My heart rate spikes but thankfully the guard hands everything back to Alex and motions for him to go on.
“Shit,” Alex mumbles under his breath as we drive out of Mexico and into Texas. After miles pass between us and Border Control, Alex looks in the rearview mirror, making eye contact. “Five more hours,” he whispers.
I look down with worry at the woman who immediately curled up in my lap when she was told she could lie down. Five more hours...I can feel her body burning against mine, and for the first time in my life, I find myself praying.
****
We make the call that we’re close and when we pull into the parking lot of the address we were given, three men are standing outside waiting.
“I’m Dr. Ross,” the older man says, nodding to the other two men to help Isabelle out of the car. Alex and I follow behind. We walk into a clean medical office, but the doctor stops us as the men carrying Isabelle continue walking away. My heart speeds up at the distance growing between Isabelle and myself.
“I need you to wait here. I’ll be out as soon as I can to tell you what’s going on.”
I push past him when Alex puts a hand on my chest. “Trust him, remember? Every second he’s out here with us means he’s not in there with her.”
Damian told me to be careful whom we trust, but to trust this doctor, and honestly, we don’t have any other choice. Isabelle became more lifeless the closer we got to Houston.
“Go. Take care of her,” I add with a jerk of my head. Dr. Ross nods then quickly makes his way to Isabelle.
I walk over to a small waiting room off to the side and place my head in my hands. “She’s going to be okay. She has to,” Alex says, taking the seat next to me. “We need to call Gavin and Kate and let them know what’s going on.”
“I’ll call Gavin. Damian is worried someone might be watching Kate.”
Alex’s eyes snap to mine. “Who?” he questions.
“The guy Isabelle thought was her friend. He wants Isabelle bad enough that Damian is worried he might be watching Gavin and Kate’s house.”
Tension spreads as I give this man more thought. Isabelle trusted him and the whole time she was a pawn in his attempt to take her father down.
“I’m going to step outside to make the call. Come get me if the doctor comes back,” I tell Alex.
I walk to the edge of the parking lot and hit Gavin’s number on my phone.
“Hello?” he says with concern in his voice.
“We found her.”
“Thank God. Is she coming back with you?” he quickly replies.
“Yes. Maybe. We’re in Houston.”
“Houston. Why the hell did you go there?”
“Isabelle is sick. She needed a doctor. That’s why Damian sent the messages. He needed someone he could trust to get her the help she needs.”
“Wow. He trusted you enough to leave with her? I barely know the guy, but that doesn’t sound like Damian. I still don’t think he trusts me with Kate, and I’ve known her longer than he has.”
I suck in a breath and blurt out my next comment. “She’s pregnant.” The phone goes silent. I take a deep breath. “Isabelle is pregnant with my kid. Like it or not, Damian had to let someone else take care of her, and thankfully, he decided I could be the man who steps up seeing as it’s my kid she’s carrying.”
“Dude, you got her pregnant?” I hear Kate yell something in the background. “Calm down,” Gavin mumbles to Kate.
“Outside of being pregnant, what’s wrong with her?”
“She has a urinary tract infection she didn’t get medicine for. Left untreated, it caused a kidney infection. By the time we arrived, she was running a fever and she was going into kidney failure.” My voice cracks as I try to fight back my emotions.
“Good Lord,” Gavin breathes out.
I nod my head even though he can’t see me. “We’re at some treatment center in Houston. Damian said Isabelle will get the help she needs, the doctor will be paid, and we can be on our way, but there’s another problem.”
“What?” he immediately asks.
“Isabelle’s friend back home...it was him and his father that started this war, and he wants Isabelle.” I stop and clear my throat, knowing my next comment is going to send my best friend into a panic. “Damian is worried you’re being watched.”
“What?” he growls into the phone.
“This guy, Manuel Ramos, wants Isabelle bad enough that he’ll do anything and that means he could be watching Kate to see if she’s hiding Isabelle. It also means ...” I trail off.
“He could take Kate hoping Belle will give herself up to save her.”
I swallow and close my eyes. Nothing about this situation is a win for anyone. “It’s possible. It’s definitely possible,” I add. “Damian wants you to hire someone to watch Kate and your house. People think he’s dead and he wants to keep it that way. Damian said he’s down but not out and this will all be over soon, but in the meantime, we need to do everything in our power to protect his daughters.”
Gavin lets out an annoyed laugh. “They wouldn’t be in danger if it wasn’t for him.”
“I agree. But it doesn’t change what we’re dealing with.”
Gavin remains quiet for a few seconds before switching back to Isabelle. “Belle’s going to be okay, right?”
“I don’t know. God, Gavin...her fever was so high for so long. She’s in a lot of pain, and honestly, I don’t think she even really knows that Alex and I are the ones with her. When she did open her eyes and looked at me, they were blank.”
Alex steps outside and waves for me to return. “Look, I gotta go. As soon as we have word on Isabelle, I’ll call you. In the meantime, stay sharp and focus on Kate and Callie.”
“Will do and good luck, man.”
“Thanks.” Right now, I need all the luck I can get.
****
“I have Isabelle started on an IV and antibiotics that won’t harm the baby. I did a sonogram. The baby’s heart rate is lower than it should be, probably from the stress the fever caused. As far as Isabelle’s kidneys are concerned, she isn’t in as bad of shape as I was expecting. Another day or two and it would’ve been a different story, but I think once the antibiotics start working, she’ll be fine.” I breathe a sigh of relief.
The doctor pushes a motel key card across his desk. “The motel across the street, room 224, is yours to use until I’m ready to release Isabelle. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want but use this room to rest and clean up.”
I hold my hand out. “Thank you, doctor.”
“Yes. Thank you,” Alex adds.
“She was sleeping when I came out here and I expect she’ll rest for some time. If you want to sit with her, that’s fine, but please let her rest as much as possible.” I nod my head as I stand.
Alex and I follow the doctor out of his office and into a room where Isabelle is fast asleep. Alex’s shoulders relax. “She already looks a little better.” She does. Her cheeks are still rosy but her face isn’t scrunched up in pain like it’s been for the last sixteen hours.
We both take a chair on each side of her bed and the day starts slowly passing by. Isabelle’s fever finally breaks a few hours later, but she doesn’t wake up. It makes sense for one or both of us to head to the motel to shower and rest, but neither of us can make ourselves leave her.
“My grandparents have a farm outside of Kansas City. We can go there when she’s well enough to travel.” I glance at Alex but even as he’s talking, he’s staring at Isabelle. “It’s our mom’s parents. The house is huge and grandma is always nagging at me to come and visit. I’m figuring she’s going to flip her shit when she discovers I have Hayden with me.”
Isabelle doesn’t look like a Hayden. She looks like...Isabelle. “They won’t do anything crazy like tell the press their stolen grandchild was finally found, will they?”
Alex shakes his head. “Nah. Not if I explain to them what’s happened.”
&
nbsp; “Okay. We’ll talk to her when she wakes up, and if she’s okay with it, then we’ll go to Kansas City.” I pull Isabelle’s hand into mine.
Alex looks over at me. “Are you okay with her being pregnant?”
I shrug. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fucking terrified.” I clear my throat and look toward him. “What if I’m a shitty father?”
Alex chuckles. “I think the fact that you’re worried is a good sign. Shitty dads don’t worry about being shitty...they just are. Believe me, I would know.” His eyes soften as he looks at his sister.
“I often wonder...if maybe my dad wouldn’t be a fall down drunk if she hadn’t been stolen from us.” I’m sure a thousand what ifs have traveled through his mind.
“My dad couldn’t care less about his kids. I don’t want to be like him,” I voice one of my greatest concerns. I never planned to have kids because the risk was more than I wanted to take.
“If you want to be a good father, then be one. Don’t let your fears take control. I’ve seen the way you are with Callie. Gavin might have the final say in Callie’s life, but you’ve helped raise that little girl, and from what I can tell, you’ve done a great job.”
I’ve been a part of Callie’s life since the day she came home from the hospital. However, I’ve never once considered my role in her life to be that of a parent. When she turns into a hot mess, I hand her over to Gavin and walk away. But I love her and I know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her, which is more than my father could have said about my brother and me.
“Thanks. I think I needed to hear that,” I add before the silence takes over as we patiently wait for her to wake up.
Isabelle
My eyes slowly drift open as panic sets in. I’m in a room I’ve never seen before. However, before I can process what’s going on, both Alex and Kiran appear on either side of the bed I’m in.
“What’s going on?” I rasp out.
Kiran picks up my hand and gives it a squeeze. “You were sick and you didn’t go to the doctor.” His tone is on the verge of angry. My eyes dart to Alex, who’s silently watching me.
“Wait. Where am I?” I look behind them for my father but he’s not there. “Where’s Damian?” I ask as my heart speeds up, causing a monitor to start beeping.
“Shh. Calm down. He’s fine,” Kiran says as a man wearing a white coat comes in.
“Isabelle, I’m Dr. Ross. How are you feeling?”
I look down at my stomach as my eyes tear up. My baby isn’t even born yet and I’m already a horrible mother.
“Isabelle?” Kiran says my name as a question.
“I’m pregnant...or at least, I was,” I whisper as I struggle to hold back my tears.
“Isabelle, I did a sonogram when you first arrived and your baby was alive and fighting. How about we do another one to check on things.”
“I haven’t felt it move for days,” I admit, looking down at my bump.
“Isabelle, your body was in shock from the infection. If the baby had been moving, I’d doubt you’d know it. Let’s get you checked out and we’ll go from there,” he adds before walking out of the room.
I won’t allow myself to look at Kiran. I don’t even know how he found me but I can only imagine what he thinks.
“Do you feel okay?” Alex asks. I take a quick glance at him and nod my head. My body feels heavy, and I’m positive I could go back to sleep if I was left alone, but I feel worlds better than I did.
“Okay. Excuse me,” the doctor says, rolling a machine into the spot Alex was standing in. He pulls my gown up, exposing my stomach as he squirts a clear liquid on me then brings a wand up and rolls it around. Instantly, a sound comes through a speaker.
“Do you hear that?” I nod, still confused. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat.” My eyes dart to Kiran as a smile forms on his face. “And it’s much stronger than it was when you first arrived,” the doctor adds.
He continues to roll the wand around on my stomach as Kiran squeezes my hand. “That’s our baby,” he whispers, almost sounding happy.
“Isabelle, I’m not a specialist. I practice general medicine, but in my opinion, the placenta still looks firmly attached. Your kidneys are still inflamed but they look good compared to when you first arrived, which means the antibiotics are working.”
I take a deep breath and exhale slowly as I process what he’s saying. “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?” he asks, causing my heart to drop.
“Umm,” I mumble before glancing at Kiran.
We haven’t even talked about the fact that I’m having a child...his child. And to be honest, since I found out I was pregnant, I’ve been in survival mode. I haven’t stopped to wonder what I’m having or what I was going to do when the baby arrived.
“I don’t know. I guess.” I sniffle.
“Isabelle, if you don’t want to know, we can wait,” Kiran says.
He said we. We can wait. “We?”
He steps even closer. “Yes,” he growls, sounding almost upset.
“I’m sorry.” I continue to fight my tears. “I’m just a little confused about what’s going on. I fell asleep in one place with my father and woke up in another with you two.”
The doctor removes the wand from my stomach and wipes my belly before pushing my gown back down.
“You were sick, Isabelle,” Alex says. “Really sick. You and the baby would have died if you stayed in Mexico. Damian sent us a message. We found you and brought you here.”
I start to panic. “Where’s Damian?”
Kiran squeezes my hand. “He stayed behind.”
My mind feels foggy. “Where am I?”
“Houston.” I’m in the States. I crossed the border, and I have no memory of it.
“Isabelle, I want you to stay on an IV for the next twenty-four hours, and then I’ll more than likely send you on your way. I’m not sure where you’re going or where you’ll end up, but I suggest you find a doctor and get checked out again soon. Prenatal care isn’t required to have a healthy baby, but it’s definitely recommended. After everything you’ve gone through, you’ll want to keep a closer eye on your pregnancy.”
I shake my head as Kiran answers, “She’ll get to a doctor. I’ll make sure of it.” I try my best to shake off my annoyance at Kiran for acting like he’s in charge.
“Okay. I’m going to let you rest. I’ll be back in the morning to check on you.” The doctor walks out, leaving me alone with my newest set of protectors.
“You look better. Are you sure you feel fine?” Alex asks, causing some of the tension I’m feeling to fade. It’s hard to be mad at either of them when their hearts are in the right place.
“I’m fine. How did you find me?”
Alex smiles. “Damian sent a message to Kate. We figured out what he meant and took off on a wild goose chase that happened to pay off.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe he sent me away. It took me forever to find him,” I admit.
“What are you talking about?” Kiran questions as his eyes narrow.
I shrug and whisper, “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
Kiran groans under his breath, clearly frustrated with me. “I’m tired. I think I’m ready to go to sleep,” I tell them. My brain needs time to catch up. Damian is once again gone, and I’m back with Kiran and Alex. I hate how my life has to be one or the other.
“I’m going to the room to rest for a while myself. I’ll be back soon,” Alex says before leaning down and kissing me on the forehead. I keep my eyes cast down until Kiran leans forward, resting his head on the edge of my bed.
He looks exhausted and I know I’m the cause of that. “I’m sorry.”
His head comes up as he sits back in his chair. “About what?” he asks, but I don’t answer. I’m sorry for a lot of things, and to be honest, I’m not sure where to begin.
“Were you going to tell me you’re pregnant?”
My eyes start to water. “I don’t know.” My answer ca
uses his eyes to darken. He takes a deep breath then frowns.
“I had no idea what I was going to do because I wouldn’t let myself think that far ahead. I was trying to survive, and as it turns out, I was doing a crappy job of it.” My eyes go back to my bump. “I don’t even know when I’m due.” My voice shakes as a tear finally falls.
Kiran sighs and reaches for my hand again. “We’ll figure it out together. That’s our baby, and whatever happens from here on out, you’ll have me.”
My stomach fills with flutters, something I haven’t felt since the last night I was with him. Kiran picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. I would love nothing more than a chance at something with Kiran, but my baby and its needs have to come before my desires. And as much as I want him to want me, I don’t want him to be with me out of guilt or obligation.
“Let’s just focus on making sure the baby is healthy for now,” I answer. Only time will tell what my future with Kiran will hold.
****
“Okay, Isabelle, I’m going to take another look around and if everything looks good, I’m going to send you on your way,” Dr. Ross says, rolling the same machine he used on me yesterday next to the bed.
He pulls up my gown again and within seconds, my baby’s heartbeat fills the room. I glance over at Kiran, who’s watching the same screen the doctor is but with a huge smile on his face. I knew after only being around Kiran for a handful of weeks that he would make a wonderful father someday, but I wasn’t expecting him to be happy I’m pregnant.
Our story is very cliché: virgin girl has sex with a guy and gets pregnant. I wasn’t on birth control, and Kiran didn’t use a condom the last time we had sex—the night before I left. For that reason, this really is just as much his fault as it is mine. When I imagined having a child, it was with my husband, and we’d be happily married, which is not at all the case with Kiran and me.
“Your kidneys look better. I’m going to give you an oral antibiotic to take for the next week but I expect you’ll be fine,” the doctor says as he turns off the machine. “Try to get plenty of rest, don’t skip meals, and see a doctor when you get settled somewhere.” He pauses to look at me. “Did you decide if you want to know what you’re having?”
Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) Page 17
