Chapter 14
Scramble – When Hudson runs around, trying not to get sacked by Nova
Hudson
I turn down the aisle in the grocery store and nearly bump into Weston.
“Hey, Huddy.”
I grunt. I don’t have time for small talk. I need to finish up these groceries for Nova and drop them at her house before getting back to the resort for a management meeting.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
I frown. “Doing groceries,” I grumble before passing him.
“I thought you’d be at the hospital.”
I halt. “At the hospital?”
He frowns. “I thought you were a better man than this.”
I’ve had enough of his riddles. “What the fuck is going on?”
His eyes widen. “You don’t know.”
“I don’t know what?”
“Nova’s at the hospital.”
I drop the grocery basket and rush toward the exit.
“No speeding,” Weston shouts after me.
I ignore him as I break into a run. Is Nova okay? What about the baby? I jump into my vehicle, switch on the engine before I manage to shut the door, and peel out of the parking lot.
The hospital isn’t far. It’s on the road between Smuggler’s Rest and Rogue’s Landing. I park as close to the entrance as possible before rushing inside.
“Nova Myers. Where is she?” I ask the nurse at the reception desk.
“Hey, Hudson,” she greets. “Nova called you?”
Acid churns in my stomach. Nova didn’t call and apparently everyone on the island knows she’s here except me. She didn’t contact me. That shit stops now.
“Where is she?”
“Exam room two.”
I march to the room. I know exactly where exam room two is. You can’t be an athlete and not be familiar with the emergency room. I scowl as I remember the last emergency room I was in. But this is not the time to dwell on how my life was ruined.
I barge into the room. Nova is lying on the exam table. Her face is pale. She looks small and scared.
“What happened? Where’s the doctor? Are you okay? Will you be staying overnight? How’s the baby?”
A tear rolls down her cheek and I hurry to her side. I wipe the tear from her face.
“It’s okay, Sunshine. We’ll figure this out. We’ll get you the best care money can buy.”
“Ahem.” A woman standing at the door clears her throat. “Are you questioning my medical skills, Hudson?”
“I wouldn’t dare, Doctor Allens.” I know the doctor from when I was in high school. She patched me up more times than I care to remember. “But Nova is getting the best care possible.”
“I heard the baby was yours but I wasn’t sure I believed it.”
I scowl. I know I’m not good enough for Nova but I didn’t expect the doctor to point it out. “The baby is mine.”
“The baby is ours,” Nova corrects.
“What happened? Why are you at the hospital? And why didn’t you call me?”
She cringes. “I panicked.”
I grasp her hand and squeeze. “About what? Are you okay now?”
She places her free hand over her stomach. “I’m okay. As long as Sprog is okay, I’m okay.”
Nova is avoiding my questions about what happened. I can better ask the doctor. Doctor Allens doesn’t lie. Not even to your parents when you beg her not to tell them about your latest football injury.
“Doctor Allens, can you explain what happened?”
The doctor raises an eyebrow at Nova who sighs. “You can tell him. He’s the baby’s father, after all.”
She opens her chart. “Nova was worried she was losing the baby due to excessive bleeding.”
Panic seizes me at the thought of Nova alone and bleeding, worried she lost the baby. I don’t want her to be alone. She’s been alone too much in her life already. Not anymore. Now she has me.
“Is the baby okay?”
The doctor grins. “The baby is fine and some bleeding is normal during pregnancy.”
Nova’s cheeks darken. “I know but what’s some and what’s too much?”
“You should speak to your OB/GYN about the specifics in your case.”
“Do we have an OB/GYN?” I ask Nova.
“Yes, I have an OB/GYN.”
She’s cute. She thinks emphasizing the I will have an effect on me. It won’t. She won’t be going to any doctor’s appointments without me. She’s not alone. Not anymore.
“What now?” I ask Doctor Allens. “Does Nova need to spend the night at the hospital?”
She flips the chart closed. “She’s free to go home. I’ll have the nurse bring in the paperwork.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
She waves as she exits the room.
“How did you find out I’m here?” Nova asks before I have a chance to speak.
“I should have found out from you.” I need to figure out a way to ensure I’m the first person she calls.
“Answer the question.”
“Weston told me.”
She buries her face in her hands. “Weston’s a gossip. He’ll have told the entire town by now.”
I pinch her chin and tilt her face up. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about. You were worried and went to the hospital.”
“Except I was speeding and Weston pulled me over.”
“No more speeding.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
I place a hand over her stomach. “You have precious cargo on board. I don’t want you getting into an accident.”
She lets out a breath. “You’re right. But I was nervous. I didn’t want to be too late to get to the hospital.”
“You should have called me. I would have picked you up and brought you here.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not going to call you for every single little thing.”
“Little thing?” I motion to the room. “Look at where you are at.”
Her cheeks flame. “I overreacted again. The medical personnel are probably making fun of me.”
“No one will make fun of you.”
“What are you going to do? Be my bodyguard wherever I go and make sure no one speaks to me in a manner you don’t approve of?”
I scratch my neck as I consider the matter. I have the perfect solution but Nova is not going to like it.
She slaps my chest. “You are not shadowing me the entire time I’m pregnant.”
I shrug. “The idea has merit.”
“Do you know what a boundary is?”
“The football field has boundaries.”
“A personal boundary,” she corrects.
If she’s worried about personal boundaries now, she’s going to lose her mind when I tell her what I have planned. Nova is going to kick my ass. But I don’t care. Her safety, the baby’s safety, is more important.
The nurse bustles in carrying a bundle of papers. “The doctor says you’re free to go.” She stumbles to a halt when she notices me. “I thought you said you didn’t know who the baby daddy is.”
I growl. It’s one thing not to call me. It’s an entirely different thing to pretend I don’t exist.
“The baby is mine,” I growl. “As you very well know.”
There’s no way the news of Nova carrying my baby escaped her. Smuggler’s Hideaway is a bed of gossip. News spreads faster than my brother Owen can sneak out of the house on this island.
She giggles. “This is going to be fun.”
Nova signs her release paperwork. “I’m ready to go.”
I help her out of the bed and into a wheelchair.
“I can walk.”
“But you’re my queen and I’ll push you.” I push the wheelchair before she has a chance to protest again.
When we reach the exit, I aim the wheelchair toward my truck.
“My car is on the other side of the parking lot.”
“Give me your keys and I’ll have someone pick it up for you.”
“My keys? I don’t need to give you my keys. I can drive myself.”
I stop the wheelchair next to my truck and kneel in front of her. “You are not driving home.” She opens her mouth to protest and I hold up a hand. “You rushed to the hospital because you were sick and worried about the baby. I’m not letting you drive.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Not letting me?”
“Let me re-phrase. I would be honored to chauffeur you and make sure you’re safe.”
She sighs. “Fine.”
I don’t give her a chance to change her mind. I open the door and lift her into the passenger seat. I reach over her and secure her seatbelt before shutting the door. I hurry to return the wheelchair since I wouldn’t put it past Nova to sneak off on me.
But when I return to my truck, she’s waiting for me. She has her arms across her chest and she’s scowling, but she’s waiting.
If she’s annoyed I’m driving her home, she’s going to be even more annoyed when she realizes where we’re going. Too bad for her I won’t budge on the destination.