That smile rendered him powerless to resist her—not that he ever wanted to resist. With a hand on her face to turn her in his direction, he kissed her sweet lips. “I want to hear about every worry, every fear, every concern.”

  “Those words all mean the same thing.”

  “Don’t edit me. I’m being serious here.”

  “I know you are.”

  “Share the load with me, Madeline. That’s what I’m here for.” He kissed her again, more intently this time, tossing in some tongue as his fingers tangled in her hair.

  “Um, excuse me, but are you actually making out in front of my son?” Adam asked from the doorway.

  “He’s asleep,” Mac growled. “Go away.”

  “I’ll just collect my impressionable child before you can corrupt him.” Adam lifted Liam out of Maddie’s arms. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him. Looks like you’re feeling better.”

  �
�I am, thanks. How’s Abby?”

  “She’s sleeping.”

  “You’ve got your son,” Mac said to his brother. “Now go away.”

  “How can you stand him?” Adam asked Maddie.

  “It’s not easy, but someone’s got to do it.”

  “We’re all very thankful that you manage him for us.” With the baby snuggled into his chest, Adam left the room, laughing at his own joke.

  “You’re supposed to be on my side at all times, especially when my siblings are taking jabs at me.”

  “Where is that written in the marriage doctrine?”

  “Under ‘thou shalt not team up against your husband with his siblings.’”

  “I never would’ve agreed to that clause. Ganging up on you with your siblings accounts for half the entertainment in my life.”

  “You think you’re so funny.”

  “I know I’m funny. Now shut up and kiss me some more.”

  Since there was nothing he’d rather do, he wrapped both arms around her, slid one leg between hers and kissed her with the kind of gusto he usually saved for the privacy of their own bedroom. But after hearing she’d been stressed out and enduring it alone, he wanted to remind her of how very much he loved her.

  He kissed her until his lips were numb and his cock hard and throbbing between them, only stopping when alarms sounded on one of the monitors.

  Victoria came running into the room, saw them wrapped up in each other and started laughing. “Well, that’s one way to get your heart rate up.”

  Maddie buried her face in Mac’s neck. “This is mortifying.”

  Mac laughed so hard, he shook with it. He loved her so damned much, and he’d never had more fun doing anything than he did getting her heart rate up.

  Chapter 25

  With Ranger settled into his bed for the night, Chloe went into the bathroom to take the last of the pills that got her through the day. When she came out of the bathroom, she found Finn on the sofa waiting for her.

  “Come sit with me for a minute.”

  She went to him and sat next to him, snuggling up to him when he put his arm around her.

  “I had the best time tonight.”