Chapter 16 – Cooper
Shane seems to have stabilized—at least there have been no more drops in his blood pressure. I assume—hope—that means there’s no more internal bleeding. It’s a good sign they moved him here to the ICU. Every step forward means it’s more likely he’ll survive, right?
I hope so because I can’t accept the alternative.
I can’t imagine what it would do to Beth if he doesn’t make it.
Hell, what it would do to the entire McIntyre family.
I grew up a loner, with parents who hated me for who I was.
I’ve never known the love and support of a family until I became friends with Shane.
His family has adopted me as one of their own, and I know if the situation were different, if I were the one lying here in this bed, the McIntyres would rally around me, too.
The ICU room is a bit more comfortable for Beth.
There’s a padded vinyl chair that reclines into a sort of makeshift bed.
It’s unfolded now, and she’s asleep on it, covered by a thin blanket.
The chair is close enough to the bed that she can reach out and touch Shane, something she does frequently, even in her sleep.
Visiting hours ended a good while ago, but so far no one has suggested we have to leave.
We’ve been keeping a low profile, staying out of everyone’s way in the hopes they wouldn’t challenge us.
There’s no way she’d agree to leave Shane’s side, and there’s no way in hell I’m forcibly removing her. I dare them to try it themselves.
Although he doesn’t flaunt it, Shane’s name carries a lot of weight in this town. He’s donated a small fortune over the years to local hospitals, and he’s on the board of directors for more than one organization. I think out of respect for Shane, they’re showing a lot of deference to his wife.
The machines keep tracking his vitals, beeping hour after hour. The sound has become steady background noise, and I hardly notice it anymore.
The sun is beginning to rise, light filtering through the window shades, when Beth begins to slowly awaken. She slept fitfully last night, waking frequently to check on Shane. I caught her more than once pressing her fingers to the pulse point on his wrist.
I asked a nurse last night when they’ll bring him out of sedation, and she said not until he’s out of the woods.
“What are they worried about?” I asked the young woman as she checked Shane’s bandages in the night.
“Infection,” she whispered, probably trying not to wake Beth. “And it’s possible they might have to perform surgery on him again.”
As sunlight slowly lightens the room, Beth opens her eyes. With a groan, she converts her makeshift bed back into an upright position. She removes her hair tie and fingercombs her hair before pulling it back into a ponytail once more.
Without warning, she jumps up from her chair and hightails it to the bathroom. Even with the door shut, I can hear her heaving. She hasn’t had a lot to eat in the past twenty-four hours, so I doubt there’s much for her to throw up.
Still, morning sickness can do that to a person.
I hear the water running in the bathroom, and a few moments later she emerges.
“All right, young lady.” I rise from my chair and reach for the tote bag. “Enough is enough.”
As she resumes her seat, she casts me a confused look.
I pull the bag to me, unzip it, and withdraw a pregnancy test kit. “I found this in your bathroom cupboard.” I walk over to her and hand her the little blue and white box, which is still wrapped in plastic. “Go pee on a stick.”
She sighs. “Cooper, now is not the time.”
“It sure as hell is. No arguments, Beth. I mean it. Do it now.”
Her lips curve up in a hint of a smile. “You’re using your tough love dad voice.”
“I sure as hell am. You need to find out for sure. You know he’d want you to.”
With a frustrated huff, she grabs her phone, snatches the test kit out of my hand, and returns to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind her.
I set a five-minute timer on my phone and watch the seconds tick by. Not long after my timer expires, the bathroom door opens and out she walks.
I don’t even need to ask her the results. It’s written all over her face—the uncertainty, the haunted gaze. I meet her halfway and open my arms.
She presses her face against my chest. “Cooper,” she says, her voice breaking.
I rub her back. “It’s going to be all right, sugar. Don’t worry.”
“He knew it would be positive.” Her hot tears seep into my shirt as she wraps her arms around my waist and holds onto me for dear life. “This was supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but I can’t even think about being pregnant right now. I can’t think about anything but Shane.”
I hold her without saying anything more. What can I say? I can’t give her any guarantees. None of us truly knows what’s going to happen.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” she says.
I pull back and gaze down at her, seeing the pain and conflict warring in her blue-green eyes.
“He can’t know,” she explains. “When he wakes up, he’ll need to concentrate on getting well. If he knew I was pregnant, he’d focus his energies on me, and not on himself. I don’t want him to know until he’s safely out of the woods.”
“Okay, but I can’t keep this from Sam.”
She nods. “Sam can know, but no one else. Please, promise me.”
“I won’t say a word to anyone else. But you have to promise me something in return.”
“What?”
“Promise me you’ll start eating. You have to. You know what Shane would say if he knew.”
“I promise I’ll try,” she says. “The queasiness comes and goes without warning.”
I pull out my phone and start typing out a text message. “Sam’s here in the waiting room. I’m going to ask him to take you down to the cafeteria to get breakfast.”
“Do you know who’s with our kids right now?”
“Bridget and Calum took over for Sam early this morning. I think Annie’s coming around lunch time, and Sophie’s going to take over this evening. Everybody’s taking shifts, and we’ve got this covered.”
She makes a pained face. “I’ve never been away from them this long before. It’s been almost twenty-four hours now. I’m sure they’re wondering where we are.”
“Don’t worry about them. They’re in great hands, and they’ll be fine. Right now, you need to focus on Shane, and I’ll take care of you.”
While she’s waiting for Sam to arrive, Beth goes into the bathroom to pump and discard her milk.
When I hear a quiet knock on the door, I open it to find my husband, Sam, standing there. He’s a sight for sore eyes, looking like a million bucks dressed in ripped blue jeans, a gray Henley, and a pair of hiking boots. His red hair is up in a topknot, and he’s grinning at me.
My heart thumps at the sight of him. Last night was the first night since we got married that we slept apart.
I motion for him to come inside. After I close the door, I pull him into my arms and kiss him soundly. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Sam wraps his arms around my waist and holds me tight for a moment. “Sleeping without you sucks,” he says. “In case you were wondering.”
I chuckle as I pull back to gaze into his beautiful brown eyes, my hands threading through his hair. “For your information, I was miserable without you last night. I missed my little spoon.”
I kiss him again, drinking in his quiet moans, until I hear the toilet flush in the bathroom. Beth’s done pumping.
“How’s he doing?” Sam asks, glancing across the room to look at Shane.
“No more alarms have gone off, so I’d say that’s progress.”
“He’s still out?”
“Yeah. They’ve got him sedated to keep him still.”
“And Beth? How’s she holding up?”
“Speaking of Beth, she’s, uh—”
“Pregnant?”
I nod. “You knew?”
“I suspected as much,” Sam says. “She hasn’t been eating much lately, even before Shane was injured. The timing’s not great, is it?”
The bathroom door opens, and Beth walks out with the toiletry bag that holds her breast pump. Her hair is freshly brushed and put up in a ponytail, making her look incredibly young. Her face and hairline are damp from washing her face.
“Sam!” She sets the bag down on a chair and races to him. “Oh, God. I’ve missed you.” And then she starts sobbing. “Don’t mind me. It’s the hormones.”
Sam holds her in his arms, rubbing her back, and glances up at me, a helpless expression on his handsome, freckled face.
“Please take her to the cafeteria and get some food in her,” I say. “I’ll stay here.”
“Will do,” he says as he pulls back, looks her in the eye, and frowns.
I imagine he’s not happy about the sadness and stress he sees there. I grab a tissue from a box on the window ledge and hand it to him. He uses it to dry her cheeks.
“Come on, Princess,” Sam says. “Let’s go feed you and the new munchkin.” He starts for the door but when she doesn’t follow, he comes back to grab her hand and pull her along with him. “No argument.”
Beth has a history of anxiety, and I have no doubt Shane’s condition is stirring up those feelings.
“I guess Cooper told you,” she says as they walk out of the room.
“Yeah, but I think I already knew.”
* * *
I heave a sigh of relief knowing that Beth is going to eat a good, hot meal. Sam will make sure of it. Now that they’re gone, I sit in Beth’s chair and observe my best friend lying so still and pale in a hospital bed.
I lay my hand on Shane’s forearm. “Listen here, pal. You need to buck up and beat this. You need to get well so you can go home to your family. They need you. Beth needs you. This is not the time for lollygagging. Your folks and most of your siblings are out in the waiting room trying not to lose their shit. Hannah and Killian flew in from Colorado early this morning, on a red-eye, along with Gabrielle and her cowboy boyfriend.”
As I squeeze his forearm, I sense something that suspiciously feels like tears prickling the back of my eyes. “Shane—” I don’t say more, because I can tell my voice is about to break. I can’t afford to fall apart here.
When Sam and Beth return to the room about forty minutes later, Beth’s eyes are red and freshly bloodshot. She’s been crying her heart out to Sam. Even Sam looks a bit shaken.
Sam lingers by Beth’s side a few minutes longer before he says to her, “I hate to leave you, but I need to get back home to help out with the kids. They’re getting… emotional. I think having me there helps.”
Beth hugs him. “I understand. And I appreciate you being there for them.”
I nod toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.”
A few minutes after Sam leaves, there’s a knock on the door. I open it to find Beth’s mother, Ingrid, standing there.
Ingrid walks into the room, and Beth jumps up to hug her. The two women stand silently, their arms around each other in a fiercely tight embrace.
When Ingrid finally pulls back to look at Beth, she frowns. “Honey, I think you need to go home for a bit. You’re exhausted. And, Luke is asking for you. They both are, but especially Luke. He knows something is wrong. He hasn’t seen you or Shane in over twenty-four hours now.”
Beth sighs. Undoubtedly, she knows her mother is right. She should go home, at least for a quick visit. She needs to reassure her children.
“Go,” I say, stepping forward to lay a gentle hand on Beth’s back. “I’ll call you if there’s any change.”