Chapter 60
“ S lade, the doctor didn’t say that I couldn’t walk at all,” she said quietly as he lifted her out of the car and started carrying her to the elevator.
“She said full bed rest,” he replied. “That means you don’t walk anywhere.”
“What about when I need to use the bathroom?” she asked in exasperation.
Slade was worrying her. Even more than the others and they had all become a wee bit nutty.
But Slade looked like he hadn’t slept since she’d ended up in hospital. He was now sporting facial hair, his clothes were rumpled and there were huge dark bags under his eyes.
And she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d lost weight.
Yeah, he was worrying her.
And then there was the weird relationship with Quaid.
Things felt . . . off. Like they were two strangers who wanted to be together but neither of them knew how to lessen the space between them.
She was wearing the gift he’d brought her.
Turned out that inside the pink, sparkly bag he’d been carrying was a gorgeous, soft jumper with small pink pompoms on it. She absolutely loved it .
“Then one of us will carry you. There will be one of us with you at all times.”
“Slade, you don’t need to do that. That’s why you hired a nurse, remember?” Thankfully, her blood pressured had lowered and the doctor had consented to letting her come home.
“Beth isn’t going to carry you to the bathroom.”
“I should think not. Poor woman would likely put her back out,” she joked.
Slade shot her a fierce glare. “Are you calling yourself fat?”
Holy. Moly.
He was being so sensitive.
“Slade, I know I’m not fat. But I’m over six months pregnant. I’m heavy. And Beth is a woman. That’s all. Not saying a woman couldn’t carry me. But she probably couldn’t.”
Urgh.
Why was she rambling?
“You are not heavy. I hear you say that again and you’re in trouble.”
Right. What sort of trouble would that be? He’d likely just put it in her naughty girl notebook.
Which was going to conveniently end up in the recycling bin at some stage.
“If you’re thinking about getting rid of your notebook, think again,” he told her as they stepped out of the elevator. “I’ve also got everything on my laptop.”
“You don’t.”
“I do.”
Rats. The man had an evil mind.
“Do you really think I’d get rid of the notebook?” she huffed.
“Yes, brat. I do.”
The door to the penthouse opened as they grew close and Spencer stood there. “Welcome home!”
She jumped slightly.
“Be quieter,” Slade snapped. “You can’t upset her. ”
Surprise filled her at his grouchy reply. That seemed a bit of a harsh reaction.
“Sorry, shit. I wasn’t thinking. Sorry, Princess,” Spencer said quietly.
“I’m fine,” she reassured Spencer. “I’m not made of glass. I won’t break.”
Both men stared down at her in disbelief.
“Really,” she insisted.
“Actually, that’s exactly how we intend to treat you,” Quaid said. “How we always should. Because you’re the most precious thing in the world to us.”
She’d noticed that Quaid was trying to show more of how he felt. Or at least, tell her. But it was clear that it was difficult for him.
Indie wished they’d all just relax a bit.
Be themselves.
God, it was good to be back in the penthouse. It enveloped her in a warm hug as the scent of Spencer’s cooking hit her and she heard the soft sound of music playing.
“Hello, good, you’re here. Let’s get you into bed, shall we?” Beth stepped out of her room and smiled at her.
Right.
Yay.
Slade carried her into her bedroom. She hadn’t bothered getting dressed to come home from the hospital. He’d just wrapped her up in a warm blanket.
He unwrapped her and drew the covers up, fussing with them while Beth took her blood pressure.
“Blood pressure is looking pretty good. Let’s get you all comfortable for a nap, yeah?” Beth said.
“I don’t need a nap.”
Yeah, right.
“Well, why don’t you just lie there and pretend,” Beth said.
Pretend? That sounded silly.
“Do you need something, Boo?” Slade asked. “Are your feet cold? Something to eat? Drink? ”
She stared up into his worried face. Hmm. She didn’t need a nap but he did. “Would you lie with me?”
It was the only way she could think to get him to relax. And hopefully sleep.
Because she was concerned if he didn’t sleep soon that he was going to collapse. She was pretty sure that he hadn’t slept in the hospital and she wasn’t sure that he’d been sleeping at home, either.
“Please?” She tapped the other side of the bed.
“Will that help?” he asked.
“It will help me a lot. I don’t like sleeping by myself.”
“All right. Just let me use the bathroom first.”
He moved into the bathroom and Beth gave her a knowing look. “Good plan. He looks exhausted. But just remember we’re all here to look after you.”
Sure. But there was no reason why she couldn’t look after them as well.
Right?
He walked out and climbed onto the bed next to her. She turned on her side to snuggle into him as best she could with a large belly between them.
“Right. Now, sleep only, you two.” Beth pointed at them both before turning off the light and leaving.
“Are you sure I need her?” she asked Slade.
“Why? Do you not like her? Shall I search for someone else?”
“What? No, I like her fine. But it must be expensive and I . . .”
Slade rolled over to face her. He was on top of the covers and she wanted him in with her where she could feel his heat.
“You are not to worry about money. Hear me?” he told her firmly.
Indie bit her lip. “It’s easy to say that, but not so easy to actually do.”
“Your only worry is keeping you and the baby safe. That’s it. Everything else, you push out of your mind or you tell me. I will take care of it. Understand? I will take care of everything from now on.”
“What if the thing that I’m worried about is you?” she asked.
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
Reaching up, she brushed a finger over the lines in his forehead. “You look stressed and tired, Slade. Like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. When is the last time you slept?”
“I sleep,” he protested.
“You do? When was the last time you got eight hours in a bed?”
“I don’t need much sleep,” he told her.
“I know that you’re Superman and that there is nothing you can’t do.
But you’re going to collapse or get sick if you keep going like this and then who will take care of us all?
Hmm? Rock? He won’t let anyone out of the house for fear of them getting hurt.
Spencer? He’ll probably make everyone eat so healthy that we’ll be begging for a pie and hot chips.
Quaid? Well . . . he’d give it a good shot.
But by the time you recover, everyone would likely have run away. ”
Slade snorted and ran a hand over his face. “You’re not supposed to be taking care of me, Boo.”
“I like taking care of you. And you look like you need someone to boss you around.”
“Oh, do I? And I suppose you take no joy in telling me what to do?” he asked teasingly.
“Oh no, I take great joy in it.”
He shook his head, then winced.
“Headache?” she asked in concern. She remembered how bad his stress headaches could get. And he’d had a lot of stress lately. “Do you want me to massage your neck?”
“What part of ‘we’re meant to look after you,’ are you not getting?” he told her.
“Personally, I think we’re all supposed to take care of each other.” She was kind of getting tired of being told that she wasn’t capable of looking after them.
She wasn’t helpless .
His face softened. “We are. But at the moment, you’re busy taking care of this little one.” He placed his hand over her belly. “And that’s a full time job. So just let us do everything else. Please? We all feel helpless to help you with this part and looking after you is what we can do.”
Shoot.
Well, when he put it like that . . .
“All right,” she said quietly. “I guess I didn’t think about it like that. I just don’t want to be a burden. Dead weight . . .”
He tightened his hold on her chin. “Dead weight? Who the fuck called you dead weight?”
“Nobody,” she said. “I guess I just always felt a bit like I was the hanger-on, you know? The sort of younger sister who trailed behind you guys. I was probably a real pest. Bet you wished lots of times that I had never come to live with you.” She forced herself to laugh. But it sounded sad.
Because deep down that’s what she’d always been worried about. That she was a nuisance. Tolerated and put up with. But never really accepted.
Or loved.
Tears threatened. She could feel them building in the back of her throat and she swallowed heavily.
“You listen to me, Indie Madden,” he said fiercely, leaning up on one elbow to glare down at her.
The look on his face was firm. “I ever hear you spout any of that bullshit and you’re going over my knee .
. . after you feel better, of course. But I won’t have you saying that shit.
You are not a third wheel. Or a burden. You are ours.
We always wanted you around. We have always loved you.
We might have messed up, but we never stopped loving you. ”
“I never stopped loving you guys either.”
He kissed her gently. When he drew back, he winced.
Shoot. His head.
“Slade, you need to rest.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“I know you don’t like to admit to any weakness,” she said. “But you have to learn to let us help. I know you’ve held us all together. You always have. But you don’t have to do it twenty-four-seven.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Slade—”
“If I stop, something bad might happen. If I close my eyes, I might miss something. And someone might try to hurt you. You might get ill. If I’m not here and ready, I can’t help you.
I can’t prevent it from happening. I have to keep you healthy and safe, and I haven’t been doing a good job of either. ”
There was a bitter note to his voice.
“No? You think not? You seem to anticipate my every need before I even have it. I don’t have to stay in hospital because you arranged all this.”
“That was just money.”
“That was you taking care of me. I’ve no doubt you found the best nurse available.
That you made sure they had everything they need to make sure I’m all right.
You did all that, arranged everything, and you did it on no sleep.
But if you want to keep going, if you want to be a hundred percent to keep looking after me you have to sleep. To be healthy.”
He glared at her and she thought she wasn’t getting through to him. Then he groaned. “Bloody hell. I don’t like that you’re making sense right now.”
She bit her lip to stop from grinning.
“Fine. I’ll stay here for a bit. But I’m not sleeping.”
“Of course not. Only us mere mortals need sleep. Lie back down,” she ordered.
His eyebrows rose. “What?”
“Just lie down. I know you’re the boss. I know you’re always in charge and you like it that way.”
“You like it that way, too,” he said.
Yep. She sure did.
Finally, he lay back and she pulled herself up into a seated position, then she started to gently rub his temples.
He remained tense for a while, but bit by bit he started relaxing .
Indie knew he needed quiet and darkness.
And that’s what she wanted to give him.
Some peace. Finally, he started to snore. It was a cute snore, he sort of puffed out air between his lips. She lifted her fingers from his head one-by-one, hoping that he didn’t wake up.
But he kept softly snoring.
Good. She’d let him rest. But right now, she desperately had to pee.