by Melissa Huie
As she got me settled onto the paper-covered table, Dr. Vaughn walked in. She took one look at me and said, “Is everything okay? You don’t look so good.”
What could I say? My boyfriend is back from the dead, is acting terribly strange, and is stressing the hell out of me? No, not quite. I mumbled something about traffic and received the standard lecture of limiting my stress and resting my body and brain.
“Unfortunately, your test results aren’t looking too promising. With the weight you’ve gained and the results measuring high, I think it’s best to put you on a lower carbohydrate diet,” she explained patiently.
My eyebrows shot to my hairline and my mouth gaped open. “What does that mean, exactly?”
Dr. Vaughn gave me the no bullshit look my mom normally gives me when I ask stupid questions. “It means that in order to keep yourself and your daughter healthy, you need to cut back on the junk food. It means more protein and less sugar.” She handed me a pamphlet.
“So there goes any chance of getting a Frosty and fries later on,” I grumbled.
Then came my favorite part of the exam. After all the prodding, poking, and measuring, Dr. Vaughn squirted the warm green jelly over my belly and set the Doppler on the most protruding part. Apparently Little Miss didn’t appreciate the pressure and immediately started moving around, causing the doctor and me to laugh. Even with the break in tension, sadness crept in. Shane should be here to witness this. While I understand that he had no choice during the last sonogram, I wanted him to be a part of this. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and he’s missing it.
I quickly pressed the video record button on my phone and held it up as the sound of my daughter’s heartbeat filled the room. The galloping thumping always brought tears of joy and today was no exception.
Twenty minutes later, I walked out with a pamphlet on gestational diabetes, a grumpy attitude, and a bruise from where they drew my blood. The fun times of gorging on pizza and ice cream have come to a screeching halt. Of course, the moment I’m told I can’t have something, my cravings really kick in. The thought of a big bowl of Mama Lucia’s famous spaghetti and meatballs made my mouth water.
So I did what any hungry pregnant woman would do. I headed to the store. With Shane back, eating me out of house and home, we needed to stock up on more than just cereal and frozen dinners. Stopping at the light to cross over to Wegmans, I mentally went through the grocery list.
BAM.
The sound of crunching metal and squealing brakes filled my ears as my body was thrown forward, my belly slamming into the steering wheel on impact, only to be immediately jerked back by the seatbelt. Then I was hit from the side. My head connected with the side airbag and I saw stars. The pain in my shoulder screamed down my chest and into my stomach. Gasping for breath, I looked around. I had been pushed so hard my car was sitting in the middle of Route 3. People were out of their cars, examining the scene before them. A man with dark brown hair stood at my door, telling me to unlock the door. With shaking hands, I pressed the unlock button. The man jerked it open.
“Ma’am. Are you okay? Can you move?” he shouted. Why is he shouting? I wondered vaguely, as I tried to nod, grimacing in pain.
“The ambulance is already on its way. Don’t worry, I’m here to help. Try and remain still. Does anything hurt?”
Panic surged through me. “My ba . . . ba . . . baby,” I stuttered. Disoriented and confused, I struggled to get the seatbelt off, only to have the man rush to stop me.
“Ma’am, you need to stay still. Help is coming. I want you to talk to me until they get here.” His voice, tinged with a hint of a Baltimore accent, was calm and collected. I managed to nod, my eyes wandering over to the carnage in front of me. My eyes widened at the sight of twisted metal and shattered glass. Oh my God, is that blood on my hood? The world came rushing back and the screams wouldn’t stop.
The brown-eyed man blanched at my screaming and gently held my hand. “No, no ma’am. Stay focused on me. What’s your name?”
I opened my mouth to answer when I heard a shout from outside the car.
“Megan? Holy shit, Megan!” A booming voice echoed behind the man with the brown eyes. Adrian Michaels, Shane’s best friend, ran toward the car. “I was driving by and recognized your car. Are you okay? What happened?”
“Adrian! Oh my God, Adrian! Adrian!” I screamed. Trembling violently, I grabbed his hand when he got near enough to my car. The mystery man muttered something about shock and possible head injury.
“You’re going to be okay, Megs. I promise you’re going to be fine.”
Finally, the ambulance and police pulled up to the scene. The EMTs secured a brace around my neck and with the mystery man’s help, they slid me onto a backboard. Adrian walked along with me and told me that he’d call my mom. Shit, she’s going to have a heart attack. Only one person came to mind, the one person I needed by my side.
“No. Not Mom. Shane.”
Adrian’s chiseled face shifted into a worried frown. He obviously thought I hit my head harder than previously guessed. “Megs, let me call your mom.”
“No, dammit. Get Shane. I’m dead serious. Go to my house and get Shane!” I managed to get out. The placating look he gave me made me want to jump off the damn gurney and smack him upside the head. Don’t fucking stand there, just do it!
They slammed the ambulance doors shut, and off we sped with sirens blaring. An IV was started and my vitals were checked before I even realized what had happened. I quickly took stock of my situation. The baby was moving and my stomach was cramping ever so slightly. My shoulder and neck were in pain, but nothing felt broken. I closed my eyes praying that nothing was wrong with the baby. I could live with a busted shoulder, but not without her.
Within minutes, the ambulance pulled up to the very hospital center I had just left. As the EMTs hustled me into the chaotic room, I heard a familiar voice from across the hall.
“What the hell did you do now?” My best friend, Jennifer Walsh, was on duty as the head trauma nurse. Thank goodness, a friendly face. She took the gurney from the EMTS to take me to a room. I chuckled as tears ran down my face.
“Oh, you know me. I can’t be me without some sort of drama,” was my sarcastic remark as I broke down in tears. Jen hurriedly closed the curtain around my slice of privacy and quickly came over to my side to give me a gentle embrace.
“You’re going to be fine. Let’s just see how baby Katie is doing, shall we?” she replied calmly, wrapping an elastic band over belly. After adjusting the monitors, Katie’s rhythmic heartbeat was loud and clear. Jen then retook my vitals and asked me a few questions. She was in her element, her domain, and she was in control. Relief that she was there slightly lessened my anxiety.
“Dr. Vaughn is coming down now and will examine you before we get you into CT and X-Ray. Does anything hurt? Do you want me to call your mom?”
I hesitated. Well heck, the world is going to know sooner or later. Thankfully, Dr. Vaughn took that moment to pull back the curtain.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you so quickly, Megan. How are we doing?” she asked, her no-nonsense voice gentler and kinder than normal. After looking at the fetal monitor printout, she turned back to me. “Are you feeling any pain? Any cramping?”
Shivering with fear, I nodded. “My back is killing me. Is the baby all right?”
Dr. Vaughn frowned. “Well, that’s to be expected. You’re going to be sore for a while.” She palpated my abdomen and nodded. “Good, nice and soft. I’m not seeing anything to suggest that something is wrong with the baby, but there are some mild contractions on the monitor. It’s nothing to worry about. We’ll give you some medication to stop them and keep you overnight for observation. Dr. Tio is the on-call doctor tonight, so she’ll keep an eye on you when I’m not here.” While Dr. Vaughn finished my exam, a young female attendant coughed behind the curtain, then stepped forward.
“Hi, Ms. Connors. I’ll be taking you to CT.” The young la
dy turned to Dr. Vaughn and said “Her husband is here to see her. Should I bring him back?”
Knowing my current marital status, she turned to me. “Husband?”
I nodded quickly, my need for him to be with me was greater than any secrets. Jen gaped at me, her mouth dropping in shock as Shane parted the curtain and stepped inside. Dressed in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, he looked almost exactly the same way he did when Jen saw him last. She paled and a slight gasp escaped.
“How the hell …? I mean … You’re … you’re … alive? Oh my God! You’re alive!” She shrieked, jumping into his arms. Shane wrapped his arms tightly around the woman he loved as a sister, all the while his eyes were fixed on me.
“I’ll explain it all later, okay Jen?” Releasing her, he came over to my side, gently cupping my face in his large, calloused hands. “How are you doing?”
“Better now that you’re here,” I whispered, holding his hand against my cheek.
“I’m staying with you. I’m not leaving your side, ever again,” he muttered, softly.
Getting over her shock at Jen’s exclamation, Dr. Vaughn coughed and turned to the intern. “She’s ready for CT now. “ She squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.”
I closed my eyes tightly as tears escaped. Knowing I wasn’t going to be alone made me feel a bit of relief, but I was desperate to know more about the baby. Shane’s body suddenly tensed when we heard a commotion outside the curtain. His hands clenched, ready to protect us. But once he heard my mother’s voice, his face softened into a smirk and he chuckled wearily.
“What the hell do you mean, ‘her husband is with her’? I think I would know for damn certain if my daughter was married. Now step aside right now before I throw you out of my way. My daughter needs me.”
My mom swept the curtain back and stepped into my room. She immediately sought out my eyes with hers, then stared directly at Shane.
“What the …? Shane?” she said, taking a step forward. Then she collapsed in a faint.
I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. “Oh, fuck.”
Chapter 6
After my mom came to with smelling salts and Dr. Vaughn checked her over, the interns wheeled me down the hall to radiology for the head CT and an x-ray of my back. Once they made sure I did still in fact have a brain and nothing was wrong with it, they brought me to the maternity ward. Lusty cries of newborns and jovial male voices filled the air. As long as the baby keeps cooking, that’ll be us in a few months! I thought, wiping away tears of anticipation.
The adrenaline and shock were long gone and now the day’s events cascaded over me like a waterfall. Drained of energy and sore, I wanted nothing more than to sleep in my own bed. As the nurses assisted in getting me on to the hard-as-a-rock hospital bed, I looked around for Shane and my mom. Dr. Vaughn saw the question on my face.
“They’ll be right up. We sent them to the cafeteria with Jennifer. I’m not sure what was going on, but things looked tense and you don’t need that right now. We need to keep you relaxed,” Dr. Vaughn replied.
The situation being tense was an understatement. From being isolated to being thrown into the lions’ den could be detrimental to Shane’s sense of stability. Dr. Vaughn explained how the next twenty-four hours would go and said that hopefully I’d be discharged the next day. With a loving pat on the hand, she made her exit. The nurse, Melanie, showed me how the TV remote worked, how to position the bed, and where the button was to call them if I needed anything.
After tucking the blankets around my legs, she shut the door behind her and left me in peace. Reclining the bed into a more comfortable position, I clicked on the TV and looked for something more substantial than a Jerry Springer rerun. Settling on an I Love Lucy episode, I watched with little interest, paying more attention to the sounds outside the door, waiting and anticipating Shane’s return. Maybe he got lost? Maybe Tommy picked him up for his interview session. My thoughts were vague and scrambled. The prick of a headache came on and I closed my eyes to relieve it.
The sound of crinkling newspaper caused me to open up my eyes. Momentarily confused, I lifted my hand with the IV attached and the memories flooded back. I turned my head and Shane’s face came into view.
“Hey, baby. How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice husky with concern.
I wetted my parched lips. “Okay, I think. Sore. How long have I been asleep?”
“About three hours. We came in and you were sound asleep. Your mom just walked downstairs to call your brother. She won’t leave without seeing you.”
I took a long draw of the water he offered and handed it back. “How did it go with Mom while I was getting my head examined?”
He chuckled. “Better than expected. As soon as she was upright, she smacked me upside the head for making her faint. Then she smacked me again for making you two worried. But then she gave me a hug and told me that she was glad to see me.”
I smiled at the image of my five-foot-six-inch mother belting six-foot-two-inch Shane. Wasn’t the first time she did that and probably wouldn’t be the last, either. “What about Jen?”
“Jen was cool. We talked about what went down. I didn’t go into detail about what happened; I just gave them a brief, less dark overview. But don’t worry about that. What did the doc say?”
“She said everything looks fine, and as long as the contractions stop, I can go home tomorrow.”
Shane nodded. “That’s what they told me too. Um …. I hope you didn’t mind me telling them I was your husband. That was the only way I could think of to get them to let me in.”
“We’ve been through hell and back. Plus you knocked me up. I think that makes us practically married,” I joked. Noticing the deer in headlights expression on his face, I quickly changed the subject. “I’m glad Adrian managed to find you. I’m sure it was a huge shock for him to see you.”
Now that the subject of marriage was pushed aside, Shane’s face broke into a smile. “Yeah, I was in the shed and popped my head out when he pulled into the driveway. I swear he was going to pass out. It took him a full minute to realize I was alive, and then it was as if I’d never left. He’s going to drop by in a couple days so we can catch up.” Shane’s expression grew dark. “Maybe I shouldn’t be around though. I’m back for a couple of days and already you’re hurting.”
Oh shit, not this. Not now. “That’s baloney. It was an accident. It had nothing to do with you.”
“It just seems suspicious, that’s all. I mean, hell Megs, you could have died. Your car’s totaled.”
“I haven’t seen the police report, but I’m sure whoever hit me is going to be charged with something. Accidents happen, Shane. This is all a coincidence,” I replied confidently. However, the little voice in my head wondered the exact same thing. Could this be the Cartel? Are we going to have all this drama all over again?
“We’ll see what the police report says. If they don’t charge the bastard, we’re going to have a face-to-fist meeting,” he glowered.
Grabbing his hand, I tried to lessen his anxiety. “Look. I’m fine. The baby is fine. And I was thinking about getting a new car anyway. Now the choice is made for me.”
Shane gave me a tight smile and squeezed my fingers gently. “Maybe you’re right. Just think, now you can get a minivan.”
“I am never driving a mommy-mobile. I don’t care how many kids we have. I have an image to uphold,” I quipped back, fighting back the gnawing fear that was lodged in my stomach. I didn’t want Shane to overreact, so I didn’t tell him that the feeling of doom never went away, despite Tommy’s assurances that I was low on their priority list.
A knock on the door and then my mother’s face popped through the privacy curtain.
“Oh baby girl. I’m so happy that you’re okay. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Are you hungry? How’s my granddaughter doing?” she questioned, her fingers brushing my hair off my forehead.
“Hey Mom. I’m stiff as hell. The baby is fine.
We should be able to go home tomorrow,” I replied, enjoying the feeling of her warm hands on my face.
“I’m glad you’re awake. I needed to see for myself that you were all right. And now that Shane’s here, I know you’re in good hands. I’ll run to your place and grab a few things. Do you want some dinner? The doctor said you could have something light, so I can bring you back some chicken soup.”
“That sounds perfect. Thank you.” She kissed my forehead and wiped away a tear, then grinned.
“Maybe I should drop off the blue box as well,” she joked.
“No Mom,” I warned. Shane’s eyes darted between the two of us as I gave my mom a pointed look.
“What’s in the blue box?” he asked.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it. It’s an inside joke,” I said, shooting lasers at my mother who had the audacity to chuckle.
“Uh... okay. You know what? I think I’ll catch a ride home with your mom. That way she doesn’t have to make a trip back and I can grab the truck. Adrian had Ryan bring it to the house. Do you want anything in particular?”
“Just socks. My feet are freezing. Be safe out there.”
Shane brought my purse over to the side table so I could use my phone. He brushed his lips against mine and quickly followed my mother out the door.
After calling Uncle Bob to let him know the latest, I watched soap opera reruns while waiting for Shane to return. Just as the nurse walked out after doing one of her many checkups on me, Tommy walked in, holding a vase filled with beautiful flowers.
“Hey there. How’re you doing?” he asked, setting the vase down and kissing my cheek. Tommy shrugged off his black suit jacket and set it aside, before sitting in Shane’s vacated chair. He ran his hand through his short blond hair, his green eyes filled with concern.
“Hey. We’re fine. Just some bumps and bruises.”
“Good to hear. Your mom called me after she spoke with Jen. I got over here as fast as I could.”
