Build a Love (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Shearer, Suzy

  I wanted to check on the bookcase built. Marco wanted to get to the hospital but I reminded him it was only ten minutes out of our way, so we did.

  “Harry’s going to need clothes,” Marco reminded me. While I went in to see Barry and Greg, he rummaged amongst the clothes that Harry had at our house. Marco came back with a bag and joined me in what was now the library and Harry’s office.

  The guys were hard at work.

  Barry and Greg were two of the best cabinetmakers we had and they hadn’t disappointed with this job. Two full floor-to-ceiling walls of built-in shelving. It looked wonderful, Harry would love it. Greg assured me they would be finish sometime tomorrow and he said they would build a ladder so she would have no problems with the top few shelves.

  We left them to their work, promising an extra bonus in their pay checks this month. To be honest, I think they would have done it regardless, they were both good friends as well as work colleagues.

  “I only found underwear and a pair of jeans and top for Harry. There’s nothing like a nightie.”

  I laughed. “We never give her a chance to wear one. Maybe we should drop into a shop on the way and get her one so she can get out of that hospital gown thing.”

  “Good idea. Won’t take us long.”

  So we did a little shopping then parked at the hospital around one-thirty. We walked into Harry’s room and got a surprise.

  She was awake!

  Mind you, she looked terrible, but she was awake and to us she looked beautiful. There was only one drip in her arm and she wasn’t hooked up to any monitors. Her room looked a little like a florist shop. Marco and I gave her a careful kiss. Her face didn’t look quite as swollen, although it was still a spectacular colour and getting more colourful by the day.

  Marco looked around.

  “You sneak out and rob a flower shop while we were missing?”

  She giggled then moaned.

  “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.” She tried to grin. “They keep coming. Thank you for yours. Vince and Andy must have ordered some from overseas, they sent a big bunch. Then your parents and the twins. I think your sister and a few of your cousins, too. Oh and Marcie.”

  “How do you feel, beautiful?”

  She tried to look cheerful but a couple of stray tears ran down her cheek.

  “I can’t remember everything.”

  “That’s okay, babe, the doctors told us that would probably happen. Anyway, it’s for the best.”

  “I can sort of remember opening the door at home and seeing him then the next thing I can remember is waking up here today.”

  Marco and I exchanged looks.

  “Can you remember being in emergency?”

  “Not really. It’s all kind of fuzzy. I know I was hurting bad.” She looked thoughtful then gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders. “I think I was hallucinating as well.”

  “Why on earth do you think that, hon?”

  She looked sheepish. “I thought…oh never mind. Tell me if the doctors said I can go home?”

  Marco took her hand.

  “What did you think, babe? There’s something we need to tell you.” She looked frightened and he quickly reassured that it wasn’t anything bad.

  “So tell us why you think you were hallucinating.”

  “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

  “Hey, we already know you are—crazy for us.”

  I took her other hand.

  “Okay.” She took a breath. “I thought the doctor said I was pregnant.”

  We just grinned at each other. I couldn’t help it, I started laughing. Each time I thought about the babies, I got this warm funny feeling all over.

  “What? Why are you both grinning like Cheshire cats?”

  “Because you weren’t hallucinating. You’re pregnant.”

  “What! I can’t be!”

  She was sort of screaming. A nurse came running in. She looked at us both and frowned.

  “Ms. Kempton, are you okay? Are you in pain? You men will have to leave if you upset my patient.”

  She just looked at us in shock. Marco grinned at the nurse.

  “We’re sorry but she’s having trouble believing us about the babies.”

  She looked at us both. She checked Harry’s drip and then smiled at her.

  “Then let me reassure you Ms. Kempton, the babies are fine. We gave you another ultrasound last evening and they’re both doing well.”

  “B…both?” Harry stuttered.

  “Yes, Ms. Kempton. Now if you two men keep upsetting her you’ll have to leave.”

  We promised to behave and she left the room. Even through her spectacular bruising, we could see how pale she had gone. I sat on the bed and held her as best I could. Marco was holding her hand in both of his.

  “Our beautiful Harry is going to be a mama!” He gave her a kiss. “And we’re the happiest men in the whole fucking world!”

  She looked from Marco to me and back again.

  “Are you sure? I mean how?”

  “We came to the conclusion that our two sperm are better than one.”

  “I don’t believe it! I was told I couldn’t have children.” Poor Harry started crying. I tried to reassure her, she tried to bury her head in my shoulder.

  “Sweetheart, it’s okay, don’t cry.”

  Marco looked serious.

  “Harry, please don’t be upset. We love the idea and wow…twins!”

  She lifted her tear-stained face and shook her head. Then she smiled. Through the purple bruising and the swollen face her smile lit up the entire room.

  “We’re going to have a baby! Oops, I mean two babies.”

  In a few seconds, we were all laughing with joy and excitement. It was unbelievable, it was wonderful.

  “When? Did they tell you?”

  “They think you’re about ten weeks.”

  “I still can’t believe it. It’s surreal, it amazing!”

  We were all on such a high when a doctor walked in.

  “Hello Ms. Kempton. How are you feeling?”

  “Great, wonderful, excited.”

  “Well, that’s a different reaction to what I normally get.”

  She gave him a grin. “I just found out I’m pregnant. With twins!”

  “Oh, you didn’t know?”

  “No. I never thought it was possible.” She tried to grin through her pain. “This is so exciting, so wonderful.”

  “Well apart from the pregnancy, tell me how you feel?”

  “Okay. I’m a bit fuzzy over what happened, can’t really remember it. My face hurts a bit if I laugh, my arm’s sore and so is my leg. I have a headache and it hurts when I cough or move too much.”

  “All that is to be expected. You have a cracked rib, it will be sore for a while, but make sure you do cough. If you hold a pillow across your chest, it does help. Your face is looking good. The swelling is almost down. The headache is from both the concussion and the bleed on your brain.”

  “Oh. Am I going to be okay?”

  “Definitely. We’re really happy with how you’re recovering.”

  “When can I go home?”

  “Well, let’s see how you are in the morning. We’ll do another CT scan of your brain and see how it looks. Your catheter is out now so we’ll also need to make sure you can pee okay. If…and I’m not making any promises, if it looks okay we’ll consider letting you go home, with conditions.”

  The doctor looked at us.

  “Will someone be with Ms. Kempton? She may be a little unsteady on her feet for a while. Sometimes the effects from head injuries can last a few months. She really shouldn’t be alone.”

  We both nodded. Between the pair of us, we could work around any jobs on the planner. Plus, we had an office set up at home and could easily do paperwork and planning from there. We explained things to the doc and he said that would work.

  “Okay then. I’ll get the nurse to remove the drip now then I’ll see you in the morning.”

  W
e all thank him as he left. Harry tried to grin without hurting herself. The nurse bustled in.

  “Ms. Kempton, I think we’ll send your two handsome men out for a while and let you have a shower after I remove your drip.”

  I looked at Marco and knew exactly what he was thinking.

  “I can do it if you’re too busy, miss.”

  “I think I can manage.’ She laughed at us then shooed us out. “Off you go and have a coffee. She’ll feel much better after.”

  We had no choice but to leave. Marco hit his forehead with his hand as we reached the cafeteria.

  “The clothes. She won’t know. I’ll sneak back and put it on the bed.”

  * * * *

  I was floating.

  There’s no other word for it. The last few days were a blank but now I was awake and I was on cloud nine.

  There was always one thing in my life that I regretted even more than I hated what that shitface had done to me. I hated that he had taken away my chance to be a mother. I dealt with the attack, even though it left me mentally scarred, but I could never deal with not being able to have a child.

  I’d tried very hard to push it to the back of my mind. I sometimes think that was another reason subconsciously why I never got involved with anyone. I know I worried when I started going out with my men that they would be upset but instead they told me they never expected to be parents. Maybe that was one of the reasons I fell for them. They had no expectations of fatherhood, they’d even suggested they could always adopt.

  But in the last few hours everything had changed.

  I was going to be a mother!

  I felt like crying, like screaming, like shouting to the rooftops! I wanted to run, I wanted to laugh, and I wanted to kiss my men until none of us could breathe!

  Two words had just changed my entire life. “You’re pregnant!”

  I loved Marco and Bryan more than anything. They’d given me a reason to live, a reason to love and now…now they had given me the ultimate gift!

  I was still grinning when the nurse came back in. She removed my drip then helped me to my feet.

  Whoa!

  That was freaky.

  The world spun a little and I clung to her for a moment until everything settled down.

  “It’s okay, Harriet. Just lean against me until you feel steady.”

  Together we walked into the bathroom. She helped me strip off and sat me on a stool.

  “How do you feel now?”

  “Okay. Everything’s stopped spinning.”

  “That’s good. Now I’ll let you shower yourself but you mustn’t attempt to stand up alone.”

  “Don’t worry I won’t!”

  “Good. Let me just cover your stitches with some plastic wrap and tape. There’s soap in easy reach. Do you want to wash your lovely hair? There’s dried blood in it.”

  “Can I?”

  “Yes.”

  “Um…I need to go to the toilet.”

  “That’s wonderful.” I grinned at her, she settled me on the loo and told me to press the button when I was ready for her to help me back into the shower.

  Ten minutes later, I felt much better and my nice nurse helped me back onto the stool. She lifted a couple of small plastic bottles off a shelf and put them with the soap.

  “Shampoo and conditioner. Press that button when you’ve finished and I’ll help you dress and get back to bed.”

  I thank her then spend the next fifteen minutes in heaven.

  Who would ever believe that a shower would feel so good?

  I dried myself as best I could. It was awkward with my arm but thank goodness it was my left one. Anyway, I managed to somehow wrap my hair in a towel. It would take me ages to dry it but it felt good to be clean all over. I pressed the button and the nurse returned shortly.

  “Feel better?”

  “Much.”

  “Let me get you a clean gown.”

  She left the room then came back in with a pair of lovely soft green-coloured silk pyjamas.

  “These were on the bed. I think maybe one of your young men dropped them in.”

  She cut the label off them and helped me dress. They were all slinky and felt wonderful. The boys were so thoughtful. I felt a little teary eyed. We walked back into the room, I was actually walking on my own as long as I took it slowly and felt great. I did need a little help to climb back onto the bed, my ribs and the cut on my thigh hurt when I tried to swing my legs up.

  “If you need to use the bathroom and there’s no one in here, ring for someone. I know you feel okay but we don’t want you falling.”

  “Thank you.” My stomach rumbled. “Am I allowed to eat?”

  “Yes. I’ll get some sandwiches sent down for you. I’ll make sure the kitchen sends a meal tonight. You can eat and drink whatever you like now, especially as you’ve used the toilet. How’s your head?”

  “I’ve got a horrid headache.”

  She looked at my chart and then her watch.

  “I’ll get you something.”

  “Thanks.”

  She left and I stretched out as best I could and looked down at my new ‘jammies. I felt a little like a princess. I felt so good, despite my aches and pains.

  About ten minutes later, my men walked back in.

  “Love the turban look.”

  “I don’t know how on earth I’m going to get it dry, Marco.”

  He came over and took off the towel, my wet hair fell down. He stood and started to rub it dry for me. I had been dreaded doing it because when I lifted my arm it hurt my rib, plus I couldn’t raise my left arm very far. Washing it had been an ordeal.

  “Thank you for my pyjamas, they’re beautiful. They match my ring.” It was gone! “My ring! Oh fuck, my ring!” I started to cry.

  “Relax, sweetheart. We have it and your necklace and earrings. They’re in the safe at home.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. I’d thought for a moment it had been stolen or lost. Bryan looked worried, I noticed he had a cut on his head with stitches.

  “What happened to your head? I’ve just realised you’re hurt.”

  “It’s okay,” Bryan spoke casually, then changed the subject. “How are you honestly feeling, sweetheart?”

  “I’m good. I really am. Maybe because I genuinely can’t remember what happened. I’m truly damn sore but nowhere near as bad as before.”

  His frown disappeared. As I was about to ask him what happened to his head, a woman came in and gave me a sandwich. I think I attacked it, I was so hungry. Bryan smiled over at me.

  “Want a coffee?”

  “I’d love one! Wait. Can I drink coffee now I’m pregnant?”

  “I don’t know.” He looked worried again. “I’ll check.”

  He stood and kissed me.

  “Won’t be long.”

  “What happened to Bryan’s head?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  I shook my head.

  “He tackled the bastard and got hit on the head.”

  I was shocked. I didn’t remember any of this.

  “Is he all right?” I felt a tear trickle down my face.

  “You know Bryan, babe, he’s Mr. Tough Guy on the outside but a marshmallow inside. He says it’s okay. Think he is now, but I know he had a bad headache for a few days.”

  We heard voices in the corridor and Vince and Andy walked in.

  “Harry!” I was engulfed in hugs and kisses. Marco had to remind them that I had a broken rib and stitches all down one arm.

  “Oops, sorry Harry.” They kissed Marco, settled down and sat. “Tell us all.”

  I shrugged.

  “Can’t. I can’t remember anything until late last night or this morning, not sure.”

  Andy grabbed my hand.

  “Maybe that’s for the best, sweetie.”

  “Where the other hunky builder?”

  Marco laughed as he rubbed my hair.

  “Getting a drink for Harry. When did you land? You were sup
posed to let us know.”

  “Got an early flight, then when we landed we figured we’d just come straight here. Knew you two would be looking after Harry.”

  A few minutes later Bryan came back in. He had two coffees, a peppermint tea and gave me a paper bag. Inside was another sandwich and a slice of cake. I kissed him.

  “I’m starving!”

  “I got you peppermint tea, the nurse said that’s good for you. Helps with nausea.”

  “Thank you sweetheart. I like it.”

  Bryan greeted the other two and everyone settled down to chat while I ate. I felt so much better. I had the loves of my life and my two best friends. What more could I ask for?

  “I’m glad the fucker’s dead,” Vince said.

  Bryan started to laugh.

  “When we went to give our statements, the cop told me Marco here was going to kill him if he wasn’t already dead.”

  “So? I was mad. That bastard had just tried to kill the two people I love most, of course I’d have killed him.”

  I reached up and took Marco’s hand. I could feel his rage. I kissed his hand and he leant forward and kissed my neck.

  “My heroes.” I looked at them soberly. “Actually, the four of you truly are. Without any of you I doubt I’d be here.”

  “Hush, Harry. Don’t even think about it.”

  Bryan cleared his throat and looked at Vince and Andy.

  “So did you two have a good holiday?”

  “Perfect! We’ve got lots of photos to show you. Bought you all presents, but you have to wait till you get home.”

  The four men did most of the talking. I was starting to feel tired. I think I must have dropped off to sleep because the next thing I knew it was just Marco and Bryan.

  “Where are the others?”

  “Oh hello, babe. Have a nice nap?”

  ‘They left sweetheart. Said they’d see you tomorrow sometime. I told them to ring me first in case they let you come home.”

  I yawned.

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost five-thirty.” Marco tried to look serious. “They’re bringing around the meals so you can have something else to eat.”

  I stuck out my tongue to him. He just grinned and winked as a man brought in a tray for me. I thanked him and look down at it. It actually looked good. There was a garden salad and when I lifted the lid, there was a piece of salmon and fresh green beans. A bread roll was on the tray along with a dessert that looked yummy. I was finally tucking into the dessert when Marco’s parents walked in.