Fighting to Save US

by Sarah Stevens

  “I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes. Just let me get you cleaned up really quick and print some pictures for you. I want to see you back here in two weeks so we can continue to make sure there are no complications from your surgery and make sure everyone is doing well, inside and out. With today’s measurement and scan, it looks like we have you at about five weeks. Once they get a bit bigger, I can pin point their growth and get you a better due date. But right now, it looks like you will be due about the beginning of May. The nurse will be back in shortly to schedule your next appointment. Congratulations, and I’ll be seeing you soon.”

  “Two, she said two, right?” Max looks at me, eyes wide.

  “Yes, she said two babies, Max. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Like I said, I’m shocked, but this is amazing. I can’t believe we’re going to have two babies.” He gets up and kisses me with the all the love and excitement he has. When he pulls away, I can’t help but smile, and seeing his smile light up his face makes any worry I had instantly go away. The nurse comes in, congratulates us, and then gives us a tote bag full of information and samples, along with a new appointment sheet. We make our way out of Dr. Tracey’s office and out of the hospital, finally able to make our way home. We don’t say anything on the way home, but the love and excitement between us is palpable.

  When we get home, I help Max out of the car the best I am able. Thankfully, he can walk on his own, because he’s so big there is no way I could even try and lift his heavy ass anywhere. Getting him out of the car was hard enough, and he was putting most of his weight on his good side. Once upstairs, I get him settled with a dose of medication and quickly run out to The Java to get us both a coffee. Starting tomorrow, I vow to cut out the caffeine, but after the past few weeks and the excitement of today, I’m calling this a celebratory coffee. A celebration to bad things ending and happy things beginning.

  On my way back to the apartment, I call my mom. The phone rings and rings, and right when I’m about to give up, she answers.

  “Bren, is everything all right?”

  “Are you sitting down?” I ask.

  “Just tell me what’s going on.” I immediately feel guilty for causing drama when she’s plainly had enough.

  “Well, I had my appointment today with Dr. Tracey, and she had some things to tell us. Since you’re the only other person I can share this with, I had to call you.”

  She squeals a little. “Spill it, what did she say?”

  “Hold on, I have to open the door, and I have my hands full.” As I take the phone from my ear and juggle the coffee and phone I hear her say, “Ugh, hurry up. You’re killing me.”

  I laugh to myself as I adjust the phone back to my ear, “Okay, you ready?”

  “Stop playing around and tell me.”

  “Everything looks good and healthy, and I’m having twins.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Mom, I’m having twins.” I yank the phone away from my ear as she unleashes a scream of excitement.

  “Oh my, I can’t believe it, twins! I’m going to be a grandma to twins. How do you expect me to hold this news in?”

  “You have to. We want to wait a little longer before we tell anyone anything, to make sure everything continues like it’s supposed to. I have to go back in two weeks to check on their progress.”

  “When are you due?”

  “She says early May. It looks like I’m only a few weeks along. As time passes, we’ll be able to get a better idea on an exact due date.”

  “I’m going to be a grandma, I’m going to be a grandma,” I hear her sing over and over again.

  “Mom, I have to go. I’m back at the apartment, and I need to get back in to Max. We just got home a little while ago, and we have a lot to talk about. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Twins, twins, twins,” she keeps singing.

  “Mom,” I yell through the phone, “I have to go.”

  “Oh, sorry. I love you. I’m so happy for you both. Call me soon.”

  With a promise to call her soon, I hang up and enter the apartment. Max is still sitting in the same place I left him, only now, he’s asleep. He looks so peaceful, and when I go to kiss his forehead he stirs. “Hey, beautiful mama.”

  “Hey, handsome. Watch who you say that around.”

  “I’ll do my best. I love you.”

  “I love you too, babe. Here’s your coffee. You all right to hold onto it?” I ask, noticing he’s a little wobbly after taking his medication.

  “I’m good, thank you. Hey, should you be drinking that?”

  “It’s my last one, to celebrate. Although, James and Kat will start to notice something’s different when I stop drinking coffee.”

  “We’ll do our best to keep it quiet, but you know how hard it is to keep a secret around here.”

  “I know. You all have investigative genes in you.” I laugh.

  “We really do need to talk about where we go from here. One baby we could handle in this place on a temporary basis, but two will be nearly impossible.”

  “I know, I’ve been thinking about that. Let’s wait a little while longer, get me healed and the business moving forward, then we can go and look for a house. It would also probably be easier if we waited until everyone knew why we’re moving into a house.”

  “You’re right about that. One step at a time. We’ve got plenty of time.”

  The day has been so eventful that we decide to cuddle on the couch, drink our coffee, then order pizza and watch a movie. I’m just grateful that we’re both here together.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Max

  It’s been a few weeks since I was released from the hospital and Bren found out that we’re having twins. We went back to the fetal risk doctor last week, and everything still looks good and seems to be progressing well with the babies. We’ve been told that the projected due date is May fifth. I’m healing more slowly than I had wanted or hoped for, but things are starting to come together with the investigation business. We still haven’t come up with a name, but Mike has agreed to be my partner. He’ll still be available for any Family business that Jackson might need him for, but I won’t be handling or doing it anymore. We’ve been able to locate and agree on a location that’s right outside the center of Portland, by the bay. It’s a new building and a perfect location on the fifth floor.

  The doctor wants me to start physical therapy for my shoulder, since I’ve lost some mobility due to my clavicle being put back together with a rod after the bullet tore through some of my muscle and ligaments. I’m no longer completely immobile on the right side and have been finally cleared to drive short distances—basically to the doctor and back. I didn’t want Bren to have to take me there three times a week to therapy, when she’s been feeling awful with morning sickness—or as she calls it, all-day sickness. After my first appointment today, I’ll be meeting with Mike and Jackson at the new office location to start figuring out a name, branding, and a plan to get our business name out there. If only we could agree on one. I’ve come up with Black Knight Protection, so hopefully, the guys will like it.

  I’m looking forward to getting things up and running soon, so that Bren and I can start to look for a house in another month or so. She says that if she makes it to the twelve-week mark that the risks of losing the babies decreases dramatically, and that’s when she wants to announce our news to everyone. I never pictured myself as a Daddy; heck, I never really had the best influences in my life, so I never thought I deserved it. But to know that I’m going to be one has me changing the way I think about a lot of things. I know that stepping away and not working for the Family and Jackson directly is the best choice for me, particularly protecting Bren and the babies is my top priority.

  Once I’m done with my appointment, I grab a quick bite to eat and head over to the office. We have so much work ahead of us, and we don’t even have a desk or a chair to sit in yet. Once inside, I hear Mike and Jackson talking about
all the things we’ll need to buy.

  “Hey, Max! How did your appointment go today?” Jackson says to me.

  “Hurt like a bitch, but I’ll get over it. As I was walking in, I was thinking we need to fill this place up and finally pick a name for our business.”

  Mike speaks up. “We were just making a list of the things we’ll need. We need at least two office setups and probably a reception desk for when we get up and running and the business starts to flow in.”

  “Speaking of things we need, I came up with what I think would be a great name for us: Black Knight Protection. What do you think?”

  “Hey! I like it. I think it’s perfect,” Mike answers. James simply smiles and nods, then moves on to other details.

  “Now that that's settled, tell me, how's Bren doing? I haven't seen or heard from her lately. Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, she's doing well, just laying low for a bit and having some quiet days. She's been through a lot lately, and we're both still healing from our surgeries.”

  “I'm so damn happy that her cancer is gone. She's got another appointment coming up to check and make sure she doesn't need any treatments, right?”

  “Yeah, her appointment is tomorrow, actually. We have to go in for her blood work in the morning and then up to her doctor for the results. I’m hoping and praying that all is still well. We’re both ready to move forward and have things calm down for a while.”

  “Don’t blame ya there, man,” Mike says. “Glad things seem to be going the way you want them to be. Any plans to make her yours for life?”

  “She already is.” I laugh. “But yeah, I have plans in a few weeks, once we’ve healed up a bit more. Bren should hopefully be cleared at her appointment tomorrow to resume all activities. Me, on the other hand…I still have some more down time to look forward to. Luckily, I’ve been downgraded to a sling and don’t have to deal with being bandaged up, so I can move a little more.

  “Jackson, I do need a favor from you. I need to make a trip to New York so that I can get the ring I want. Can you maybe set something up that calls me away one last time? Nothing major, maybe just checking on some property or something, anything that will give me an excuse to go to New York?”

  “Yeah, sure. I'll even arrange a flight for you—leave one day and return the next. You can stay at my New York penthouse. Someone needs to look in on it anyway because I haven't been there in six months. I'll call you tomorrow with all the info.”

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate it more than you know.” I give him a quick man hug, then we start looking at office furniture online and picking out all the things that we need for the new business. We don’t require Jackson there since we’re doing it on our own, but I’m glad he is because he has some good advice for us—we’ve never run or owned a business before. We get everything ordered that we need and have the delivery scheduled for the next week. Once we have that accomplished, we set up our appointments to take the Maine private investigator exam so that we'll have our licenses and be ready to open our business. We all leave at the same time, and I make my way back home to Bren, feeling accomplished.

  When I arrive home, I find Bren in the bathroom on her knees by the toilet. It is obvious that she’s been sick all day, and she looks exhausted. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and she’s still in a pair of yoga pants and T-shirt from this morning. I go over to her and sit on the floor next to her and pull her to me with my one good arm. “Hey, babe, can I get you anything? Some ginger ale, a piece of bread, crackers, anything?”

  “Hey, honey. I could go for a ginger ale, actually, and some sleep.”

  I help her up and to the bed, getting her settled in before rushing into the kitchen for a can of ginger ale and bring it back to her. Once opened, she takes two small sips before she hands it back. “Thank you, I love you. How was your appointment today?”

  “Painful, actually, but it’s all good. I’ll do whatever I have to do to get my shoulder back up and running. I also stopped by the new office and met up with Mike and Jackson. We got the furniture ordered and finally figured out our business name.”

  “That’s awesome. What did you all come up with?”

  “Black Knight Protection”

  “Sounds perfect. I love it. I hate to do this to you, but I need to close my eyes for a little while. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all, I’ll lie down with you. I’ve done what I need to do for the day.”

  I slide her over to my side of the bed and pull her into me, resting her head against my chest. As much as I miss sex with her, I’d rather lie here and hold her, if it makes her feel better.

  Bren finally gets some sleep, and while she’s resting, I lie there thinking of everything we have coming our way, from the new business, to the babies, and hopefully some peace and quiet for a long while. Once Bren wakes up from a nap, she’s feeling better, and it’s late afternoon. With nothing planned for the evening, I make a light dinner, with help from Bren, and we watch movies until we’re both nodding off. We move from the couch to the bedroom and fall asleep.

  When I wake the next morning, I can hear Bren in the bathroom, getting sick again. I feel like total shit, knowing she’s sick and there’s nothing I can do to help. I throw some sweat pants on and go check on her. By the time I reach her, she’s sitting against the wall, her skin pale and covered in a cold sweat.

  “Babe, what can I do to make you feel better?”

  “I wish I knew. If I wasn’t so happy to be pregnant, I’d be killing you in your sleep for the crap I’m going through,” she snaps.

  “I’ll go get you some ginger ale and saltines. I’ll be right back.”

  After a few sips of ginger ale and a couple of crackers, I get the shower going. “I hate to rush you, babe, but we need to start getting ready for your appointment with Dr. Gerrard. How about you take a shower with me, and I’ll make sure you don’t lose your balance. I hate seeing you so sick. I think maybe it’s time to call Dr. Tracey to see if there is anything she can do for you.”

  “I think you’re right. Maybe we can stop by her office before we leave the hospital today. Let’s get in the shower and get this day going.”

  I can’t say I don’t like what I see, having Bren naked in front of me—it’s been so long since I’ve had her under me. I take full advantage of the situation and enjoy having my hands on her, though it would be a lot easier if I had full use of my right arm. While she washes her hair, I wash her body using my hands, skin to skin, careful not to further hurt my shoulder. She stops what she’s doing and just enjoys the feel of my hands on her. I kiss her shoulder, and she turns around, allowing me to take possession of her mouth, wrapping one hand around her ass and pulling her against me. Her hands start roaming down my body until she reaches my dick, putting one hand on my shaft and the other on my balls. I have to break contact with her mouth so I can gasp at her touch. She looks up at me with a devilish look.

  “I miss this. I miss your body. Let me make you feel good.”

  “Are you sure you’re up to this? You’ve been so sick…”

  “I’m good, Max, let me make you feel good.”

  Who can argue with that? “I’m all yours,” I say as I position myself against the wall of the shower. I hiss a bit as the cold tile makes contact with my back. She continues to work my dick and balls and it doesn’t take long, between her tight grip and the sensation of the water, to send me over the edge. My legs stiffen as I feel the orgasm start to hit, feeling my pulse throbbing as I find my release in the hand of the girl I love. After I make a quick recovery, I take her in my arms and kiss the hell out of her. “Thank you, that felt amazing. I wish I could make you feel just as good. Soon we will get clearance to make love again. I can’t wait to feel you hot and wet, wrapped around my dick, squeezing the life out of me.”

  We rinse ourselves off once more, get dressed, and make our way down to the car for her appointment. Once I shift into gear, I take her hand, bringing her knuckles up to my lips and g
ently place a kiss before I release her hand so I can drive. “I love you, Bren. I know you’re nervous, but I know everything will be okay. Things are starting to look better and better for us each day.”

  “I love you too, Max. Thank you for being here for me through everything. I know it can’t be easy, changing everything about your life. I know you’re doing it all for me and these babies, even though they seem like they’re killing me slowly from the inside out.” She laughs, but I know she’s feeling like they’re taking over everything, including her body. Once parked, I run around to her door to help her out of the car with my good arm. She’s become so weak these past few weeks from being so sick. I can’t wait for this part to be over with, so she’ll start to feel better. With her hand in mine, we make our way to the lab for her blood draw. Surprisingly enough, the place is almost empty, and we are in and out within fifteen minutes. We have a little time before her appointment with Dr. Gerrard, so I suggest we go to Dr. Tracey’s office to see what they can do for her sickness.

  When we arrive at Dr. Tracey’s office, the receptionist agrees to go and get the nurse, so we can talk to her. She calls us back a short while later.

  “Bren, how can I help you today? Are you doing okay?”

  “Actually, I’m not. I’m sick all day and can hardly eat anything. I was wondering if there is anything that we can do to help?”

  “I agree, you don’t look like yourself, and you look really pale. Are you at least able to keep fluids down?”

  “A few sips of ginger ale throughout the day, so not a lot.”

  I pipe up at this point. “I find her in the bathroom quite a bit, and she’s become very weak. I’m really worried for her and the babies. Surely there’s something we can do?”