by Jayne Rylon
He dove toward his wife, cradling her against his chest as she fainted. But the motion left Kayla alone. Without him to block her, she charged out the door. He couldn’t be in two places at once. Refusing to fail his friend in this too, he deposited Morgan gently on the sofa, then chased after Kay.
5
Kayla’s world instantly leeched of all color, life and happiness. Black and white shapes swirled around her. She could think of nothing but closing the distance between her and her soul mate.
Dave needed her. She should never have ignored the discordant rumblings in her gut when he hadn’t answered her call or texts. He never failed to know when she needed him.
Horror the likes of which she’d never experienced before drove her to fly down the stairs. She didn’t care that she slipped on one of the risers. The descent went quicker as she slid, twisting her ankle just a bit.
“Whoa, there.” Neil absorbed the full impact of her weight and the momentum she’d gathered as she tumbled. He staggered a few steps, but didn’t fall. Instead, he blanketed her in the warmth of his sinewy arms. “Where’s the fire?”
James and Devon giggled from behind their partner.
The lighthearted tinkle didn’t linger when they caught sight of her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wouldn’t have known except Devon tucked in beside her mate and reached up, brushing them away with her thumb. “Oh no, Morgan wasn’t really pregnant?”
“No,” Kayla sobbed.
“Shit.” Neil brushed his chin over her head, trying to comfort her. “That blows, but we can try again. It’ll be fun.”
No amount of thrashing could break Kay free of the prison of his embrace. Too strong for his own good, he didn’t realize he trapped her. She wasn’t proud, but she bit him. Hard.
“Ouch! Damn.” He let go, buffing the ache she’d inflicted. “What—?”
“It’s not that.” Devon understood. She lunged for Kayla’s wrist, wrapping her fingers around it. “Something else is fucked up. Wait. Kay. Let us help you. Tell us how. Anything. Just not on your own.”
James approached from the other side, speaking calmly, his hands held palms-out as though she were a wild animal. “We’re not stopping you. Just want to go with you. We’ll drive. You’re too upset. Where are we going?”
“H-hos-pital.” She surrendered an undignified screech.
“Oh, no.” James encroached on her space. “Dave. His truck isn’t here.”
“Acc—” Her teeth chattered so hard she couldn’t say the rest. She didn’t have to.
“Okay, okay. In the car, honey.” James ushered her into the backseat while Neil bolted for the apartment to snag the keys. Joe collided with him at the top of the landing. They discussed for two seconds before disappearing into the apartment.
Soft hands angled Kayla’s face toward Devon, who snuggled up to her side on the bench seat. “Focus on me for a second. We’re going to get through this together. I’m going to ask you some questions, yes or no. Just nod if you can, okay?”
Kay’s nod came out more like a jerk.
“Good, good.” Devon petted her all over. She might have enjoyed the bold caresses from the usually timid woman any other time. Her system was attuned to the touch. Comfort permeated the shell of ragged emotions hardening around her.
“We’re going to the hospital, right?”
Kayla bobbed her head hard enough to fling tears onto her shirt. She didn’t worry for one second about what Devon would think of that. The other woman offered unconditional support, and Kayla intended to seize it with both trembling hands.
“Which one, sweetheart?” Devon might have been the smaller of the two, but she still managed to rock Kayla, hugging her tight.
“S-Sa…”
“Shit, sorry. St. Anthony’s?” Dev supplied the missing link.
Kayla nodded again. Before she could get frustrated by the delay, the door beside her opened. Joe stood there with a floppy Morgan in his arms.
“Ah, crap.” Devon tugged on Kayla’s belt loops, dragging her to the center of the backseat. “Looks like we need to make some room. Squeeze in next to me, Kay. We can fit. Not much different than piling into your bed that time after the guys went ice fishing.”
All Kayla could remember was the heat and pressure of Dave, riding her from behind, sheltering her after the storm of their passion had rained out. Oh God. What would she do without that? He had to be okay. She would know if he wasn’t. Surely if the bright flame of his spirit had extinguished, she would have died along with him, their hearts so entangled that a visceral bond had formed.
She buried her face in Devon’s neck and sobbed. Huddled close as could be, they sank when the seat dipped behind her as Joe somehow must have contorted himself into the backseat, still cradling his groggy, though conscious, wife. James and Neil claimed the front.
“St. Anthony’s,” Devon muttered to one of her men.
Kayla couldn’t bother to look up long enough to see which drove them to find out her fate. She guessed it was Neil when James spoke low, yet urgently, into his phone. “Mike. Yeah, not good. No. We don’t know about the baby yet. But… It’s Dave. There’s been an accident. It’s serious. No other news. Meet us at St. Anthony’s.”
Devon reached around to buckle herself in then help Kayla with her seatbelt. Dave was always so conscious of safety. She could only hope today had been no exception. This extended family of hers was her world, but without Dave, there was no universe to exist in.
She hiccupped, struggling to draw in a breath despite the stars dancing behind her lids. Dave needed her, she had to be strong for him.
Don’t give up, Dave.
I’ll be with you soon, I promise.
I would take your pain if I could.
You’re not alone. Never.
I swear I’ll do everything I can to help you.
Just don’t surrender.
I can’t live without you.
Please. Please. Please.
Thoughts rolled through her mind. Rapid, strong and endless, her litany drowned out anything her friends attempted to communicate. All she understood was that they were there. By her side.
Dev squeezed her fingers and Joe did his best to shelter both Morgan and her with the angle of his broad body. James shifted in his seat to lay a palm on her knee. She didn’t look up again until the car screeched to a halt under the portico of the emergency ward of the hospital.
Then she practically climbed over Devon to exit first.
James and Dev each grabbed one of her hands. They ran beside her through the automatic doors and skidded to the first nurse’s station in sight, relieved to find Mike and Kate playing good cop, bad cop with the harried woman behind the polished glass island.
“Here. See.” Mike held out his arms for Kay. “This is his wife.”
“And the rest of you are his brothers? Short, tall, blond, brunette, skinny and ripped?” She hurrumphed as she scanned their features. Neil and Joe straggled in. “What do we have here? A long-lost sister too? What’s wrong with that girl?”
Joe held Morgan so the nurse could inspect her. Despite her weak protests, he didn’t seem like he planned to set her down any time soon. “My wife fainted. And I think she might be pregnant. Please help?”
“Oh, you kids are just making my day.” The thick, older woman shook her head. Her cheeks might have gotten more colorful. The sexy café-au-lait shade of her skin made it more difficult to tell. She shouted over her shoulder. “Mel, we need a bed. Pronto. As soon as we send the rest of this gang to the trauma waiting room.”
“Trauma? What does that mean? Somebody please tell me something.” Kayla begged for more information. She peeked at the nurse’s nametag. “Anything, Ms. Ofelia.”
“Your guy is in surgery, honey.” Her gruff exterior melted around the edges. “This is where I’m supposed to say I don’t know squat and tell you to wait it out, but I’m not going to bullshit you. I chatted up one of the EMTs in the break room. He looked
as if he’d spent a day digging a ditch with his bare hands. Exhausted, you know? Sometimes we give everything we have to this place, to our patients, and it’s not enough. He had that look. Things are grim. They almost lost your husband a few times in the ambulance on the way here.”
Kate cried out. Mike drew her close to his side, chaffing her arms until she nodded, inhaling slow and deep through her nose.
“He bled a ton. If he weren’t such a beast of a man, he probably wouldn’t have stood a chance at all. They got him patched up as best they could. His left leg is causing the most concern right now. They might not be able to save it. And if they can, it won’t be pretty. I’m sorry.”
His leg? Kayla couldn’t give a shit right then. “But Dave? He…”
“You’re going to have to wait and see. Even after all that, they’re gonna have to run a battery of tests. No telling what else got banged up that they can’t see straight off. We can’t issue guarantees here, I’m sorry. It was a horrible accident. They’re giving him every chance they can. Now he has to fight.”
“He will.” Mike spun from Kate to brace Kayla with one hand on each of her shoulders, his elbows locked. “You hear me? He will battle with every breath to stay with you. Do not give up on him. He’s stubborn and strong. You’ll see.”
“Listen to your friend. Errr, brother-in-law.” Ofelia scrunched up her nose. “Whatever you want to call him. I’ve been around long enough to know a person’s soul makes all the difference. And if you’re part of our patient’s, then you fight with him.”
“I will. I am.” Kayla nodded, straightening her spine. Neil, James, and Devon flanked her.
“Good.” The nurse pointed down a long hall glowing with florescent lights. “Third left, follow the signs. The surgeon will come find you as soon as he’s finished. Don’t get antsy. If things go well, it’s gonna take quite a while. Quick news is bad news in this case.”
Kayla gulped, then nodded.
The crew led her away.
“Not you.” Ofelia’s arm shot out, stopping Joe. “Bring your girl in here. We’ll straighten her out and see if you’re going to be a dad. Sound like fun?”
“Yeah.” Joe didn’t try to hide the tear that plopped onto Morgan’s forehead, rousing her a bit more.
“Oh, Joe.” She alarmed him when she couldn’t seem to say more than that.
“Was that a happy one, or the scared shitless variety?” Ofelia asked him quietly.
“Maybe some of both.” He sniffed discretely. “Hoping to grow our family. Not shrink it.”
“I’m rooting for you too.” The nurse patted his shoulder as they veered off from the rest of the crew. “You kids seem like you deserve to catch a break. But you’re a hell of a lot luckier than most I encounter. You’ve got some crazy thing between you. Not everyone has a support group that tight. You’re going to be okay, no matter what happens here today. Trust me.”
Joe swallowed hard. “I’m trying.”
He set Morgan gently on the gurney, sighing as Ofelia shooed him back a few paces. Morgan’s fingers slipped through his, barely clinging when he withdrew. He winced when he watched Ofelia hook Morgan to all kinds of machines and swallowed hard when she inserted the needle with the IV beneath Morgan’s delicate skin, though she didn’t even flinch.
“Oh, sweet stuff. You’re gonna have to toughen up. If she’s preggo, you’ll see a hell of a lot worse than that in the next nine months.” The nurse chuckled. “Nothing we can’t fix here, kids. Fatigue, dehydration and likely some wacky hormone crapola. Look at how I can pinch the skin on her hand and it stays. I’m guessing she’s been suffering a few bouts of sickness and hasn’t wanted to worry your fine ass.”
“Is that true?” Joe canted his head.
Morgan didn’t deny it. Her lids fluttered closed instead.
Joe didn’t bother pursuing the topic. Especially not when she visibly relaxed, her breathing evened out and some of the lines around her eyes vanished.
Another woman entered the room, wheeling a cart of supplies. She was young, pretty, blonde, and something about her niggled Joe’s memory. Please, don’t let her be a chick the crew played with. He honestly couldn’t remember some of them. They hadn’t been Mo. That’s all he knew.
“Oh, Morgan!” The woman rushed to the bed and started flipping through the mostly blank charts, assessing the situation for herself.
“You know this girl?” Ofelia perked up. She snatched a few items off the cart, then worked efficiently doing things Joe couldn’t quite see. “Today just gets better and better.”
“I went to school with her.” She waved smelling salts beneath Morgan’s nose, then began to talk low and sweet. “Hey there, Mo. It’s Melody Cramer.”
Melody. Oh, yeah. Joe had met her at a barbecue once.
“Mel?” Morgan’s lashes fluttered as she struggled to stay awake. “Where am I? What are you doing here?”
“Your sexy husband brought you to see me. Seems like you might have passed out on him.” She smiled at Morgan. “I thought you told me he was treating you right, huh? Is that any way to repay him?”
“Joe.” Morgan reached out.
He clasped her fingers, trying not to disturb the tube protruding from her hand. Ofelia seemed too engrossed in her fiddling on the cart to chide him for interfering. “Right here, baby.”
“Baby. Accident. Dave.” Morgan gasped. Clarity returned to her eyes in a flash. She tried to sit up. The three of them restrained her.
“One thing at a time, girly.” Ofelia petted Morgan’s hair. She filled in Melody as well as reassuring Morgan. “Your friend is in surgery. There’s nothing to know yet. He’s strong and he has the rest of his brothers to watch out for him. You gotta work on yourself here a bit so you can help and not hinder. Got it?”
Morgan nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Dave.”
“You know, I’ve seen a lot of families in my time here. Not everyone loves their in-laws like you.” Ofelia leveled a stare between Joe and Morgan.
Melody saved them from explaining when she presented Morgan with the infamous pee stick. “I assume you know what to do with this?”
“Yeah,” Morgan sighed. “We’ve been trying for a long time.”
Joe helped his wife to the restroom. She clutched the pole on her IV bag, and they awkwardly trundled off to take care of business. Once they’d suffered through the ordeal and toddled back to the hospital bed, both of them had grown silent. Afraid to see the giant magic negative on the test they’d become so familiar with.
A minute or two passed while they resettled Morgan, adjusting her and helping her get comfortable once more. “Melody.” Morgan cleared her throat. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Oh Lord.” Ofelia slapped her forehead with her hand. “Do I have to leave the room? Why does indulging patients always mean breaking the rules?”
“Maybe you’d better.” Joe had a feeling he knew what Morgan was after.
“Shush.” Melody flapped her hand at Ofelia. “You’re the first in line to buck tradition around here.”
“Good.” Joe nodded. “Because I think my wife is about to ask you…”
“If I’m pregnant—”
“You are.” Ofelia whipped the test with a bright, cheery plus sign out for them to see, clasped between her gloved fingers. “Congratulations.”
Joe couldn’t help himself. He knocked the nurses aside and smothered Mo in hugs and kisses worthy of a homecoming after a decade absence. “I love you, cupcake.”
“Love you too.” She sniffled.
He laid his hand on her belly. “And mini cupcake.”
Melody bawled at their display, and in his peripheral vision, even Ofelia seemed to knuckle away a tear.
“So…since I am pregnant.” Pride resonated from Morgan’s triumphant declaration. “What I wanted to know—”
“Yes?” Melody glanced from Morgan to Joe to Ofelia and back.
“—is when are you able to determine paternity? Can you tell
me who the father of the child is?”
Melody opened and closed her mouth. Twice.
Even Ofelia seemed speechless.
They both looked at Joe as if they expected him to render the hospital to rubble, leveling the whole place right down to its foundation.
“It’s okay.” He laughed ruefully at their shock. “I…sort of… I can’t. My brothers. Dave. The one in the accident. It could be him.”
“Whoo doggies.” Ofelia flopped into one of the chairs near the window. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“I’m sorry, Morgan.” Melody shook her head. “Absolute earliest would be ten weeks in. A few more if you can hold out for a less risky procedure.”
“Okay. It doesn’t matter to me, you know.” Morgan squeezed Joe’s hand. “This baby is ours. I just thought…”
“I understand, Mo.” Joe kissed her forehead. “Anything to keep him fighting.”
The beeping of the machines escalated.
“Oh no, none of that.” Ofelia scolded Morgan. “Your blood pressure has to stay nice and steady to keep your little guy happy. You’ve got more to consider now than you or your husband or even your brother-in-law. Got it?”
Morgan nodded. She peeked up at Joe.
Despite everything, they both wore identical, shit-eating grins.
Kayla paced the length of the twenty-seven-and-a-half-tile-wide space. Precaution along with a healthy dose of superstition led her to avoid stepping on the black linoleum sprinkled in a mostly random pattern between the beige monotony of the rest of the flooring.
Would that make a difference in the long run? Probably not, but she would try anything at this point. Maybe she should dodge the cracks too.
She swore at least three days should have passed since they’d arrived, every racing heartbeat seeming to pump in ultra-slow motion. The clock hanging crooked on the wall proclaimed it hadn’t even been four hours yet.
It killed her to be so close to Dave and yet so far away. If only she could see him, hold his hand, tell him she was there. Lend him whatever strength she could. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel like she’d chugged an entire bottle of bleach. Her stomach churned when she considered how minor that pain would be compared to what Dave likely faced.
