Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
“ W hy did you want to get to the hospital so early? We’ve got almost an hour until my appointment?”
Evie had asked him to tag along for her appointment that morning, and he wouldn’t have missed it for the world. They’d settled into a comfortable routine over the last few weeks. He was up early, making breakfast for her before they’d head down to watch Zeke and Derrick take the horses out for the day.
Sam had been delegating practically every task on the ranch to those two, but they seemed more than happy to help, especially after they heard what had happened to Evie. So Sam spent the days with Evie looking over accounting numbers from the last ten years. There were more discrepancies popping up, more accounts they needed to chase to try and find who attacked Evie.
At night, they’d taken to walking around the property. Not too far, because Evie’s feet were starting to swell, and her back was really starting to ache from the weight of Jellybean. Evie had been ordering some things for the baby when they made their way back inside at night. Said it gave her something to focus on instead of falling asleep while he rubbed her feet.
In fact, Sam had just spent the night before putting together a bassinet that was now in the corner of Evie’s room. They didn’t talk about how his clothes were now in her dresser. How they spent all night with her cuddled in his arms. It just was, and up until now, he let it be. But he hoped, with this surprise before her appointment, that he’d be able to show her how much he wanted to explore something more with her.
“There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”
Worry flashed in her big brown eyes.
“What—”
“Nope. There’s nothing to be worried about. Just follow me.”
Sam laced his fingers through hers and gently tugged her in the direction of the elevators. He’d been doing this walk once a month since he was released from the hospital.
“Do you think there are cameras in here?” he whispered into her ear as the doors closed on them and the lift took them towards the fifth floor.
She laughed. “Yes. So don’t get any ideas. I’d be mortified if security had to escort us out of here.”
“I don’t think they’d mind if I stole a little kiss.”
And that’s exactly what he did. Although, there was nothing little about it. His lips pressed to hers and the searing want of having Evie completely to himself rushed through his body. Her back arched, pressing her belly into his.
“Sam?” her breathless whisper held a thousand questions.
“I want a lifetime of doing that with you, Evie. But I don’t want there to be any questions or doubts between us.” The elevator doors opened and Sam stepped out, holding his hand out for her to grab. “This is my cardiologist’s office. I made an appointment so we could talk to him, together. You can ask him whatever you want to know about my heart. About the day it stopped.”
Her eyes went wide, but she didn’t say anything as they entered the office. She kept quiet as the receptionist asked them to take a seat. And she only smiled politely when the nurse came out to bring them back to the office.
“Samuel! I was surprised to see you on the schedule for today. You haven’t been in here in a few weeks.”
“All thanks to this beautiful woman. Dr. Murphy, this is my Evie, and our Jellybean.”
The doctor’s eyes went wide. “Well, no wonder you’ve stopped coming in here. Congratulations on your family, Sam. What a wonderful thing to see. Evie, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, come have a seat.”
“Thank you.” She turned to Sam. “Why haven’t you been here in a few weeks? Are you skipping visits because of me?”
“No. I was coming in a lot before you got to the ranch because of panic attacks. I thought something was still wrong with my heart.”
“But rest assured, Samuel is a miracle. Completely healthy in every extraordinary way. I did mention getting into therapy, which I think would still be a good idea, especially with the stress of a new baby coming, but physically, I cleared Sam to return to all his normal activities months ago.”
Evie’s eyes welled with tears.
“Why are you upset?”
“The baby is going to be a stress for you.”
His hand slid up her face, cupping her cheek so he could wipe the tears away. “The best stress, though. There isn’t a single thing about having Jellybean be here that doesn’t make me excited, Evie.”
“I shouldn’t have phrased it like that,” Dr. Murphy cleared his throat. “It says in the appointment notes that you had some questions you wanted to go over, Sam. ”
“Actually, I wanted Evie to hear what happened to me that day. And for her to be able to ask any questions she might have.”
“We can do that. Let’s start at the beginning, yes?”
Evie nodded, and he placed his hand over the baby, letting the stress of reliving his medical event melt away with each roll and kick she gave him.
“November eighth of last year, Sam was hospitalized following full cardiac arrest.”
Evie reached for his hand.
“Sorry, did you say November eighth?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?” Sam asked.
“That’s the day,” he watched her draw in a breath, pressing her hand down harder onto his. “That’s the day I had my embryo transfer. November eighth is when I got pregnant with her.”
In that moment, Sam felt everything click into place. The last spot in the deepest part of his chest, that ached with the uncertainty of why he’d survived when so many others didn't, crumbled away.
“Thank you for taking the time to explain all that to me.” Evie’s voice pulled him back into the office.
“It was my pleasure. Sam, we’ll see you back in three months for your check-up, okay?”
“Of course.”
“And we wouldn’t mind if you brought Evie and the baby the next time you come in.”
“He won’t be coming to any more appointments on his own, I can promise you that.”
“Are you sure you want to be here with me?” Evie looked up at him with bright eyes, but he could see the worry behind them.
“Didn’t you just sass my doctor about how I’ll never go to another appointment alone? Same applies to you. I want to be here.”
His hand slid over to her bouncing leg, which stilled almost immediately under his touch.
“Are you nervous?”
“No.” She sighed. “Maybe? I know she’s fine. I just always get worked up and worry until I’ve heard her heartbeat.”
Her back fell against the back of the seat, and Sam slid his hand over her belly.
“This is becoming a thing.”
“What is?”
“You touch my belly to calm your nerves.”
“What can I say? I love touching you, and I love feeling her kick my hand. Besides,” he smiled. "Isn't it good luck to rub a pregnant lady’s belly?”
She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that. And what do you need good luck for, Cowboy?”
“Well, Jellybean and I have been talking. We decided we are trying to get her mama to fall in love with me. She and I are a team already, you see. Just need one last thing to fall into place.”
“Sam—”
“Evelyn Williams?” A nurse in bright pink scrubs called out her name before she could finish what she was going to say to him.
She stood, pausing for a second before turning back towards him.
“Are you… I mean, do you want to…”
“Fuck, yes.” Sam jumped up from his chair and laced his fingers through hers, walking confidently into the small hallway off the waiting room.
“Alright. I’ll just need you to give us a small sample into this cup…” Evie’s face flushed as the nurse placed a urine collection cup in her hand. “I’ll bring dad here down to room three and you can join us in there when you are all set.”
“Oh—”
“We’ll be fine, Bluebell.” He gave her an encouraging smile before walking down the hallway with the nurse.
“Hi, Evie. How are you feeling today?” Evie’s doctor walked into the room just as Sam finished helping her up onto the exam table.
“Good. We’re excited to see the baby.”
“We always love to see supportive partners at these appointments.” He nodded at Sam. “Listen, Evie, I’m going to stay for the scan, and then we can discuss what we see at the end.”
Evie nodded, but Sam felt his stomach drop.
“Wait. Why do you need to be in here for the scan? Is something wrong with the baby?”
“As far as we know, nothing is wrong with the baby,” Dr. Hayes replied.
“Evie? You’re okay, right?” The fear that something was going on in her pregnancy that she hadn’t told him about made him feel lightheaded.
“Sir, do you need to sit down?” The ultrasound tech pointed to the chair against the wall. The room suddenly felt too small.
“Sam?” Evie’s worried look had him fighting to take a deep breath.
“Sorry. I’m fine. Just… you’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?” he asked. “I know I kept my heart stuff from you, and I wouldn’t be mad if you chose to keep so mething to yourself because of that. I just need to know how to help you.”
“Nothing is wrong with me or Jellybean.” She laced her fingers through his. “Get the chair and then come sit over here and hold my hand.”
He hesitated for a second, until she squeezed his hand again. Finally, he turned, grabbing the chair and moving it next to the exam table.
“Like Evie was saying, she and the baby are fine. We’ve been monitoring the baby’s growth and I’m just going to stay in and watch as the measurements get taken so I can let you know what we’re seeing without you having to wait.”
“Thank you, Dr. Hayes.” Evie crossed her ankles and held her hand out for Sam to take.
“It’s my pleasure. You got the perfect appointment slot. Right before my lunch. I just can’t resist getting a sneak peek of our little patients when I get the chance.”
“Everyone ready?” The tech lifted Evie’s shirt and Sam let his gaze fall on the curve of her belly. He’d memorized every inch of it in the weeks he’d spent with her. But something about seeing it just then, knowing he was about to see Jellybean, made it feel so incredibly special.
The wand rolled around her belly and the only sound in the room was the clicking of the computer mouse and a few keystrokes. Evie’s eyes were glued to the monitor, which was still facing away from them.
Her hand squeezed his, and he realized she was holding her breath.
“What is it?” he whispered.
“Something’s wrong. They always show me the monitor right away.” Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes.
The tech must have overheard Evie, because in the next second, the screen was turned right towards them .
“Sorry to make you worry. Your little peanut is right there. Look, she’s even waving to her mom and dad.”
“And she looks great,” Dr. Hayes added.
“Oh god. That’s our girl right there? She’s already got your nose.”
The picture of the baby was so beautiful. He could see her, brand new and bundled up in a pink blanket, safe in Evie’s arms. He could see her growing into a toddler, with her mother’s brown hair and big brown eyes. There would be a day when he’d put her on a horse for the very first time, like his dad had done with him. He could picture it all. Her whole beautiful life played out in his mind.
“Evie?” Sam rested his free hand on her thigh and gave it a squeeze. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. “That’s her. Jellybean.”
“She’s looking great, Evie.” Dr. Hayes moved closer to the screen as the tech moved the wand around on her tummy, pressing different buttons on the machine and letting them bask for a minute in the sounds of her heartbeat while her little arms and legs wiggled on the screen in front of them. “Still measuring a bit on the small side, but we’ll keep an eye on it.”
Sam sat back. “Do we need to be worried? Should Evie be eating more? Resting more? Does she need to see a specialist?”
Evie tightened her grip on his hand for what seemed like the millionth time that appointment.
“Evie is doing great, and there’s no need to change anything right now. Just like adults, babies come in all shapes and sizes. What we’re sometimes concerned with is something called Intrauterine Growth Restriction, but I’m not seeing the signs of that right now. My gut is telling me your little girl is just going to be on the petite side, like her mom. ”
“From how big I feel, I’d never guess she's small.” Evie laughed. “Thank you so much, Dr. Hayes.”
“It’s my pleasure. You’re all set here, just remember to stop at the reception desk and schedule your next appointment.”
“Will do.”
“Here, Dad.” The tech held out a length of paper to him. “Pictures of your little girl to hang on the fridge.”
“Thank you,” Sam managed to croak out past the lump in his throat.
A few minutes later, after scheduling Evie’s next appointment as promised, they sat silently next to each other, heading back towards the ranch.
Sam reached over and set his hand on her thigh.
“Thank you for taking me to meet your doctor.” Evie smiled as she broke the silence.
“I should have done it a long time ago. You should have known about my heart before I even ever kissed you.”
She nodded in agreement. “I should have, yes. But I understand why you didn’t tell me.”
“It still wasn’t fair of me. And I’ll keep working to make it up to you, and to show you how grateful I am that you forgave me for as long as you’ll let me.”
“Is that what you were thinking about just now?”
“No. I was thinking about the ultrasound. How fucking perfect she is. How I can’t wait to meet her. How I hope she has your big brown eyes and your perfect rosy cheeks. How I need to figure out a way to say thank you that encompasses just how truly incredible that moment was to experience with you.”
“I love you, Sam.” Her words came out no louder than a whisper, but it hit him like the force of a hurricane.
“I love you, Evie.” He brought both of their hands up to rest on her belly. “I love you too, sweet girl.”