Chapter 59
I ndie was so scared.
She didn’t understand what was happening. She’d collapsed and vomited after Quaid . . . after Quaid had started to cry.
That part of her memory had come back as the guys were trying to talk to her about preeclampsia.
She’d lost half of what they were saying as she’d turned to look at Quaid. She’d never seen him cry. He rarely showed much emotion.
But he probably wouldn’t appreciate her saying anything.
Guys could be strange like that about crying.
They thought they couldn’t be manly and cry.
Pfft.
See? Idiots.
“Baby girl, are you listening?” Quaid asked in a gentle voice.
She wasn’t used to hearing him sound so soft. It was a bit weird, if she was honest. Not that she didn’t like it. But it would take some getting used to.
“I, um, sorry,” she said, reaching up to rub her head. “What were you saying? ”
“Is your head sore?” Spencer asked in concern.
“Just a bit. I’m finding it hard to concentrate. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Rock whispered.
She let out a deep sigh. “I feel like I only just recovered from the . . . the beating and now this. I’m just not sure . . . I’m not sure I can . . . cope.” A sob left her mouth and she tried to hold the rest in.
But they just kept coming. Until the guys surrounded her. Quaid lifted her and sat on the bed with her on his lap. Rock sat in front of her, holding her feet while Spencer took her left side and Slade her right.
They held her between them all, whispering to her quietly.
“We’re going to get through this,” Slade told her as she turned to him. “What did I promise the first day I met you?”
“That you’d l-look after me.”
“We all will,” Spencer added.
Quaid kissed the top of her head while Rock squeezed her feet.
And she let out a deep breath. The four of them were with her again and it felt so right.
So why was she so scared that she’d lose them all over again?
This time, permanently.
“My recommendation is that you stay in hospital for the rest of your pregnancy.”
Indie gaped at her doctor. She was a great doctor. It was clear she knew what she was doing. But her bedside manner could be a bit abrupt.
And hearing that she had to stay in hospital for the next few months was . . . devastating.
“Are you . . . are you sure?” she whispered. “I just, well, this place is so soulless and awful and sorry, didn’t mean to be insulting.”
She couldn’t imagine staying here another week let alone what could be months .
And she knew she was being ungrateful. This hospital was really nice and she had a private room and bathroom. Things could be so much worse.
But she could feel a sense of darkness coming over her at the thought of remaining here.
“I’m sorry, Indie, I know this isn’t what you want to hear,” Doctor Byrd said. “It’s difficult to comprehend. But at least you’re close to twenty-six weeks. Which is good. Ideally, we’d love to keep him or her in there as long as possible for the their development.”
“And what about for Indie?” Slade asked gruffly.
“That’s why I want to keep her here to monitor her.”
Tears dripped down her cheeks. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m being so stupid. Whatever . . . whatever you say, doctor.”
But that heavy despair came over her.
“What if we hired a nurse?” Slade asked. “One who would be there round-the-clock and has experience with preeclampsia patients?”
Hope filled her and she glanced up at the doctor.
Doctor Byrd sighed and her hopes were dashed. She was going to say no. It was obvious.
“Look, I don’t want to say no. It’s clear that you’ll be upset staying here and that won’t be good for you.
I tell you what, let’s keep an eye on you for a few days, see how well the medication works and if we can keep your blood pressure down and then we’ll re-evaluate.
But, I’ll also need to see the credentials for this nurse. ”
Slade scowled as though the doctor had insulted him, but he nodded. He was looking worse for wear. They all were, but Slade maybe the most of all. He had lines around his mouth that hadn’t been there earlier.
After the doctor left, she gave them all a firm look. “You all need to go home and sleep.”
Four glares hit her.
Sheesh.
You’d have thought she just told them that she was going to get up and run a marathon .
“You need to rest,” she told them.
Rock crossed his arms over his chest and just planted his feet. Spencer sat and put his feet up on the bed. Quaid took gentle hold of her hand as she sat and Slade just shook his head.
Honestly.
So stubborn.
“You need to sleep,” she told them. “You all look pretty rough.”
“Is she saying we look bad?” Spencer drawled.
“I think she is,” Slade said.
Spencer shook a finger at her. “Not nice, Princess. That will get you punished.”
Rock shook his head to Spencer. “No.”
Spencer sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Rock, man, you’ve got to learn when I’m teasing and when I’m being serious.”
“Don’t tease,” Rock said.
“Then life would be a bit boring, wouldn’t it?
Princess knows I wouldn’t punish her while she’s ill.
Hell, we’ve barely punished her at all because of her pregnancy.
She’s not going to sit down for six months after this baby comes.
” Then he winced. “And I just realized how that sounded. From the spankings, not from giving birth. And now I just said I’m going to spank a new mum for six months straight. Urgh, I need sleep.”
She grinned at him. He was cute when he was tired. “Go home to bed. And take these guys with you.”
Even as she said the words, she wished them back. She didn’t want to be alone.
You’ll be fine.
“We’ll take shifts,” Slade said suddenly. “Two here. Two at home. Spencer, you go home with Rock. I’ll stay with Quaid.”
Slade was the one who needed sleep the most. But even though both Spencer and Rock grumbled, eventually they kissed her lightly before leaving. She sighed, wishing she could have more from them.
But she guessed that would have to wait.