46. Axel
Axel
T he second I see she’s about to go down, I lunge to try to protect as much of her as I can from landing against the hard floor, head and stomach being priority number one. My hand slides underneath her head, just in time and I’m positive my heart just skipped more than one beat.
I saw her grip her stomach and at first, I thought it was part of the dance she’d so clearly put her entire body and soul into. If I believed in ghosts, I’d say it looked like she was dancing with someone the way her arms always left some space like she was trying to pull the air around her closer.
As soon as her face changed, I knew something else was going on. It took all of two seconds–maybe less–before I was on my feet and headed straight for her.
Positioning myself underneath her, I pull her body closer into mine as she curls into a ball and a very visceral groan leaves her. “What hurts, baby?” I ask cautiously. I want to help her, but I also don’t want anything I do to make it worse.
“M-my stomach,” she stutters. Every muscle in my body tenses as a knot takes root in my stomach.
I selfishly put her in this situation, basically forcing her to carry our child so she’d be tied to me forever.
I couldn’t see past my own need for her.
Now they could both be in danger and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness consumes me.
I don’t know what’s wrong, but I know I can’t lose either of them. I won’t survive it.
My mind races trying to figure out the best way to help her. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I dial 9-1-1.
When the operator tells me an ambulance is fifteen minutes away, I hang up.
The hospital isn’t that far away. I can get her there faster than they can get to us.
Pocketing my phone, I hold her tight and stand.
She rolls into me, curling herself tightly into my chest and I hurry us out of the theater and down the block back to my truck.
Opening the back door, I lay her gently along the back seat.
“Ohhhhhh,” she whines and I swear the sound causes my heart to crack. “Fuck, what the fuck?” There she is.
“Hang on, baby. I’ll keep us safe, but I’m damn sure not going to take it slow.
Can you take some slow, deep breaths for me?
” Concern is written all over her face and if I didn’t have to drive right now, I’d be climbing in the back to help her relax.
Thankfully, she listens to me and takes a long, slow pull of oxygen.
“Good girl. Now, I need you to trust me. Keep doing that and we’ll be at the hospital before you know it, okay? ”
I place a soft kiss on her forehead, then jump out, close the door and make my way to the driver’s side.
I’m behind the wheel with the engine turned on before my door is fully closed.
I pull out of the lot and have the speedometer well over the speed limit by the time we get to the corner.
If there are any cops between here and there, they’ll just have to follow me there.
Once I’ve got Wrinley in the right hands, they can take me for all I care.
I don’t give a fuck about myself anymore.
This crazy ass woman and my baby in her belly are all that matter now.
The tires squeal as I bring the truck to a sudden stop under the emergency archway at the nearest hospital. The engine is off and I’m at her door lifting her out of the backseat when I’m met with various hospital personnel.
“Sir, we’ve got a stretcher right here for her.
Just lay her down and then we’re going to need to ask you some questions.
” I hear them speaking, but the words don’t register.
The woman in the purple scrubs eventually places her hand on my shoulder causing me to look down at her and possibly emit a low growl.
She handles it like a champ though. She doesn’t even flinch before saying in an even calmer voice, “Sir, we’re going to take good care of her, but you have to let us do our jobs. ”
“Axel,” Wrinley interrupts, her voice shaky and weak. “Put me down, my love and let them help us. It’s okay.”
I nod and lay her gently on the stretcher. The second she’s down, they wheel her away and I pull my phone out to shoot off a couple of texts.
“Sir–”
“It’s Axel.” I give my head a quick shake, refusing to take my eyes off the doorway they wheeled her through. “My name is Axel.”
“Okay, Axel. Can you follow me and tell me what happened?”
She walks into the busy emergency room and stops at the desk to grab some papers. “She was dancing and then out of nowhere started having pain in her stomach. She’s pregnant.”
“I can see that. How far along is she?” she asks as she hands me a clipboard covered in blank spaces.
I raise a questioning eyebrow. What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?
“We’re not sure. A couple months, give or take, maybe? We have an appointment next week.”
“Are you positive she’s not farther along than that?”
“Yeah, I’m fucking positive she’s not farther along,” I scoff, irritated with her already.
“Take me to her now… please.” She’s fucking lucky she got a please at all at this point because my nerves are starting to fray.
If they don’t take me to her in the next thirty seconds, there will be a problem.
She calmly writes a few things down on her fucking dumbass clipboard, then asks, “How are you related to–”
“Wrinley. Wrinley Jaymes,” I snap.
“Okay, are you family?” My brows knit as I wait for her to finish what she’s asking. “Only family or spouses are allowed back there with patients. If you aren’t one of those, I’d suggest calling someone who is.”
“I’m her husband,” I lie without a second thought. It’s an easy response for a dumb as fuck question. I brought her here and I clearly know how pregnant she is. Who the fuck else would I be? “But I also texted her father. He’s on his way.”
There’s a split second of hesitation, before she sighs and says, “Okay. Let us get her settled and then we’ll bring you back to see her. Can you please have a seat? We’ll take good care of her, I assure you.”
“Fine,” I growl as I turn from her and head to the waiting room that’s way too full of people, but I manage to find a seat in the corner where I’m able to respond to my phone that just buzzed in my hand.
ARABELLA: I’m on my way.
I probably shouldn’t have texted her. I should have left it to Wrinley to tell her best friend what’s been transpiring between us, but for the first time in my life I’m afraid.
I’m afraid and the most important person in my life is behind those doors, dealing with god knows what, alone.
I had to call in reinforcement and Arabella was the first person I could think of.
She knows Wrinley almost as well as I do, so she’d probably want to know her best friend is in trouble and if I’m being honest with myself, there’s a very small part of me that’s wanted to form some kind of a connection with my sister since she told off our mother at her birthday dinner and hasn’t looked back since.
If nothing else, I’ll have someone else to commiserate about our shitty parents with. That has to count for something.
A knot sits heavy in my gut… a sensation I don’t fully recognize. It becomes heavier with every minute that goes by where I don’t hear anything.
“Axel?”
I look up from where my forehead was resting in my hands to see Arabella standing there in what appear to be fuzzy shark pajamas. “Nice of you to dress up,” I offer in the snarkiest tone I can muster.
She offers an exaggerated scoff in return as her eyes roll back in her head. “Just can’t help yourself, can you? Just have to be a dick about everything.” Then she sits in the hard plastic chair next to me, her hands fidgeting in front of her for a moment before she speaks. “Axel, what’s going on?”
“She told you she’s pregnant?” I know Wrinley told her, but I also know she left out the fun fact that I’m the baby daddy.
The shocked look spreading slowly across her face tells me she’s actively putting the rest of that puzzle together.
“She started having stomach pain, so I brought her in as fast as I could. That’s all I know. ”
It’s no secret my sister and I have had our issues.
Up until recently, she’s been our mother’s walking doormat, while I had no problem pretending neither of them existed.
The fear that’s taking root in my chest has me needing something from her–as family–that I don’t quite know how to put into words.
Like she knows exactly what I need, she wraps an arm around my torso and pulls me closer to her until she’s… hugging me.
“Come here, big brother,” she says softly and my muscles tense, unsure about what’s coming next. “Wrinley is one of the toughest bitches I know. If anyone can handle this, it’s her.”
Less than a minute later, the need to shake off whatever’s happening is too strong to ignore, so I pull back, then stand and proceed to pace the floor in front of her.
“Wait,” Arabella exclaims and I pause to regard her curiously. “How long have you been fucking my best friend?” When I don’t immediately answer, she stands in all her short glory, and aggressively but unsuccessfully shoves against my chest. “Fucking. Tell. Me.”
I place my hand at the top of her head and push her back down until she’s sitting back in her seat. “Not that the specifics are any of your fucking business, but I’ve been fucking her–as you so eloquently put it–since she started fucking. So basically, this whole time.”
“Why?”
“The why is irrelevant, and also definitely none of your fucking business. What matters here, is that your best friend and my–”