Chapter 7 Elijah
ELIJAH
“Are you okay?”
It’s the fifth time I’ve asked Sam since we got out of the car, and each time she says she’s fine.
Something happened in the truck on the way here, but I’m not sure what it was.
We’re almost to the entrance, and I stop in front of her. “Do you really not want me to go in there? If you don’t, then tell me.”
She blinks up at me, and now is not the time to get lost in her big blue eyes. She tilts her head. “You don’t want to go? I said you didn’t have to.”
I reach for her hand even though I shouldn’t be touching her. I hold both of her hands in mine. “I want to be here. I want to go in there with you and hear what the doctor has to say. I want to make sure she’s a good doctor and that you’re being taken care of.”
She lets out a breath, and there’s no missing the sigh of relief. “Good. I mean, I’m a little nervous, and I don’t want to do this by myself.”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her flush against my body.
She’s soft everywhere I’m hard, and even though I don’t want to let her go, I know I have to.
“Well, you’re stuck with me now.” I put a finger under her chin and lift so she’s looking at me.
“As long as you’ll let me, I want to be here for you. ”
She bites her lip, and instantly, I rub the pad of my thumb across it. “You ready?” I ask her.
She nods, and I hold my hand out. She puts hers in mine, and we walk into the women’s center of the hospital.
She has to fill out a packet of information, and in no time, we’re back in the office. A nurse asks her all kinds of questions about her prior prenatal care, expected due date, medications, allergies, and if she has any concerns.
The nurse takes Sam down the hall to use the ladies’ room, and then they’re back, and the nurse says the doctor will be right in.
Sam is nervous, and I reach over to put my hand on hers, trying to calm her. This is how the doctor finds us.
He introduces himself to both of us. “Hi, I’m Dr. Landers. You must be Samantha.”
Sam nods.
I hold my hand out to him. “I’m Elijah Wolfe.”
He recognizes my name immediately. “Aren’t you the owner of Wolfe Construction?”
I nod. “I am.”
He smiles. “Congratulations on the Whiskey Run Hospital. It’s my hometown, and I’m hoping to transfer there when it’s ready.”
As soon as he says it, he claps his hands together. “Okay, let’s get down to business.”He asks Sam to get up on the bed, and I help her up. Maybe I should go back to my seat, but instead I stay, standing next to her, holding her hand.
The doctor checks for swelling in her hands and feet, measures her belly, and listens to the baby’s heartbeat.
I’m enthralled with it all and couldn’t drag my eyes off Sam if I had to.
The doctor sits back in his chair. “You’re measuring well.
The baby’s heartbeat is strong and steady.
I would love to get you in for an ultrasound just to double-check everything.
” He flips through some papers. “What kind of insurance do you have?”
“We want the ultrasound. No matter the cost,” I blurt out, and as soon as I say it, I look at Sam. She’s smiling at me and agrees. “Yeah, I would like that.”
The doctor stands up. “Okay, well, everything looks good here. Your husband is obviously taking care of you, and you have a good support system.”
Sam opens her mouth, no doubt about to disclose that I’m not her husband, but I stop her. “Thank you, Doctor.”
He looks at Sam. “Okay, my nurse will be back in a minute, and she will take you two down for the ultrasound. We’ll see you next month, but if you have anything that comes up between now and then, please call the office.”
He walks out, and Sam is silent next to me.
I brush the hair off her shoulder and away from her face. “You okay?”
She looks at me with wide eyes. “He knows who you are.”
I chuckle. I’m not arrogant by any means, but if Whiskey Run is the doctor’s hometown, he’s probably seen my name. “Whiskey Run is a small town, Sassy.”
She shakes her head. “I know, but everyone is going to talk.”
I shrug, still not seeing the problem.
She struggles to stand up, and I help her. As soon as she’s on both her feet, she stomps one of them. “Elijah. Do you not get it? You let him think you’re the dad. People are going to talk. People are going to—”
I shrug. “I don’t give a fuck what people think.”
She puts her hand on her hip. “It doesn’t work that way, Eli. You’re a prominent businessman. People are not going to think highly of… this.”
She gestures to her belly, and I put my hand there. I’ve wanted to do it since I first saw her, and as soon as I put a hand on her, a calm comes over her. She breathes deeply and then covers my hand with hers. Her eyes are bright and wide as she looks at me.
The little thump against my hand has me in shock, and I stand perfectly still as I feel it again. “Is that…?”
My voice trails off as it happens again and again.
The baby feels as if it’s doing little somersaults in there. When Sassy winces, I lean down and whisper to her belly, “Hey, pretty baby, take it easy in there. You don’t wanna hurt your momma.”
Instantly the tiny thumps stop. I’m looking at Sam, lost in her eyes when the nurse comes in. “Ready? Let’s go down and get a picture of your baby.”
I pick up Sam’s purse and take her hand. We walk to the elevator and listen to the nurse talking about the day, the weather, and everything in between.
She takes us straight to the imaging room, and I help Sam up on the bed. The nurse is getting her machine ready, and she tells Sam, “If you can pull your shirt up and pants down, I’m going to put some jelly on your belly.”
Sam does as she asks, and I openly gaze at the bared skin in front of me.
“Have you had an ultrasound done before?”
Sam nods. “Yeah, well, they weren’t able to print out the pictures, but yeah. And the baby kept moving, but the doctor said she was ninety percent sure it was a girl.”
Sam tenses as the nurse puts a wand over her belly. I squeeze her arm, but I don’t know if it’s more to comfort her or me. I need to be touching her.
A few minutes pass, and the nurse gasps. “Okay, so I’m assuming you want to know the sex then.”
Sam comes up on her elbows. “Is she not a girl?”
The nurse laughs. “Nope, definitely a boy.” She gestures to the screen, and I have to lean in to see it. She draws a circle around part of the baby. “Definitely a boy.”
Sam gasps, and I stare at the screen.
The nurse does some more measuring, prints out a few pictures, and then hands Sam a tissue to help her clean up.
“Can you print out a second set of pictures, please?”
The nurse hesitates and then does as I ask, printing out two sets of pictures and then handing them to me.
“Everything looks good. Once you’re ready, you can make your appointment at the front desk. See you next time. Congratulations. Boys love their mommas.”
The nurse walks out, and Sam just lies there, seemingly in shock.
I take the tissues from her hand. “You okay?”
I clean the goo off her belly and then pull her clothes up to cover her before helping her up.
She looks at me in awe. “I’m having a boy.”
I put my hands on her knees. “How do you feel about that?”
She nods. “Good. I mean, I’m happy with whatever, but what am I going to do with a boy? I obviously don’t know anything about boys. And boys need their dads. What am I going to do?”
I lean down so we’re eye level. She won’t look at me, so I lift my hands to her shoulders. “Sassy, look at me.”
She lifts her eyes.
“Your son is going to have me… and Kane. You are going to be a wonderful mom. I promise you that your son is not going to want for anything.”
She opens her mouth and then closes it.
I put a hand on the side of her neck. “Honey, listen. I’m going to be with you every step of the way. When it gets overwhelming, I’m going to be right here. When you feel nervous, scared, or whatever you may feel, I’m going to be right here with you. I promise.”
She nods.
I’m hoping that I’m making her feel better, but she awkwardly stands up and grabs her purse off the chair. She gives me a fake smile. “You ready?”
I nod, and with my hand on the small of her back, I walk her out of the room. I shouldn’t, but I grab her hand and walk with her the whole way, wishing she would let me in and tell me what’s going on with her.