by Tia Siren
The driver hit the switch. The noise of the sirens burst into life. He hit the gas, and I could feel the speed increase. We weaved in and out of the relentless traffic. Stop signs were just a blur as he drove straight through them.
“Thank you,” Evan said. “It’s very much appreciated.”
“A new wing,” the driver said. “Awesome.”
I watched as Evan laughed. With his money, a new wing wasn’t even a dent in his overall wealth. He could build ten full hospitals and still have change. Probably more.
“It means nothing if you don’t get us there quickly. This young woman is more important than anything.”
The EMT in the back was busy slapping my hand, the veins standing as she carefully tried to insert a drip. I felt the prick of the needle as she slipped it under my skin. A small piece of tape secured it in place.
“Your wrist,” the EMT said.
“What?” I asked. “Oh, is it bad?”
“Just a sprain, I think,” she said.
She took a bandage and carefully wrapped it around my hand and arm. I couldn’t move my wrist anymore.
“Don’t force the movement,” she said, smiling. “Keep it straight.”
“Okay, I’ll try my best,” I replied.
Evan leaned toward the EMT. “She’s pregnant and got kicked in the stomach.”
“I’ll let the doctors know,” she said. “They can prepare for some tests.”
My phone began to ring, and Evan pulled it from my pocket and put it on speaker.
“Hello, what are you doing?” Jules said through the phone. “I thought you were going to meet me.”
“Hi, Jules,” I said. “Don’t freak out. I’m on my way to the hospital.”
“Why?” she asked, totally freaking out. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m probably fine,” I said. “I just got kicked in the stomach.”
“I’m coming now,” she said and she hung up.
The ambulance reached the hospital and headed for the emergency doors. A team of nurses and doctors waited outside the door and took over from the EMTs. They wheeled me into the hospital and rushed to the emergency room. The ceiling lights flashed overhead. They formed a hypnotic rhythm as I stared above me.
After hours of tests and palpations, the doctors gave me a clean bill of health apart from a badly bruised wrist.
“What about her being pregnant?” Evan asked.
“We’ll keep her overnight for observation,” the doctor said. He didn’t seem concerned at all.
“Thank you,” Evan said. “Anything she needs, just let me know.”
The nurse wheeled me from the emergency room. Jules was there panicking as I rolled to my room.
“What happened?” Jules asked.
“That crazy bitch I told you about,” I said. “She attacked Evan.”
“And you, a pregnant woman, decided to jump in the fight?” Jules asked.
I grinned, sheepishly. “Well, yeah. I tried to stop her. Nobody messes with my man.”
“And how did you end up here?”
I snorted. “She got lucky. Landed a kick on my stomach.”
“That bitch,” Jules said, fuming. “If I ever see her, she’s gonna get it.”
I smiled at her. “You’ll have to get in line. First, she has to deal with the police. And I’m pretty sure Evan is going to sue her into bankruptcy. And I wouldn’t mind another round with that psycho bitch. After the baby is born.”
Some orderlies wheeled me into a vacant room. The burly orderlies lifted me from the stretcher and placed me down gently on the bed. Under better circumstances, I could get used to this kind of treatment. I felt like a princess.
A few moments later, the doctor arrived and took my charts from the end of the bed. “Piper?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“What about the baby?” Evan asked, worried.
“There were no significant signs of trauma. Her bloodwork is good. Everything looks positive.” The doctor’s expression seemed hopeful.
Jules and Evan looked at each other with concern and turned to the doctor in unison. They spoke at the same time, stepping on each other’s words. The one word they both said, almost at the same time, was “ultrasound.”
The doctor nodded at them patiently. “It’s standard procedure to take an ultrasound once the patient has left emergency. Once we know there are no other complications. Then we’ll have her checked out.”
“Okay, thank God for that,” Jules said.
I was going to have an ultrasound. I was unsure if anything would show that quickly. At least it saves me a trip to the doctors to find out.
“I’ll get the nurse to come and fetch Piper in a moment,” the doctor said.
He filled in the charts. “Try to get some rest,” the doctor said.
“Okay, I’ll try,” I replied, thankful.
“For now, Piper may be more comfortable if you both left the room,” he said, looking at Jules and Evan.
“Not a chance,” Evan said. “I’m staying put. That is my baby, and I want to make sure it’s okay.”
I’d been watching Evan since we were in the ambulance. He had showed a lot of concern and checked my stomach, nearly every few minutes on the way to the hospital. And a new wing. He had offered to build one, and I could see he meant it.
If Evan had showed this kind of devotion when I told him I was pregnant, maybe I wouldn’t be in this position. Evan sat on the edge of the bed and held my hand as we waited for the nurses to arrive. I tried to calm his nerves. I was sure he was more agitated and worried than I was feeling at that moment.
The nurses arrived, and I was placed in a wheelchair. I gripped Evan’s hand as he walked beside me. We approached the room for the ultrasound. Jules had to remain outside, but Evan could come in with me as the father.
“I’m scared, Evan,” I said.
“Not as scared as I am. I’m petrified. I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”
I gripped his fingers and looked deeply into his eyes. “Now we find out for sure,” I said with a smile.
“I’m sure everything is going to be okay. It’s more of a precaution, baby.”
I was helped from the wheelchair onto the bench. The nurse lifted my top and covered me in cold gel. I heard the doctor walk into the room.
“Right, let’s see what we have here, shall we?” he said.
The doctor lifted my gown and ran the scanner over my belly. Evan gripped my hand tight as the images began to appear on the screen. I was amazed; the black and white images were what was inside me. I saw Evan, and he was mesmerized at what was on the screen. I’d forgotten he had a lot of experience with health and fitness with his apps.
“Well so far, everything seems to be fine,” the doctor said. “Oh, yes, there you go. That’s, oh, I wasn’t expecting that. Everything is more than fine.”
“Are you sure?” Evan asked.
The doctor looked at Evan and me.
“When did you know you were pregnant?” the doctor asked.
“Monday,” I replied.
He nodded his head and mumbled to himself. “I’m surprised you never noticed before,” the doctor said, smiling.
“Why?” I asked.
“It looks like you’re a lot further along than you think,” he replied.
What about your cycle at the beach house?
“But I had bleeding; IfiguredI was on my cycle,” I replied.
“That may have just been some vaginal bleeding,” he explained. “It’s quite common.”
I wondered why it was lighter than normal and didn’t last as long.
“How long have you been together?” the doctor asked.
Evan looked at me, and I looked at him. We smiled. From what the doctor said, I must have become pregnant the first night we’d been together.
The doctor finished his scan and cleaned the gel from my belly.
“I’m happy to say it all looks perfectly normal, and
the babies look healthy,” he explained.
“Excuse me,” Evan said. “Did you say babies, as in plural?”
“Yes, it looks like you’re the proud parents of twins,” he said.
We are having twins?
I watched Evan as he stood there motionless. That blank expression appeared on his face again. Was he upset? I couldn’t imagine that was it. He’d just seemed so happy that the baby was all right. Was it because he’d gotten me pregnant the first time we got back together? Before I even signed the contract? I had not actually been bound by any of the constraints or limitations that were listed. The arguments we had had because of that damned piece of paper actually meant nothing.
I laid there and wondered what Evan was thinking. Was he scared I might hit him with threats of support? Just like the other crazy woman did, earlier this afternoon.
“Evan, you have no reason to worry,” I said. “I’ll be fine with the twins.”
Without a word, Evan turned and walked out of the room.
Um, okay.
Chapter 37
Evan
Piper stayed in the hospital overnight. They’d said I wasn’t allowed to stay with her so she could get some well-earned rest. I’d tossed and turned all night thinking of how she had ended up in the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital, and the nurses had already helped her into a wheelchair. They slowly wheeled her outside where I was waiting with the car. We had arranged for her to stay at my house so she could rest much easier than at her apartment.
I had listened to what Piper said at the hospital. She would be fine with twins. It seemed she wouldn’t have space in her life for me. I left Piper sleeping upstairs and decided to call Tyler, to bring him up to speed on all the recent craziness.
“Tyler, it’s me,” I said.
“So then, big guy, am I supposed to congratulate you now?” he asked.
“To be honest, I’m not so sure at the moment,” I said. “We went to the hospital, and we found out we are having twins.”
“That’s a handful, but I get to congratulate you on being a father, again,” Tyler replied, laughing.
“We also found out that Piper became pregnant before we had the contract drawn up,” I said. “So she’s not bound by any of it.”
“Bad timing from the sound of it,” he said. “So now you have no control over anything.”
“No, I want to be in their life, but I’m not sure she is willing to have me. I’ve realized what I had been missing out on all these years. I have been stupid all the way through.”
“Well, you know as well as anyone, if the contract was not binding, you’re winning. She won’t be able to prevent you from having access. And you should be able to be part of their lives and see them grow up.”
“I’m not sure she wants me in their life, at all. I don’t want to fight or argue. I’m tired of it all.”
“Like I said, she can’t stop you. You don’t have to argue about it. Just state your case. Piper is reasonable. And she has given you ten years!”
Tyler and I chatted more, and my mind wandered off. It was good he could chat for a while without being interrupted. Never in all my life could I imagine that I would have children. At least, not children I wanted to be a part of my life. The thought had never occurred to me. Now, there are twins to consider, and her. So, it’d be like a triple loss if she doesn’t want me around.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be there for them. I wanted to be their father and watch them grow up. I wanted Piper, too. To deny me all that would be heartless and cruel. I was amazed that Piper could even consider that as an option. If it was true, I had to respect that wish. Now I had lost everything. Baby Maker had come to an end. I had lost the one woman I really loved and wanted to give everything to. Not only would I lead a lonely life, but it would be without them.
“Tyler, I feel like I have been tricked,” I said.
“Why, Evan?” he asked.
“Twins. Piper got everything she wanted in life, multiplied by two.”
“Surely, there has to be more than that going on,” Tyler said.
“There has to be. She’s the only woman I have ever loved. Period. And I know she feels the same way about me. She just has to. I can feel it.”
“What are you going to do?” Tyler asked.
“I think I better go and talk to her properly; I have to know where I stand,” I said.
“Get to it, big fella,” Tyler said. “Do what’s right, man.”
“I’ll speak to you later.”
I hung up the phone and sat thinking. I had to get my facts straight before I presented my case to Piper. Because so far, I had made a complete mess of everything. I’d either not said the correct thing, not said anything, or misunderstood what she had been telling me. I was surprised she had put up with me at all. I had made everything hard work. I needed to put it right. Again.
How many times had I done this? I’d lost count. The more I tried to do the right thing, the more I got it wrong. I gathered my thoughts. This was my last chance with Piper. I wasn’t going to make a mistake this time. I was going to do it right. I was going to put things right. Everything.
I took a few deep breaths and stood up. I walked quietly upstairs and walked toward my bedroom. I quietly opened the bedroom door and poked my head inside. Piper sat up in bed, reading.
“There’s no need for you to sneak around,” she said, giggling. “It’s your house.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you if you were sleeping,” I said.
“Come on in, I’m obviously awake,” she said, laughing.
I walked into the bedroom and climbed on the bed next to Piper. I rolled to face her and rested my head on my hand. My heart raced, and I panicked that I wasn’t going to be able to say what I needed to say.
“What did you want? You didn’t just come to see if I was asleep.” She knew my heart well.
“You’re right,” I said. “I need to talk to you before I explode.”
“Sounds important.”
“It is. It’s about us.”
Piper put her book on the bedside table and rolled over to face me. I looked deep into her eyes and felt her calming influence wash over me. I was ready. With her subconscious support, I could do this.
“Come on then,” she said. “Tell me all about it, Evan.”
“I just want to say, I’m so sorry for everything that has gone on,” I said.
“If this is an apology, we’re going to be here for a while,” she said, smiling. “This could be a huge, long apology.”
“It’s more than that; this is everything I have to say. I want to put it to bed, once and for all.”
Come on, Evan, spit it out.
“I’m listening.” Her perfect eyes made me feel safe.
“I went about everything the wrong way,” I said. “With the contract and all my stipulations. I should never have even thought about it.”
“That makes sense, but I had to do it to be with you,” Piper said.
“The biggest thing I want to say is,” I paused.
“This must be a big thing for you?” she asked. She knew I was nervous.
“Well, you know when I said I didn’t want to be a father?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she replied.
“That wasn’t exactly correct,” I said with a grin.
“So, what are you trying to say now?” she asked, waiting.
“The day we found out you were pregnant, I left your apartment,” I said.
“Yes, you did,” she replied, her expression darkening.
“I know you were thinking I wasn’t interested.”
“It had crossed my mind,” she said, her eyes narrowing at me. “And may have made me cry for a week.” She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry for that,” I said. “Just add it to my sorry list.” I couldn’t suppress a grin.
“Just shut the fuck up and tell me the other part, for goodness sakes,” she said and slappe
d me on the arm.
I was getting distracted, and I was so glad Piper had slapped me. It brought me back to reality.
“I was in total shock,” I said. “You were lucky I was able to say anything.”
“So, you weren’t upset that I was pregnant?”
“Hell no,” I said, smiling. “I barely made it to the car before I cried my eyes out with happiness and was banging on the steering wheel with joy.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you come back upstairs? You fool, Evan!”
“I didn’t want you to see me like that. I know. I’m a dumbass sometimes. And you know that, too. I was one for ten years, don’tforget.”
“Oh, I haven’t,” she said, grinning.
“When you said the words, ‘I’m pregnant,’ I knew I wanted to be a father,” I said. “I wanted to be in your life and in our baby’s life.”
“Is that so?”
“Piper Hogan, you have been the only girl I have ever loved, my dream girl,” I said, smiling.
“After ten years, you finally get around to saying it?” She rolled her eyes, teasing me. “And you’ve kept that to yourself all this time? You really are a dumbass.”
I nodded and laughed. “I can’t argue with that. But you have to admit, once I get going, there’s no stopping me.”
Piper sat up and pulled me closer to her. I looked deep into her eyes and brushed the hair from her shoulders. I thought I’d explained things the right way for once. I hadn’t lost my temper or gotten things wrong. Now was the time for me to show my devotion to her. To the woman I’ve always loved.
I placed my hand on her cheek and locked my lips onto hers. Piper threw her arms around me and locked me in a full embrace. I could tell she was after more than just a kiss. I wondered if having sex with her could cause any harm. Now with the babies growing inside her.
I was aroused, and I could see Piper wanted more. Was it safe? I didn’t want to hurt her.
“Evan, make love to me,” she cooed.
“You should be careful, you know, in your condition.”
“You’re safe,” she said. “I’m not breakable, you know?”
Piper slowly opened the buttons on her pajama top. “I’m part of a strong trio,” she said, with a seductive smile.
