Chapter 12
He was in the middle of a very important meeting when he received the call and had no problem ending the meeting.
"It's a fender bender Mr. McCreary, nothing more than that."
"Where is she?" He was already racing out the room, the phone clamped between his shoulder and ear as he shrugged into the jacket his assistant had the foresight to bring him.
"At Hope memorial." The officer told him. "They're checking her out."
"I'm on my way." He hung up.
"I'm driving." He had been in such a hurry to leave, he had not noticed that his father had come up alongside him. "You're in no condition to be behind the wheel."
"I don't know what the hell happened." His face was ashen, and he could not stop trembling.
The doors were being held open for them as they stepped off the elevator and hurried over towards the entrance of the building.
"Someone cut her off at the intersection." Jason nodded curtly to the driver who brought the car around.
"Strap in son."
"I'm calling the hospital. Thanks dad."
"Anytime."
While he fought with the evening traffic, his son insisted on talking to the doctor in charge.
"She's still in the examination room," the nurse informed him.
"What the hell is taking so long? I need to speak to the doctor right now."
"Give me a minute, please."
He tapped his fingers on his thigh as he waited for what seemed like an agonizingly long time. "What the hell is taking so long?"
The doctor came on just as his father was pulling into the parking lot of the hospital.
"This is Dr. Langston."
"I'm at the entrance of the hospital now. Is my wife okay?"
"A slight concussion and bruised ribs, I suspect from the seatbelt. I'll tell you more. Ah, here you are."
Kyle hung up the phone and shoved it in the pocket of his ash gray dress pants. The doctor met them halfway, a pleasant smile on his craggy face.
"I need to see her."
"She's been asking for you." He glanced at Jason.
"Just my son for now. I'll wait out here."
"This way please."
The man led them through the hallway where several people waited to be looked at. Kyle noticed none of it. His only concentration was on seeing his wife.
"Here we are." Pushing the door open, he led the way into a private room.
"Kyle." The sound of his name coming from her weakened him. In his haste to get to her, he stumbled and almost fell and never noticed that the doctor had stepped out and closed the door.
Seeing the strain on his handsome face, she took his hand when he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I'm fine."
Closing his eyes, he lifted her hand and brushed his lips on the knuckles.
"I scared you, I'm sorry."
"You're never getting behind the wheel again." He told her hoarsely.
"Now look."
"I'm assigning a driver to you."
She frowned at him, the movement causing her to wince as the pain lanced through her temple. "What is it?"
"Headache, that's all." Taking a deep breath, she rushed on, knowing that what she was about to say was going to make it even more impossible for him to let go of the fear.
"I'm fine like I said. A slight concussion and some bruised ribs.
I was just turning right when the vehicle came out of nowhere.
It wasn't a drunk or irresponsible driver.
Just some woman coming from a doctor's appointment and discovered that she has stage four breast cancer. She wasn't paying attention."
"And could have killed you." His hand tightened on hers. "That's no excuse."
"No, it's not, but I can empathize and cut her some slack." She stared into his eyes. "And the fetus is all right. No harm done."
"I don't care..." His voice petered off as the rest of her sentence cut through the righteous indignation and fear that had gripped him ever since he heard the news. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"The fetus is all right. Turns out I'm four weeks pregnant."
His hand crushed hers, bone against bone and had her gasping. He loosened his grip immediately. "You're pregnant."
"We're pregnant," She corrected.
"Oh God. Oh Jesus." Tears blurred his vision, and he had to fight to keep himself from unraveling.
"Does that mean you're pleased?" She asked gently.
"You're carrying my seed inside you." His eyes drifted to her stomach, and he felt his own clench. "What did the doctor say? Are you okay? Should you be sleeping? I think you should stay longer. I have to talk to him to ask him what steps we should take."
"Slow down, please. You're making me dizzy." She shook her head, even though it pleased her to see him so anxious. And his color was coming back. He had taken his mind off the accident and was concentrating on the life they had created.
"We're fine. I will be checked over later today and sent home." Tongue in cheek, she continued. "And cleared to go back to work in a day or two."
"Not going to happen. Besides, in another three days it will be time for the Christmas break."
"What if I promise to stay in the office for those three days?"
"No." He was firm on that. "You were the one who insisted on us getting that big tree and having it decorated. And you invited your brother and Andre over for Christmas Eve as well as your parents."
"I want to try and mend fences."
"We should call and cancel."
Her hand gripped his. "We're not doing that. Mrs. Allen is doing most of the cooking and Matthew and Andre are bringing desserts. All I will be doing is take a shower, get dressed and play hostess."
He gave her a narrow-eyed stare, and she knew what was coming. "We have that Christmas dinner at the manor."
"Which we have to attend." Her expression was pleading. "It's the first dinner we're attending there and we cannot disappoint them."
He was silent for a minute, while she waited with bated breath. "All right. As long as the doctor clears it." He lifted their joined hands to his cheek and closed his eyes. "Will we be announcing the pregnancy?"
She shook her head. "I want to keep it between us for now. I don't want to jinx it."
"All right." He felt emotions swamping him and he had to take a breath.
He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, his voice unsteady but tender.
"Thank you for telling me. I promise I'll do everything I can to look after you, both of you.
" For a moment, they sat in quiet, the weight of what they'd shared settling between them, mingled with a fragile hope and the relief that, despite everything, they still had a future to look forward to together.
*****
Jason stayed with her while Kyle went to consult with the doctor.
"You've made him very happy, you know." He had pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. "He received the news and was flying out of that office without his jacket," he chuckled in remembrance. "I've never seen him so scattered."
"I hated to scare him. And he makes me very happy." Her golden-brown eyes searched his face. "And you? Are you getting there?"
Jason shrugged, a small smile curving his lips.
"Happiness is so overrated." He shook his head as she opened her mouth to respond.
"I'm as happy as I'm going to be. The periods of depression are few and far between.
I hold her here." He touched the place where his heart was beating.
"Inside my head, she's still alive." His eyes met hers.
"I wanted him to find someone to love and who loved him back and I'm happy he found you.
I questioned the old man's decision, but I can see he made the right call. You belong together."
Deciding on the spot, she reached for his hand. "There's something to look forward to. In another eight months, please God, you're going to be a grandfather."
He went still, eyes darting to her face and then her stomach and back again. His hand tightened on hers as he sucked in a breath. "You're pregnant."
"Yes."
He felt the stark unhappiness that he had lived with for what seemed like forever, lifting like a dark cloud when the sun burst through. "My dear." His voice thickened and he could not articulate. "I'm going to be a grandfather." They both looked up when Kyle stepped into the room.
"I thought we weren't telling anyone just yet."
"Just the three of us for now." She looked over at him. "Your dad needed to know."
"It has made a difference." His eyes were blurry. "Thanks for sharing the news." He rose, his hand still gripping hers. "I'll leave you alone," he clasped his son on the shoulder as he left the room.
"I wanted to lift his spirits."
"And you did." Ignoring the chair, he sat on the bed and bent to kiss her lips softly. "He looked like a man who has been given a new lease on life."
"Precisely." She touched his cheek, needing the contact. "What's my verdict?"
"You're allowed to leave after another thorough examination. I got a recommendation for an excellent OB. We'll check her out and then go on from there."
"Get in bed with me. I want to feel you."
Slipping out of his shoes, he did just that and held her close. "I adore you." He whispered.
"I adore you right back."
*****
"Aren't you going in?" Ingrid looked up as he came back into the room with a tray.
"I decided to work from home today." He had a dish rag thrown over his shoulder and looked adorably sexy, so much so, she wanted to jump him. But that thought disappeared at his response.
"Why?" Barely glancing at contents on the tray he placed on her lap, she stared at him.
"I just feel like working from home today. The housekeeper said she has a touch of the flu, and I told her to stay home."
"You did not."
Opening the cloth napkin, he had placed in a precise manner on the tray, he lifted the cover to reveal a perfectly prepared breakfast of wheat toast, boiled eggs, strawberries and freshly squeezed orange juice.
"A proper breakfast for a pregnant woman." He announced triumphantly.
"Let's get back to the part where you told the housekeeper not to come in."