Chapter 21
Twenty-One
“Never seen you nervous to fly before.”
Hawk looked up from his phone and took the cup of coffee Sebastian was holding out in front of him.
“Not nervous to fly. Nervous to be leaving Jessie.”
Seb nodded. “Now that, I completely get. You want to stay back?”
“No.” Hawk took a sip from the cup. “We’ve been working on this presentation for months.
It feels like we’re just getting everything back on track after all that news article bullshit from last year.
And Jessie would kick my ass if I stayed now.
She’s so fucking proud of me, I thought she might smile herself to death as she sent me on my way this morning. ”
Seb smiled as he sat down in the empty chair to Hawk’s right. “How’s she been feeling?”
“Better. Thank God. I was about to lose my mind. That band she wears on her wrist has made a huge difference.” His hand came up to rub at the back of his neck.
“And as hard as it’s been for her not being around her family since the break-in and dinner from Hell, I think it’s been good for her to step back from the diner.
But there are good days and bad. Nothing seems to make her feel all the way better. ”
“I’ll make sure Em stops by to check on her.” Sebastian sipped on his coffee, a thought clouding his eyes.
Hawk nodded. “She’d love that. Stepping away from the diner, from her family, it’s hurting her.”
“Is she still working at her brother’s place?”
“Yep. Twice a week. Sometimes on the weekend too for a few hours if she’s felt up to it. She’s at least on speaking terms with Colt, too. Beau and Hayes haven’t reached out to her in the last few weeks, as far as I know.”
“That’s rough. You know, Lachlan applied for one of the town restoration grants I have up through Montgomery Equities.”
Hawk nodded. “Jessie and Lacy helped him put the proposal together. I’ve heard all about it.”
“Nash brought that to my attention,” Sebastian laughed.
“Apparently, Lacy was feeling very emotional about it when they finally submitted it. I got a desperate call from Wings one night when he was doing a late night run for something Lacy was craving. Nothing like my godfather-ship being on the line to make sure the proposal went through.”
Hawk laughed. “I would normally love that information to use as blackmail, but I think I’m just as whipped for Jessie.”
Seb’s hand landed on his shoulder. “It’s not a well kept secret. We know you are, man.”
He chuckled. “Good. So I won’t need to come up with an excuse not to go out for dinner with any of your contacts that you’re wanting to wine and dine for investments? I’ve got an important phone date with my baby mama.”
Sebastian laughed. “There will be no wining and dining required. I’ll also be partaking in the delights of a phone call with my fiancée. The both of us have been so damn busy lately it feels like we’re connecting more over phone calls than—”
Hawk’s phone vibrated in his hand, and his attention zoomed in on the message his sister had sent him.
If you and Seb are still on the ground, call me. And if you get this after you land… still call me. DO NOT FREAK OUT.
Fuck. Dread spread through his body. Hawk’s fingers squeezed his phone as his knee began to bounce.
“Everything okay?” Sebastian asked, his face set in stone but the concern bleeding into his voice.
“I’m not sure. Give me one sec and I’ll let you know.” Hawk stood, walking towards the wall of windows overlooking the Clarence County Air Field.
Jessie was fine when he left. Fucking glowing from the orgasm he’d given her.
She’d given him a kiss—and a smack on the ass—and sent him on his way.
She hadn’t been feeling sick. So what could it be?
If Mae was telling him not to freak out, she had to know he was going to.
Christ, she needed to answer her fucking cell phone before he—
“Hey, sorry. I just had to step away before I could answer.” His sister’s voice filled the line.
“What’s going on? Is something wrong with Jessie? The baby?”
“God. I told you not to freak out.”
“Tell me.” Hawk’s teeth clenched as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“She’s fine now, we’re just at the hospital and I thought—”
“What the fuck do you mean you’re at the hospital?”
“We went on a walk and she said the baby was kicking, so we sat to see if I could feel him, and then she just had this pain. I panicked and called Stone, and he drove us to the hospital.”
Hawk closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
“What sort of pain, Mae?”
“She said it was sharp. I just remember when I was pregnant, and had pain like that…” Her voice caught and his own throat ached with emotion. Fuck. She thought Jessie was losing the baby.
“Is she still in pain? What’s happening right now?
” Hawk turned back to Sebastian, pointing to his bag as soon as his friend’s eyes landed on him.
Thankfully, Seb got the message and stood immediately, grabbing both of their bags before stepping towards the wall of windows Hawk was now pacing in front of.
“It only happened a few times over a couple of minutes. She seemed to feel better once she stood up to stretch, but then we were in the sun and she sort of wilted while Stone was checking her over. She wanted to go back to the apartment, but we convinced her to get checked out. Just to be careful,” Mae’s voice caught, and Hawk’s heart sank.
His sister’s miscarriage wasn’t something she ever talked with him about, but it was obvious how deeply it had affected her.
She was trying to protect Jessie and the baby with everything she had.
And the fucking lump in his throat he was trying to swallow past was a clear measure of how much that meant to him.
“We’re still at the air field. I’m going to hop in my truck and come to you. St. Clare’s, right?”
“Yes. But she was very clear. I wasn’t even supposed to tell you about this. Birdie is on her way in and the doctor here is confident that everything is okay. She doesn’t want to mess up the presentation for you and Sebastian.”
“Fuck that. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Okay. That should be fine. They’re running some tests, so you’ve got time.”
“Thanks for letting me know. And thanks for being there for her. For both of them.”
“Of course, Hawk. Family is everything. And Jess is family.”
“Yeah. She is,” he cleared his voice and wiped at his eyes. “I’ll see you in a few.”
He slipped his phone back into his pocket, running his hand over his face one last time as he tried to figure out how the hell he was going to let Sebastian down.
“I—” Hawk started to explain when Seb’s hand came out and stopped him right in his tracks.
“I heard. Go. Family before everything else.”
“But you’re family too, and I don’t want to let you down.”
“Phoenix, you think for a fucking second if Emma was in the hospital I wouldn’t have already run through those doors and left your sorry ass behind?
Go. Your family needs you. I’m going to move some things around and make a few calls.
I’ll get this meeting rescheduled so I can stay in Clarence County for a while.
Until we know everything is stable with Jessie and the baby. ”
“I appreciate that, Cap. But you don’t need to do that. Mae said they’re good, and I believe her. I just need to see that with my own eyes.”
His eyebrows raised. “You’re sure?”
“Go. I’ll make sure Gage verifies you have access to my notes, but you’ve heard me give the pitch twenty-five times now. Besides, we all know you’re the brains and I was just there to be the beauty.”
“Yeah,” Seb chuckled. “Okay. Don’t fucking forget to let me know how she’s doing.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. Now go. Your girl is waiting on you.”
His hand came down on Hawk’s shoulder, squeezing for just a split second before Hawk nodded. The death grip Hawk’s fingers had on his own bag was radiating pain through his entire arm, but he didn’t dare loosen his grip. Before he could even catch his breath, he was in his truck.
The ride to the hospital was fucking torture.
Hawk’s mind was running in circles. He’d seen her eat breakfast, so she wouldn’t be dizzy from low blood sugar.
Unless something was going on there. What had he read about gestational diabetes?
Wasn’t that something they needed to worry about closer to the third trimester?
Fuck. He’d need to figure out how to get more protein in her at meal time.
She was favoring carbs because those seemed to help more with the nausea.
He held onto the steering wheel so tight that even by the time he was in the elevator riding up to the third floor, his hands still ached.
As soon as the door opened, Hawk scanned the area. A few random people were sitting in chairs off to one side of the waiting room. Stone pushed off the wall and the two of them walked down to the double doors, locked shut to protect the mothers and babies inside.
“How do I get to her?” Hawk asked.
“Just buzz through that intercom. The nurse at the station will open the doors for you.” Hawk nodded, but his hands didn’t move towards the intercom.
“She’s good, Hawk. Go see for yourself.” Stone’s hand squeezed down on his shoulder, and he wanted to say a million things right then and there. He at least wanted to say thank you for getting Jessie to the hospital. But he couldn’t.
So instead, he just nodded. Putting one foot in front of the other, he went through the motions. Hawk stood in the doorway of her room, unable to move. Even from the hallway, he could see Jessie’s face was tear-stained.
Her eyes went wide as he closed the door behind himself, turning to take it all in. The room was small, but she was the only patient in it. His eyes dropped to her belly. A blanket was tucked around her hips and legs, but her feet stuck out at the bottom, bright red toes proudly on display.
And still, in the midst of fear, and pain, Jessie was stunning. Hawk had never seen a more beautiful woman in his entire life. She made him never want to look away. Radiant, strong, feminine, she was perfect to him. Nothing, and no one, would ever compare to Jessie Ford.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling him from the revelation that echoed through his soul.
Jessie’s eyes bounced between Mae’s face and his. He stood deathly still, not daring to move until he heard that she was really, truly, actually okay.
Mae moved, her steady pace punctuating the stillness of the air around him. Was he even fucking breathing?
“She’s fine. Go over there and see for yourself.” His sister pushed against his shoulder as she made her way to the door.
His feet propelled him towards the bed. The one chair was in the corner and he sure as fuck didn’t want to be that far from Jessie, so he did the only thing he could think of. Hawk stood at her feet and squeezed her toes. “You’re really okay?”
Her face turned towards Mae, who was slipping out. “Don’t you go anywhere! Did you call him?”
Mae held up her hands innocently. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“I had you here with me.” Jessie’s arms crossed over her chest. Hawk’s eyes zoomed in on her hand where an IV was.
Were they giving her medication through it?
Or just pushing fluids? Jesus, he had so many fucking questions, but he needed to hear her say she was okay.
Apparently, she was too busy bickering with his damn sister.
Fuck it. Hawk pulled the chair from the corner right to the edge of her bed.
“It’s not the same, Jess, and we both know that,” Mae sighed as she waited for Jessie to respond.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Now that Hawk’s here, I’ll head out. Call me if you need anything. Either of you, okay?”
“Thanks, Mae,” Hawk choked out. “Are you really okay?” he whispered.
She nodded, placing her hand over his. “Bee is fine. He’s perfect.”
Hawk felt the rumble in his chest before any sound came out. “I didn’t ask about the baby, Pretty Girl. I asked about you. I want to know that you are okay.”
“I’m fine,” she whispered, her eyes misting over.
“Why did I have to hear about you being woozy and then in pain from my sister?” Hawk groaned.
“It wasn’t anything bad. I felt a little light headed and things just sort of felt hot and shaky for a minute. Honestly, the very first thing the doctor said was episodes like that can be very common in pregnancy. Something about the changing blood volume—”
“And the pain? What tests have they done? Did they look at your blood sugar? Were you dehydrated?” His eyes landed back on the IV in the back of her hand before he dropped his head to the hand still cradling her belly. “Hey, Bee. Are you giving your mama a hard time?”
Jessie sniffled, the sound enough to pull his eyes away from her bump back up to her face. She had tears pouring down her cheeks, wetting the adorable freckles he liked to trace when they laid down in bed together each night.
“Why are you crying? Does something hurt? Do you need me to get the doctor?”
“I r-ruined your trip w-with Sebastian. God,” She wiped away a few of the tears with her free hand. “I’m just messing up everything for everyone.”
“Jess.”
“No. You’re not supposed to be here! You’re supposed to be on a plane to Washington, and we’re supposed to have a sexy phone call tonight because I was finally feeling good, and I messed it all up.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t mess anything up. And we can still have sexy-time tonight. As long as the doctor says it’s okay.”
Her face turned beet red as her head fell forward.
Sobs shook her shoulders, and Hawk didn’t have a fucking clue what to do.
So, he did the only thing he could think of.
He slid his arms under her legs, and behind her back and lifted her up so that he could slide in beside her.
It was a wild attempt with the IV line attached to her, but her breathing was picking up and making his chest feel tight.
Finally, after some careful shuffling, Jessie was curled into his side, holding on to his shirt like she planned on never letting go. And that was perfectly fine with him.
“This worked out better, Jess. I never wanted to leave you. I’ll never leave without you and the baby right by my side again.”