Chapter 27 – Andie
ANDIE
“I don’t understand. We were so careful.,” I sobbed. My emotions a range of grief, loss, guilt, and pain. Lauren, Betty, and Kate hadn’t left the hospital since I’d been brought in.
“Sometimes these things just happen. No contraception is one hundred percent safe,” Kate said, sitting on the side of my bed and holding my hand. “Morgan is on his way, okay?” She gave my hand a squeeze.
I looked up at her with tear filled eyes, my heart breaking again. “He’s going to hate me. He wanted more kids, and I just lost his chance of being a father again.” I broke down again.
“He is not going to hate you. He’s worried about you,” Kate replied softly.
“Hey, don’t be silly. Morgan loves you. He could never hate you.” Lauren came to lie on my other side.
“Yeah, maybe, but sometimes love isn’t enough to make everything better,” I said.
I laid back down and closed my eyes. I kept replaying the first time he had asked me out and how his face lit up when he talked about having more kids. He was such a good father and was destined to have more kids to share his love with. Tears leaked from under my lashes.
“Come on, Andie,” Betty said gently from the bottom of the bed, “try to get some sleep.”
“Yeah, I will. Why don’t you lot go home and rest, too? You’ve been here all night.”
“We’re not leaving you,” Lauren said.
“Honestly, go back to the villa. I need to sleep, like Betty said. I’ll see you all later.”
I held in my tears until I heard the door opening and closing, then I broke down. The sobs tore through me, making my body heave. I was broken, damaged and Morgan deserved more than me.
I woke up to a damp pillow from the tears and a sore throat. I shuffled up until I was sitting and grabbed the jug on the side table and poured myself a drink. The cold water felt good on my dry throat.
I saw Lauren and Betty asleep on the chairs on either side of my bed. They hadn’t gone back to the villa but had known I needed time to myself.
I threw back the covers and tiptoed to the adjoining bathroom, dragging my IV stand with me. My legs felt weak, and it was more of a shuffle than a walk. I used the toilet and washed my hands.
Looking in the mirror, I saw the devastation. My skin was a sickly white, and my eyes were red and puffy with deep purple rings underneath them. I splashed cold water on my face and ventured back into the room.
Betty and Lauren were both awake and looking up at me in the dim light. “How are you, love?” Betty asked.
“Meh,” I said as the tears filled my eyes again. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up.
“We’re so sorry, Andie. We love you very much and are here for anything you need, okay?” Betty jumped up and sat on the bed, holding my leg.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Lauren asked.
“No, thanks.” The thought of food made me feel sick.
“Did Kate go back to the villa?”
“Uh, yeah she went to pack.” They shared a worried look.
“What is it?” I asked looking between them. “He does hate me, doesn’t he?” I said in a whisper, tears running down my face again as I furiously wiped them away. “She’s gone back to be with her son. I get it.” I shuffled back down the bed.
“No, love, Morgan doesn’t hate you. He…” Lauren started, then trailed off looking at Betty.
I could tell something was going on. There was something they weren’t telling me. “What’s going on?”
“You need to get more rest. That’s what’s going on,” Betty said tucking the blankets around me.
I pushed her hands away and scrambled up. “Laur, tell me what’s going on or I’m signing myself out of here and going back to the villa to see Kate myself,” I threatened.
Lauren took a deep breath and looked at Betty who nodded. “We didn’t want to tell you yet, but Morgan was in car accident on his way to the airport. There are no more details yet,” Lauren said softly. “That’s why we didn’t want to tell you. You need rest not more worries.”
“I need to talk to him. Pass my phone.” I reached out.
“Andie, love. He’s in hospital, he doesn’t have his phone. Nolan is there with him now, but the doctors aren’t telling him anything,” Betty said.
“Then I’ll call the hospital. Which one is it?” I whipped the blankets back, got out of bed, and grabbed my phone.
“They won’t tell you anything, love. They won’t tell his father, so they won’t tell you because—”
“Because I’m nothing to him.” My shoulders sagged and more tears flowed. I didn’t know how there could be any left to fall.
“Come back to bed. You need to rest, get better and then you can fly back to him, okay?” Lauren patted the bed as Betty disappeared from the room.
She was right, I knew she was, but how the fuck was I supposed to rest when he was in hospital hurt, or worse, and I wasn’t there? I got into bed anyway, unsure how much longer my legs would keep me upright. The nurse followed Betty in and started fiddling with my IV drip.
“Get some rest. We’ll be here when you wake up,” Betty said squeezing my hand.
A deep feeling of calm took over me and I suddenly felt exhausted. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me away from all the pain.