"Ma'am, I'm just trying to give your son the best care I can, and this is what I'm saying needs to happen. I'll be back later this evening if you have any other questions."
With that, he was gone. "What the hell just happened?" I looked up at Gray through foggy eyes. My tears were clouding my vision, and I was starting to feel a little lightheaded. Gray pulled me against his hard chest and I let go. I let every single tear that I had in me fall down my cheeks. I didn't have to ask Gray how he felt about it, I could tell by the hammering of his heart beneath my ear. He was just as worried and confused as I was.
Miranda the nurse appeared next to us a little while later. She whispered that Daniel was finally calmed down and all of his wires were back in place, so we were able to go in and hold him again. I didn't hesitate to go to my helpless baby. I quickly but gently grabbed him out of his little bed, smothering him with kisses. When I took in the sight of my poor little baby with an IV now in the top of his head, my tears instantly returned. I rocked Daniel until he fell asleep, and then Gray had to practically pry him out of my hands to hold him.
My heart was broken. It was torn into a million tiny pieces and I couldn't think of anything to help mend it back together again. I just wanted my baby boy home, safely in my arms. Suddenly it dawned on me. I searched Gray's pockets for his phone, as he looked down at me in utter confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling his pediatrician. Nothing about this feels right. I can feel it in my gut, something isn't right. I'll meet you back in the room." I kissed both of my guys on the cheek and made my way out into the hallway, bypassing the wheelchair. I was over this hospital and the shady things that had been going on. I quickly dialed Charlie's doctor's office and waited.
"South Summit Pediatrics, this is Lauren. How may I help you?"
"Hi Lauren. My name is Bennett Weston. My daughter Charlie is a patient of Dr. Ray's. I'm having a bit of an emergency, is Dr. Ray available to talk?"
"Let me check Mrs. Weston. One second."
I unknowingly held my breath, waiting for Lauren or Dr. Ray to come back on the line. When I heard Dr. Ray's small voice on the other end, I let out a long relieved breath."
"Hi, Bennett. What's going on?"
I went into my explanation of everything that had happened since giving birth to Daniel. I left out absolutely nothing and the small things I couldn't remember didn't seem to change the story much. Dr. Ray listened patiently as I finally ended with the dilemma we were facing now. "Basically, I don't know what to do. We are doing everything he has asked of us. Daniel is eating more than the doctor originally had said, but he still isn't letting us take him home. Is it possible for you to come in and check on him?"
"Absolutely. I have a few more appointments today, but then I'm headed up there to check on some other patients as well. I should be there in the next couple of hours."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Ray."
"Of course, Bennett. I'll talk to you soon."
Just as I ended my call, Gray came strutting out of the NICU doors behind me. I ran into his arms and took in a deep breath. "Dr. Ray will be here in a couple of hours." I looked up into Gray's mesmerizing eyes and tried not to smile. Hopefully this day would turn around, soon.
Gray helped me walk back to our room, but I wasn't in any mood to just lie around. As Gray steered me towards the bed, I made my way to the bathroom. I just needed a few minutes to myself. This entire situation just felt too unreal to be believable. The door snapped into place and I stood there, staring at the unrecognizable girl in the mirror. She looked old and weathered. I didn't see the fun, happy young girl that I used to see. I saw nothing in fact. My face looked vacant and tired.
Gray eventually came and retrieved me from the bathroom and helped me get back into bed. I must've been more tired than I thought, because Gray was waking me up a little while later telling me that Dr. Ray was here. We rushed down to the NICU, washed up and made our way to Daniel's bedside. I could hear Dr. Ray asking the nurse a couple of questions as we approached, but saw no sign of the neonatal doctor anywhere.
"Well, hey there you two. How are you holding up?"
I shrugged, "Not so good. How does he look?"
"Honestly, he looks perfect. You guys have made another perfect baby. Congrats." Gray wrapped his arm around my waist as we both smiled at each other. "I've talked to the nurses that have been caring for Daniel and they all say that he is eating really well. I also checked his chart and he has been steadily gaining weight. I did talk to the doctor who you two have been speaking with and he explained to me what's been going on."
"Dr. Ray, we have done everything he has asked and then some. Can't we just take him home?"
"Legally I can't advise you to take your baby against medical advice, but to be perfectly honest, I think he would do much better at home with you guys. Studies have shown that babies who aren't around their mothers constantly after they are born rarely improve. I've seen improvement just by looking at his chart, so it's up to you guys. If you do decide to take him home, I want to see him first thing tomorrow morning. I will make sure I leave an open time for you right at nine o'clock."
Gray and I both relaxed into each other's side. This was seriously the best news we could've heard today. "Okay, then we will see you first thing in the morning. Thank you so much, Dr. Ray."
"Of course. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
As soon as Dr. Ray left, I stood up on my toes and kissed my husband and then turned to hold my baby boy. Gray left to call Hannah and Theo to tell them the good news. They offered to keep Charlie for us one more night, but Gray insisted that they bring her home. He said it was time that she met her baby brother.
Eleven
Gray
We ended up waiting a few hours before we could have Daniel discharged. Unfortunately, we had to wait for Dr. I-get-paid-every-time-a-baby-goes-into-the-NICU before we could leave. I paced the entire length of the NICU while Bennett got Daniel all ready to go home. We were elated and I seriously thought Bennett was going to break out in song and dance any minute now. That moment didn't last long. We ended up in a huge fight with the doctor and he all but flat out said no to us taking him home. This was the moment that Bennett decided to unleash her wrath. After thirty minutes of cussing out the entire staff, we were finally signing the discharge papers, against medical advice of course, but we were still leaving.
It took us almost forty-five minutes to get home. Bennett was being beyond over protective, but I decided to give her a break given the circumstances. Although, I found it quite entertaining watching Bennett give Daniel a pep talk, warning him to not even think about getting sick and proving that asshole doctor right. I couldn't help but smile at the amazingly strong woman I married, give a five-day-old baby a warning. Damn she was fucking sexy. The next six weeks, I guess now five were going to be pure torture. Just looking at her through the rear view mirror was getting me hard.
I shook the dirty thoughts from my head just as we pulled into our driveway. It was starting to get dark outside and a cool breeze was all around us. I pulled the car into the garage and quickly closed it before getting out to help Bennett get Daniel out. Bennett was holding her hand out waiting for me to help her up. Before I had any time to second guess myself, I pulled her up and into my arms as I wrapped her legs securely around my waist. I knew she would be able to feel my excitement pressing against her and that only excited me more. My hand pushed back through her hair, giving it a gentle tug. I knew exactly what to do to get my girl going and by the moan she just let out as our lips collided together, I knew I was doing my job.
"Gray, you know we can't have sex. Why are you torturing me?" Her voice was strangled with desire, which only fed my hunger for her.
"There are plenty of other things we can do." I started leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, and just as my wet lips reached her collarbone, her legs began to loosen their grip. "Where are you going?"
"Gray, I can't, we can
't."
Before I could protest and draw her back into me, Daniel decided to make his presence well known with a blood-curdling scream. "Looks like he agrees with you too." My lips fell on hers one last time, before I slowly slid her down my body so she was standing.
"Rain check?"
"Damn right."
I smacked her ass, catching her off guard just before leaning in and pulling out the car seat that held our baby boy. As we made our way into the kitchen, I caught sight of the cutest little girl patiently waiting for her parents to get home. As soon as she saw my face, she came barreling into the kitchen. I snatched her up and spun her in a circle making her giggle.
After I was done smothering Charlie with love, I set her down and introduced her to her brand new little brother. The smile on her face could've lit up an entire room. I helped Bennett get comfortable on the couch so she could feed Daniel and so Charlie could get a better look, before I headed into the front room to check on Hannah and Theo.
"Hey guys, how are things?" Judging by the deafening silence in the room, not so good.
"I think Hannah is going to head home now. I know it's your first night home with the little one, but is it cool if I just crash on your couch out here for tonight?"
I glanced back and forth between him and Hannah, knowing exactly what had happened. "Yeah man, that's totally fine. I'm sure Bennett won't mind. Why don't you go upstairs and grab some blankets and a pillow."
"Yeah." I watched as Theo looked at Hannah with pleading eyes. This wasn't his decision, that I was positive about.
When Theo disappeared upstairs, I took my chance to see how Hannah was doing. "Hey Hannah, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but are you going to be okay?"
Without a word, Hannah turned and flung herself into my arms. I held her tight and rubbed her back, as I noticed that she had started to cry. "It'll be okay, Han. You know we're here for you. Whatever you need, day or night." I felt her nod her head against my chest and my heart broke a little for her.
"I honestly thought he was the one. I wanted him to be the one more than anything I have ever wanted. There's just so much he doesn't know."
"What do you mean, Han?"
"Nothing." She pushed back from me and wiped away the remaining tears. "I'm going to go say goodnight to Bennett. Thank you, Gray."
"You're welcome?" I was confused as all hell and not exactly sure what to say. I would leave that to Bennett.
A couple minutes later, Theo was coming down the stairs and the look on his face wasn't a happy one. Actually, it was the complete opposite. He looked pissed. "What's going on, Theo?"
"I just talked to Jason." He threw the blankets and pillow he had gathered from upstairs onto the couch. "He says he has some stuff that I should see."
"Theo, you need to let this go. You guys are over now. There's no reason to make anyone feel worse about it."
"There is when he says he has pictures of Hannah picking up something from the pharmacy with Ryan in tow. Now do you want to tell me that I don't want to know?"
I could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears.
"Okay, now I'm extremely confused. What does Hannah being at the pharmacy with Ryan have to do with anything?"
"I'll let Jason explain when he gets here. He should be her in ten."
I let out an annoying breath. "Theo, you do realize that..never mind. Let me know when he gets here."
I walked into living room fully expecting the girls to be in a very in-depth conversation, but Bennett had already passed out along with both of our kids. I didn't see Hannah in the living room, but caught sight of her as I glanced towards the kitchen. She was sitting at the breakfast bar, her head propped up in her hands. I didn't want to be rude and ask her to go, but I knew the minute Jason showed up, World War III would ensue in my house. Begrudgingly I made my way over to Hannah, stopping to grab two bottles of water from the fridge.
"So, you want to tell me what's really going on?"
"Not really. Sorry Gray, but I think I'm just going to head home. Can you tell Bennett I'll be over first thing tomorrow to help out and finally hold that adorable new baby?" A small smile touched her lips. How could I deny her the one thing that seemed to make her smile?
"Sure. If you need anything between now and then, just call."
"Thanks." Hannah pressed a small kiss to my cheek and then she was gone.
I rubbed my hands down my face a few times, trying to wake myself up enough to get my family in bed and then have the small pow wow Theo had planned with Jason. I enlisted Theo to help me get them all to bed. He took Charlie and laid her down in her room, while I took Daniel and placed him in his bassinet on the side of our bed. Just as I hit the top step while carrying Bennett to bed, I heard a small knock at the front door. I quickly tucked Bennett in bed, made Daniel a fresh bottle and set it on Bennett's nightstand before I made my way downstairs. Apparently, I had taken five minutes too long. I could practically hear every word coming out of Theo's angry mouth as I closed my bedroom door.
"Seriously Theo, I love you man, but if you wake up any one of those people upstairs, so help me god I will kick your fucking ass."
"Sorry."
"Hey Jason. So, please tell me all this amazing scoop that couldn't wait until morning. Oh and by the way, super creepy that you offered to follow Hannah. Just sayin'." I let out a small chuckle as Jason and I shook hands.
"Well, your partner in crime here all but made me do it. I kind of had no choice. But, that's not the point here. Look at these."
"Holy shit, Theo. You had him take pictures? How long has he been following her?"
"Only a few months."
"Only a few months? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"I don't know, Gray. I wish I fucking knew, but the girl fucking drives me crazy. I was all set to propose to her and then I see this shit." He pointed at the stack of pictures on the coffee table.
"Wait! You were going to ask her to marry you?" Jason and I both spoke in unison.
"Yeah, I bought the ring and everything."
"So why have her followed then?"
"She had been acting so weird over the last three months. She was being a bitch and going off on me for anything and everything. She accused me of cheating on her first, and wouldn't let it go when I tried to tell her about the case I was currently working. She was so adamant that I was cheating, that I started to think maybe she was the one cheating. Her and that Ryan fuck, literally talk almost every day. Do you know how frustrating it is to have your girl talking to another guy more than she talks to you? And she was always so fucking sweet to him, but as soon as she got off the phone, she was back in full on bitch mode."
I pushed Theo down onto the couch and sat across from him, grabbing the stack of pictures on my way. I started fingering through the pictures and stopped when I got to a picture that could probably clear up the entire argument.
"Hey Theo, did you happen to look at what Hannah was buying?"
"Of course. Why do you think I'm so pissed? Not only has she been cheating on me, but she's fucking PREGNANT with his fucking kid."
I shook my head in disbelief and at the fact that Theo is a fucking idiot. "Theo, don't you think maybe she's pregnant with your child?"
"Not likely. I mean there was a night about three months back when-"
I sat back and watched as realization crossed over Theo's face. Jason and I looked between each other and almost started busting up laughing. Theo was taking a tad bit too long to come to the full conclusion, but we waited. About ten minutes later, Theo finally looked up at us.
"I think I might have fucked up."
"You think!"
"Holy shit guys. What am I going to do? She knows that Jason has been following her. That was part of what our fight was about. That's why she broke up with me."
"Look, it's getting late. Give her a night to think about things and you sleep on it. There's no reason to rush over and try to win her back." Jason's rational thinking
surprised me sometimes. Especially given the fact that he had ruined almost every relationship he had ever had, including his most recent with the Heidi.
"Theo, has she tried to tell you about the baby at all?"
"No, why?" Theo was now looking at me for answers, but I honestly had none. This was the first I was hearing about any of this.
"No reason. She's coming over in the morning; you guys can talk about it then. I'm beat though, so I'm headed off to bed. Newborns don't sleep real well, just a little FYI for ya." I gave him a wink and laughed the entire way up the stairs. "Oh, and don't forget to set the alarm when Jason leaves. Goodnight guys."
When I opened the door to my bedroom, I took in the amazingly beautiful sight before me. My beautiful wife was in the same position I had left her in and she looked absolutely beautiful all wrapped up in our comforter. Her hair was fanned out on her pillow and she looked so peaceful. Before checking on Daniel, I kissed her on her forehead, silently praying I wouldn't wake her. Daniel was also in the same position. He was perfectly swaddled in his blanket and sound asleep. I kissed him as well, and then hauled my tired ass over to the other side of the bed.
I slipped under the covers quietly, or at least I thought. I felt her hand slide over my bare chest and pull me down next to her. She wasn't fully awake and it made her needing me even sexier. I turned and pulled her up onto my chest, brushing her hair back from her face. When her breathing evened out again, I finally succumbed to sleep and man did it feel amazing.
Twelve
Bennett
I could feel the suns heat radiating through the half open window. It felt amazing against my cool skin and I didn't want to move from my comfortable position. Unfortunately, there would soon be a crying baby wanting to eat, and I wanted Gray to be able to get some decent sleep. As I rolled onto my back to stretch, I came to the realization that I was alone. I sat up quickly and checked the bassinet on my side of the bed. I was shocked to find it empty. I knew that Gray most likely had Daniel, so I decided to take a quick shower before heading downstairs.
Unbreakable Hearts (Broken Series #3) Page 5
