Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
HARPER
H e was gone before I even woke up this morning. I reached for him, needing to have him hold me for a few minutes, but he wasn’t there, and he’d left me a text message.
Blake: I need to go to the hospital before the clinic today. I kissed the fuck out of you before I left, but you were sleeping so well. Love you, sugar.
I love him, too. And something wasn’t right with him last night when he woke me up. The sex was spectacular, as always, but something hurt him, and now I wish I knew what it was.
Not to mention, we need to talk about a certain pregnant woman.
That would be me .
But I want to do it when we can sit down and really have a conversation without fitting it in around patients or right before or after a shift at the hospital. I don’t want to have to rush it.
It’s too important.
I can wait two more days. Maybe. I don’t like feeling as though I’m keeping secrets from my man. Even though this is truly better talked about when we have time to work through our feelings.
I have a couple of hours until my night shift starts, but I need to hunt down one of the OB/GYN doctors I’ve come to know since I’ve been here to see if she’ll do a quick ultrasound on me. There’s only one medical clinic in town, and Blake works there.
I want to keep this on the down low for just two more days.
I’m on my way down to obstetrics, the hospital rather quiet for this time of day, and press my hand to my still-flat stomach. According to my research, this little one is about the size of a raspberry and doesn’t quite look human yet.
“Harper?”
I pause at the sound of my name and then let out a little squeal.
“Hannah?” The other woman throws her arms around me and hugs me close. Hannah Hull is an incredible OB/GYN from Cunningham Falls. I worked with her when I had an assignment there last year. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m consulting on a case. I’m only here for the day.” She grins at me. “I heard you took a position here. They’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks. I love it here.” I clear my throat as an idea forms in my mind. “Hey, would you be against helping me with something?”
“Never. What’s going on?”
I press my lips together and look around, making sure no one is listening. “I took a test. It’s positive, but I need an ultrasound to make sure?—”
“Follow me.” Taking my hand, she leads me down the hallway and into a room. She locks the door and gestures to the bed next to the ultrasound machine.
“Wow. Just like that?”
“This is the easiest favor you could have ever asked me for,” she replies with a grin.
Hannah’s gorgeous, with red hair and a sweet smile, and we share a love for hiking.
When I lived in Cunningham Falls, which is just about four hours from here, we hiked together often.
She’s married to the police chief and is one of the best people I know.
“Unfortunately, it’s pretty early, so this will have to be a vaginal ultrasound. ”
“I figured.” I shimmy out of my pants, drape the little sheet over my bottom half, and lie down on the bed. “I’m not shy.”
Hannah grins and gets to work. It’s not comfortable, but it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.
“I have an implant in my arm, but I think it must have expired,” I inform her. “Can you take it out for me? ”
“Sure, that’s easy enough,” she says, studying the screen. “You’re definitely pregnant, my friend.”
I stare at the black-and-white screen, seeing a black circle with a little blob in the middle and a racing heartbeat.
Hannah turns on the sound, and I can hear that heart, and everything in me goes soft.
Blake should be here with me.
“Well, shit.” Tears fill my eyes as I stare at that little blob. “Wow.”
“I’d say you’re about nine weeks along. Everything looks normal to me.”
I swallow hard and brush a tear off my face.
“Who’s the daddy, friend?”
“Blake Blackwell.”
Hannah’s eyes widen, and then she grins at me. “Well, good for you. Blake’s not only one sexy guy—don’t tell my husband I said that—but he’s also one hell of a doctor. Now I know why you wanted this on the down low.”
I nod, and when she removes the wand and starts to clean up, I put my pants back on and then sit on the side of the bed.
“Is it okay to keep having sex?”
Hannah smiles. “Absolutely. You can do everything you’ve previously done—just stay away from alcohol, limit your caffeine and fish, and listen to your body. That little one is safe in there. Have all the fun sex you want.”
I nod and take a deep breath. “I should be more terrified than I am.”
“Why?”
“Because this wasn’t planned.”
Hannah shrugs. “Sometimes the best things in life aren’t planned. You’re going to be a great mom, Harper.”
“Will I?” I bite my lower lip. “I don’t know. I hope so. Mine was pretty shitty, so I don’t know what it’s like to have a good mom in my life. But I already love her. And her daddy and I will figure it out.”
“You think it’s a girl?”
“I’m just calling her a her. I don’t really have any intuition one way or the other.”
Hannah passes me a print out of the image from the ultrasound, and I kiss it before tucking it safely in my pocket.
“Thank you.” Hannah pulls me in for a hug. “I appreciate the help. And I’m glad I got to see you while you were here.”
“I’ll be sure to call you next time, and we’ll plan dinner or something. If you have questions about anything at all, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
“Thanks. Do you have a doctor here who you recommend?”
“Absolutely. I’ll text you names. You’ll want to get established with someone right away.”
After a few more minutes with Hannah, I head up to my unit, ready to clock in for my shift. I wish I had time to run down and see Blake, even if it’s just to hug him. I really want to show him the ultrasound picture.
But we’re busy, and I’m thrown right into the middle of my duties as soon as I set foot in the unit .
“Baby Matthew needs to be fed,” Amy tells me with a smile. “And I’m heading into bay 6.”
I nod and set off to see how Baby Matthew’s doing. He came in the other day, so tiny and sweet. His is another situation where his parents aren’t able to come in for every feeding, so we take care of it when they can’t be here.
“Hey there, little guy.” I spend time with the preemie, change his diaper and give him a bottle, rocking him in the chair as he sucks and stares up at me with bright blue eyes. “You’re pretty darn cute.”
That’s the only quiet moment of the night because after that, I have to be on hand for delivery of a sick baby, and then I have to cover lunch breaks for my staff.
It’s almost midnight when I come up for air and check my phone, smiling when I see a text from Blake that came in an hour ago.
Blake: Miss you, baby. How’s work?
Me: I miss you, too. It’s been busy up here tonight. Is it a full moon?
Slipping my phone in my pocket, I walk into little Oliver’s room to check on him.
His mom is asleep in the chair next to him, and I let her rest as I check his monitors.
It’s almost time for a blood draw on the little man, so I turn to get some supplies for that when I’m suddenly hit across the side of the head and slammed into a cart, knocking the breath from me.
“Stay away from my kid! ”
Fuck, the pain. My entire right side throbs from where I hit the cart, and I’m dizzy and disoriented from being hit in the head.
“No!” I think that’s Oliver’s mom yelling out right before I take another hit to the face and then a kick in the side. “Stop! Help!”
I hear running feet and more yelling, but shit , my side hurts.
Someone—another dad?—grabs the man who shouldn’t even be here, holding him against the wall with his arms pulled behind his back, and then security comes running in to restrain him and haul him away.
“I’m so sorry,” the baby’s mom says. “He promised he wouldn’t lose it again.”
“He’s not welcome here,” I tell her, trying to climb to my feet. “If you let him in again, you’re both out for good. I’m pressing assault charges against him.”
“Oh, please?—”
“You won’t talk me out of this.”
Shit, I’m so achy. But I’m not on the verge of a panic attack. This was so different from before. I’m just good and pissed off now.
And fuck, do I hurt.
“Amy,” I say as the fellow nurse helps me get my balance. “I need you to get me down to the ER.”
She frowns but doesn’t ask any questions as she loops her arm through mine.
“Do you need a wheelchair?”
“No. Just take it slow. I’m a little dizzy from that knock to the head. ”
“Your lip is bleeding,” she says. “Dr. Blackwell will freak out.”
“Yeah, well, this is the least of his worries.” I walk slow, my right hip and side absolutely killing me, but I’m most worried about the baby.
God, let my little raspberry be okay.