Chapter 14
A dam McCarthy was having trouble breathing as he stood outside the cubicle while David and Victoria tended to Abby.
They’d begun an IV that was intended to stop her early labor, but what if it didn’t work?
Twenty-two weeks was a long way from viability.
Could the babies survive at that age? A quick web search had answered the question he didn’t want to ask in front of Abby when she was trying so hard to remain calm. Yes, the babies could survive, but it would be a roller-coaster ride of probably months in the neonatal intensive care unit with no guarantee of a happy ending. It was also possible that the babies could endure life-long challenges as a result of their early births.
He struggled to hold back the anger that threatened to boil over. She’d been through so much already. How much more could she endure before she cracked under the weight of despair?
At first, the news they were expecting quads hit like a tsunami, overwhelming them with the implications of having five sons under the age of two. But over time, they’d begun to excitedly anticipate the babies’ arrival. The pregnancy had been rough on Abby, and it’d been getting more difficult with every passing day. But she’d been determined to see it through, to get the babies to the latest point she possibly could.
He'd never loved or admired her more as he watched her soldier through, despite her increasing discomfort as the babies grew.
If they lost them, he wasn’t sure how they’d go on.
David came to the door. “A word in private?”
Adam glanced at the man who would’ve been his brother-in-law once upon a time. Now he was a trusted friend who’d saved the lives of several people Adam loved, including his sister Janey and her son, PJ. He nodded in response to David’s question and followed him and Victoria into David’s office, closing the door behind them.
David glanced at Victoria.
“We want to be straight with you,” she said.
“I wouldn’t want anything else.”
“We were able to stop the labor. For now. But the situation is precarious. We want to get her to Women and Infants in Providence as soon as possible. It’s very likely they’ll admit her for the duration of her pregnancy.”
Adam felt like the breath had been knocked out of him as he processed what Vic was saying. “She’s got eighteen weeks to go.”
“I know, Adam, but this just became an even higher-risk pregnancy than it already was, and we want her carefully observed. The longer we can keep the babies in utero, the better the chances are that they all survive without complications.”
Adam ran a hand through his hair as frustration and despair overtook him. “How soon do you want to transfer her?”
“Immediately. We wanted to talk to you—and then to her—before we call for a Life Flight.”
His heart sank as it became clear the situation was far more serious than he’d thought—and that their lives would be upended for the foreseeable future. “Yeah, okay. Let’s talk to her.” He glanced at David. “Could I borrow your car to run home to grab a few things?”
David nodded. “Of course.”
They walked together to Abby’s room.
Her eyes were closed, but opened when she heard them come in.
Adam forced a smile for her. “How’re you feeling, hon?”
“Better. The pain has stopped.”
“That’s good news. David and Vic want to talk to us about what happens next.”
Abby’s gaze shifted toward Victoria. “Are the babies okay?”
“They’re doing great,” Victoria said, “but the early labor has me concerned enough that I’d like to get you to Women and Infants as soon as possible so you have the highest-level of care going forward.”
“Oh.” She looked at Adam and then back to Vic and David. “So, like I have to go there now?”
“That’d be our recommendation.”
“We’d have to get Liam and get a car on the boat and…”
“We’d call a chopper for you.”
Her entire body became tense as the implications of that registered with her. The words Life Flight were synonymous with emergency to the island’s residents. “Is it… I mean, it’s that serious?”
“You and the babies are stable right now,” Victoria said. “We want to keep you that way, and to do that, we need to get you to Providence as soon as possible.”
Abby’s chin quivered as she listened to Vic. Then she looked to Adam for his take.
“I think we should do what Vic and David are advising and get to Providence right away.”
“Wh-what about Liam?”
“My mom will keep him for as long as we need her to, and they’ll bring him to us when you’re ready for visitors.”
“I… I don’t want to be away from him.”
“Neither do I, but he’ll be very well cared for while we’re gone.”
“He’ll be scared if we just disappear.”
“We won’t disappear. We’ll FaceTime him later. Vic will call for the chopper. I’ll run home and get some clothes for both of us and be back before it gets here. All right?”
She nodded as she wiped away tears.
He leaned over the bed rail to kiss her. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I can promise we’ll do everything we can to make it so.” Adam kissed her one more time. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
To Vic and David, he said, “I need fifteen minutes.”
David handed him his keys. “Sounds good.”
Adam ran out of the clinic and called his mother as he drove David’s car faster than he should’ve.
“Hi, honey. How’s Abby?”
“She went into early labor, which they were able to stop with meds. Vic and David want her in Providence right away. They’re calling for Life Flight.”
“Oh my goodness. Adam…”
“I know.”
“How’s she taking it?”
“She’s worried about Liam.”
“We’ll keep him with us for as long as you need us to.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Of course we will.”
“If it’s easier for you to stay with him at our house, make yourselves at home.”
“I’ll talk to Dad about it, but don’t worry about anything.”
“I don’t know how this’ll go, Mom.” His voice broke a little. “If something happens to her or the babies…”
“She’s going to the best possible place to ensure that nothing happens. I know it’s so hard not to think the worst, but don’t do that. You must stay positive for her.”
“You’re right.”
“What else can we do for you?”
“Pray?”
“Already doing that, honey. Keep me posted?”
“I will. I’m running home now to get some clothes for both of us and then going right back to fly over with her.”
“We love you both, and we’ll take very good care of your sweet little boy. Don’t worry about a thing. He’s having a great time with his cousins.”
“Glad to hear it. We’ll call him later, so he doesn’t worry about us.”
“That’d be great. Are you all right, Adam?”
“As long as she and the babies are, I am, too. I’ll check in as soon as I can.”
“We’ll be here.”
“Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too. Please give Abby all our love.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, Adam used his sleeve to wipe away tears as he rounded the last corner before his driveway. He ran into the house and up the stairs to grab a bag that he filled with essentials for both of them, including toothbrushes, his laptop so he could attempt to do some work and the maternity clothes Abby had been living in lately. Whatever else they needed he’d get on the mainland.
He was on the way back to the clinic three minutes after he entered the house.
As he drove, he thought about the shock of learning they’d conceived quads naturally after being told that Abby’s chances of conceiving at all were low due to the PCOS.
That they could lose their miracle babies was impossible to fathom.
He’d set his heart on those four little boys, and Abby had gone through so much to get past the halfway point of her pregnancy. It couldn’t end like this.
It just couldn’t.
She’d never survive it. They’d never survive it.
Adam had to get himself together so he could be strong for her.
“Whatever she needs. That’s all that matters.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the clinic as the helicopter appeared overhead. The last time he’d seen that chopper had been when Maddie went into labor with the twins during Mallory’s wedding.
This time, his wife and babies were the ones in trouble.
Panic threatened to consume him as he ran inside before the helicopter touched down in the parking lot. He was relieved to find Abby right where he’d left her. Big brown eyes gazed at him with the same fear he felt. “Ready to go for a ride, honey?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Did you talk to your mom?”
“Yes, and she’s happy to have Liam for as long as we need her and Dad to watch him.”
“It feels so wrong to leave him here.”
“He’ll be fine. Mom said he’s having a great time with the kids. She said not to worry about anything.”
The Life Flight crew came into the clinic to collect Abby, who was transported on a rolling gurney along with the IV that Victoria had started.
David and Vic consulted with the chief EMT while the others got Abby settled inside the helicopter.
“You can sit right there,” one of them said to Adam.
At any other time, he would’ve enjoyed the helicopter ride. But there was nothing cool about this. As they lifted off, he was terrified of where this journey might take them.
While he watched the island disappear from sight, he prayed they’d return with four healthy baby boys.
McKenzie wore an olive-green tank top and cut-off denim shorts that put miles of creamy white skin on display that made Duke want to swallow his tongue. He’d love to put the most stunning flowers on her gorgeous skin, not that she needed any enhancements. But he couldn’t look at skin like hers and not dream of the art he could create on such a perfect canvas.
And then she smiled.
Was it possible to swallow a tongue?
They hadn’t gotten around to her looking at his QuickBooks yet, but she’d promised to do it as soon as she could. She’d spent the afternoon completing a questionnaire Mac had dropped off to outline her wishes for the cabin reconstruction.
Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, and she’d done something with her brown eyes that made them stand out even more than they usually did.
She was drop-dead gorgeous, and he was suddenly concerned about taking her to an event where she’d meet other guys better suited for someone like her than he’d ever be.
“Duke? Is everything all right?”
“Uh, yeah, all good.”
“Are you sure you want us to go with you? Wouldn’t you rather hang with your friends without having to worry about us?”
“No, not at all. I want you to come. If you’re up for it, that is.”
“I’d love to.”
“All right, then.”
“All right, then. You’re sure you’re okay?”
He was about to say what she wanted to hear so they could get on with their outing, but when he opened his mouth, the truth came spilling out. “I was okay until I saw you all…” He waved his hand in her direction. “You look beautiful, and you took my breath away for a second. Or two.”
She stared at him long enough that he wasn’t sure if he’d made a huge mistake telling her the truth. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“It’s the truth. You’re gorgeous, and the last thing I want to do is prove your mother right about anything…”
She came over to him and placed a hand on his chest.
Her touching him that way nearly stopped his heart.
Then she went a step further by going up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You’re nothing like the kind of men my mother described, and for what it’s worth, I think you’re rather beautiful yourself.”
He snorted with laughter and embarrassment. “Sure, I am. I’m a freaking wildebeest next to you.”
“You’re beautiful inside and out, and I don’t want you saying mean things about my friend Duke. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her smile… Goddamn if it didn’t turn him inside out, especially when she directed the full force of it in his direction.
While she gathered sweatshirts for herself and Jax, he stood perfectly still, overwhelmed by the last five minutes in which it seemed like everything in his life had changed for the better. She thought he was beautiful—inside and out. What did that mean? How should he proceed from here?
He felt less certain of himself with her than he had with any other woman he’d ever spent time with. He’d had his share of girlfriends, dates and hookups, but no other woman had ever left him as dazzled as she did, even the one he’d thought he might marry.
As he carried Jax in his car seat down the stairs to the truck, he was as tongue-tied and flummoxed as he’d been in years. His heart hammered in his chest, his mouth had gone dry, and his palms were sweaty.
Christ have mercy. He was a grown man in the throes of the deepest crush of his life, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d scare her away by being a weirdo.
While she secured Jax to the base of the child seat, he got in the driver’s side to wait for her to be ready to go.
They pulled out of the driveway and headed for North Harbor.
After a couple of miles passed in silence, he felt her looking at him.
“What?”
“Is everything going to be different now?”
He glanced over at her. It was a lot like looking directly into the sun. “What do you mean?”
“You said nice things about me. I said them about you. Does that change everything?”
“What if it did?”
“I’d be sad if we were awkward with each other. I thought we were becoming friends.”
“We are friends. I don’t want to mess that up any more than you do, but I can’t help that when I look at you, I just…”
“What?” she asked, sounding as breathless as he felt.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “It’s important to me that I not take advantage of your need for the apartment or our proximity or anything that would be inappropriate.”
“That’s the last thing you could ever be.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just do. That’s not how you roll. You’re a gentleman, or my grandmother wouldn’t have given you the time of day.”
“Oh, well… I was kinda rough around the edges when she met me.”
“You’re not anymore.”
“Sometimes I am.”
“Well, I haven’t seen that. I’ve seen a kind, generous, sweet man who helps people without expecting anything in return other than friendship. I see someone who goes out of his way for me, which is something I’ve never had before.”
“I like helping you.”
“I know you do, and that makes you the sweetest man I’ve ever known.”
He scowled. “I’m not sweet. Quit saying that shit.”
“It’s the truth, so don’t be grumpy about it.”
“You’re supposed to think I’m tough and intimidating.”
“Oh, didn’t realize that. Sorry.” Under her breath, she added, “Not sorry.”
“I heard that.”
Her laughter was almost as captivating as her smile.
“The mood’s apt to be a bit somber tonight. Heard they found Jim Sturgil’s body.”
“Oh no. That’s so sad. Poor Tiffany and Ashleigh. And his parents…”
“I know. He could be an SOB, but you’d never wish something like this on him.”
“No, never. Even Tiffany said that.” McKenzie pulled out her phone. “I texted her to tell her how sorry I am about the news and to let me know what I can do for her this week.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate the support. She may even be there tonight.”
“I feel so bad for her. What a tough thing to see a child through.”
“For sure. But she and Blaine are a strong couple. They’ll love her through it.”
“Love her through it. What a sweet way to put it.”
“Cut it out with that sweet crap.”
McKenzie laughed. “Sorry, but I only speak the truth.”
“Maybe I should finally get some tats on my face to make me look tougher.”
“Even if you do that, I’ll still think you’re sweet.”
“Damn it. Clearly, I’ve played this all wrong.”
“From where I’m sitting, it seems like you’ve played it all right.”
“You really think so?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, like, if I was to say, ‘Hey, McKenzie, you want to go out to dinner with me sometime?’ you might actually say yes?”
“Ask me and find out.”
“Oh, um, so, like… I should ask you now?”
“Were you doing something else?”
He gave her a side-eyed look. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Very much so. Aren’t you?”
“Not as much as you are.”
That only made her laugh harder.
“Keep laughing at me, and I might not ask you anything.”
“You will.”
If only he still couldn’t feel the exact spot where she’d kissed his cheek. He would never wash that spot again. Now you’re just being ridiculous . That might be true, but not even his internal narrator could ruin the euphoria of realizing that she liked him as much as he liked her and if he asked her out, she’d say yes.
Since they were approaching the marina, he decided to save that question for later.
When they were out of the truck, he took the baby seat from her and carried it toward the pier, where a crowd had gathered inside the restaurant and around the picnic tables outside.
Evan McCarthy and Owen Lawry were seated on stools outside with their guitars.
“You’re in for a treat. Those two are great together.”
“Who are they?”
“Evan McCarthy and Owen Lawry.”
“Evan McCarthy who sings ‘My Amazing Grace’?”
“Yep, that’s him. His folks own the marina.”
“I had no idea! I love that song. I saw him with Buddy Longstreet and Taylor Jones last summer.”
“He’s become a big deal over the last few years, but he still pops in to play here any time he’s home.”
“Wow. You never know who you’re going to meet on Gansett Island.”
“That’s very true.” Duke hoped with everything he had that she didn’t meet someone she liked better than him.