Touched

by Vicki Green

  “Angel, listen. It’s a…”

  “I tried to stop him, Jade. I’m sorry but he just bolted through the door. Do you want me to call…?” Mom tried to speak but I can’t talk, I’m so hurt, and so angry that I may snap at her.

  I yank my arm free and run to the front door. Turning my head, I give him a stern look. “Don’t call me Angel.” I run down the front stairs and into the beating rain. I start to jog down the sidewalk and notice a black SUV sitting at the curb and can make out Ralph and Emerson sitting in it. The rain is pelting me. My hair already soaked as well as my clothes when I’m jerked back and almost fall. Swiftly, I turn and yank my arm free again. “Leave me the fuck alone, you asshole!”

  His face morphs into anger and I turn to run away but he grabs me around my waist and holds on tightly. “Don’t run from me dammit! Hear me out!” he growls into my ear. Thunder roars and lightening brightens the sky but only for a second as we yell at each other trying to out shout the loud sounds of the storm, the entire time I’m struggling to get free of his hold.

  I keep struggling in his arms but to no avail. “Fucking let me go, you bastard! You lied to me! You told me no one else ever meant anything yet you get one of your many whores pregnant? Fucking asshole! I hope you enjoyed that fuck, you prick!” I scream still trying to break free. His arms leave my waist and turn me around suddenly but keeping a firm grasp on my upper arms. Even being this close, I can barely see him through the streaming rain pour down my head and my face, my body shaking with the chilled temperature and out of anger.

  “Listen to me dammit! That’s not my baby and that wasn’t my signature on that paper. She forged it, Jade. I would never do that to you. To us. She’s just one of many trying to get my money. I’ve always used protection before, always! The only one I didn’t use any with is you. I’ve already had a restraining order filed against her. There’s no one but you. Never. Please.” His face changes to fear and his voice choking with his tears. “Please, please don’t leave me. I’ll die without you. Please…” My eyes close tightly and I scream out as a piercing pain shoots through my stomach, and I double over, his arms still on mine. “Jade? Angel? What’s wrong? Your stomach?” I barely nod and my arms wrap around my waist, my hearts beating so rapidly I feel like I may throw up then my scream becomes louder than the thunder. My legs begin to buckle, and my eyes close.

  § § § §

  My heart stops as she collapses in my arms. Quickly, I lift her lifeless body, Ralph and Emerson emerging from the car and running over towards us. I carry her against the raging wind back to her house, her mom screaming and crying once we get inside. “Oh my God! Jade!”

  “Go… Go call an ambulance, Teresa. Hurry!” I yell but choking on my words. She runs out of the room, and I carry my love into the living room, laying her gently on the couch. “Get blankets!” I scream out into the room. She’s freezing, dripping wet and her lips are a very light blue. With her paled skin she looks almost like she’s dead. I press my fingers against her throat looking for a pulse when Teresa runs into the room, phone against her shoulder, and throws blankets my way. I quickly cover Jade up, tucking the blankets tightly in around her, but she doesn’t move.

  “Yes! Please hurry!” she screams. She looks down at Jade and then at me, tears in her eyes and her face full of worry. “What happened?” She begins wringing her hands and breathing heavily.

  “We were arguing. She… All of a sudden she screamed out in pain, grabbing her stomach.” I look back at my love, fear washing over me, and I close my eyes briefly. “The baby.”

  I look back at Teresa and cringe when she makes the sign of the cross with her hand over her heart. “Oh my God.”

  My head turns towards the front door when I hear the sounds of siren, the rain beating against the windows and the loud thunder causing them to be muffled. Teresa runs to the door, opens it and stands waiting to hurry them in, the wind gusting through and blowing her hair into her face. I move the blankets up and under Jade’s chin trying to help keep out the coldness and turn when two burly paramedics quickly run into the house, carrying large medical duffle bags. One of them squats down next to me and feels Jades neck for a pulse while the other sets his bag down on the floor near us and begins rummaging through it. Everything starts happening so fast that I can’t move and just watch my love and swallowing the huge lump in my throat, the fear of losing her consuming me.

  “Sir, please tell me her name and what happened” The man next to me asks in a rush.

  “Jade Morley. We were outside having an argument and she just screamed out in pain, holding her stomach.” He looks at me and nods, and I give him a concerned look. “She’s about five maybe six weeks pregnant. I don’t know, I…” My fingers thread roughly through my hair out of frustration.

  “No problem, sir.” He turns his head and yells at the other man. “Fred! Possible miscarriage. Let’s get her out of here.”

  All the blood drains in my face, my heart plummeting at his words. No, this can’t happen. It can’t! The other man quickly runs from the house returning a few minutes later with a gurney, and I stand as I watch them lift Jade onto the bed, strapping her in and start to take her away from me. “Wait!” They stop dead and look at me. “I need to be with her.” Fred nods, and they start to roll the bed to the front door, stopping to throw a plastic tarp over her to keep out the rain. I look over at Ralph and Emerson, who both are showing their concern to the girl who has taken all our hearts and nod at Ralph. “Take Teresa to the hospital, follow the ambulance and I’ll see you there.” I run behind Jade’s moving bed and stand at the back of the ambulance watching the paramedics load her and then secure it inside, quickly removing the tarp from her still body and jump in back, sitting down as close as I can get to my Angel.

  As the ambulance moves I watch them work on my love, setting up an IV, checking her heartbeat and pulse as my heart beats so fast in fear. I’m pushed aside at the Emergency Room when they take her away, Ralph physically having to hold me back from following them and leading me to a waiting room. I can’t sit. I can’t stand still so I begin pacing back and forth in the small room. Teresa sits in a chair weeping while Emerson blocks the doorway not allowing anyone to enter. A few minutes later he allows a young nurse into the room who is carrying a set of scrubs, handing them to me with a smile and telling me I need to change from my wet clothes before I catch pneumonia. I wouldn’t care so much for myself, but I know I need to be well to take care of Angel. She’ll need my strength once she learns she’s miscarried for the second time in her young life only this time the baby was made out of love, and it will devastate her even worse than before. It’s already broken my heart in two. But as long as she is ok, that’s all that matters to me. We can have more children but Jade: she’s my life.

  After changing in the bathroom and stuffing my wet clothes into a plastic bag the nurse provided, I’m back in the small room pacing again. I’m about to go crazy with worry when a doctor appears at the doorway. Turning abruptly I walk straight over to him, Teresa right behind me and stop short.

  “Miss Morley is doing very well although she is running a fever. I will continue the IV feeding her fluids but the pain in her abdomen is gone and I feel that she will have a full recovery in a couple of days but she needs to be kept calm. I’m sorry the baby…” My knees begin to buckle, Ralph and Emerson at my side immediately as I push my hand against the wall to keep from falling. They each grab an arm and take me to the nearest chair, but I still almost fall as I sit. The tears I’d been holding back come quickly now. “Mr…” My eyes move up to the doctor now standing in front of me, but he’s blurry through my tears, and I hear Ralph speak my name. The doctor squats down so I can look at him better through my tears, and I try to brush them away but more follow. “Mr. Dunway. The baby is highly stressed as well. This has caused Miss Morley some pain as well as a little bleeding but the baby is fine.” I blink rapidly at his news, and the shock renders me speechless. He smiles and stands.
“She needs to stay away from stress and be kept calm. Stress can play an important part to some women’s pregnancies, causing problems and can lead to a miscarriage. I recommend she see her OB as soon as she is released. I also suggest more liquids. She is a little dehydrated which is not good for her or the baby.” I let out a huge breath of relief, and he pats my shoulder. “All’s well for now but I’ll keep a close eye on them while she’s here. You can see her in a few minutes.” Closing my eyes, I nod, and he leaves the room.

  Teresa sits down beside me, and my arm instinctively moves around her shoulder, and she lays her head on my shoulder. “Thank God. Thank you God.” She makes another sign of the cross over her heart, and my tears begin again. Her arm moves around behind me and hugs me tightly, and I watch as her face turns up to me with a big smile. “They’re going to be ok, Knox. Our Jade and your baby are going to be ok.” I nod but cannot speak as the lump in my throat will not allow it.

  Ralph went and got us all some coffee as we wait to go to Jade’s room when they inform us but my anxiousness is getting the better of me, and the coffee is definitely not helping. Finally, about an hour later a nurse shows up smiling and letting us know we can follow her to Jade’s room but reminding us that we need to keep her calm once she awakens. She informs us that Jade was given a mild sleep aid, that she is exhausted and still running a fever. We all nod in understanding but all I can think about is holding my Angel in my arms and never letting go. When I walk into her room, the first thing I notice is how small she is in the tiny bed, then how pale she still looks and her hand laying on the bed with the tube coming out from the top of it. As I walk closer to her bed, I can see the beads of sweat on her forehead from the fever and grab the closest chair pulling it up as close as I can get to her. I take her warm and damp hand in mine and kiss her fingers, one by one. Just to look at her, to know our baby is ok, is causing my tears to come again from relief. I look up long enough to see Teresa sit in the chair on the other side of the bed and take Jade’s other hand in hers, and then I turn back to look at my Angel’s face again. Right then, right there, I swear to myself that she will want for nothing. I will make sure she drinks plenty of water and eats healthy foods. I will keep all stress away from her and our princess. I swear it on my own life.

  We sit there for hours. Jade never stirring, when finally, Teresa decides to head home and get some rest. I convince her that I’ll call her as soon as Jade wakes up, and she kisses me on my cheek on the way out. After another couple of hours of silence, my eyes grow heavy from the days stress, worry and tears, so I lay my head down on the bed, my Angel’s hand still in mine and thinking I’ll just rest them for a bit. I don’t want to fall asleep knowing that she could awaken at any time, and I need to be here for her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  My eyes roll around behind their lids, and I’ve had the weirdest dream. They feel wet as well as my face, but I’m too tired to open them. I feel weak, and like I could sleep for days when they open quickly still only seeing darkness. My heart pains, fear rising inside as my dream becomes reality. “No,” my whisper not heard. “No!” I try to make a fist but there’s something around mine not allowing me to clench. Looking down I see dark hair, some fallen over the side of Knox’s gorgeous face and his eyes are closed as he sleeps. My eyes follow over to our hands clasped together and a tube protruding from the top of mine, and I keep looking up and then around the dark room. A hospital room. Fear starts swelling in my heart and soul, and the intense realization that it wasn’t a dream, and I begin to scream. “MY BABY! MY BABY! NOOOOOOOO!”

  Knox is leaning over me quickly, my hand still trying to pull out of his and finally, my other hand moves on top of my flat stomach. “Angel! Jade! Calm down, sweetheart!” I look at him in disbelief. Does he not know I lost the baby? Is this still a dream and why can’t I wake up? He turns his head when the door opens, but I keep screaming and moving around in the bed, trying to get up, when a nurse runs over to where I can see.

  “Knox! I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. Oh my God!” My chest is heaving with my rapid breaths and my heart beating so fast, but I can’t seem to stop it. I’ve lost his princess and she was made out of our love, together. I’ll never forgive myself. He sits down on the bed, still holding my hand but much softer now, his other hand pushing back my hair, over and over.

  “Shhhh, my love. Everything’s fine. Princess is fine,” he whispers.

  My eyes grow wide as my brows deepen. “Wha… What?” I whisper as I pant.

  “She’s fine, Angel. You didn’t miscarry. She’s healthy and now we just need to get her mommy healthy.” His smile is sincere and as loving as the gleam in his eyes.

  “But I thought…” I’m so confused. I remember the burning pain in my stomach that hurt so badly I doubled over, but then I don’t remember anything else.

  “Angel, the doctor said it was caused by stress and you’re a little dehydrated as well. Please stay calm for me. Here.” He leaves my full sight for a moment and returns with a cup. “Drink some water.” My throat is a little dry but I’m still trying to make sense of it all. “Please? Drink for me and princess.” Nodding a little, he brings the cup up to my mouth, and I drink more than I thought I would. I’m really thirsty. “Good girl.” Finally, I have had enough, and he takes the cup away. He’s back over me, his hand turned over and pressing it against my forehead, his brows are deep in worry. “You’ve been running a fever and you’re still pretty warm.”

  My eyes look into his, and I frown. “I don’t feel very good.”

  “I know, Angel. I’m going to take better care of you. You think I was bad before with worrying? You haven’t seen anything yet.” He chuckles, and I let out a small laugh.

  “The baby’s ok, right?” I have to make sure I heard him correctly, and that I wasn’t still dreaming. It felt so real.

  He brings my hand up and kisses the top, right next to the IV and smiles. “She’s perfect. The doctor said her heartbeat was very strong. She’s a fighter and strong, just like her mommy.”

  My smile can’t be contained. “She.” He nods as he continues to smile and kisses my hand again. “You’re so sure.”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything except my love for you.” He settles more on the bed, his arm on the other side of my legs as he still holds my hand. “She’ll look just like her mommy, have her badass attitude and magnificent self-defense skills. All the boys will be afraid of her.” I bust out in laughter. “She’ll be as tender and as loving as her mommy but she won’t be quite as beautiful because no one is as gorgeous as her mommy.”

  “Awwww. You’re so sweet,’ I whisper.

  “It’s true.” He looks down at our hands then back at me. “Can you keep calm if I tell you something?” My insides feel turmoil, but I need to be strong so our baby doesn’t suffer anymore. I nod and straighten a little. “I don’t know how much you remember of our conversation before you collapsed but… Maria? I have a restraining order against her. She is not, I repeat, she is not carrying my child. She’s just trying to get my money. It’s happened before with another woman I’d slept with, someone in my past, Angel. There could be more out there that will try anything to get my money especially now that you’re in my life. Jealousy is a mean bitch.” A tear falls from my eyes, and he quickly brushes it away. “Please know, all those women, I never cared about, never loved and really don’t even remember most of their faces or names. They were all a dream, a dream that meant nothing to me.” I swallow hard and nod. “Please believe that there is only you. There’s ever only been you.”

  I manage to sit up, and he brings me into his strong arms. I silently weep into his chest. I cry for him, for us and for almost losing our baby. He moves me back until I am laying against the bed again. “Angel. You feel so warm. Let me call the nurse.”

  My free hand moves up to my forehead, and I feel more than warm to me. “Yes, please. I really don’t feel well.”

  It’s not long before the nurse comes in, tak
es my temperature and pushes another needle into the top of my IV. Before she’s even left the room my eyes close, and I feel weightless.

  “Knox. My baby.” I feel weak and nauseated and so hot. I try to push the covers off, but something’s stopping them from moving. I slowly open my eyes a little and see Knox in the dim light, sitting in a chair beside the bed, his hand holding the top of the covers up, so I can’t budge them. “I’m hot.”

  “I know, sweetheart, but the doctor said you need to stay covered. He was just in here checking on you a few minutes ago. He said your fever is starting to break and you need to keep warm.” He let’s go of the covers and reaches over to get my water, bringing it to back to me. Raising my head a little, with the help of his strong hand behind my neck, my lips envelope the straw and I drink until I can’t anymore and finally lay my head back against the pillow. “That’s my girl. Now, try to sleep. It’s good for you and princess.” I can’t help but smile at him, weakly. He’s so cute when he talks about his princess. I sure hope we do have a girl or I’m not sure what he’ll do.

  I awaken this morning, feeling a ton better, almost like nothing had happened although I am a bit sore. Knox is still sitting by my side when I open my eyes, and his gleaming smile glistens in the sunlight coming in through the blinds. “Morning, my love. How do you feel this glorious day?”

  His smile is contagious, and I can’t stop mine from forming. “I actually feel pretty good but a little sore. May I have a drink of water?” His smile grows even wider at my request, and as I push the button and raise the back of the bed a little, I’m rewarded with a fresh cup. I take it in my hands and push the straw into my mouth, sucking in the delicious wetness.

  “You look much better today, my love. You’re skin has its pink glow back and your eyes have more life in them. I’m so glad,” he says as he takes my cup back and returns it to the side table.