I hear my front door open and my nerves start to kick in, we’re going to see the babies today! “Princess, you here?” Dad shouts and I’m wondering what he’s doing here?
“Yeah dad, I’m in the kitchen!” I open the oven door and my nose is filled with the aroma of chocolate and cinnamon. I’m baking cookies and it’s my first try, I followed Grammys recipe I just hope they came out as good as hers.
“Something smells nice, what have you got?” I think dad was a sniffer dog in a previous life, the man can smell food a mile out.
“I’m baking dad and I’m glad you’re here. You can be my guinea pig.” I place the cookies onto a plate and hand it to him.
He looks at them with a weird expression before picks one up and takes the tiniest bite of it, “Hmmm,” That’s all he says. What the hell, surely there’s more to say than hmmm? He takes another bite, this time bigger than the last but still not a normal size one.
“Dad, what the hell is hmm meant to mean?”
“Princess, these cookies remind me of my mom’s. They’re really good.” He winks at me before he finishes the rest of the cookie.
“Really? Grams gave me the recipe.”
“Yeah Princess, they are that good. Want to tell me why you’re baking? You don’t bake.” He swipes another cookie from the plate.
“I just want to do what Grams did for us, whenever we went to Grams the smell of cookies and baking would be all that we could smell, I loved that it was really happy times dad and I want to give those memories to my babies.” Just remembering the smell of Grams house brings a big smile to my face.
“With these cookies you will, at least someone learnt how to bake cookies like my mom use too, your mom tried and burnt them so bad.” He shakes his head in disappointment, “Your brother takes after your mom, you take after me. If you’re going to keep this house stacked in cookies and cakes, I may just move in.” He has a glint in his eye, he’s so happy and I know it’s not because of the cookies, “Although if you bake me cookies, I’ll babysit those grandkids of mine.”
He’s happy because he’s about to become a grandad, “Dad, you have yourself a deal. So, where’s mom?”
“At home, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something, and I was interrupted the last time.” He gives me a pointed look and he’s still mad that are lunch turned into a chaotic mess. “When your brother was born, I started a savings account for him and when you were born I made one for you too. You both don’t need the money, but it was just in case something happened. Right now, there’s about fifty grand in each of your accounts. I decided that when you both either got married or have kids I’d give it to you.”
“Whoa dad that’s a lot of money!” Holy shit, what an amazing thing to do.
“I know that you don’t need the money, but it’s yours to do as you want. It can pay for your wedding or help buy a bigger house.” He hands me a check for fifty thousand dollars, and I start to cry. “Why the hell are you crying? This is why Carson’s my favorite, he doesn’t cry!”
“Eh, Carson can be your favorite it just means no cookies for you!” I stick my tongue out at him and take the plate of cookies away from him, I want to save some so I can bring them to Grams later on and show her the ultrasound scan. She’s excited to be a great-grandmother although she does say she’s not old enough to be one just yet.
“Fine, you can be my favorite, just hand me back the cookies!” He’s like a big child sometimes, other times he’s like a scary biker dude.
I take a few from the plate and put them into a bag for my Grams and the rest into another bag for dad to bring home with him. “You can bring these home with you, just keep them away from Carson otherwise he’d steal them.” Dad laughs and grabs the bag from my hand.
“Princess, are you sure that Sabrina and Loretta are finished in whatever vendetta they have?” He’s as bad as Livie.
“Yes dad, they’ve both backed off and we’ve seen hide nor hair of either of them dad. I’m just happy that I don’t have to put up with Loretta for the next eighteen years.” I’d lose my mind if I had to see her all the time. I look up at the clock on the kitchen wall, twenty minutes until Jaxon will be here. The excitement is beginning to bubble up inside.
“I’ll be on my way, call me as soon as you find out what those grandbabies of mine are, your mom wants to start knitting, god knows why! The woman should stick to what’s she’s good at and knitting isn’t one of them!” Dad has one of his wicked grins on his face.
I don’t even ask him what he thinks she’s good at because I’m actually scared of what will come out of his mouth. “You’ll be the first I call, I’m going to get changed into something more comfortable for the scan and then I’ll be going to the hospital.” I’m not wearing a dress to this scan, no way. I made that mistake once before and had to take the dress off.
“Okay, Princess drive safely.” Dad kisses my cheek and leaves, and the excitement soon disappears with a sudden dread, I have a really bad feeling, I feel as though something bad is going to happen.
I put my hair up so that it’s out of the way and have a quick shower, I can’t be blow drying my hair right now as I don’t have the time, so I’ll have to be extra careful not to get it wet. Thankfully I don’t shave, I wouldn’t be able to bend down even if I wanted to. I’m so big right now that once I sit down it takes me ages to get back up, that’s if I can get back up, sometimes I need help.
Wrapping a towel around me I walk into my room and dry myself off, that bad feeling I have is getting stronger and I wonder what’s coming. Hearing the front door open I smile, Jaxon’s here. We’re going to see the babies, I can’t wait. Livie wants them both to be girls and Carson wants them to be boys. I’m happy either way as long as my babies are healthy.
I throw on a tank top and a pair of jean shorts along with my flip flops. They’re the comfortablest shoes I can wear especially when my feet start to swell. “Jaxon I won’t be much longer, I just need to finish getting dressed!” I shout so that he can hear me, I didn’t hear him come up the stairs, so he must still be downstairs.
I untie my hair and brush through it, I’ve heard so many times that your hair becomes really healthy looking while you’re pregnant, I say bullshit, my hair is dull and lifeless, and I’ve gone through copious amounts of coconut oil to try and keep it somewhat healthy looking. That’s weird Jaxon didn’t answer me when I shouted down to him, he’ll usually have either a smart comment or he’ll come up stairs to see if I’m okay.
I hear the faint sound of my cell ringing, but it cuts off as I leave my bedroom. The house phone starts to ring and I’m curious if it’s the same person who called my cell. As I reach the top hall I hear a creaking noise behind me, looking behind me, I come face to face with Sabrina. Her eyes look maniacal, she looks different. Her hair extensions are no longer blonde they’re brunette and instead of her usual face full of makeup she’s got the minimal on, I’m getting freaked out because the closer I look at her the more of me I see.
“Sabrina, what are you doing here?” How the hell I managed to keep my voice even I don’t know, I’m so scared right now, she doesn’t seem stable. The phone stops ringing, and my cell starts again.
“Tell me Brianne, why is it that all men like you. What is it about you that has them fawning all over you like pathetic assholes?” She’s angry and she takes a step toward me and I take one back. “Jaxon and Ethan, they want you. Even Shyanne wants to be friends with you. Why are you trying to ruin me?”
“I’m not trying to ruin you.”
“You are!” I jump as she screams at me, “You’ve taken the only man I love, and you ruined my family!” She’s delusional, I don’t know what to do, right now I just want to run and hide.
“Sabrina, I didn’t ruin your family.” She takes another step toward me, and I take another one back, I’m getting closer to the edge of the top step.
“You did, mom and dad are unhappy and so am I.” The
house phone starts ringing again just as Sabrina takes another step toward me, fear is lodged in my throat. “I hate you, you took Jaxon away from me, before you came along we were happy.” She lets out a gasp as she sees my hand, fuck, I forgot about the ring, her face contorts into sheer rage, and I don’t get a chance to say anything to her as she charges at me and gives me a hard shove.
I lose my footing and start to fall backwards, I let out a scream as I hit my back on the stairs and start to roll down the rest of them. Tears are streaming down my face as I hit the ground. Pain explodes in my abdomen and I let out a shriek, something is wrong, something is so terribly wrong. I start wailing as the pain comes again, this time stronger and even more painful than before.
I look down and see I’m in a pool of blood, my wails get hard as do my tears, I hear Sabrina running down the stairs, and as she gets to the bottom step I grab a hold of her leg, “Help me, please Sabrina, help me!” I plead with her, and I sigh in relief as she bends down only to slap my hand away from her leg and runs out the front door leaving me lying on the floor, bleeding.
The house phone rings again, this time the person calling waits for the machine to pick up, “Bri, I’m late and I’m so sorry. You’re probably driving right now, and I’ve left a voice message on your cell. Just in case you haven’t left yet and you’re not picking up because I’m a bastard. I’m sorry, I’m so damn sorry, I’m leaving work now and I’ll meet you at the hospital. I love you baby,” Jaxon says, and I cry harder, no one’s coming to help me.
My babies, there’s something wrong with my babies. Oh God, please someone help us!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jaxon
Dammit, Bri must be so freaking pissed off right now. I’m running even later than I thought I would. I pull out my phone as I run to my car and try calling her again to tell her that I’m on my way, by the time I climb into the car her cell goes to voicemail, again. This is not like her not to answer my calls; she must be seriously pissed for my tardiness.
I start the car and pull out before trying her house phone again. I’m starting to get worried. The house phone also goes to voicemail, and I decide to leave another message. “Hey babe, it’s me. I’m so sorry for running late, but I’m in my car and on the way. So sorry baby.”
I end the call and press my foot on the accelerator, I need to get to that hospital sooner rather than later. I can’t believe I’m fucking up the first time I get to see my kids.
Ten minutes later and I’m stopping in the hospital parking lot. I take a look at my watch and curse when I realize that I’m ten minutes late. Shit, Bri is going to be so disappointed. Fuck, I’m even disappointed in myself.
I rush into the hospital and ask the first nurse I see where I can find doctor Matthews, Brianne’s doctor and close family friend. I run towards where the nurse told me to go and knock on the closed door.
“Come on in,” someone answers from the other side. I quickly open the door, ready to start apologizing but stop as soon as I step in. Dr Matthews looks up from his desk, an annoyed expression on his face.
“Jax, you are late, where is Brianne?” He asks, looking behind me.
“Wait, you mean she isn’t here yet?” I ask, a bit of panic forming a knot in my stomach. “I’m supposed to meet her here,” I frown as I pull out my phone to try and call her again.
“Really?” His face expression changes from annoyed to slightly surprised. “It’s not like her to be late for an appointment, or not to let me know if she might run late.” He frowns.
“Yeah, I’m gonna try and call her,” I tell him as I dial her cell number again. I decide to leave her a voice message when she doesn’t answer.
“Hey baby it’s me again, where are you? I’m starting to get worried. Please call me as soon as you can.” I take a breath before continuing. “And Bri, I love you.” I hang up and start pacing before dialling her house phone again, which also just rings without answer.
Where the hell is she?
I decide to call Liv; those two are always together, maybe they decided to meet up before the appointment and then lost track of time. I find her name on my phone and press call. She finally answers after what felt like ten years.
“Hey, nerd, what’s up?” She sounds a bit winded.
“Hey Liv, is Bri there with you by any chance?” I ask as calmly as I can.
She giggles before answering me, actually giggles. Olivia is a lot of things, but a giggler is not one of them. “No, she’s not, she’s supposed to be at the doctor with you right now.” She pauses for a brief second. “Jaxon, you better not have forgotten, Brianne was looking forward to this. I swear I’ll kill you myself if you’ve forgotten!” She threatens.
“Actually, I’m at the doctor, and she isn’t here, and she isn’t answering her phone either.” The panic in my voice is now evident. I’m starting to get a bad feeling.
“Look if she isn’t there with you I’ll just try calling Carson, maybe she’s with him,” I tell her.
“She’s not with Carson,” She says before I can end the call.
“What, how do you know that,” She keeps quiet for the longest time and I’m about to end the call when she answers.
“Because… Uhm... Carson is with me right now.” She says hesitantly. Liv, with Carson? What the hell. But I don’t have time to dwell on what those two are doing together, because if Brianne is not with either of them, then I have no idea where she could be. Her parents’ house maybe?
“Okay, I think I’m going to drive to Brianne’s and check if she’s okay,” I say.
“Nah, stay at the hospital and Carson and I will go check on her, I’m sure she’s just asleep and lost track of time. She’s been sleeping a hell of a lot these days. Those little Satan’s have been draining her. We’ll call as soon as we get there.” She says and then ends the call before I can give her shit about calling my babies Satan’s yet again.
“I just called her parents and she’s not there either,” Dr Matthews tells me, intensifying my panic.
“I’m starting to have a bad feeling about this,” I say, fear lodged in my throat as I start pacing once more.
Bri baby, where the hell are you!
Thirty minutes of not hearing anything from Liv and Carson is driving me up the walls. I really just feel like climbing into my car and driving to go check on Bri myself. This radio silence and not knowing if my future wife is okay is stressing me to no end.
I try calling first Liv and then Carson but they both don’t answer their phones. What the hell? Did they even go check on Bri? Why the hell aren’t they answering their damn phones?
“Look, I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I need to go check on her. Something feels wrong.” I say to the doctor as I grab my keys. I don’t even wait for him to answer me and rush out.
“Young woman, 30 weeks pregnant with twins and she’s lost a lot of blood!” I skid to a halt when a medic comes rushing through the hospital emergency double doors pushing a stretcher. “Get a doctor ASAP!”
I watch in horror as a bloody Olivia comes rushing in behind the medics with wild fear filled eyes. What the hell is happening? I’m frozen to my spot as I watch the scene in front of me play in slow motion. The medics come rushing past me, and I finally see the bloody woman being rushed in. Brianne, that’s my fiancée on that stretcher.
“My babies, save my babies!” Brianne screams and a cold sweat forms on my forehead and I still can’t move. Brianne. My babies are the mantra playing over and over in my head as fear grips my chest so tight that I struggle to breathe for a second.
“Jaxon, where is Jaxon!” She screams again, and my limbs start doing what they are supposed to.
“Baby, what happened!” I ask, my panic rising by the second.
“I’m sorry sir, but you can’t be here,” one of the nurses stops me just before I can grab Bri’s hand.
“What? No, she’s my fiancée, and those are my damn babies I ha
ve every right to be here!” I shout at the two nurses trying to hold me back as the medics and Dr Matthews quickly push Bri toward the OR. “I need to be there!” I shout, finally breaking free just to be held back by the hospital security guards.
“Sir, you need to calm down and let the Doctor do his job and try to save both your fiancée and your babies!” One of the annoying nurses tells me as my horrified eyes stare at where they disappeared with Bri. “Go on and wait in there and the Doctor will brief you when he’s done.” She says, pointing to the hospital waiting area where I can see Olivia sitting on a chair, crying.
“Fine!” I shrug out of the guards holding me and rush towards the waiting area.
“Liv, what the hell happened?!” I ask her as soon as I step in the room.
“I… I don’t know Jax.” She looks up at me, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “When Carson and I got there, her door was wide open and when we got inside, she was unconscious on the floor in a pile of blood, God Jax, there was so much blood,” her voice breaks at the last word and she starts sobbing hard.
“I think,” she hiccups before continuing, “I think she fell down the stairs,” My heart sinks. “I was so scared, still am. She kept going in and out of consciousness the whole time.”
“Is she going to be okay?” I ask it so soft like if I say it out loud, it will make matters worse.
“The medics couldn’t tell me,” Liv is still crying as she buries her head in her bloody hands.
“Where’s my daughter, is she okay? Are my grandbabies okay? What happened?!” I look up to see Bri’s parents and brother rushing in the room. Their eyes wild and filled with fear, fear for their daughter, sister and the love of my life.
One Night Page 16
