by Lori Maguire
I flinched. As much as I hated to admit it, it was a lie of omission. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to concern you if it turned out to be nothing.” Carefully, I looked up at him.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “And is it nothing?”
“I don’t know. You burst in here before I could find out. Now are you going to tell me what happened that caused you to come storming in here like a mad man?” I asked, raising my voice. He was ignoring my question and it was starting to piss me off.
He turned and headed for the door. “I’ll get the nurse,” he said softly.
Damn it! He was going to tell me what brought him here. I wasn’t going to let him change the subject. I jumped up off the table wrapping the sheet around my waist in the process. Quickly, I slapped my palm against the door just as he had started opening it. My action jerked the doorknob out of his hand and caused the door to slam shut. Surprised, he turned around and glared at me.
“You will get the damn nurse after we’re done fucking talking,” I said through clenched teeth. “Now what the fuck happened?”
He gave me his little half smile, which only fueled my anger. “What? What are you finding so fucking funny?”
“You and your filthy mouth,” he whispered. Crushing me to his chest once again, he lifted me up and set me down on the exam table. His face suddenly turned very serious. “There was an attempted kidnapping on you today.” His voice was so calm when he spoke that he made it sound like this was a daily occurrence.
I felt the blood drain from my face. An attempted kidnapping? “What?” I whispered.
“At one o’clock this afternoon, an envelope was hand delivered to my office. The typed message inside said if I ever wanted to see my …” He paused for a moment giving me a pained look. “Pregnant fiancé again, then I was to have ten million dollars liquefied and available for delivery. They were giving me the afternoon to accomplish this before contacting me again with delivery instructions.”
“Oh my God.” I lay back down on the exam table. How did my life get so fucking crazy? I felt like I was living in a drama on television.
“Obviously, I went into a panic. I contacted Stewart. I tried to call you but it went directly to voice mail. Stewart tried to track your phone, but came up with nothing. I worried that whoever was behind this had already gotten their hands on you. Marissa contacted the police. Stewart viewed the footage from the cameras in my lobby to see who delivered the note.” He paused for a minute looking me over. “Are you all right, Ella? You’re awfully pale, baby.” He swept his hand across my forehead wiping away the sheen of sweat that formed there.
“I’m fine. Go on, please,” I said softly.
“As I paced my office feeling completely helpless, I thought about contacting Renatta. She said she saw you first thing this morning, but all of your other appointments following that required only photos. Then she mentioned about a job that she was notified about this morning. The man who called it in was adamant about you being there this afternoon, which she said was odd, but nobody thought anything of it at the time. She contacted the office and got the address since she no longer had it. I gave it to the police who are supposed to be checking it out.”
“Who delivered the note?” I asked barely above a whisper.
“As far as we can tell, some homeless man. The police are also out looking for him to see if they can get a description from him on who had him to deliver the note.”
“It couldn’t have been Stephen though. He and Carline are still in New York, yes?”
Xavier’s face turned red. “I’m not ruling the bastard out,” he said darkly. “Just because he isn’t around doesn’t mean he didn’t orchestrate it from wherever the hell he is. After all, what better way to make himself look innocent then to have this happen while he isn’t here.”
“Wait!” I sprung up from the exam table. “The note said pregnant fiancé?”
“Yes. Why?” Xavier frowned at me.
“Who knows I’m pregnant other than those who are close to us?” As I sat on the exam table lost in thought, Xavier started pacing in front of me. “Oh my God. I’m so stupid.” I slapped myself in the forehead.
“What is it?” Xavier asked, sounding anxious.
“The night of your company Christmas party, I had a run-in with Carline in the ladies room.” He frowned deeply at me. “Don’t worry. Marissa was with me.” I rolled my eyes at him. “That was the morning I did the home pregnancy test. Being around Stephen only made me think of the last time I found out I was pregnant.” I winced at the memory. “During the confrontation, I moved my hand down to my abdomen absentmindedly. Carline noticed. She pointed to my hand and made some comment about me being pregnant. I told her I wasn’t. I tried to blow it off as I was just wiping my hand down my dress. Maybe she didn’t buy it and went back and told Stephen.”
“Well, that would explain why Marissa was so upset today when she found out that you really are pregnant. The poor woman looked like she was going to pass out.”
“Oh shit! We never did get around to telling them.”
He shrugged giving me a sheepish look. “We’ve been busy. Between the holidays, planning the wedding, and then the last two weekends in the mountains. We just never got the opportunity.”
There was a tentative knock at the door. “Come in,” Xavier called over his shoulder.
The nurse carefully walked in wheeling the ultrasound machine. “The doctor will be in momentarily, Ms. Martin,” she said quietly. She made a hasty retreat for the door. She must have been the one who tried to enter the room earlier.
Xavier eyed the ultrasound machine suspiciously before turning his penetrating gaze on me. “What’s the ultrasound for, Ella? What’s wrong?” he asked in a quiet, shaky voice.
“I’ve been having some cramps and started spotting some blood today.” His face paled. “I didn’t want to upset you until I knew what was going on.”
“Are you losing the baby?” His voice was barely above a whisper. I didn’t know so I just sat and stared at him. He grabbed me by the shoulders. “Ella, tell me!” he demanded.
“I don’t know. It’s too early to hear the baby’s heartbeat audibly so the doctor wanted to do an ultrasound. We won’t know if everything is okay until we see the baby’s heartbeat.”
“Damn it, Ella. You can’t keep something like this from me.” He cupped my face in his hands. “You don’t have to go through this alone. Promise me that next time you will tell me. Promise me that you won’t keep anything like this from me again. You realize that if I had known where you were this afternoon I would’ve been with you. Instead I’ve been going crazy for hours thinking some madman was holding you hostage or worse,” he finished in a whisper.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight. You have so much on your plate. I didn’t want to add anything else,” I said apologetically.
His hands squeezed my face. “The only important thing on my plate is you. Everything takes a backseat to you. I thought I’ve made this perfectly clear before.” He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to mine again. “You still haven’t promised me. I need to hear you say it, Ella.”
“I promise,” I said sincerely.
There was another tentative knock at the door. Xavier straightened and let go of my face. Before either of us could speak, the door opened to reveal the doctor. “Is everything all right?” she asked as she stepped into the room.
“Yes,” I answered quickly.
“Very good.” She stepped over to the sink to wash her hands again. “Mr. Hart, I asked your two people in the hall if they wouldn’t mind waiting for you back in the lobby, but they have insisted on staying just outside the door.” She sounded a little annoyed.
“And they will remain just outside the door,” he said authoritatively.
“Very well. Let’s get this ultrasound started. Mr. Hart, I assume I don’t have to ask if you are staying?” She raised her brows at him.
“You’ve assumed corr
ectly, Dr. Ellington,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. He stepped closer to me and wrapped his hand around mine.
“Scoot down, Ella, and place your feet in the stirrups,” she instructed.
I did as she asked. As she grabbed the wand, I glanced up at Xavier to see his reaction. His eyes widened as she placed what could only be described as a condom over the wand and then squeezed some lubricant on it.
“Uh, what is that exactly?” he carefully asked.
I suppressed a giggle. The doctor looked up at him and calmly explained that she was about to perform a transvaginal ultrasound. “It’s the only way to see the fetus at this early stage in the pregnancy,” she said.
He tightened his grip on my hand. “It’s okay,” I said, looking up into his panic-stricken face.
Xavier crouched down next to me. His face was within inches of mine. As the doctor began, I focused on his beautiful, cerulean eyes and the way they looked back at me. The doctor was quiet for a few moments. I wasn’t able to breathe.
“I’ve located the heartbeat,” the doctor said happily.
Xavier and I exhaled noisily together. He kissed me softly on the lips.
The doctor continued for a few more minutes with a frown on her face. I started to get nervous.
“Ella, have you been feeling overly tired lately and maybe a little hungrier than usual?” she asked.
“As a matter-of-fact, I have. Why? Is everything all right?”
“Yes, everything is great.” She turned the monitor around for us to see, pointing to two black spots among the white noise. “Both heartbeats look rather strong,” she said, smiling widely at the two of us.
“Two?” Xavier asked excitedly.
I lost all ability to speak. My heart started to pound in my chest. I began to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth in an attempt to remain calm.
“Yes. These two little gestational sacs are your twins. They sometimes don’t show up until week six or seven at the earliest. Congratulations.” The doctor beamed at both of us.
“Twins?” I whispered, looking panicked at Xavier. “I went from thinking I couldn’t have any babies to being pregnant with twins?”
“Yes, baby. Twins.” Xavier bent down. Grabbing my face with his big, warm hands, he kissed me again. “Thank you, Ella,” he whispered against my lips.
The doctor handed me some tissues so I could clean myself up before getting dressed. “Get dressed, Ella, and then I want the two of you to come see me in my office,” she instructed.
Xavier sat quietly while I got dressed grinning like a fool the entire time. Sure, it was easy for him to be excited about twins; he wasn’t the one who was going to have to carry them for the next several months. I couldn’t even begin to think about birthing twins. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. I didn’t even look at Stewart and Marissa as we made our way to the doctor’s office.
“Please have a seat,” she said pointing to the chairs in front of her desk. She got up and closed the door behind us. “Ella, I imagine this is quite a shock. I can assure you that everything appears to be fine. Their heartbeats are steady and strong. Cramping and spotting is not uncommon with any pregnancy let alone with multiples. However, miscarriages usually occur within the first trimester. You’re not going to be out of the woods for at least another four weeks. I need to tell you that there is also a chance that you could miscarry one fetus while the other continues on normally.”
“What can we do?” Xavier asked.
“I understand there was quite a bit of drama today,” she said, giving Xavier a stern look.
“Yes,” he said curtly.
“It’s important that Ella has a stress-free environment right now,” she said, looking at Xavier. “And you should be getting plenty of rest. When you are not actively on your feet, Ella, I want you lying down on your left side with your feet up,” she said, turning her focus on me. “I want to see you back in two weeks. Sooner if the bleeding gets heavier. Do either of you have any questions?”
I looked over at Xavier and shook my head still stunned with the news. I was having trouble forming coherent thoughts. There was no way I was going to be able to form any questions.
“No. Thank you, Dr. Ellington,” he said, standing with his hand out to her. She shook his hand and opened the door for us.
Xavier led me out to the lobby with his hand firmly on my lower back. I completely forgot about Stewart and Marissa being with us until Xavier turned and threw his keys at Stewart. He asked Stewart to drive his BMW back to the condo so he could drive me back in mine.
Suddenly, I was nervous about having to face Marissa. By now she knew that I had lied to her in front of Carline that night in the ladies room. I hope she understands that I did because I hadn’t told Xavier yet about the pregnancy. It just didn’t seem right to tell anyone before him.
Once we got out into the parking lot, he called Stewart and Marissa over. “I apologize for not telling the two of you sooner about Ella’s pregnancy. Unfortunately, our schedules have been busy.”
“Wait.” I cut Xavier off. I addressed Marissa directly. “I’m sorry, Marissa. I never meant to lie to you,” I said sincerely. “That night in the ladies room with Carline, I lied because I hadn’t even told Xavier about the pregnancy yet. I literally just found out that morning by doing a home pregnancy test. I wanted to get it confirmed with the doctor before I told anyone,” I explained.
She was quiet for several seconds. “I understand why you did it, Ms. Martin. But you need to understand that my primary job right now is to protect you. If I’m going to succeed at my job then we are going to have to be honest with each other. No secrets and no lies.”
“I understand,” I said stiffly. I didn’t appreciate feeling like she was chastising me.
Then she surprised when she stepped forward and embraced me. “If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same thing. I know you were thinking that I would have given the pregnancy away based on how I was behaving around you. You are absolutely correct in that assumption.” She squeezed me a little tighter before she released me.
“Thank you for understanding, Marissa,” I said sincerely.
Xavier smiled down at me before he brought his attention back to Stewart and Marissa. “We wanted to let you both know that Ella and I just found out that it’s twins,” he said happily.
Stewart and Marissa both gasped in surprise. They hugged us both giving their congratulations.
As we were driving back to the condo, I couldn’t stop staring at Xavier’s happy face as he concentrated on the road. Pregnant women aren’t the only ones who get a glow about them. Xavier’s face was positively glowing. Then a thought occurred to me.
“Hey! How in the world did you find me? I never told Renatta about my appointment. Nobody knew I was there but me.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He actually blushed. “I know you carry your iPad with you. Thankfully, it wasn’t dead like your phone. I tracked it,” he said unapologetically.
“You tracked it? Is that why you insisted on buying me a new iPad a few weeks ago?”
“No. I bought you the new iPad so you would have the better screen. I know how you like to read. Being able to track it was an added bonus.” He winked at me.
By the time we got back to the condo, the excitement and stress of the day caught up to me quickly. Stepping off the elevator, I immediately headed to the bedroom. Xavier was hot on my heels.
“We need to talk,” he said seriously, closing the door behind him.
I sat on the edge of the bed and sighed heavily. “Xavier, please. I’m exhausted. Can’t this wait until morning?” I asked exasperated.
“No. For hours today, Ella, I thought I lost you. Then I find you at the doctor’s office only to think that we might be losing our baby.” He was pacing in front of me running his fingers through his hair in agitation. “I’m going to risk sounding like a complete controlling ass. I’m giving you two options. You are can either g
o into work tomorrow and quit or you can take a permanent leave of absence for medical reasons only to never return. The choice is yours.”
His command should have been sweet. I should have loved the fact that he was so concerned for my health and the health of our babies that he wanted me to quit my job. But the way he demanded it just put me on the defensive.
“You can’t demand that I quit my job like that, Xavier. I’m not going to sit around each day patiently waiting for you to get home feeling dependent and pathetic,” I said angrily.
“This isn’t totally about you, Ella,” he yelled.
I jumped at his tone. He sighed heavily and sat next to me on the bed. Picking up my hand, he squeezed it between both of his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I’ve had a very trying day.” He paused for a moment. I quietly waited for him to continue. “You mean everything to me, Ella. Our babies mean everything to me. I can’t stand the thought of losing any of you. I died a thousand times today until I saw for myself that you were all right. Then I died another thousand times until I heard the doctor say that the baby was all right,” he said with a shaky voice.
I suddenly realized just how stupid I was being as I stared into his tortured face. He wasn’t telling me that he needed me to quit my job to be a controlling jerk. He was telling me he needed me to quit my job because he needed to know that both the babies and I were safe. What did it matter to me anyway? I had no intentions of going back to work after the babies were born, not that Xavier would even consider allowing me to.
“Okay,” I said, nodding at him.
His eyes widened as his brows shot up. “Okay? Just like that? You mean to tell me that you aren’t going to argue with me about it?”
I smiled widely at him. “Just like that. No argument. Can I at least finish out the week?”
“Absolutely not,” he said sternly.
“You want me to quit without giving them any kind of notice?” I asked incredulously.
“Absolutely,” he said unapologetically.
“What the hell am I going to tell them? I’m sorry I need to quit my job because there was an attempted kidnapping on me and my Prince Charming needs to lock me up in his tower now?” I asked sarcastically, feeling angry again.
