Chapter 58 Nate
NATE
The automatic doors slide open before I’ve even stopped moving. I stride across reception, chest tight, pulse hammering in my ears. I should have been here. Not three hours away while she was scared, bleeding, and alone.
She wasn’t alone. My pulse spikes. I search for the signs for the maternity ward. Ev was with her, but he’s barely spoken to us in weeks. I don’t want her under any more unnecessary stress. I can’t have him upsetting her again.
Every worst-case scenario flashes through my head as I push the buzzer on the sealed maternity doors.
A midwife opens the door. “Can I help?”
“I’m here for Nora Harrison,” I say. “Sixteen weeks pregnant. She came in earlier with bleeding.”
“Yes, she’s in assessment.” She glances back at me. “Are you a relative?”
“I’m her husband.”
She nods. “Okay. The baby’s father’s already with her, but you can go through. Curtain four, down there.”
Evan’s still here like he promised. I swallow hard and keep walking. The curtain is half drawn, and as I step closer, my shoulders relax a little.
Nora sits propped against pillows, her complexion pale but better than I imagined. Machines buzz softly beside her, filling the space with our Pip’s tiny heartbeat.
Evan sits close to the bed, leaning forward, one hand wrapped around hers, the other resting protectively over her stomach. He’s wrecked. Eyes red behind his glasses. Hair shoved back like he’s combed his fingers through it a hundred times.
Nora’s smile pushes her cheeks up, her eyes clouded with worry. She holds out her hand, and I close the distance between us.
“Dimples.” I cup her face and kiss her lips. “I’m here, baby.” I pepper her face with kisses, then hold her close against my chest, my chin resting on her head. My eyes meet Ev’s. “Any news?”
“We had a scan an hour ago. Just waiting for the doctor to come and see us.” He clings to her hand, and my chest loosens with him here, not just for her but for me too. “She’s still bleeding a little.”
I sit on the bed and hold her, brushing the hair from her face. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“What if it’s not?” Her lips tremble.
“You can’t think like that.” I place my hand over her stomach, my fingers accidentally touching Evan’s. “You have to be strong now for our Pip.” I nod at the monitor and the zigzag pattern with each heartbeat. “He’s a fighter.”
“He?” Ev says, straightening his spine, as if we know something he doesn’t.
I shrug a shoulder. “Just a feeling.”
Nora squeezes my hand. “I think I’d like to find out the sex. Next time I have a scan, I want to know.” She looks between us. “I’m scared.”
I don’t answer her because I’m scared too. So fucking scared. I press my lips to hers, hoping that’s enough to reassure her without words.
The curtain rustles behind us. A doctor steps in, tablet in hand, offering a calm smile. “Hi, I’m Dr. Patel. I’ve reviewed your scan results.” She regards the three of us. “Mum and partners?”
“Yes,” Nora says, squeezing both our hands, her knuckles white.
The doctor smiles reassuringly. “First things first. Baby looks good.”
Her words are like oxygen flooding my starved lungs.
“The heartbeat is strong, and growth is exactly where we’d expect for sixteen weeks. Baby was moving nicely during the scan and not showing any signs of distress.”
Nora's breath hitches, her fingers tightening around mine.
Evan exhales beside me as if he’s been holding it in for hours.
“The bleeding,” the doctor continues, “looks to be caused by a small subchorionic haematoma.”
“What’s that?” I say, standing from the bed and sliding an arm around Nora’s shoulder.
“It’s basically a little pocket of bleeding between the placenta and uterine wall. It sounds scary, but it’s actually quite common.”
“Is the baby in danger?” Ev asks.
“At the moment, no. Most resolve on their own. We’ll recommend rest, avoiding heavy lifting and intercourse for now, and we’ll arrange a follow-up scan to monitor it.”
Nora nods, tears still sliding down her cheeks. “So we’re all right?”
The doctor smiles. “Right now, yes. Baby looks very happy in there.”
With an exhale, I drop onto the bed before my legs give out.
Evan drags a hand through his hair. He turns away, rubbing under his glasses.
“Because you’re still cramping and bleeding, I’d like to keep you in for observation overnight, and we can assess tomorrow,” the doctor adds. “But everything is reassuring so far.” She gives us one last smile and steps out.
Nora breaks the silence first with a small laugh. “Pip’s already causing drama.”
Evan lets out a quiet laugh beside us. “Definitely my kid.”
I huff. It’s the first I’ve heard him laugh in weeks.
The midwife pops her head through the curtain. “How you doing?”
“Good, now I know what’s what,” Nora says with a small smile.
“I just spoke with the doctor and she suggested keeping you in, but we don’t have any rooms available right now, so we’ll keep you here on the ward.
” She looks between me and Ev. “I am going to have to ask one of you to leave, though after visiting closes, as we only allow one partner to stay on the ward overnight.”
“I’ll go.” Evan stands too quickly, like leaving is easier than staying where he doesn’t know his place, but his eyes tell a different story. I don’t think he wants to go at all.
“Nah, Ev. You should stay. I’ll go.”
“Stop,” Nora says. “Neither of you are deciding this without me.”
“Who do you want to stay, dimples?” I kiss Nora’s forehead. “I need to get you an overnight bag and stuff, anyway.”
The midwife says, “I’ll let you discuss it in private.” Then she turns to Nora. “You’ve missed out on the evening meal. Is there anything I can get you? Some toast or a sandwich?”
“You want me to pick you up a takeaway?” I say.
“Can he?” she asks the midwife.
“Yes, of course. Visiting ends at nine.” She steps out of the bay and closes the curtain.
Ev clears his throat. “I can get whatever you need. I still have my key.”
I meet his gaze. “You should stay here. It’s your baby.”
He shoves a hand in his pocket. “It’s your baby, too.”
My chest stutters. I don’t miss how he said too. As if he still wants this.
“You should both go,” Nora says. “There’s no point one of you staying to sleep in the chair all night. You should both get some rest. I’m fine. I can hear Pip on the monitor. There’s nothing you can do if you stay.”
I stroke her face. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I promise I’ll be fine, and I have my phone if I need you.” She smiles and squeezes my hand. “But please bring me a McDonald’s before you go. I’m starving.”
I can’t stop the laugh rumbling out of me. “How about I pack an overnight bag for you, and Ev can be on McDonald’s duty.”
Nora drops her head back on the pillow, propping herself up with a moan as she closes her eyes. “Fries,” she hums. “And nuggets. Pip wants nuggets and a chocolate milkshake.”
Evan huffs a quiet laugh. “Pip’s gonna be on a hyper sugar rush all night.”
I lean down and kiss Nora’s forehead. “We’ll be back soon.”
Her fingers catch both our hands before we can step away.
“Together,” she says.
Evan and I exchange a look and then both nod.