Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
E ntering A even in her sleep, drug induced sleep she was protecting him, taking care of him and keeping him safe, although Jon was still convinced that this baby was a girl. Suddenly, he felt guilty that he had forgotten about their baby, he hadn’t even told the staff that she was pregnant when they’d first arrived.
“Uh,” Steph moaned, breaking his thoughts. “Please,” she cried as her puffy eyes opened slightly and she sat up abruptly.
“Hey darling,” he said gently as he got to his feet and reached for her.
“Baby!” she cried, “My baby.”
“Ssh,” he said wrapping her in his arms, kissing her head. “The baby’s fine, absolutely fine,” he told her feeling guilty again for ‘forgetting’ him, her.
“Jon,” she gasped and immediately began to cry, seemingly still disorientated as Mr Burrows had explained.
Holding her tightly, rocking her gently, Jon was unsure what else to do, or what to say, so said nothing until she was calm again.
“You okay?” he asked, making sure she was comfortable on her pillows then brushed her hair back off her face.
“Just tired, dizzy,” she said with a weak smile. “My skins still tight and itchy, but okay. Is Jason alright? He was with me at the office.”
“He’s fine, worried about you, but in fairness he was a God send at the office, taking care of you.”
“Good, can I have a drink?” she asked with a cough.
“Two minutes darling, let me go and ask.”
Less than a minute later Jon returned. “They want to keep you in overnight and are trying to find you a bed.”
“I want to go home, I don’t want to stay here, I’m scared,” Steph said, crying again as Mr Burrows reappeared with another doctor and Cameron.
“Is everything alright?” Jon looked at his father.
“Fine,” smiled Mr Burrows. “This is Mr Johnson, he’s an obstetric consultant here and wants to reassure you that your baby is fit and well,” he explained.
“Hey, Steph,” said Cameron, reaching her side and hugging her warmly. “Lucy sends her love and your family are outside, waiting to see you. We okay here?” he asked addressing Jon for a reply about Steph’s emotional state.
“I was just explaining that you want to keep Steph in overnight and she became a little upset, she wants to go home.”
“Ah,” smiled Mr Burrows sympathetically. “How about we compromise then young lady; I find you a bed here within the next hour in which time we will run some more bloods and Mr Johnson will give Junior Junior the once over and if everything is as it should be and I haven’t got you a bed you can go home with your very overprotective husband, but if I find you a bed, which is no mean feat, you stay until tomorrow. Do we have a deal?”
“Yes, thank you,” Steph agreed thinking she would be out of there in an hour. She was still smiling at the doctor’s reference to Junior Junior making Jon just Junior.
“Once your baby has been given the once over again we should be able to let your family in.”
“Thank you,” Steph said again.
“I’ll see you in an hour then,” he smiled before turning to leave.
Jon followed him and once out of earshot spoke, “Do you think you can find her a bed because there is no way in an hour she will stay if there’s not a bed for her and as much as I want my wife at home, I’m worried that she ought to be here. She’s stubborn.” Jon’s words made the other man laugh at him.
“She’s a woman, of course she’s stubborn. I love to see newlywed men thinking their wife is uniquely complicated. I am sure they were all put on this earth to confuse us men, but I have a bed for her already. I figured she was used to making deals, so . . .”
“So you manipulated her.” Jon grinned with admiration.
“Maybe a little. Your father told me about the possible source of her threat and about your security fears, so she will be up on the fourth floor in a side ward off the main medical ward. Meaning if you want some security presence that shouldn’t be an issue and I will discharge her in the morning if she’s well.”
“Thank you,” Jon said with genuine gratitude. “I am happy to pay for the bed and the service Steph’s received today.”
With a wave Mr Burrows dismissed the offer, “Unnecessary, but if you can get me the name of her allergy consultant and her obstetrician, then I will advise them.”
“Thank you,” repeated Jon as Steph called to him. “It seems I’m required,” he said with a grin for the other man.
Returning to Steph, Jon found the curtain pulled around them and Mr Johnson setting up a mobile scanner to check on Jelly Bean.
“I’ll pop back later,” offered Cameron but Steph shook her head.
“It’s not necessary, you’re welcome to stay, meet your next grandchild,” she offered.
“If you’re sure,” he said beaming suddenly.
“Right then let’s get this baby on screen and see how he’s doing.” The doctor began to explain that following her anaphylaxis the greatest risk to the baby was the drop in blood pressure that usually occurs. However, as Steph’s blood pressure had been high that might have worked to the baby’s advantage.
It only took a couple of minutes to see the baby on the screen but it seemed a lot longer, and longer still before they heard a very loud and strong heartbeat.
“Lovely, nice and strong. You have yourself a tough little cookie here,” Mr Johnson told them.
“He’s sucking his thumb again,” Steph said and began to cry once more.
“Darling, you really need to try and stay calm,” Jon told her.
“Can you see what sex it is?” Cameron asked.
“I’m not looking, but I can if you want to know, unless you already do.”
“No, we didn’t want to, although,” Steph began.
“What?” asked Jon.
“I think maybe I’d like to know, if only to make you realise that you can’t be right about everything,” Steph replied.
“I think it’s a girl,” Jon explained.
“I think it is too,” Steph chipped in. “Or a boy,” she added making the three men laugh at her.
“Good guess, Mrs Brooker,” Jon teased. “If you want to know we can find out.” He landed a single kiss on Steph’s head.
“Really, you wouldn’t mind?” she asked excitedly.
“Not if it makes you happy and encourages you to start spending on Jelly Bean because our baby’s nursery is bare and he, or she appears to have next to nothing to wear.”
“Okay then, if you could,” Steph said to Mr Johnson.
“Are you sure . . .” began Cameron.
“Dad, pull up a seat and prepare to say hello to your granddaughter.” Jon grinned smugly.
“You’re that confident?” Steph asked.
“Always darling.”
“It can be trickier as the pregnancy progresses with there being more baby and less space,” Mr Johnson explained, “But let’s see what we have, so, there’s the little thumb sucker, head, arms, hands, fingers, body, legs and very wiggly feet,” laughed the doctor at the image on screen rather than Steph’s belly that was jumping all over the place. “And this is where it gets interesting because if this baby has its legs crossed and no it doesn’t, oh dear Mummy and Daddy, and Grandaddy, legs akimbo for this young lady!”
“A girl, she’s a girl,” Jon said in total awe.
“Yes she is, no doubt,” grinned the doctor.
“We’re having a baby girl,” Jon told Steph who was staring at the screen and then to Jon,
“Yes, oh bloody hell you are going to be so smug that you knew.”
Cameron laughed before congratulating them both and cautiously asked, “Is this a secret or can I share my granddaughter’s existence with Lucy.
“Maybe just Lucy for now,” Steph suggested and then began to laugh. “So we’re going to have a daughter who appears to be a bit of a floosy with her legs akimbo as the doctor said, Lindsay is going to be thrilled.”
“No, no!” Jon said firmly making Steph laugh even more. “And over my dead fucking body. Jelly Bean you are going to be a good girl, sweet and innocent and never go near nasty boys,” he told Steph’s belly.
Steph stared up at her husband and smiled fondly before allowing a slightly cruel glint enter her eyes, “Jon,” she said gaining his attention, “You do know that if you ask my dad he’ll say that I’m a good girl, sweet and innocent and you’re swearing in front of her again.”
“Shit, don’t tell me that darling because your dad is seriously off the fucking mark if he has you down as sweet and innocent which is how you come to be in this state in the first place, and I’ve had a shock, so I couldn’t help but swear, but I am sorry, Jelly Bean,” he said leaning down to Steph’s belly that was clean of the gel now.
As soon as his lips touched her belly Jelly Bean began doing somersaults by the feel of it thought Steph but giggled as Jon littered her skin with kisses for their baby, their daughter.
“Sorry, baby, but Mummy made me say bad words. You’re going to be a good girl aren’t you? Daddy’s princess,” he said kissing the middle of Steph’s bump that was flexing and tightening uncomfortably so. “Yes, you are already gaga for Daddy’s kisses aren’t you?”
“You are in serious trouble here,” Cameron told Steph as he laughed watching his son’s emotional declarations to his unborn daughter.
“In every sense of the word,” she replied rubbing her belly, trying to ease the uncomfortable tightening.
It was the following afternoon before Steph was discharged and as they arrived home she felt anxious, nervous and scared at what the future held for her after such a deliberate attack on her, her and Jelly Bean, Jelly Bean who needed a real name, a girl’s name.
“Come on darling, let’s get you inside.”
Getting out of the car, Steph watched the front door open to reveal Tilda, their housekeeper, cleaner, whatever she was really.
Jon took Steph’s hand and led her into the house where there was fresh tea, coffee and muffins waiting for them. Tilda passed a few moments and then took herself off somewhere affording them some privacy.
Steph knew that there were security personnel at the office, the hospital and now at home and as much as she wanted to protest, she didn’t. She was relieved to know that if someone tried to get to her they’d have to go through several large, strong and she suspected armed men. The fact that someone, anyone would want to harm her was bad enough, yet knowing that they would go to such lengths to cause her harm made it a million times worse. She hadn’t even attempted to discuss what had happened with Jon and hadn’t even begun to mentally process what had happened yet.
“Your dad called to check you were okay. I think he wants to come over and see you for himself again.”
“I’ll call him later.” Steph smiled eating her second muffin.
“And Jason, I think he may take to popping in, here and the office,” Jon explained.
“You don’t mind do you?” she asked knowing that Jason could be an acquired taste.
“Course I don’t, he is a bit crazy but I like that he loves you nearly as much as I do and will keep you safe at all costs.”
“Thanks.”
“I have tried and failed to keep Lindsay at bay!” Jon grimaced making Steph smile. “So she and Charlie are coming over later, tonight. I even suggested that they might stay over, it just seems a long way out for a couple of hours.”
“That was very thoughtful,” Steph smiled with a yawn.
“Go and have a lie down, you’re exhausted,” he said with concern.
“Come with me,” Steph suggested.
“Darling, we both know what happens when we go to bed together, especially mid-afternoon.”
“And you object to that because?”
“Oh darling, you’ve missed your hormonal visits,” he laughed.
“You could go and find Tilda, let her have an early finish and we could go to bed for a couple of hours, a sleep and whatever before Charlie and Lindsay get here, please,” she pleaded and grinned as Jon immediately got to his feet.
“Ten minutes and I will meet you up there Mrs Brooker, undressed, in bed and ready to sleep,” he told her heading off to find Tilda.
Steph was tired having slept poorly in the hospital so as soon as she had cast her clothes aside she climbed between the covers of her own bed and waited for Jon to join her.
It was probably less than the ten minutes he had quoted her but by the time Jon entered the bedroom Steph was sleeping soundly in their bed.
He smiled down at her, a picture of perfection, although she still looked tired and a little drawn with less physical signs of her reaction to those fish products that were being investigated still. There was no clear idea in his mind about what he was going to do to keep her ultimately safe from Simon. It had to be Simon who had done this, didn’t it? But he knew that if he had to have her chained to him or locked away then that’s what he would do. The police were in no position to proceed beyond waiting to question Simon who was still AWOL with his young son, unless something new came to light.
After a quick trip back downstairs for his laptop and phone, Jon sat and watched Steph sleeping while dealing with some e-mails and checking out baby shop websites where he smiled pathetically at everything that came in any shade of pink.
“A girl,” he smiled as he shut his computer down before gently stroking the scan image he had as a screen saver. “You’re a girl Jelly Bean, Daddy’s girl.”
The image disappeared as he put the computer away and placed his phone next to the bed where he began to strip out of his faded blue jeans and white t-shirt. Climbing into bed beside Steph he smiled, thinking that this time yesterday he was questioning whether he would ever have this again. He didn’t want to disturb his sleeping wife, but he needed to hold her in his arms, for her body to be against his so very gently he placed an arm around her middle and pulled her back carefully while edging closer towards her until her back was pressed firmly against his front. Her behind pressed back a little more firmly causing him to stiffen against her behind.
“Sleep,” he told himself with a yawn.
Steph wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept very well the previous night. He had sat on a very uncomfortable chair at his wife’s bedside and found sleep impossible, but tonight in his own bed with his wife wrapped in his arms he would sleep and tomorrow she was due to see her allergy doctor and her obstetrician the day after, just to be certain.
The sound of Jon’s phone ringing woke him from a sleep he hadn’t even felt washing over him.
“Hello,” he answered in a whisper. “Hi Charlie, yes of course I’m sure, in fact if Lindsay’s at a loose end she could hang around after Steph sees the allergy doctor and discuss nurseries or something. Yeah about half past six, see you later.”
“Are you planning my schedule, Mr Brooker?” Steph rolled over to face her husband who was rolling back towards her.
“Too bloody right I am,” he replied.
“I have work I need to do . . .”
“Not until next week you don’t, at the earliest, but if you’re a good girl you could probably do some work from home.”
“I could be a really, really good girl,” Steph told him stretching up to capture his lips.
“You are going to have to stop saying that good girl thing because our daughter really is going to be a good girl.”
“Not as good as me,” Steph taunted, enjoying her husband’s discomfort.
“Stephanie, shut the fuck up!”
“Make me.”
Jon’s mouth was closing over Steph’s before she could say any more. Jon knew that it had been his wife’s sole intention to entice him to kiss her with her words and she had succeeded completely.