Lucky Number Four

by Amanda Jason

  “How do you know? Henry?”

  She nods her head. “Of course, I would have known anyway. I’m your mother, after all.” She pulls back and wipes the tears flowing down my cheeks and then gently rubs my abdomen. “Now, pull yourself together. No more crying. Jeff says you haven’t eaten since yesterday morning, so we have to feed you. It’s an old wives’ tale that you’re eating for two. You’re just eating for yourself. That baby will take whatever it needs.”

  “You’re not mad?” I ask in disbelief.

  “Of course not. You love Drew and he loves you, and you will both love this baby. That’s all that matters.”

  From that point on, my life changed. I felt more positive—okay, except for today, the two-week anniversary after the accident.

  I make my way into the ICU and see Drew’s doctor having a discussion with his dad and Emily. They look up when they see me through the doors. I walk through, not sure what is waiting for me.

  “Ah, Ms. Phillips. I’ve just been telling the Johnsons that we feel it’s time to bring Drew out of the coma. The swelling in his brain has resolved. He should wake up soon. There’s no timetable though. It just depends on how his body shrugs off the remnants of the drugs. We’ll see when he wakes up what, if any, damage was done,” the doctor explains and then leaves us to talk amongst ourselves.

  “Dora, you go first. Dad and I will go down to the cafeteria. We haven’t eaten breakfast yet.” Emily kisses my cheek and Drew’s dad pats my back awkwardly. We have come to know each other these last weeks, and we’ve had long talks on why I left the photo shoot that day. I haven’t told them that I’m pregnant yet, or that I love Drew, but they have said he’s loved me from the first minute he saw me. I’ve cried many tears over the time I’ve wasted being so stubborn through all of this. But these two have made me feel like I’m family. Drew’s mother never showed up though. Apparently, she calls Emily once a day for progress reports, but has no plans on coming. Emily and her dad were relieved at the news, and I get the feeling if I met her, I would feel the same way.

  How could a mother abandon her children? I touch my stomach. I will never leave you, I say silently to our precious bump.

  I walk into Drew’s room and the first thing I notice is there are fewer lines leading into his body. The bruises have turned yellow, and over the last few days, the swelling has drastically diminished. He looks like Sleeping Beauty, except a male version, of course. I wish a kiss would wake him up. A nurse walks in behind me and moves around me to the bed.

  “As you can see, the doctor has removed the breathing tube and before you know it he’ll be waking up soon,” she says, turning to look at me. She didn’t say “if,” and I’m so grateful for that. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She quietly makes her exit.

  “Hi, Drew. It’s me again. Hope you’re not getting sick of me, and if you are, too bad. The doctor has cut off your sleeping meds, so you’ll be awake soon. I can’t wait to see your beautiful eyes. I’ve so missed them so much. When you wake up your throat will be a little sore. The doctor says you’re healing wonderfully and that if you keep this up, you could go home soon. I know you’ll want to go as soon as you can once you taste the food. It’s horrible. As soon as you can, we’ll go to Papa’s. They send their love, as does my family. Even my grandma now believes you’re not gay because I told her I love you, and that I have firsthand knowledge of that. It went completely over her head, of course. I have a secret to tell you, but I won’t tell you until I can see your eyes and you can speak. Or maybe I should wait until you’ve completely recovered because you might not like my secret. I’m hoping that you do though.” I look at my watch. I’ve been in here more than an hour, and I smile at the kindness of the nursing staff.

  Jeff’s waiting for me when I come out of the room and we sit in the waiting area, watching the morning talk shows. Life goes on.

  “Dora. Dora, wake up.” I look up and see Emily standing over me. She’s smiling and laughing. I’m lying on a couch and I sit up when she grabs my hands. “He’s awake and I asked him questions and he blinked once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no,’ or was it the other way around? The nurse says a doctor is on his way up to check him out.”

  She’s jumping up and down. I stand up and she hugs me like she will never let me go. Yes, I’m happy, but anxious too. After weeks of talking to him, I’m scared I won’t know what to say.

  “She’ll come and get you after it’s done. Now remember, you promised you wouldn’t tell him I told you he’s quitting the modeling gig, or that he’s opening a children’s center and the shelter for battered women. I want him to be the one to tell you, okay?”

  “I won’t forget.”

  When Emily first told me about Drew’s plans, I couldn’t believe he would give up his career. She told me that he started thinking about this in September, and she felt it was because he met me. As we wait for the nurse, I try hard not to rub my stomach to calm my nerves. I want to tell Emily, but I think Drew should hear it first. Okay, so he’s not the first, but I don’t think he’d like the fact that I told Emily the day he woke up from a coma before I told him. I hope he’s happy about it.

  “The doctor’s finished with his exam,” says the nurse as she enters. “Now, he’ll be hoarse and his throat will be sore, so he won’t feel like talking much. Who’s first?”

  Emily pushes me forward and I follow the nurse, dread sitting like a rock in my stomach. I reach the door and then step over the threshold and look to the left. Drew is sitting up … well, as high as he can due to his leg, but he watching me as walk in. I smile, wobbly, but a smile nonetheless. I can’t believe the relief I feel seeing his eyes open.

  “Hi, Drew.” That’s it, you idiot? The love of your life is sitting there and that’s all you can say?

  “Hi.” He swallows as if that one word has caused him great pain. I rush over to his side and put my fingers to his lips.

  “Don’t talk. It’s going to hurt for a while.”

  He’s still staring at me like—I don’t know what it’s like. What the hell is he thinking? His hand reaches up to my fingers and he pulls my hand down and just holds it. Okay, so I get teary-eyed and so does he. He smiles and so do I, sans the wobble.

  “I love you, Drew.”

  “I love you too, Dora,” he whispers.

  I do something I know is taboo, but I crawl up beside him, watching out for all the wires and tubes, and snuggle next to him. His arm cradles me, and I feel his lips caress the top of my head. As I listen to the gentle thump of his heart, I close my weary eyes for some much needed rest.

  I don’t know how long I slept, but I wake up next to Drew, who is snoring lightly, and I feel like someone is watching me. I turn my head and see it’s the nurse who guessed I was pregnant.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, but I’m not. I know I’ve probably broken a major hospital rule, but I’m not going to budge until I know. Drew is going to completely recover. I’m the mother of his baby, and I love him, and they’ll just have to deal.

  “We can move in a cot for you to sleep on,” the kind nurse whispers.

  “I’d rather lie here. I’m being careful of his leg and the wires. I need to hear his heart beating.” I wait for her answer, praying that she won’t make me move.

  “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” She smiles and leaves the room.

  “I can’t believe I’m holding you. I never want to let you go. Why did you leave the shoot and ignore my calls and then block them? I tried to see you but Jeff told me that you needed space and that if I pushed too hard you wouldn’t ever want to see me.” I look at his face and see the pain in his eyes.

  “I left the shoot because seeing you with Angela made me think two weeks were all I was going to get with you. You acted like you were so into her. It wasn’t until I got home, that I realized the steamy kissing scene was all an act. And when I called your room and Angela answered …”

  “What do you mean when Angela answered? She was never i
n my room. When I came back and found out you left, I flew back home to talk to you. Oh, wait I gave her the key so she could have a few friends over.”

  “She told me you were in the shower and that you guys were going out and it might be late when you returned my call. I’m so stupid, I fell for her lies.”

  “I should’ve ignored Jeff and just made you talk to me,” he whispers.”

  “I’m so sorry Drew, can you forgive me?”

  “Only if you will swear that you’ll never leave me again.” He sounds tired and I gently kiss him.

  “I promise.” I lay my head on his chest and smile as he starts to nod off.

  “What’s the secret?” I hear Drew’s raspy voice whisper next to my ear. I look at the clock and see we’ve been asleep for a couple of hours.

  “You heard me? They said you might be able to.” I tilt my head to look at him smiling at me. He squeezes my side gently and tilts his head, obviously awaiting my answer.

  “Maybe I should wait until you’re out of here,” I say quietly, “when you feel better.” I watch as he smiles crookedly due to the minor swelling still left around his mouth. He slowly shakes his head. My heart melts, then starts racing as I realize he’s not going to wait. “But I think I should. You might not like what I have to say.” I bite my lip nervously and he squeezes me again.

  “As long as it’s not that you don’t love me, and don’t want to be with me, I’ll be okay,” he whispers as his eyes bore into mine. I know I have to tell him.

  “Remember New Year’s Eve?” I ask, and watch as he nods, sending me a wicked smile. “Well, we didn’t use any protection, which was my fault because I attacked you and …” I take a deep breath. “I’m pregnant,” I blurt out, and he squeezes me hard.

  “We’re pregnant,” he says, his eyes filled with excitement. “New Year’s right?” He tries to sit up straighter and I curl into him and gently press him back down.

  “Yes, New Year’s, now behave. You’re supposed to be resting and staying calm. Do you want to get me thrown out of here?” I say, giggling at the huge grin on his face.

  “We’re pregnant. You know what that means?”

  “Yes, it means I’m going to get fatter and then in five months we’re going to have a baby.”

  “Yes, that of course. But I need to get out of here so we can get married.” He excitedly whispers.

  “Wait, you don’t have to do that.” I say biting my lip hoping that he ignores what I’ve just said.

  “Are you kidding? I love you and you love me so why wouldn’t we get married? Okay, so I can’t get down on one knee, but Pandora Ann Phillips, will you marry me?” I look at him and tears fill my eyes.

  “Yes! Of course I will.” I feel his arms surround me and his lips touch mine.

  Waking up, I look at the clock. It’s three a.m. I listen for a sound, but nope, no crying. I do hear a muffled voice, so I get out of bed, putting on my slippers and satin robe. I move quietly to the nursery where I hear the voice coming from. Drew is standing by the changing table, expertly putting a diaper around our sweet baby girl.

  So much has happened this past year: Drew and my wild week of passion, our separation, his accident, his recovery, Julie and Kevin’s bundle of joy arriving in July, our wedding, Liam and Jeff off in Australia for a few months, and the birth of our twins, Amanda Lynn and Jason Edward, two of the most beautiful babies in the world.

  “Now, we have to be quiet. Mommy needs her sleep and we don’t want to wake up your brother either. At least not until I have your bottles fixed up. You know how impatient he is when he wakes up hungry. But you, my little angel, you’re the patient one, and you’re such a good girl, aren’t you? Of course, I love you both equally, but I hope you understand that I love your mom the best. She is, after all, the one who gave you guys to me. How was I to know the necklace I gave her last Christmas was a Mexican pregnancy ball?”

  My hand reaches up to my neck to hold the little silver ball that chimes softly when I move.

  “I guess it worked pretty well, huh? We got two for the price of one. Today is going to be a busy day, as it’s your first Christmas. You probably won’t enjoy it much this year, but just wait until next year.”

  I see Mandy watching her father as he talks to her as if she understands every word.

  “We’re going to see all your grandparents and great-grandparents today. Your aunts and uncle too. Now let’s be super quiet and we’ll go get the bottles ready, because I hear your brother moving in the crib.”

  He picks Mandy up and kisses her cheek and she giggles. She keeps on giggling the more he shushes her. He turns and sees me standing in the doorway and his smile—yes, his smexy smile—totally makes me melt. Here we are, our own lucky group of four, and I couldn’t be happier. As I continue watching him tend to our children, a warm sensation washes over me. There’s really nothing hotter in my opinion than a gorgeous man who’s wonderful with kids. I know exactly what we’ll be doing once he finishes feeding our twins—yes, I do.

  There she is, the woman of my dreams, the love of my life. We truly are our own ‘Lucky Number Four’. Judging by her beautiful warm smile, I have a feeling I know what we’ll be doing after I finish up here, and frankly I can’t wait.

  The End

  Amanda Jason is the pen name for Carol Kunz’s New Adult romance novels. She is the C part of the mother and son author duo, C.A. Kunz. The pen name Amanda Jason actually has a special meaning to Carol because it is a tribute to the set of twins she lost many years ago. Carol began her dream of writing when her son, Adam, asked her to write a young adult fantasy novel back in 2011. She couldn’t have been happier to embark on this wonderful journey into the literary world with her son because it was #1 on her bucket list.

  Carol currently lives in sunny Florida with her hubby and her two four-legged fur babies. She takes comfort in the fact that her amazing daughter and son live close by. When she isn’t writing, you can find her walking her yellow Lab or reading a good book. Lucky Number four is the debut novel of Amanda Jason, and it’s been a long time coming. If you would like to find out more about Amanda Jason, please visit the links below:

  Author’s Twitter Account- @AmandaJason13

  Author’s Facebook Page- http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaJason

  Author’s Email- amandajason13@aol.com