Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jenna
I wanted to sleep, but as soon as I’d dozed off, a scream woke me up—the screams of a woman in labor. The thought terrified me as it was, and now that I was hearing it from someone else, I was freaked out.
“Here’s some more water for you,” Melissa said as she set the cup on my tray.
“I take it someone’s in labor?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, honey. Try not to listen or let it bother you. Everyone is different. Your labor might be nothing at all. By the way, that man of yours is very sexy.” She grinned.
“He is, but he’s not my man. We’re just friends who are having a baby.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Okay. Keep telling yourselves that.” She smirked. “You should listen to this podcast we’ve all been listening to. I was the nurse to this patient last week, and she was listening to it. It’s called?—”
“Let me guess. Baby Drama?”
“Yes! You’ve heard—oh my God. Wait. Jenna Larson. J. Elle. You’re J. Elle?!” Her eyes widened.
“Shh.” I brought my finger up to my lips.
“Girl, you’re like a celebrity around here! And he’s the ‘friend with benefits?’”
“Yeah.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
Suddenly her phone rang, and when she looked at it, she had to leave. “We’ll talk more about this later.” She grinned as she walked out.
I couldn’t believe it was taking Lucas so long to get back. I only needed a few things, and I told him exactly where they were. Another thirty minutes passed, and he finally walked into the room carrying a large glass vase filled with pink and red roses.
“These are for you.” He smiled as he set them down.
“They’re beautiful. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. The red roses are for you, and the pink are for our daughter.”
He went to kiss my forehead, and I stopped him with my hand and pointed to my lips.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m positive.” I smiled.
He softly brushed his lips against mine.
“Thank you. I love them.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll just set your things over here.”
“I was getting worried. What took you so long?”
“There was a small problem.”
“What problem?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“Listen, Jenna. When you leave here tomorrow, you’ll stay with me in the penthouse.”
“Why?”
“Two reasons. The first reason is so I can keep an eye on you, and the second reason is there’s a huge hole in the living room ceiling in the apartment, and you can’t stay there.”
“WHAT!” I shouted.
“Calm down.” I placed my hands on her shoulders.
“Apparently, the hot water tank in the apartment above you broke, and the guy has been out of town the last month, so no one knew. The water has been sitting there for—well, we don’t know how long.
But it’s been long enough to damage the ceiling and create a huge hole and mess. ” He sighed.
“Oh my God, Lucas. My things.”
“Nothing personal of yours was damaged. The couch, the coffee table, and the floor took the brunt of it, but who cares about those things. They can be replaced. I’m just thankful that you weren’t in the apartment when it happened. I’m taking care of everything, so I don’t want you to worry.”
“How long until it’s livable?” I asked.
“The landlord didn’t know, but he said he’ll keep me updated.”
“I’m so tired. This day has been awful.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine.
“Good evening, you two.” Dr. Lewis smiled as she walked into the room.
“Hi, Dr. Lewis. This is Lucas Thorne, the baby’s father.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Thorne.”
“Likewise, Dr. Lewis.”
“How are you feeling, Jenna?”
“I’m feeling much better.”
“Your blood pressure is up and looking good, and the baby’s heart rate is perfect. I know they did an ultrasound down in the emergency room, but I want to do one more just to be safe.”
I looked at Lucas, who gave me a warm smile as he held my hand. Dr. Lewis pulled up my gown, squirted some gel on my belly, and moved the transducer back and forth over it.
“You weren’t here for the last ultrasound, were you?” she asked Lucas.
“No. I wasn’t. I was out of town.”
“Well, here’s your daughter.” Dr. Lewis smiled.
“Wow. She looks so much bigger than her last picture,” he said.
“That’s because she’s grown since then.”
I looked at Lucas, and the smile on his face as he stared at the monitor melted my heart.
“Everything looks great. Your daughter is thriving. Just get some rest tonight, and you can go home tomorrow after breakfast. I want you to take it easy and rest for the next three days. I want to see you in my office next week for a recheck of your blood pressure. We will have to monitor that closely until the baby is born. But more importantly, I want you to stay hydrated and stress-free.”
“I will, Dr. Lewis. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Thorne. Take care.”
“You look tired,” I said to Lucas. “You should go home and get some rest.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with you tonight.”
“No, Lucas. You need to sleep in your own bed.”
“No, Jenna. I need to be where you are. I won’t sleep a wink at home knowing you’re in here by yourself. Scoot over and let me climb in with you until you fall asleep.”
I gave him a wide smile as I moved over as much as possible. He climbed in and pulled me close as he rested his hand on my belly.