Hourglass Squared

by K, S

  "Mrs. Worthington," a deep male voice called, causing me to look up. A tall slender man in a three-piece suit came strutting in, his hand outstretched toward mine to shake. "I'm Mr. Clark. I've taken your request to mind and drawn up the documents for you to review. I must say I am impressed with your pro-activeness. Now don't let this all worry you too much. Many new parents have wills drawn up, just in case."

  I nodded once as he slid me a manila folder across the wooden table. I caught it in my hands and flipped it open, reading each line of the documents enclosed. He had done a remarkable job. Most of my requests had been included verbatim, until I reached the final page. The most important one of all…

  "Mr. Clark, this one is incorrect. Guardianship in case of my husband's death goes to Jake and Savannah Worthington, not Penelope. She was only to be noted if, by some strange reason, they couldn't."

  Mr. Clark leaned forward, muttering to himself as he read the document. "My apologies. I'll get this fixed and back to you tomorrow for your signature."

  "No, today. I need them today," I cried out. What if I didn't have a tomorrow?

  Mr. Clark shuffled the papers around as he looked to me. "Let me go grab another paralegal and see if she can access the documents to edit them. I am very sorry."

  "It's just… I have breast cancer and am having surgery tomorrow. I need to know that my baby will be okay. My husband may not be able to think of these things for some time as he grieves, and if I've learned anything, it's that life can be stolen in the blink of an eye. I just need it all to be okay just in case."

  "I will get these fixed straight away. One moment please." He jumped to his feet and bolted out the door, returning in no more than fifteen minutes with the corrected document for me to sign. While walking me out the door, Mr. Clark passed the documents to the receptionist, instructing her to have them placed in their files immediately. He pushed the button for the elevator and then turned to me. "I am so sorry you have to fight this. My wife was diagnosed two years ago, and it's not an easy battle."

  The elevator bell rang, and the doors slid open, letting me step inside to go home to my family.

  By the time I pulled back into my driveway, Josh's car was sitting in its spot. I tucked away my copies of the documents until I could get inside and put them in the safe. I'd be sure to tell him and Savannah where they could be found before going back tomorrow.

  "Hey, beautiful," Josh crooned, greeting me at the door with a kiss. "Sav and Jake said they'd meet us tomorrow, and my mom went to their place, so it's just you and me tonight."

  I leaned my weight onto him and slipped off my heels then let them fall to the floor with a thud.

  "Wow, you have a hot date?" Josh teased as he stood back and checked me out.

  "I sure do, and I'm in his arms now."

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and stretched up on my tip toes. He moaned as I pulled his lip between my bottom teeth.

  After catching on quickly to what I was after, he skimmed his hands up my ribs to my face.

  I brought my fingers up to his lips. I stilled our movements for a moment while I was feeling brave. As Josh waited and watched, I bent down and grasped the hem of my dress, pulling it up and over my head with one final tug.

  Josh's jaw hung agape as he ogled me standing in our foyer in just a bra and panties.

  "Look familiar?"

  His eyes scanned my body again, and heat flooded through me as he did. They lit up as he pointed at my lingerie.

  "Our wedding night," his throaty voice crooned, and he let his knuckles skim along my bare skin. "I say we go reenact the honeymoon right now." In a flash, Josh bent down and scooped me up, holding me close to him as he carried me up the stairs to our room. It felt like my entire world would end tomorrow, so for tonight… tonight I would make love to my husband, let him worship every inch of my naked body, and feel like a whole woman.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Savannah

  IT WAS TEN till six in the morning, and Jake was speeding through traffic on his way to the hospital, me in the passenger's seat and Penelope holding on for dear life in the back.

  "Jake, slow down, please. You're going to cause an accident."

  He yelled back at his mom, and I knew he wasn't trying to be mean; he just wanted to get his point across. "Mom, just stop. I know how to drive. We can't miss Brooke before they take her back. Savannah needs to be there, and I don't want Josh all alone. He needs us."

  His mom sighed but continued on regardless, "Sweetie, I know, but you don't need to risk the lives of your wife and unborn children in the process."

  Jake reached over and gripped my hand, knowing that lately the mere mentioning of someone dying caused my heart to lurch out of my chest.

  I had to do my best to fight back the tears. I squeeze his giant hand and looked over at him, my eyes smiling when my mouth couldn't, thankful that he knew me so well.

  Jake sped into the curbside valet, and we all poured out of the car. He tossed his keys to the attendant as we rushed through the sliding glass doors. Josh had sent us a text with the room number, so we were able to avoid dealing with the front desk and the wait that came with it.

  I was the first one to fly through the door, unable to believe that I'd beat Jake. Maybe my pregnant running skills aren't so bad after all.

  Brooke lay there in the hospital bed in a light blue gown, her hair pulled to the side and no sign of makeup on her face, but she was still smiling.

  Her nurse glanced up at me. "I'm sorry. You'll have to wait outside. We are prepping her for surgery."

  But Brooke cut her off, "It's okay. She's my sister."

  I stepped into the room and up to Brooke's bedside, opposite of Josh who was clinging to her hand for dear life. I wanted to hold her hand, but instead, I threw myself down next to her and wrapped her into a hug, not able to hold back the waterworks that escaped my eyes.

  She squeezed me tight. "No tears. I need you to be strong."

  I stood and wiped the falling drops, doing my best to force them away, but it was so hard. She was minutes away from a life-altering surgery, and there was nothing I could do to help her. The worst part was remembering the doctor had warned us that it may not cure her cancer. She'd still need radiation and chemotherapy. But Brooke had refused, at least not until she'd delivered a perfectly healthy baby. Which, in turn, meant she could spend the next few months getting worse.

  I pressed into Jake as his arms wrapped around me, and he kissed the top of my head then let me go and leaned over Brooke, both of his hands resting on the guardrails of the bed. "Look, sis, you're going to beat this, you hear me? You've got way too much to live for, including your pain-in-the-ass brother-in-law who needs his ass kicked by someone other than his wife every now and then."

  The tears welled in her eyes as she worked overtime to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. She reached up and pulled him down toward her, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Jake."

  "Love you, too," he whispered back to her, before he stood, his hands finding my waist and pulling me up against him.

  Penelope was next up and then Josh. He looked over to the three of us. "Would you give us a minute?" he pleaded.

  We slipped out of the room, and Jake pulled the door closed behind him. The hallway was filled with nurses who were just coming in for the morning shift, and doctors were busy making the rounds checking in on their patients. They were all buzzing around with clipboards and charts in tow, smiling as they discussed the weather or whatever it was they were talking about. All the while we were standing there, sending my best friend off to surgery that would change the course of all of our lives.

  A dainty nurse walked up to the door and knocked on it, not waiting for an answer before stepping in. A few seconds later, Brooke's bed was being wheeled out by the nurse, who was met by two others and Dr. Rothchild.

  Brooke gave us all one last smile as the doctor gripped Josh's arm. "I'll take it from here. She's in the best possible hands.
I can assure you of that."

  They began wheeling Brooke down the hall as the four of us stood there, looking on. Once the elevator opened, the nurses turned her bed and wheeled her into the elevator backward so she was facing all of us. Her hand lifted to her mouth, and she blew us all a kiss, mouthing the words I love you, just as the elevator closed. Within the blink of an eye, she was gone.

  I did my best to hold it together, but my heart was literally crumbling inside of me.

  A sob caught my attention, and I whipped back to Josh, who'd finally broken down. He stormed into the room, and I could hear the wails coming from deep within him. My heart broke even more as he continued on. Penelope stood there, unsure what to do, and Jake looked to me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

  I just nodded, because I knew if I opened my mouth I'd be in the chair next to Josh, crying just as hard. I pushed him toward the room to go be with Josh.

  "Stay with Savannah," he demanded, looking at his mother, who was a wreck, and then he stepped into the room. I heard the loud thud of his arms wrapping around his brother as Josh continued crying.

  Penelope stood there, tears pouring down her face, and I reached out to her. "Go. He needs you just as much as he needs Jake."

  As if she'd been waiting for my permission, she bolted into the room, her sobs now joining in with Josh's.

  Unable to take it much longer, I needed to clear my head. I rushed off, passing the restroom in the waiting room and darted into it. I locked the deadbolt behind me, thankful it was a single person restroom.

  I leaned back against the cold tile wall, and it was as if the walls of the Hoover Dam had come crumbling down. Tears rushed down my cheeks, soaking my face. My body was so heavy that I could hardly stand. I began to slide down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, my arms using every ounce of their might to keep my legs pulled up as they pressed against my huge belly. My body rocked back and forth, each sob ripping through harder than the last.

  My cell phone began to ring in my purse, but I had no energy to answer it. It continued ringing, but my cries soon drowned out the sound. After what must have been minutes, although it seemed like an eternity, a pounding started on the door of the restroom. I could hardly make out Jake's voice as the ringing in my ears grew louder and louder. His fists beat on the wooden door, but I couldn't get up.

  I tried. I really did my best to stand up, but my body was beyond exhausted, and every time I began to calm myself down, an image of Brooke would flash through my head, causing me to start all over again. I physically hurt, my head was pounding like a bass drum, and my muscles were sore from contracting with each wrack of my body.

  The banging on the door continued, and finally it flew open. Jake stood above me as I sat there, a pile of shambles.

  The door slammed behind him, and he dropped down onto the floor next to me. His massive arms scooped me up and pulled me onto his lap. He wrapped me in his tight embrace, his hands rubbing my back and caressing my face as he tried to calm me, soon seeming to realize that the best thing for me was to just have him there, holding me in his arms until every tear escaped from deep within.

  It had been over an hour since Jake had found me, and the tears had finally subsided, but he continued to hold me in his arms. His lips met the top of my head. "You feeling better?"

  I glanced up at him and nodded my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

  He shook his head back and forth. "Shh, don't you dare apologize. I love you, Savannah Worthington. I should have let my mother take care of Josh. I needed to be with you."

  I could hear the guilt in Jake's voice for leaving me with his mother instead of staying with me. "Help me up," I begged, unable to stand on my own.

  He shifted and lifted himself off the ground, then bent down and scooped me up. He slowly placed my feet on the ground, his arms not allowing my full weight to rest on my feet.

  "I think I'm okay," I said, trying to tell him that he didn't have to hold me up any longer, and I suddenly felt him loosen up his grip. "Don't be upset with your mom. You needed to be there for Josh. He has been so strong throughout all of this. I was fine. I just needed to get away. My heart was breaking for him… for Brooke…" I trailed off, not wanting to start all over.

  After I'd splashed water on my face and Jake had forced me to drink an orange juice, we joined Josh and Penelope back in Brooke's room. Josh was hunched over his iPad, probably taking his mind off the surgery with work, and Penelope was doing a crossword puzzle. They both looked up when we walked into the room. I sat down in the extra recliner they'd brought into the room that was right next to Josh, and Jake sat down by his mom on the small couch.

  Josh reached over to me and squeezed my hand. "You holding up okay?" he asked.

  I nodded. "Yeah, you?"

  A half-smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he shrugged his shoulders before going back to his iPad.

  Three more hours passed painstakingly slow before there was a knock on the door. Dr. Rothchild stepped into the room, and the four of us shot up onto our feet. Jake rushed over to me and wrapped his arm around my hip.

  "How did it go?" Josh asked, practically begging for a light at the end of the tunnel.

  The doctor's face fell, and I felt all of the air escape my body as my heart clenched.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Brooke

  THE INCESSANT BEEPING noise in my ear was driving me crazy and disturbing my sleep. As I tossed my body in an effort to roll to my side a sharp searing pain ricocheted through my body. I tried to yell out in pain, but I was unable to speak. Why can't I talk? The beeps began to increase speed, the individuality of them lost in the chaos.

  "Brooke!" I heard Josh yell into my ear in a panic. He sounded worried, but I couldn't turn to him. Can't help him. I fought against the weights holding my body down to the lumpy mattress, but my resistance was futile, my efforts wasted.

  The commotion grew tenfold with voices I didn't recognize, and the pain in my side moved to my stomach. Tension, then relaxation came at me like waves on the ocean. My body sank into darkness as I grew more and more tired. I can't fight the pain, fight the immobilization. I'm just stuck in this freaky limbo, listening to everyone around me scream and yell.

  I felt like I was coming out of a week-long sleep, and my abs felt like I'd done some intense cross-fit course. A groan slipped out of my lips as I tossed my head back and forth. "Josh?" I choked out through a scratchy sore throat, so softly I barely registered it even in my own ears.

  I blinked my eyes open to a blur. When my vision finally cleared, I was I was in the hospital room, surrounded by machines and IV stands. I craned my neck to see Josh in the chair beside my bed, face buried in his hands. The desperate sound of his sobs chiseled at my heart. My hand stretched out and grasped his wrist, giving him a squeeze.

  "Brooke," he gasped as his bloodshot eyes met mine.

  "Hey, you. What is wrong?" I asked, confused why he was so upset. I'd made it through surgery. I was alive.

  The baby. Fear took hold of my heart like a vise grip. I couldn't say it out loud and so I focused all of my attention to the bump beneath the sheets. As if he or she knew I was worrying unnecessarily, I felt a solid kick to the ribs, and a relaxed smile spread across my face.

  When I looked back to Josh, his eyes were glued on me, watching me, appraising me. "You — you…" he stuttered out.

  "Hey, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm boobless, so I really hope you're an ass man, but I am okay." I made my smile grow across my face in an effort to reassure him and calm his heart before he was on a gurney beside me. "Although, I'd like to know who played the sick joke of making me do crunches while I was out because my abs are killing me," I added as a small smile appeared on his face. But as soon as the words were spoken, it fell away.

  "You went into labor. Your heart rate went all erratic, and you freaked us all out and went in to labor," he explained as his hand firmly took hold of mine

  "No, I can feel the baby," I argued. Imposs
ible.

  "They gave you medicine, and it stopped it, it was a bit scary when they thought they were going to have to do a C-section, since you're barely twenty-five weeks. But it stopped."

  I nodded my head along with him, knowing the tragedy that I would have awoken to if the baby would have been so premature.

  There was a knock at the door before it swung open, Dr. Rothchild filling the space as he walked in. "Ahh, I see our patient is up from her beauty rest." He stepped up beside my bed with my chart in hand. "I'm going to check your vitals and the incision sites, then we can talk. Okay?"

  I nodded in agreement as a cold stethoscope came down on my chest, making my body shiver.

  "All sounding good. I'm going to lift your gown now to check the incision." He said it so slowly, like I'd lost brain cells in surgery. His eyes held so much concern but were guarded, too, as he stared into mine before shooting a glance at Josh.

  "Josh, get out!" I demanded, catching him by surprise.

  "Sweetheart, it's fine. I will love you no matter what. I'm staying." Josh stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, feet planted firmly on the ground to emphasize his point.

  My head began shaking before the words could escape out. "No. No. No. You are not. Get out. I love you, and once I've seen it and can process it, and whatever, then maybe. But for now, I need you out."

  Josh's hands flew up in the air as he let out a big huff and looked between me and Dr. Rothchild, waiting for someone to plead his case.

  "It is a normal reaction, Josh. Brooke needs to come to terms with this."

  We both watched and waited as Josh stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

  "Okay now, Brooke. I want you to understand what happened in there. Like we discussed, I had to make the incisions down the breast and around the areola. We removed the tissue and lymph nodes on both sides."