Chapter 24
“ E than,” Maggie exclaimed.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Ethan said, directing the remark to Ridge.
“If you think I’m the one you should be afraid of, you’ve clearly never seen Maggie angry,” Ridge said.
“How could you…you went to get her and…she’s vulnerable, and you took advantage…” Maggie sputtered.
“Sweetheart, you’ve gone to that place only dogs can hear,” Ridge said, stroking his fingers soothingly down her arm. “Let’s hear what he has to say.”
“Long story short, we got married,” Ethan blurted.
They stared at him, unblinking. “I think we’re going to need the long story,” Ridge said.
So Ethan explained how everything came about. When he was finished, Maggie seemed more subdued.
“Do you like me again?” Ethan asked her, tapping her foot with his.
“I’m processing, and I’m a little sad, honestly. We didn’t get to have cake,” Maggie said.
“I’ll buy you a cake,” Ridge offered.
“It’s not the same if it’s not wedding cake,” Maggie said.
“We still have wedding cake in the freezer. We’ll have some when we get home.”
She bit her lip. “You might want to recheck the data on that.”
“Maggie, you ate our wedding cake without me?” he asked.
“I was having a bad night. It was right before I had to re-up my qualifications, and I was nervous.”
“And you thought the solution to being nervous about having to re-qualify on your physical was to eat a quarter of a sheet cake the night before?” he said.
“Apparently yes because I passed,” she said.
“You passed because I spent the month beforehand training you,” he said.
“Maybe it’s because you trained me, or maybe it’s because I ate the cake. There’s really no way to know for sure.”
Ridge picked her up under one arm and shook her up and down. “This is what happens when you marry an Eldridge woman, Ethan. You’re never sure if you want to spank her or kiss her.”
“Um, hello, I’m being wheeled to an ambulance here,” Amelia called as the medics led her away.
“I’ll go with her. You guys do your post-mission decompression thing,” Maggie offered.
Ridge and Ethan looked at each other. “How was the mission?” Ridge asked.
“Good,” Ethan said. “What else does she think we do?”
“I’m not sure, but in her mind it probably involves crying and maybe singing and some kind of craft,” Ridge said.
“Huh,” Ethan said, ending in a face-splitting yawn.
“Are you sure you want to go to the hospital? I could take you home,” Ridge said.
“I’ll go to the hospital, make sure she’s settled,” Ethan said. He fell asleep as soon as they were in the car. Now that they were back and Amelia was safe, he could let go and relax. Being constantly vigilant for days on end caused an unfathomable level of exhaustion.
When they arrived at the hospital, the emergency room would only allow one person to be with her. Maggie was already there, so Ridge and Ethan waited in the lobby. Ethan fell back asleep almost immediately. He felt as if he hadn’t slept in years, and it was comforting to have Ridge beside him again, keeping watch.
Finally she was admitted and they could see her. “Did they say what’s going on?” Ethan asked when they entered the room.
“Not yet. They’ve been running tests and doing scans. Hopefully we’ll hear soon,” Maggie said.
“How are you feeling?” Ethan asked Amelia, going forward to perch on the edge of her bed.
“Ethan!” she exclaimed, her voice light and loopy.
“Did they give you something for the pain?” he guessed, smiling.
“No, it just went away. It’s magic,” Amelia said.
“They put something in her IV,” Maggie said.
“Magic,” Amelia insisted.
“You’re high as a kite right now, huh?” Ethan said.
Amelia shook her head. “I don’t do drugs.”
“I think someone did them for you,” he said.
“Don’t tell my mom,” she pled, pressing her finger to her lips. “Shh.”
“Our secret,” he agreed, mimicking her gesture and pressing his finger to his lips.
“And don’t tell her what we did in Africa,” Amelia continued. “And don’t tell Maggie.”
“I don’t think I have to,” he said.
“You’re so handsome, and I love you so much,” she blathered, smooshing her hand along his cheek. “Why can’t I feel my fingers?”
“Because you’re high,” he reminded her.
“I don’t do drugs, crack is whack,” she said, then, ”Shh, don’t tell my mom.”
“I won’t,” he promised, smoothing the hair away from her face. He needed to go home, to shower, to check in with work, to sleep, but the thought of leaving her, even under Maggie’s watch, was painful. She had been in his care and his alone for so many days. Giving her up felt like the end of something.
“Ethan.”
“Hmm.”
“I might throw up.”
“It’s okay,” he said.
“You won’t like me if I throw up,” she said, starting to cry.
“I will, I promise,” he said.
“No,” she shook her head. “Pretty girls don’t puke.”
“You might want to tell that to some sorority girls I met once,” he said. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
She clutched at his shirt. “I think they put something in my IV, something bad.”
“It was to take the pain away,” he explained.
“It didn’t work because it still hurts right here.” She pressed her finger into the bed.
“I’m sorry your bed hurts. How about I’ll give you a kiss goodnight, and then you’ll go to sleep,” he suggested.
“You are so good at kissing, and all the other stuff we…” he pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off. When he pulled away, she dutifully closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The doctor entered immediately after. He spoke at full volume. Amelia stirred and woke but didn’t speak. “You are her sister,” he said addressing Maggie.
“Yes, and that’s her husband,” Maggie said, tossing Ethan an impish smile because she knew it would make him squirm to hear the new title out loud, and it did.
“Ah,” the doctor said, turning toward him. “That explains things.”
“Explains what?” Ethan asked, his heart thundering. How could he have possibly messed things up already?
“Amelia had an ovarian cyst that ruptured,” the doctor said.
“Is that serious?” Ethan asked.
“No, but it’s painful,” the doctor said.
“Was it from being on the airplane, the altitude?” Ridge asked.
“No, ah,” he glanced at Ethan again. “Sometimes vigorous, er, activity can precipitate a rupture.”
“Oh, geez,” Ethan said. Ridge snickered and ducked into the hallway.
“Really glad my mom was not here to hear that tidbit,” Maggie said.
“I didn’t note any other cysts in her scan, so things should be fine going forth. No need to scale back, er…”
“Good, thanks, we get it,” Ethan said, holding up his hand to halt the man speaking. It was a mercy he had a high threshold for embarrassment.
“We’ll keep her overnight, monitor her pain, and she should follow up with her gynecologist after release. Otherwise I think she’ll be fine,” the doctor said.
They thanked him and he left the room.
“So, I should get going,” Ethan said, his eyes on the blank television.
“Here’s Amelia’s key. Why don’t you swing by her place and pick up a few things before you come back tomorrow. You are coming back tomorrow, yes?”
“Yes,” Ethan said. He held out his hand and she dropped the key into his palm. He chanced a glance at her, but she looked away.
“No eye contact for six weeks. It’s the TMI rule,” she said.
“Right, good,” he agreed, standing.
“Ethan,” she said, and he paused. “You know this makes you my little brother now. You should be prepared because I’m going to bring the hammer, and you will feel the pain.”
“You’re only ten months older,” he noted.
“And I won’t let you forget it until I’m forty, and then we’ll never speak of age again,” she said.
“Good enough,” he agreed, mussing her hair while still carefully avoiding her eyes.