Chapter 21
This cannot happen again. That was the only thought in Mac’s head as Victoria and David worked frantically to determine the source of Maddie’s pain.
They’d assured the panic-stricken parents that the babies were fine, that Maddie was not in labor, even as the pain kept coming in her lower right side.
She couldn’t be in labor. Not yet. The babies weren’t due until September. It was way too soon.
Mac’s chest tightened once again as anxiety gripped him. He stood by Maddie’s bed, trying to stay calm for her when he wanted to howl from the fear of something going wrong.
“Mac,” Maddie said between pains. “Stop spinning. Everything is fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. Please… I can’t be worried about you collapsing again. You have to stay calm.”
Easier said than done. “I’m trying, honey. Seeing you in pain is making me nuts.”
“I know. But the babies are fine, and it’s not labor. Isn’t that all that matters?”
“No, it isn’t. You matter, too.”
“I’m fine. It hurts, but it’s not unbearable.”
Victoria had performed a full internal exam, and David had ordered blood work. Waiting for results was going to make Mac crazier than he already was.
“Have you talked to my mom?” Maddie asked. “Are the kids all right?”
“Everyone is fine. Tiffany is there to help with bedtime. The rest of the family is in the waiting room.”
“You should send them home. We’re okay, and they have stuff to do.”
“They’re waiting to hear for sure that you and the girls are okay.” Mac brought the hand of hers he was holding to his lips to kiss the back of it.
“Tell them we’ll text them. I swear it’s not going to be anything big. I know it.”
He didn’t want to question her certainty or give her more reason for concern, so he agreed to pass along the message. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
She laughed even as she grimaced from another wave of pain.
Mac tore himself away from her and went to the waiting room to deal with the family members who occupied every available seat.
His dad jumped up when he saw Mac coming. “How is she?”
“Fine, or so she says. She’s definitely not in early labor. They’re trying to figure out what’s causing the pain, but Maddie wants you all to go home and get some rest. She promises it’s nothing to worry about, and we’ll text when we know what’s up.”
“What about you, son? You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
“I’m doing all right. We’re both fine. I promise. It’s safe to stand down.” He could tell his father didn’t want to go, but when his mom put her hand through his arm and gave a gentle tug, Big Mac relented.
“You’ll call if anything changes?”
“Absolutely.” Mac gave his dad a hug, because he looked like he needed it. “It’s all good. I promise.”
“Don’t let me see you at the marina any time soon, you got me?”
“I got you, but I will be by to do the paperwork. I’m not letting you undo all my hard work to get that place organized.”
“Send Julia over to take care of that.”
“I didn’t hire her to manage the marina.”
“Maybe she’d be willing to do both for some extra money.”
Mac hadn’t thought of that. “I’ll ask her.”
“Do that. It’s time to take some of the load off your shoulders, son. I’m sorry I let it get to the point where you were buckling under it all.”
“You didn’t let that happen, Dad. I did it. It’s been a crazy few months, but now that the Wayfarer is done, things will calm down.”
“Until your twins arrive.”
“I’m gonna get my shit together and find ways to manage the stress. Today was a wake-up call, and I promise I’m going to take it seriously. My family needs me. I can’t let anything happen to me.”
Big Mac placed a large hand on Mac’s shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes. “You’re damned right we need you.”
“I’ll check in later. Go on home.”
“We’re going.” Linda hugged him and crooked her finger to bring him down for a kiss to the cheek. “Call if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
He hugged his siblings and their partners. “Thanks for coming, everyone. We appreciate the concern.”
Janey gazed at him tearfully. “Don’t scare us like that again.”
“I won’t, brat. I promise.”
It took fifteen precious minutes away from Maddie to reassure his family members that it was safe to leave the clinic and go home. When he returned to her, he was relieved to find her dozing. He hoped that meant the pain had let up somewhat.
Mac sat in the chair next to her bed and dropped his head into his hands.
He’d meant what he’d said to his dad about the incident serving as a wake-up call.
The thought of his children growing up without him there to guide and love them was unimaginable.
Though he still couldn’t recall what’d happened before, he certainly remembered the first time it’d happened in Miami.
That time, he’d been all but certain he was having a heart attack.
Hiring Julia would help, but he needed to go even further by sharing the load with the people he worked with.
Shane was more than capable of doing more.
Riley and Finn had committed to sticking around long-term now that each of them had found love on the island.
Mac wondered if his cousins would be interested in becoming partners in the construction business.
He liked that idea a lot and would bring it up with his cousins the first chance he got.
Between the construction business and the marina, he made more than enough money to support his family.
There was no need for him to be killing himself making it all work when he had plenty of people who’d be willing and able to help.
Mac took hold of Maddie’s hand and was on his way to dozing off in the chair when Victoria came into the room, putting Mac on immediate alert.
Maddie came to with a start, panic etched into her expression.
“You can relax,” Vic said. “Everything came back normal, which is a relief. We’d suspected appendicitis at first.”
“If everything is normal, then why is she in pain?”
“We suspect one of the babies is sitting on a nerve.”
“That can happen?”
Victoria smiled and nodded as she leaned against the counter that housed a sink and medical supplies. “As the babies grow, they’ll take up more of the space inside Maddie and are apt to cause other aches and pains.”
Mac couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How can childbirth be the most natural thing in the world if it takes such a toll on the mother?”
“Women are built to give birth, as hard to believe as that can be at times like this.”
“It is hard to believe. What can we do to make it better for her?”
“I’m going to recommend bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.”
Maddie’s loud groan told them what she thought of that plan. “No way. I have three kids to take care of.”
“I know it’ll be difficult for you and your family, Maddie, but—”
“We’ll do it.” Mac said the words to Maddie. “If it’s what’s best for you and the babies, we’ll make it work. We’ve done it before.” She’d been on bed rest for part of her pregnancy with Mac.
Tears filled her gorgeous eyes. “The whole summer in bed?”
“You don’t have to be in bed the whole time,” David said when he joined them. “You just have to be off your feet, relaxing and taking it easy most of the time. Hopefully, we won’t need to go to full bed rest, which would mean getting up only to use the bathroom and shower.”
Tears rolled down Maddie’s face. “I can’t believe this.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll work less and be home more, and our parents will help with the kids. Everyone will help. You know that.”
“There’s, ah… one other thing,” David said.
His hesitant tone put Mac on high alert.
“I’m also recommending you refrain from any kind of sexual activity until the babies arrive.”
Ugh, not again! How could no sex for months be good for anyone’s health? “Um, well, okay. If that’s what’s best for Maddie and the babies.”
“She needs rest and relaxation. The babies need a calm, serene environment to continue growing. We want to get them to thirty-five weeks if we can. That’s the goal.”
Maddie wanted sex all the time when she was pregnant, which he had joked was the best part of keeping her pregnant. She looked as disappointed as he felt. “We can abstain, Mac. It’s only a few months.”
Only a few months? He wanted her all the time. Like last time they’d been forced to abstain, it would be torture to keep his hands to himself for that long. But of course he’d do whatever he had to in order to protect his wife and daughters, even if that meant going without.
He leaned over to kiss her cheek. “It’s all good, baby. Whatever it takes to bring these little girls into the world and to keep you all safe and healthy.”
“How’s the pain, Maddie?” Vic asked.
“Better than it was.”
“It’s apt to come and go as the babies move around.”
“Oh joy.”
Despite her sarcastic reply, Mac knew she felt the same way he did about doing whatever it took to ensure a safe delivery. After the agony of losing Connor, they were painfully aware of worst-case scenarios.
David removed the monitors that had been attached to Maddie.
“I’m fine with releasing you both, provided you take it easy and check back with me if you experience any other symptoms or have concerns.
Maddie, any other random pain needs to be fully investigated.
Please call me if anything comes up—day or night. ”
“Will do,” Mac said.
“There’s one other thing I want to say to you guys.
” David made sure to look at both of them.
“In the past couple of months, you’ve both been here with anxiety-related symptoms, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Losing Connor understandably rocked you, and as hard as it is to go through something like that, there’s no reason to believe it’ll happen again. ”
Maddie sniffled and wiped away tears that came any time Connor’s name was mentioned.
Mac put his arm around her as he blinked back tears of his own.