Pulled

by A. F. Crowell

  Jaxon was always so serious and tough. I wanted to take a picture of him just like this, so vulnerable, lying here talking to my belly. It would serve as a useful reminder for times when he was being a stubborn ass.

  “You are so certain it’s a boy, huh?”

  “Yep.”

  I closed my eyes and listen to him whispering away about motorcycles and football. As I drifted off, I felt him pull the comforter up around us and kiss my forehead.

  Chapter Six

  ~Leila~

  The week passed by quickly since we both had to work. Before I knew it, my next ultrasound appointment was here. I was twenty weeks into my pregnancy, halfway. Woohoo! I couldn’t wait to see this little munchkin. I was really showing now. Well, I was before, but now you could tell in anything I wore, not just snug clothes. I needed to go buy more maternity clothes. I had a pair of jeans I could wear and a pair of normal yoga pants. Of course, my scrubs still fit since they were drawstring, but even they were getting too tight.

  I called Drew the day after Jaxon and I finally had sex. Of course I didn’t announce that fact, I just told him that we had decided to try being more than friends. Drew was honest in his response. He didn’t like it, but then again he didn’t not like it. He was worried about me getting hurt again; I was too. Reluctantly, Drew agreed, I needed to move on and he appreciated that Jaxon had been by my side since New York.

  Barb and Drew met Jaxon and I at the Prenatal Wellness Center. Jaxon insisted on getting the 3D/4D and I wanted them to be there with us. I was really torn about finding out the sex. I wanted to be surprised at delivery, but Jax wanted to know so we could plan better. It would be easier to buy clothes and decorate a nursery. I was starting to freak out about the nursery and having the baby on a different floor. Jaxon suggested I start looking for a new place, but I didn’t want a new place. I loved my place and the location. He was right in the fact that it was too small. In a few short months, I will have outgrown the small two bedroom condo.

  “So are we ready to see the baby?” the tech asked.

  “We are.” Energy radiated off me in waves.

  “Have y’all decided if you want to know the sex? We should be able to determine that today, if ya want.”

  I looked at Jax and he looked back down at me. “This is your call babe. You know how I feel. I just want you to be happy.”

  Drew somehow thought it was a good idea to chime in right now. “Did you ask Brody if he wants to know?”

  I could see and feel Jax rile up. He was holding my hand and I had to let go because he had it in a death grip. “Brody has been by to see Leila two times in three months. So no, that fucker doesn’t get a say in this. This isn’t his baby anymore.”

  “Sorry man, I just thought if y’all were tied he could be the swing vote. I didn’t mean anything by it. You know where I stand about you two.” Drew and Jax had gone out for beers one night this past week, a few days after our phone call. They talked. I asked, but neither would say what was discussed.

  “Well, I think you should find out what my little godbaby is gonna be. That way I can start spoiling it now.” Barb reached over and rubbed my belly. She did that a lot these days.

  I smacked her hand away for the umpteenth time. “I told you, I’m not a Buddha statue, stop rubbing my belly for good luck bitch.”

  “Haha, I told you, I would rub my baby whenever I wanted hooker.” We always had such loving names for each other.

  “Since this is your baby, you mind carryin’ it for a while. My bladder could use a break from the somersaults and springboard action. Okay, okay, we’re so far off topic.” I turned to the tech, who had finished setting up the machine. “Yes, we want to know.”

  “You sure Lei?” Jax squeezed my hand.

  “Yeppers, let’s do this thing.”

  She squirted goo all over my round little belly and rubbed the transducer back and forth, spreading it around.

  “Aww, there’s a face.” She pointed to the area with the mouse. “Looks like they’re sucking on their thumb.” She continued to point out little things here and there. “Anyone wanna place bets before we get down to the other end?”

  Drew and Jaxon both agreed on a boy, Barb said girl and I didn’t care either way. I just wanted a healthy baby.

  “Man, this is one feisty little baby ya got here. Every time I get close, they move or cross their legs.” She kept moving around until she finally paused the screen. “Oh, there we go. It’s a girl.”

  A tear fell down my cheek. A daughter, I was going to have a baby girl. I looked up at Jax to see a look of terror on his face. “Oh fuck.”

  “Jaxon Austin Henderson! What is wrong with you?” I scolded.

  Barb was cracking up, but Drew wasn’t laughing either.

  “Oh God, this is payback. I can’t have a daughter. I’ll go to jail.” This crazed look came over him. “She’s never allowed to date. Ever.”

  Now everyone but Jax was laughing, even the ultrasound technician.

  “Baby look at me.” I tugged on his hand, pulling him from this demented rant. “It’ll be okay. We have years before we have to think about that.” That seemed to calm him down a bit.

  We finished the scan, then got our video and pictures. Drew insisted on taking all of us out for lunch at Hyman’s.

  After lunch, Barb and I went shopping for some maternity clothes at the mall where I found tons of cute tops that accentuated my swollen stomach. I also did a little Christmas shopping since it was only three days away. I never thought to ask Jax what his plans were for the holiday. Since I didn’t have a family to travel to, I sort of forgot other people did.

  When I got home it was after 4:00 p.m. I put everything away, then called Jaxon. It went straight to voicemail, so I left a short message asking him to call when he got a few minutes. He was probably riding or in the middle of club business.

  I decided to wrap his presents and put them under the tiny Charlie Brown Christmas tree we bought and decorated. Jax wanted to get a huge tree and I didn’t want one at all, so we compromised. Luckily, Ruger hadn’t tried to water it, yet.

  I cooked a light dinner and left it on the stove, waiting for Jax to come over. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to kill the time.

  Next thing I knew, I woke up and it was 10:24 p.m. I grabbed my cell to see if I had missed a call from Jax, but I hadn’t. I knew I was just being neurotic, but my skin tingled with angst. It wasn’t like him to not call or not come over. I mean, I knew we didn’t live together and we weren’t married, but he had been staying here every night, when I wasn’t working.

  Suddenly my heart began to race, my hands shook and I felt sick. Oh God, he doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want me or my baby girl. He was totally freaked out when we found out it was a girl. I started to cry. He’s left me just like Brody did.

  No! Stop this. Your hormones are getting the best of you again. Call him. Don’t freak the fuck out until you have a reason. It could be something completely unrelated. I picked up the phone and called him, which still went straight to voicemail. I called Barb next to ask for Viper’s number. She was reassuring and calmed me down, then offered to come over, saying she would call him on the way. Ten minutes later, Barb used the key to let herself in.

  “So, I talked with Cole, they’re at the clubhouse. He’s fine, uh, well maybe fine isn’t the word.” She sat down on the end of the chaise. “He’s trashed. He went to the clubhouse to share the news, and well, he may or may not have celebrated a little too much.”

  “Oh, thank God.” I was so worried, now I was just pissed. “I’m gonna kill him. Wait, who’s Cole?”

  “Viper. His real name is Cole. I told Cole to have Remi, err, Jaxon call you.”

  “Thank you. Jesus, I’m sure I sound like some clingy, nagging wife.”

  “Ha, if it was me, I’d be halfway to the clubhouse. I don’t trust those whores down there.” She rose and went to the refrigerator.

  “Excuse me, what did you
just say? Whores?” I was confused.

  “What? He didn’t tell you?” She looked at me with this look of sympathy. “Shit, I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.”

  “Spill it bitch.”

  “All right.” She grabbed a diet coke and sat back down. “The clubhouse is full of, okay, maybe not full of, but there are women there for the brothers’, um…disposal. And let me tell you, these hooches go far beyond throwing themselves at the boys. They’ll fuck anyone, anywhere and at any time.”

  “Oh God.” A new worry crept into my hormone riddled brain.

  “Stop, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Re—ugh—Jaxon clearly cares for you. I don’t see him as a cheater.” She set her drink on the coffee table. “And if it makes you feel better, Cole said Jaxon hasn’t been with anyone in months.” Confirming what he told me.

  Suddenly, I became aware of the fact that I felt wet. “I need to pee.” I swear my bladder had shrunk. Normally, she would be using it as a trampoline, but she had been still tonight. She must be sleeping.

  I closed the downstairs bathroom door, pulled my black yoga pants down and screamed for Barb.

  The door flew open and bounced off the door stop, almost hitting her in the face. “What the hell Leila? What’s wrong?”

  “Barb, I’m bleeding. Like, a lot. Get me some new panties and pants please. I’ve got pads down here. Then we need to leave.”

  She was up the stairs before I realized she left. Seconds later she came running down the steps. “Here babe, gimme those.”

  “Barb, please call Jaxon. Tell him what’s going on and that I’m going to the hospital.” I put on the clean clothes.

  “I’ll drive. The Jeep is out front.” Barb threw my blood-soaked clothes in the sink. “I’ll clean those later. Are you cramping?”

  “Not really, my back hurts a little, but no abdominal pain. Just call Jax. Oh, and Drew too, but tell him not to come up there, that I will call him later.”

  She already had her cell pressed against her ear. “Cole, babe, listen. You need to tell Remi I’m taking Leila to the hospital.” She was quiet a minute. “Yeah, she’s bleeding…no you fool, she didn’t cut herself. Just get to MUSC. Okay, hang on.” She handed me the phone. “Jaxon wants to talk to you.”

  I took the phone in my trembling hand. “Hello?”

  “Babe, whas goin’ on?” He was clearly drunk.

  “Jax, I’m bleeding. Barb is taking me to the hospital to get checked out. I can’t talk, we’ve gotta go.”

  “We’ll meet you there Leila,” his voice sobered with a gravelly tone.

  “Be careful.” I handed the phone back to Barb. She told Viper which building and then rushed me out the front door.

  We made it to the ER in minutes. Oh shit, I hadn’t thought about this part, I really didn’t want the people I worked with seeing my vagina. I’d never be able to look at them the same way again.

  Barb grabbed a wheelchair and went into nurse mode. “Twenty weeks, bleeding, back pain, denies abdominal cramping.”

  “Hey Leila.” Derrick trotted over and took me from Barb. “Talk to me girl, when did it start?” He wheeled me into a room.

  “Fifteen minutes ago, give or take. No real significant cramping, mild discomfort in my lower back, no fever or chills,” I rattled off answers to questions I would’ve asked.

  “Okay then, you know the drill. Everything from the waist down off. I’ll be right outside the door, holler when you’re done. I wanna get you on the fetal monitors.”

  Barb helped me get undressed and started pulling out the receivers. “Come in Derrick.”

  He returned with Mary and Dr. Miller. I was relieved to see Dr. Miller. “Talk to me, start to finish.”

  I ran through the series of events leading me to where I currently was. With lots of corrections and input from Barb.

  “Looking at the EFM, the baby’s heart rate is good. You are having small contractions that aren’t regular, which is good. I’m gonna run a UA, CBC and chem stat.” Dr. Miller took my hand in his. “Try not to stress, okay. While we are running those, I’m gonna find an ultrasound machine. I’ll be right back.”

  “Barb can you please call Jaxon and find out where he is?” I asked as Mary drew blood.

  “Of course, I’ll be right back.”

  She stepped out into the hallway, but I could hear her telling someone my room number. She poked her head back in. “Do you want me to call anyone else?”

  I knew where she was going with this.

  “No. I don’t want him here. Especially if Jax is drunk, God only knows what he’d do.” That’s when I heard him in the hallway, raising all kinds of hell, cussing at the nurses, demanding to be allowed in to see me.

  “I’ll get him.” Barb shook her head with a smile and opened the door. “She’s in here you caveman. Settle down or they’ll throw you out and she doesn’t need that,” she chastised him as he entered the room.

  As soon as I saw him, all of my fortitude and resilience died and I was a blubbering hot mess. “Shh baby, I got you. Don’t cry. It’s gonna be okay.” He sat down on the bedside and wrapped me up in his strong arms. “Talk to me, what’re they sayin’?”

  I tried to slow my breathing and contain my sobs. “I’m bleeding and having contractions.”

  “Fuck. This is my fault. I shouldn’t’ve left you.”

  “Jax, no, you couldn’t have known. No one is at fault. Dr. Miller went to get the ultrasound, I’m sure he’s checking for a placenta previa.” I pointed at the machine. “Barb will you turn it up for a sec.”

  Barb reached over and adjusted the volume on the monitor and her heartbeat filled the room.

  “See, she’s okay.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Relief washed over his face. “I want to—”

  He was interrupted by Dr. Miller and a tech coming in with the ultrasound machine. “Leila, let’s see what’s going on, shall we? Oh, hi. Sean Miller.”

  Jaxon shook Dr. Miller’s hand. “Jaxon. I’m Leila’s, uh, boyfriend.” He looked at me for direction.

  “Nice to finally meet you.” He wheeled the machine to the bedside.

  Barb and Viper stood in the corner out of the way. Jax took position at the head of the bed, holding my hand. The screen was much smaller and hard to make out anything.

  “It looks like you have a partial previa. Only a very small part of the placenta is covering the cervix, so it may still migrate up and away, allowing you a normal delivery.”

  Taking a deep breath I relaxed slightly. Jax kissed my temple and whispered to me, “See everything’s gonna be just fine.”

  Easy for him to say. He didn’t know the protocol for previa patients. “Can I do the bed rest at home or are you admitting me?”

  “As long as someone can be with you, at all times, then home is fine.”

  “I live alone,” I started to say, but Barb and Jax cut me off, both agreeing to be there. “Okay, since that’s settled, when can I go home?”

  “I’m still waiting on the blood work. You’re UA is clear. I’ll check and have Derrick come back in a few minutes.” They all cleared out, taking the ultrasound machine with them.

  “So what does bed rest mean exactly?” Jax sat back down next to me.

  “Relatively flat on my back or side until the placenta moves up a little more. Probably an ultrasound in a week or two to check progress.” The next one was sure to get his attention. “And pelvic rest… no sex for a while.”

  “What? What’s a while?” He sat straight up.

  “At least a few weeks. Worst case scenario until after delivery,” Barb explained.

  “Dude, that fuckin’ sucks for you.” Viper chuckled a little, earning himself a quick jab to the ribs from Barb. “Ow babe, I was just teasin’.”

  “Knock it off asshat.” She came around to the opposite side of the bed. “Jax and I can take turns staying with you.”

  “Shit, I gotta ride up to my parents’ in two days. I’ll call and cancel
.”

  “No, absolutely not. It’s Christmas. You will go and see your parents, you hear me. Barb will be here and Drew too. I’ll be fine.” He started to argue. “Besides, it’s only a partial. Hopefully, it’ll move and everything will be fine. End of discussion.”

  An hour or so later we got the all clear to go home. By this time, Jax had sobered up and explained he left his charger at my house, so his phone was dead. Barb drove us both back to my place and dropped us off. She agreed to come over Wednesday, so Jax could drive to Greenville. It was only a three hour drive and Jax insisted on coming home the same day. I argued with him, telling him he needed to spend some time with his mom and dad. I begged him not to take that time for granted; they wouldn’t always be there. He finally conceded.

  Chapter Seven

  ~Leila~

  The next day was spent in bed watching movies with Jax. He made chili and even brought me some salami with cream cheese. It sounds really nasty, but it’s a-mazing! It was my one weird pregnancy craving.

  Wednesday was Christmas and I couldn’t think of a better way to wake up, than tangled around Jaxon’s body like wrapping paper. I wanted to give him his present, but I wanted him to get on the road before traffic got crazy.

  “Merry Christmas.” I kissed him good morning. “Hey, would you be upset if we did presents tomorrow when you get home?” I asked running my hand across his chest.

  “Why? It won’t be Christmas tomorrow. The drive can wait a few hours.”

  “No, honey. You told your Mom you’d be there by noon.”

  “That was before you were on bed rest. I think she’ll understand if I’m late.” An odd look crossed his face. “Unless you’re trying to get rid of me?”

  My shoulders slumped and my face drooped. “No, of course not. Why would you say that? I just don’t want you to ever regret not spending as much time with them as possible Jaxon.” He knew how I felt about my mom and how I wished I had more time with her.