Chapter 10
ISLA
Ipractice my yoga breathing while I sit up on the bed. Closing my eyes, I do my best to calm down while my hand is firmly set on my belly that has a belt of cords around it to monitor the baby, and I also have a pulse oximeter attached to my finger.
The door opens a crack, and Hadley slips through the tiny opening, careful to ensure nobody else can enter. Her face seems panicked.
“We have a problem,” she states.
“What? The doctor said I’m fine and it was just a false alarm. They will just double-check everything when my doctor arrives after they notify her upstairs.”
Her mouth is in a strained line as she shakes her head before her face squinches. “It’s not that. I was so worried when we first arrived that I phoned Connor. I didn’t say anything, so he thought it was me hurt, but that doesn’t matter because…”
I stare at her blankly. “And? He’s your husband. I sent a message to Briggs too because I was freaking out.”
“So…” She quickly walks to my bed and perches on the end. “When I asked you to meet at my studio to go for lunch, it was actually because I wanted to talk to you about something that Connor told me about this morning at breakfast.”
“Get to whatever it is faster.”
“He told me that later in the week they are going to announce the new GM for the Spinners… Vaughn.”
My eyes instantly widen and my nose tips up. “Come again?”
“Yeah… and what I didn’t realize is that Connor was picking up Vaughn at the airport, and when I phoned him to come to the hospital… Vaughn was in the car.”
“What!” I shriek, and the monitor that I’m attached to makes a spike on the graph. “He’s here?”
She nods once. “Outside that door.”
“Oh fuck.” I touch my forehead, as I’m about to have a meltdown. I knew this day would come, but does it have to be right now?
Hadley touches my leg. “He doesn’t know why you are here. I gave Connor a pleading look, and I think it registered in his head a connection with Vaughn, and he got the hint not to tell him about your current state. But that will only hold out for so long.”
I feel as though I’m levitating away from earth. There is no way around this. Vaughn is going to find out today. I’ve had a thousand scenarios in my head of how this could go, but him showing up to my hospital room is not one of them.
“This is not… how today was supposed to go.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. You’ve been lucky that you only started to show after you saw him last, but with Vaughn now in Lake Spark, I’m confident that he would notice that your stomach is harboring a baby, and saying you ate too many cookies isn’t going to fly.
You’re glowing during this pregnancy too, plus, well, about to push out a baby,” she explains.
I rub my belly and quickly glance at the screen that’s now zigzagging in lines.
“Hadley, I appreciate your stellar positivity, but my baby daddy is about to find out that I haven’t told him about the baby…
and I’m wearing a sweatshirt with a bar of chocolate printed on it that literally says, ‘I have issues.’”
She shrugs. “Helps explain your reasoning?”
I bring my hands to my face to rub as tears begin to build behind my eyes. “How do I do this? I’m attached to a machine, I can’t run away.”
Her lips roll in, and a sympathetic look is fixed on her face. “Maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t think you should escape right now… You weren’t really never going to tell him, were you? You had a plan.”
A long heaving sigh leaves me. “No, I don’t know, yes, I mean no.” I shake my head. “I’m just scared. He made his views on kids so clear and…”
“You didn’t give him a chance to walk away,” she highlights.
That just unlocks the quiver on my mouth to upgrade to a tear that’s been begging to fall.
As much as I’m scared, she’s right. He hasn’t been given the chance, and I want the information on his medical history to ensure that we can get ahead of anything we might need to worry about for the baby’s health.
Fuck, I’m saying “we” in my head. Maybe it is we.
Since the entire town found out my current status a little while back, it’s been an outpouring of support.
At work, we’re preparing for my maternity leave that starts in a week.
Ford is even giving me extra paid leave.
Hadley has attended appointments with me.
Her mom, along with Brielle and Violet, is planning a baby shower coming up.
And Briggs? He has slowly been stockpiling toys that are far too noisy.
It takes a village to raise a baby, they say.
But Vaughn has a right to choose if he wants to be part of that village.
What the hell do I do if he doesn’t want to be involved? This town is only so big, and my emotional wound already runs deep.
Blowing out another breath, I decide that maybe…
The sound of the door opening breaks my thought.
“Are you okay? What’s happening?” Briggs stalks into the room and quickly lands next to me to squeeze my arm.
I wave him off. “It’s nothing. An active, kicking baby scaring the hell out of me. I totally overreacted.”
“Of course not. If my nephew or niece needs medical attention, then we go all out.” He glances at the monitor.
“Hey, Briggs, where is Connor?” Hadley inquires.
“He’s here? Didn’t see him in the hall. Must have gone to the vending machine or something,” Briggs answers, and my eyes shoot to Hadley.
Oh crap, Briggs is here and Vaughn.
No, no, no.
The door opens again. “Heard we can start a party here, so we’re letting ourselves in,” Connor announces, with Vaughn in tow.
Then it happens.
Vaughn’s eyes strike mine with a hint of a smile on his lips that twitch when his sight sidelines to the machine next to me that unfairly informs everyone that my pulse is picking up. Finally, his eyes drop to my belly that I’m cradling in my hands, with his smile now dispersing into history.
He blinks a few times. Is his brain registering?
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Briggs nearly hisses.
Right, because my brother is present. Nearly forgot that, as I think there are bigger problems right now.
“You’re pregnant?” The words faintly escape Vaughn’s lips.
“Uhm… in my third trimester, actually.” My tone is neutral as I can’t tear my eyes away from him.
Is it possible that I can see inside of his mind as he counts back the months?
An unusual silence takes over the room.
“There is some odd tension happening or something,” Connor comments, and Hadley instantly elbows into his ribs to shut him up, and he yelps yet gets the clue.
“Tell me now if what I’m thinking is correct?” Vaughn grits out.
Fresh tears pool in my eyes, and all I can do is nod.
Vaughn nearly falls back as though I just knocked all the air out of his lungs and scrubs a hand across his jaw.
In the corner of my eye, Briggs is whipping his vision between me and Vaughn with everything registering. “Oh no… fuck no… tell me it’s not him.”
“Briggs, now isn’t the time.” My voice is shaking during my plea.
“Whoa, him?” Connor points his thumb at Vaughn and grins like this is great news. “Wait, when did this happen?”
I give him an unimpressed look. “A hurricane. Now can we skip the specifics?”
Connor’s face turns blank. “Huh… Vaughn,” he reflects. "Well, now this just got really fucking awkward."
Hadley swats him and glares at him, unamused. “Now is the time to stay quiet.”
Briggs stomps forward to the middle of the room and directs his attention to Vaughn. “You’re the guy who knocked up my sister?” He glances over his shoulder back to me. “It’s him? How the hell?”
“Jesus, calm down. She doesn’t need to explain the birds and the bees to you,” Hadley chides.
Vaughn remains in shock.
“I’m going to rip your head off.” Briggs begins to charge at Vaughn.
Vaughn is snapped out of his daze when my brother grips his shirt.
“Briggs,” I screech. He only stops for a second. “Can we stop? The baby has ears now and can hear everything.”
“Fuck off, Briggs.” Vaughn yanks my brother’s arms away.
But my brother only pushes him, not ready to give up.
“Watch the language, the baby has ears now.” He isn’t even mocking; he’s taking his uncle duty far too seriously.
“So you just get my sister pregnant and leave her to do this alone? I knew I had a reason to hate you.” He pushes Vaughn again who is visibly annoyed at him.
“Connor, do something right now,” Hadley gravels out to her husband. He is quick to tend to the scuffle happening in my hospital room.
“Just great, I have a hockey fight in my hospital room minus the skates.” My shoulders slump down when I mutter to myself.
“You know I can take you down in no time, so back the fuck off,” Vaughn growls.
Connor steps between them again to keep them apart by holding his arms out. “Will you two knock it off?”
Briggs looks back to me while he points at Vaughn. “I’m not going to let this go. His intentions are not honorable, and I won’t forget that.”
Throwing my arms up in the air, I gawk my eyes. “Briggs, we’re not in Victorian times. I don’t need your approval. I’m not a damsel in distress,” I say, raising my voice.
“You’re my sister,” he defends.
“Yeah, and I’m the sister who hasn’t actually told the father of my child that I’m pregnant, so leave it alone,” I justify.
My brother’s face falls, and it clicks in his head that Vaughn is finding out for the first time. He even flashes Vaughn a look that for the most part is neutral.
Just then the door opens again, with Dr. Forest arriving and rolling in a cart.
She warily studies the room. “What a collection of hockey players here that the medical staff seemed to notice gather in the hall earlier, but the nurses’ station is picking up that your heart rate is all over the place, along with the baby being more active, so you seem to be stressed. ”
“Understatement,” I highlight.
“I think it’s time that we kick out the visitors.” She smiles at me.
The room goes silent as we all look at one another.
“Let’s go, guys, I think Isla needs a moment.” Hadley does her best to usher Connor and Briggs out. She stops short at Vaughn, maybe even gives him a cautionary look.
“I’m staying,” he states firmly, with his fists clenched at his sides and his gaze still drilling into me.
The doctor notices the tension. “You can only stay if my patient agrees.”
Vaughn raises his brows at me, waiting for me to answer, and it’s clear there is only one answer that I can give.
Blowing out a breath, I say, “He can. He’s… the father. Would it be okay if we have a minute?”
“One minute,” she says sharply. Give the doctor an award for professionalism as she clearly grasps this unusual situation.
With everyone abandoning us, Vaughn steps forward.
In the background, I can hear my brother. “I swear to God, I might just commit murder.”
“No, you won’t. Come on, let’s go for a walk. You’re acting like a wild animal who needs to be tamed,” Connor suggests, and they must be walking away, as the background grows silent.
Except for the sound of the machine.
“Oh, Isla, Isla, Isla,” Vaughn tuts, and it’s sweltering, and it would even be sexy if it weren’t for the fact that I know what’s about to come. “You owe me a lot of answers.”