63. Auden
Igulp the dryness in my mouth. “Is everything all right, doctor?”
I wait until Storm has walked out before I say something. Parts of me knew this day would come, I tried to hide how scared I was about his brother being released. I tried to hide the worry every time there was a knock at the door. And now, I’m in a damn hospital because of Denny.
I’m not angry at Storm anymore. I’ve ignored a lot of the signs that Storm exhibited. Depression, anxiety, lack of motivation to do anything. Some days he’s worse than others, but I ignored the signs to focus on my clients. What kind of fiancée am I for doing something like that?
“You have a concussion. It’s minor, but given your condition, I’d like it if you stayed away from any screens for at least two weeks. Off work, if you can, too,” he explains. “After that, we’ll be doing a follow-up. I would suggest an MRI but again, given your condition, I’m going to advise against it.”
I gasp, putting a hand on my mouth. “What’s my condition? Oh, no, did you find something in my head?” My heart skids to a halt, tears blurring gmy vision. Is my time already up?
The doctor frowns. “The blood test results—the pregnancy, Miss Summers. Surely you knew you were pregnant.”
What the fuck?
I shake my head no as the tears well up. “We weren’t—I’m on birth control.” I try to think back, did I miss a pill? Oh, God, when’s the last fucking time I took my pill? “I-Is my head okay?”
“Yes, Miss Summer. Your head is just fine aside from the minor concussion. And it’s very common to miss a day and conceive,” the doctor says, closing my file. “It’s good to see you’re awake. I’ll come back to check on you in a little bit. Stay away from your phone or tablet. Two weeks, Miss Summers. You’ll be right as rain.”
He nods and leaves just as quickly as he enters before I can even catch my breath. How is this even possible? Children were never on my list of priorities. Storm’s been pressing it more often lately, but he knows how I feel about it. My career is number one and always has been. That’s why children weren’t an option for me.
What are we going to do? He needs to heal himself before we bring a baby into this world.
The door closes and I barely have a minute to process what just happened before Storm walks in with a water bottle, a can of soda, and a bouquet of flowers. A soft grin spreads to his face and it makes my panicked mind calm for a moment. He’s always been so good at that.
“Everything okay?” he asks, sitting on the bed beside me and cracking open the can of soda.
“I, um.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, but it’s not helping. Tears are forming and rolling down my cheeks. “I have a minor concussion. So, I’m off screens for two weeks.”
“That’s not that bad,” he says, sticking a straw in the can and offering me some. I decline because I can’t take my mind off the news the doctor just told me. Storm squeezes my leg, still giving me that smile. “There’s no need to cry, babe. It’s okay.”
I sniff. “I know.”
He frowns, his eyes searching my face. “Is that all? You look worried.” He gulps some soda. “People get concussions all the time. Just do what the doctor asks and you’ll be as good as new.”
“I know,” I repeat, wiping my cheek and taking his hand. “Is your brother okay?”
“I think so…these are from him.” He nods at the flowers on my legs. “It’s gonna take some time but I think we’ll be able to put our bullshit behind us.”
I touch his hand, his knuckles are cracked and scabbed. “What happened?”
“I beat the shit out of him.”
Tears have continued to fall. I can’t stop them. “He had his hands around your neck.”
“He loosened his grip before you swung the bat at him,” he mentions, chuckling. “Next time, do what I ask and hide.”
I scoff. “I’m not going to hide if someone’s attacking you.”
He tilts his head. “What if he had a gun?”
I shrug. “Then he has a gun.”
“Baby.” He sighs. “This could have been a lot worse, y’know.”
“I know,” I agree, gulping softly. “Until this shit is settled, I don’t want him around me.”
“Don’t worry, he will not be around you until I feel like I can trust him.” His nostrils flare, and he looks down at the flowers. “We spoke for a little and he was just mad when he saw me. I don’t think he intended to attack me when he showed up. I think he wanted to talk. I think I should talk with him.”
“You should.”
As much as Denny scares me, it’s still Storm’s eldest brother. They need to lay the cards on the table and see what the future holds for them because I can’t have fights break out in the house where my child will be.
“Hey,” Storm says, noticing more tears forming in my eyes. “There’s no need to cry over this.”
“It scared me,” I whisper.
“I’ll always protect you,” he says, tilting my chin up.
And I believe him. I always believe everything he tells me. But tonight when Denny had his hands around his neck, the old Storm come back to life, the Storm who didn’t care if he lived or died. I need him here. I need to know he’ll be here when times are tough.
“He could have killed you and you didn’t even put up a fight.”
“I felt like I deserved it at that moment. I’m the one who sent him to jail.”
“Well, you have to think of the consequences before the action,” I say, letting a sob leave me. If something happened to Storm, I’d be raising this baby alone.
He scoots closer to me. “Babe, c’mon.”
“I love you,” I say, wiping my nose on my sleeve.
“I love you, too,” he says, his eyebrows furrowing. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m, um, I’m…fuck.” I sigh, bringing my knees to my chest and covering my face. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?” He coughs, choking on whatever soda he can’t fully swallow. “How?”
I scoff, shaking my head. “What do you mean how?”
“You said you didn’t want.”
“I know.”
“We’re always so careful,” he says, then gets up and paces the room. “You’re on birth control.”
“I must’ve fucked up my pills,” I admit. But he doesn’t say anything. “I’ve been so focused on work that I didn’t pay attention. I didn’t pay attention to anything it seems.”
His hands are locked behind his head and he’s walking from the door to the window and back again. Every time he paces toward the door, I think he’s walking out. He doesn’t. That’s not who he is. It just scares me that all this responsibility will be too much for him.
I wonder what he’s thinking. It’s been a solid ten minutes and not a single grunt or groan has left his lips. It’s quiet aside from the sound of his pacing. His hands drop from his head and it looks like a grin is pasted on his face. He’s smiling, this is good. A smile puts me at ease.
“We’re having a baby,” he finally says and stops at the end of my bed. He grips the foot of it, revealing his cracked knuckles. “I think I found my purpose, babe. You and our family. It makes sense. It’s all that makes sense. This is what I was meant to do. My purpose. I think I finally found my purpose.”
“We can’t do this.” I shake my head. “We’re not ready for this.”
“We can and we are.” He sits beside me again and takes my hand. “Me and you, that’s how it was always supposed to be until our dying day. And God brought us this miracle. He brought them to us to make our happy life even happier. He brought this baby to us so He’d give my life more meaning. You, Auden, have brought me back to life. But this baby, they will keep me going. They will give me reason and He brought them here.”
“Having a baby is a lot of work.” I sniff. “You can’t even do a simple task of washing dishes or putting away laundry, how’re you going to be a stay-at-home dad?”
“That was the old Storm. The Storm before my girl had a concussion.” He caresses my cheek. “This Storm will be the best man I should have always been to you. You deserve so much more than I have given you, and I will change. This baby will help me change.”
“We’re not even married yet,” I whisper.
“We’ll have a small wedding next month at Frank’s,” he says, truly looking surer than I’ve ever seen him.
“You’re sure?” I whisper.
“There’s nothing I want more,” he says, chuckling.
“We’re doing this?”
He laughs, kissing me delicately. “Yeah, babe.”
“What about your brother?”
He runs his fingers through my hair. “It’ll work itself out. Trust me.”
To think we started as a couple of strangers seeking warmth on a stormy night. Seeking love and comfort within each other. Storm almost killed himself the night we met, and I saved him. And tonight, I’ve given him the one gift I said we’d never do, I’m giving him a life to mold and create into something magical.
What I learned on my journey is that life sucks, but it’s how you make the most of it in the people that make it better. Storm and I definitely made the most of it. We were quick. We were certain, and this seems like the most certain life event we’re doing together. It’ll be one helluva new chapter we’re experiencing. A chapter that’ll make us stronger than we’ve ever been.