Second Chance, Baby

by A. C. Arthur

  That’s the question Ty had been asking himself all day long. What was he trying to prove and who was he trying to prove it to? He turned away from them, taking a deep, steadying breath before admitting, “All of this is for nothing if I don’t have her in my life.”

  “She doesn’t need all of this, bro. She just needs you,” Malcolm said.

  Ty was struggling for his next words when his cell phone rang. He sighed, not wanting to deal with business at this moment.

  Malcolm chuckled. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

  “I’ll get it and tell those money-hungry stuffed shirts you work with to get a life,” Shondra quipped.

  Malcolm tossed her a warning glare. “That’s not professional.”

  She smiled. “No, but I’ll bet it’s effective.”

  The phone was still chirping over his siblings’ comments and Ty pulled it out of the case on his hip. He looked down to an unfamiliar number on the caller ID and decided to go ahead and answer it.

  “Tyson Braddock.”

  “Mr. Braddock, this is Nurse Brockington. I’m calling from Houston General Hospital to let you know that your wife was just admitted.”

  All the air drained from Ty’s lungs as the woman’s words registered in his mind. In the next second, he was running from the office with Malcolm and Shondra hot on his heels.

  “The contractions were coming pretty regularly, Mr. Braddock,” Dr. Franz told him as they stood in the private family room of Houston General Hospital.

  Ty’s fingers contracted and released at his sides. All he could think about on the ride to the hospital was what would happen if Felicia lost this baby. He would be devastated, and she would most likely blame him. Hell, he blamed himself. Hadn’t he been reading about the effects of stress on a pregnancy, especially in the first trimester? He should have known better. He should have been more focused on meeting her every need instead of clenching the deal with Brentwood.

  No, Ty thought, as if light had just begun to dawn on his world, he should have been paying more attention to Felicia and her needs all along.

  She had been telling him, over and over, what she wanted, what she needed. But he hadn’t been listening. He’d been too busy building his business, making his mark. Now, if Felicia lost their child and he lost Felicia, neither the business nor his mark would mean a damned thing.

  “We’ve put her on fluids and one dose of Terbutaline every four hours,” Dr. Franz continued.

  “What’s that?” Shondra asked. She and Malcolm had followed Ty out of the office, and when Ty realized he hadn’t called Deuce for a ride, he told them what was going on. Malcolm had driven like a madman to get there.

  “It’s a medication to stop the contractions. Mrs. Braddock seems to be responding to it well. But she’s not out of the woods yet.”

  “What do you mean? If the medication is working, then what’s the problem now?” Ty asked and felt Malcolm’s steadying hand on his shoulder.

  “Your wife is still early in this pregnancy, Mr. Braddock. For the past month or so she’s been complaining of cramping and generally not feeling well. I’ve been watching her carefully, and I’m afraid that if she continues on this path, she may be restricted to bed for the duration of the pregnancy. It might be the only way to save the fetus.”

  Ty sank into the closest chair. Shondra quickly came to his side and took his hand. “Felicia is a strong woman, Ty. She and the baby are going to be just fine.”

  Ty heard his sister’s words along with the small measure of doubt she tried to hide.

  He looked up at the doctor. “How do I fix this?”

  “Part of the fix is the medication. Another part—the more important part—is that she remain stress free. That whatever has been upsetting her for these past few weeks is resolved.” Dr. Franz looked from Malcolm to Ty. “Mrs. Braddock has not shared her personal life with me, but I’ve seen enough pregnant women to know when one is stressed out. Stress is not good for the mother or the baby. She could develop high blood pressure and that could severely injure the fetus. Or worse, she could go into preterm labor. I know that she works with children and that might be a bit on the stressful side, as well. All I’m saying to you is that she needs lots of rest and lots of calm at this point.”

  The doctor left the room, and Ty buried his face in his hands. “I can’t lose her.” He sighed. “And we can’t lose this baby.”

  They seemed like only words but meant so much more. His heart was hammering in his chest, his temples throbbing. Each breath he took was a labor of the love he feared he might be losing. How could he have been so smart and yet so stupid? Hadn’t his father always put the family first? No way would Harmon have let this happen to his wife, his future.

  “You won’t,” Malcolm said adamantly. “Because you are going to drop everything else and take care of your wife.”

  Malcolm’s words were spoken with such strength and convinction that Ty had to look up at his older brother, who sounded so much like his father.

  “Now pull yourself together and go in that room and assure Felicia that she and your child are going to be just fine.”

  “He’s right,” Shondra added. “She needs you more than ever now, Ty.”

  “But she doesn’t want me, Shawnie.” That was the first time Ty had verbalized his greatest fear. “She left me, not once, but twice. She doesn’t want me in her life, and by being so stubborn and selfish I’ve endangered our child. I should have just let her go.”

  “You don’t mean that,” Shondra said.

  “Don’t even go there, Ty. You are not a quitter,” Malcolm told him sternly. “You love your wife and I’m certain that she still loves you. You’re damned right to stay and fight for her.”

  Dropping his head, Ty heard the words of his siblings. He also heard another voice, from the man who had been his mentor and biggest supporter. Harmon Braddock did not tolerate quitting, and he was a stickler for a man owning up to his mistakes.

  Ty admitted he’d made numerous mistakes where Felicia was concerned. He’d taken her for granted, first and foremost. Never had Tyson Braddock thought his wife would leave him. Not just his wife, but the woman he loved with all his heart, the woman he knew was his soul mate.

  Business had been his priority for so long, it came second only to breathing. Now, with Felicia lying in the hospital and their baby’s life in peril, even breathing didn’t come easily.

  Leaning forward, Ty rested his elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hands. This was not how his life was supposed to turn out. It wasn’t the future he had envisioned. Clearly, his plans had been completely wrong, and it was past time to right them.

  Ty had spent the bulk of his life trying to impress his father, trying to be the man he thought his father would want him to be. But he’d been going about it all wrong. This wasn’t what his father would have wanted for him. Ironically, for the first time in months, Ty was relieved that Harmon Braddock wasn’t here to see the mess he’d made.

  “I will make you proud. I will be what you wanted me to be, live the way you wanted me to live.” Ty remembered saying those words as he’d been the last one standing at his father’s graveside. He’d made Harmon a promise, and he’d be damned if he’d let him down now.

  Ty walked into the room, hearing first the slow murmur of a machine to the right of the bed. Felicia looked pale and lost beneath the voluminous white blankets that covered her and the bed. He closed the door behind him, moving as quietly as he could while keeping his gaze on her closed lids.

  His eyes stung with unshed tears as the full weight of what was going on in his life hit him. Four months ago he’d lost his father, and six months before that he’d almost lost his wife. Through it all he’d continued to work, as if that were his only saving grace. But TJB Investments hadn’t saved a damn thing.

  He was still grieving for his father and still messing things up with his wife. It was time to put an end to this cycle, to bring some kind of balance back into his
life. And it started now.

  He took Felicia’s hand in his, rubbing his fingers over hers, and stopped when he realized she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. His chest clenched as the weight of that hit him. She’d given up on their marriage. Given up on him.

  “I told them not to disturb you,” she whispered weakly.

  Ty swallowed before speaking, looking at her, seeing how tired she now appeared. “Informing me that my wife is in the hospital is not disturbing me.”

  “I knew you were at work.”

  “It doesn’t matter where I was. If you or our child are in danger, I want to know.”

  She pulled her hand away from his. “The doctor says it’s better now. I just have to take this medication for another day or so.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were in pain?”

  “When was I supposed to tell you? When you came home and slipped into bed while I was asleep?”

  She didn’t try to hide the heat of her words, nor their semblance of truth. Ty didn’t blame her.

  “You didn’t want to tell me.”

  Taking a deep breath, she looked away from him. “I just wanted it to go away. I want this baby so much, Ty. The thought of something happening to this child is just too much. I don’t know what I’ll do if—”

  “Shhhh,” he said, putting a finger to her lips. “Don’t think like that. You won’t have to do anything because you and our baby are going to be just fine.”

  “You don’t know that,” she said, turning her head again.

  “I know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make it so.”

  “And now you think that’s enough?”

  There was so much he could have said to her. They could have talked about this, rehashed their situation and blamed each other for the next three to four hours, but that would only make things worse. And Ty was not about to do that. “What I think is that we both need to focus on our child, on what we need to do to secure its health.”

  “That’s easy. You need to go on with your business and I’ll tend to this pregnancy. We need to stay apart. Being with you is just too much for me right now.”

  He heard her words and knew their truth. He heard her hurt and knew her pain. For as much as he wanted to insist that she come back to the penthouse with him, that he take care of her and make things right between them, Ty recognized what he must do.

  Felicia’s happiness and well-being meant more to him than anything else in this world. More than Brentwood or TJB business. More than his need to have his wife in bed with him every night. And so, with great heaviness in his heart, he said, “I understand. But I still love you and I love and want this child more than you will ever know. I’ll give you your space but you can’t expect me to stop caring, to not want updates on you and the baby.”

  “No,” she said as tears slipped slowly down her cheeks. “I don’t expect you to do that.”

  Behind him, the door opened and Ty heard Felicia’s mother and father coming in.

  “Oh, baby. Are you all right? I was so worried all the way over here,” Lydia said. “Hi, Ty. Have you spoken to the doctor?”

  Ty slipped his hands into his pockets and looked over at Marshall and Lydia Turner. He’d known and respected them for years. He could only imagine what they thought of him now.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ve spoken to him. He says that she’s stabilizing but she needs plenty of rest and to keep the stress to a minimum.” As he said the last words, he looked down once again at Felicia. “On that note, I’m going to give you some time alone with your parents.”

  He traced a finger along the last tear that had fallen from her eyes, wiping it away. “But I will be back in the morning.”

  When she didn’t respond, Ty moved across the room. He stopped, shook Marshall’s hand and kissed Lydia on her cheek. “It was good seeing you. And don’t worry, I’m going to fix this.”

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, Ty awoke later than usual. His alarm clock had gone off, jolting him out of the bed as if the house were on fire. He’d cursed, picked it up from the nightstand and hurled it across the room.

  Falling back onto his pillows, he dropped an arm over his eyes and went back to sleep. He felt more tired than he ever had in his life. As if there weren’t enough hours in the day for him to rest.

  In the last hour, he’d only laid in the bed thinking over the events of last night. His wife was in the hospital. His baby in danger. And it was his fault.

  That had been a big pill to swallow, but Ty had never been one to hide from his mistakes. He could be held accountable and would make amends. Felicia had accused him before of taking her for granted, of ignoring her and their marriage. Now, he could see how she’d come to that conclusion.

  He now remembered that she’d often asked if he wanted to start a family with her. He’d never given her a straight answer even though having a family was one of his many goals. Admittedly, he’d wanted to wait a few more years, but at this very moment he couldn’t figure out the reason for that decision.

  He loved Felicia. He wanted her to have his children and for them to be a complete family. Groaning, he realized he’d taken too long to tell her that.

  Now she was sick, and while he wasn’t a doctor, Ty knew what he needed to do to help make her better.

  It was after eight in the morning when he finally climbed out of bed and stumbled into the shower. With a towel wrapped around his waist, Ty sat on the edge of his bed and picked up the phone. His first call was to the labor and delivery unit at Houston General. After speaking with the nurse and obtaining an update on Felicia’s condition, he dialed his office.

  “Good morning, Marsha.”

  “Mr. Braddock. I’ve been calling your cell phone all morning. Mr. Brentwood has called twice and needs to speak to you immediately. He actually wanted to set up a meeting this morning but I wasn’t sure of your schedule since I heard about Mrs. Braddock being admitted to the hospital. How are she and the baby?”

  “Slow down, Marsha,” he said, rubbing a hand over his goatee. “First off, Felicia and the baby are stable this morning. I’m going to be heading over to the hospital within the hour. Second, call Brandon Donovan. His number is in my Rolodex. Brandon is familiar with my plans for Brentwood. Tell him I need him to meet with Brentwood today and get him settled. I’ll call Brandon later to brief him since I want him to handle Brentwood from here on out.”

  “You’re giving Brentwood’s account to someone else?”

  Ty heard the astonishment in his assistant’s voice and couldn’t blame her. In the years since he’d started the company, he’d worked on every account personally from start to finish. He had additional brokers on staff but used them solely to handle mundane tasks. That was going to change.

  “I’m delegating responsibilities. Once Felicia is settled at home, you and I are going to meet to see which brokers are better suited for which accounts. We’re going to restructure TJB.”

  “Okay. I’ll call Mr. Donovan. And I’ll take care of setting up a meeting with Mr. Brentwood. Are you going to call him personally? You know how he’s going to squawk about this change.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll handle Brentwood. If he doesn’t want to go along with this change then he can take his money elsewhere.” Even to his own ears, the words sounded foreign. But Ty had made up his mind. Today was a new day. A new beginning for him and his family.

  Ty went to see Felicia. She looked a little more rested and was eating breakfast when he arrived at the hospital. She hadn’t been thrilled to see him, but she’d seemed to accept that he was there and that he was concerned.

  “How did you sleep?” he asked, knowing that she liked a lot of pillows. There were two pillows behind her head but they looked flat and uncomfortable.

  She shifted a bit, being careful to keep the sheet tucked under her arms as she did. “As well as can be expected.”

  “I can bring you some pillows if you want. And maybe another blanket. This shee
t is terribly thin and they have the air-conditioning up so high it feels like a refrigerator in here.”

  The corner of her mouth turned upward in a tiny smile. “The coolness keeps everything sterile.”

  “And has you freezing your ass off in the process,” he quipped. “So I’ll bring you another blanket and some pillows later today.”

  “Thank you. But, Ty, you really don’t have to bother.”

  “It’s not a bother, Felicia.” It really wasn’t, but he knew it was hard for her to believe that.

  They were quiet for a few minutes. The only sounds in the room were the blood pressure machine that went off every twenty minutes or so and the fetal monitor that had a steady humming sound.

  “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the fetal monitor. He knew what it was, just not exactly what it did.

  Felicia turned in that direction. “It monitors my contractions and the baby’s heart rate.”

  “Really?” he asked, circling the bed until he was standing in front of the machine, then he picked up the strip of paper that emptied out of it at a steady pace.

  “The top line is the baby’s heart rate and the bottom shows the contractions.”

  Ty watched as the tiny needle moved up and down on the paper. The baby’s heart rate was patterned, not too high and not too low, but not a perfect line either. As for Felicia’s contractions, it looked like small peaks and valleys coming at a measured duration.

  “How do you know how far apart they are?” he asked.

  Felicia shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  Ty watched as the line on the bottom went up a little higher. His eyes shot to Felicia’s. “Are you in pain?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m pretty comfortable right now.”

  They both looked up as the door opened and Dr. Franz entered.

  “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Braddock. How are you two this morning?” The older man was quite chipper, Ty noted. He also was not alone. As the doctor entered, so did a nurse, pushing in front of her a machine with lots of cords. Ty’s heart beat quickly. What was going on?