Chapter 20 - Georgie
My head spins as my vision fades in and out of focus. Someone is carrying me. It’s not Kristopher. He smells different. He feels different.
“She collapsed,” he says, talking to someone else. It’s my bodyguard.
“Get a stretcher. What happened before she collapsed?”
“She’s been sick for a few days. Vomiting.”
“Is she on medication?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
I try to focus on the conversation, to figure out what’s going on. When I drag my eyes open, bright, stark white light pierces my retinas.
“Where am I?” I mumble.
“Georgie, have you been taking any medication?”
My bodyguard drops me onto a bed. It’s hard. I squint at whoever is talking to me.
A young nurse is leaning over the side of the gurney, touching my face.
“Is this a hospital?” I say, shocked.
“You’ve apparently been sick for a few days. Have you been taking any medication?”
“Only some vitamins and ginger tea.”
The bed is moving, wheels squeaking as they push me down a long hallway.
“Where’s Kristopher?” I ask. I need him. I don’t care if I look desperate in his eyes. I want him here with me.
“Is that the man who brought you in?”
“No.”
“We’ll call him for him. Don’t worry. Just focus on yourself for now. The doctor is going to come and see you, ok?”
“Okay.” I close my eyes, taking deep, slow breaths. My body is shaking; I’m weak.
The nurses fuss over me, taking blood, monitoring my heart rate and blood pressure, and putting me on a drip.
They disappear, come back, take my temperate. Ask me a string of questions.
Then it’s quiet.
I’m lying in a private hospital room, waiting, exhausted, but too stressed to sleep.
The doctor comes in with a warm smile on his face and a clipboard in his hand.
“Georgie, my name is Dr. Milton. I hear you’re not feeling too good,” he says, his voice deep and his bright blue eyes framed by wrinkles.
“Yes, it’s been going on for a few days, but I didn’t think it was this bad.”
“We ran a number of tests, and you’ll be happy to know that we figured out why you’ve been feeling under the weather.” He chuckles, and I wonder why he’d find whatever virus I have amusing.
“Okay,” I say, sitting up in the hospital bed to give him my full attention.
He stands at the side of the bed. “You’re pregnant, young lady,” he grins.
“I’m what?” I blurt out.
“You are about a month into the pregnancy, and you’ve been experiencing morning sickness.”
“That can’t be right. It’s not just in the morning. And this seems way worse than morning sickness.”
“It’s a misconception that nausea will only come in the morning.
For some women, it lasts the entire pregnancy, and for some, it’s a lot more severe.
You got a bit unlucky, I guess. But we have added something to your drip to settle the nausea, and you should be feeling much better in an hour or so. ”
“No, I think…this can’t be right.”
“You don’t want to be pregnant?” he asks, frowning.
“I…it’s…” I have no idea what to say. This can’t be real. Is it really happening?
“It’s okay, young lady. Take your time to process it. Do you want us to call the father for you? Is it Kristopher? The nurses told me you asked for him when you came in. The gentleman who brought you here tells us he’s already contacted him and he’s on the way.”
He’s staring at me, waiting for an answer.
“No. No. Please don’t say anything to him. I want to be the one to tell him.”
“Of course.” He smiles. “Give the meds some time to work, and once you’re hydrated, you’re going to feel much, much better. Press the button to call the nurses if you need anything at all.”
“Thank you,” I mutter in complete shock.
The doctor stands for a moment, still watching me.
“Thank you,” I say with more strength. He nods, smiles, and turns to leave just as Kristopher hurries into the room.
For a second, every cell in my body screams. The doctor nods at Kristopher.
“She’s okay,” he says. “She needed some hydration, and she’s on meds for the nausea. ”
Kristopher shakes his hand. “Thank you, Doctor. What was wrong?”
The doctor looks over his shoulder at me. My eyes flare wide with panic.
“She hasn’t eaten in a few days, and she was weak,” he explains. “Once the drip has finished, she can go home, but she must be on bed rest for a few days.”
Kristopher’s jaw clenches. “Thank you.”
He nods in gratitude and steps around the doctor. My heart races as he walks to my bed.
He says nothing and pulls me into his arms.
I want to tell him. I have to tell him.
But right now, the relief of being safely against him is the only thing that I can focus on.
Kristopher sits with me while the drip finishes. I’m an emotional wreck, fighting tears, trying to figure out what to say to him. Mostly, I just sit in silence, leaning against his side. Sensing my tension, he just holds me. Always so understanding. Always so patient with me.
The drip empties. It doesn’t take long, and I do start feeling so much better towards the end. I’m relieved when the nurses come to remove the heart monitor and the drip and sign me out so I can leave.
The drive home is quiet. My head is busy. Spinning. Confused. Bewildered. Every now and then, he glances at me, and I look away, unable to meet his eyes.
His hand is reassuringly on my thigh. Even in the silence, he is my rock. How will he take the news, though? Will he be angry? Annoyed?
I press my lips together and watch the city lights flash past my window.
Kristopher won’t let me walk from the car when we arrive home. He insists on carrying me to his bedroom. He already called ahead and had the chef make me a simple pasta, and now he’s sitting on the side of the bed watching me take small bites.
“Did the medication help?” he asks, his hand resting on my thigh, heat soaking into me, the only comfort I need.
I nod as I chew. Before he can ask me another question, I take another bite.
You have to tell him, Georgie.
Soon.
I will.
“It’s so good to see your appetite is back,” he smiles. His eyes shine as he watches me, radiant and beautiful. My heart churns, wanting to set the food aside and crawl into his arms.
Kristopher’s phone rings, and he excuses himself to answer it, then he’s right back at my side.
***
Over the next few days, he dotes on me constantly and doesn’t go into the office, but his phone is constantly ringing.
And every time it does, he leaves the room to talk in private and returns looking stressed.
Something is going on, even though he keeps telling me everything is fine.
I’m getting stronger by the day, taking the medication prescribed, and eating more.
When his phone rings late one afternoon, I slip out of bed and stand hidden behind the door while he paces up and down the hallway speaking to his right-hand man, Leonard. Thankfully, he has it on speaker, and I can hear both sides of the conversation.
“The old man is refusing to take responsibility,” he sighs.
“Luckily, some of our allies have accepted that we were framed, but until we can settle this once and for all, it’s going to be a big problem.”
“I know,” Kris sighs, pushing his hand through his hair as I sneak a peek around the door.
He’s still struggling with this situation with his father. And it’s consuming his life. Day in and day out, it’s draining him.
“Sir, maybe we should ask our bigger allies for help?”
“No. I don’t want my sister involved in any way. Her husband is one of those allies.”
“I understand, but this is…”
“I said no,” he snaps. His patience is wearing thin. He must be exhausted, taking care of me and dealing with all of that.
I want to help him. How can I? What can I do?
Well, dropping the bomb on him that I’m pregnant is only going to make things worse at this point.
I sneak back to bed.
Kris returns to the room when his phone call ends. He drops his phone onto the bedside table and presses his hand against my forehead. “You have your color back,” he says sweetly.
“Is everything okay?” I ask. “You’ve haven’t been to work. I don’t want to steal your time.”
His phone buzzes, and I turn to look at the screen.
A meeting reminder. Meeting: investigation team update.
“Investigation team?” I ask, not hiding the fact that I was blatantly reading his notification.
“Yes, the spies I have working in my father’s territory. I’m not going. Leonard will go on my behalf and update me later.”
I shake my head. Again, he’s putting my needs before his own. I don’t want to be a burden to him.
“Kris, I’m perfectly fine now. You should go to your meetings. You don’t have to miss things because of me.”
He knits his brows. “You don’t get it, do you?” he says gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out to touch my leg.
Maybe I don’t.
The intensity of his stare suggests I’m missing something.
His grey eyes pierce into me, and he moves even closer to my side.
“Kris, I’m a burden…”
“Georgie, these meetings are irrelevant. Nothing else is more important than me being here for you.”
“But your work…”
“Stop this,” he says, more sternly than before. “I’ll never be too busy for you, little one.” He reaches up and touches my face, his fingers brushing over my skin. It electrifies me, makes my heart race.
I stare into his eyes, and suddenly it’s so clear. Everything is so clear.
All this time, I’ve been denying it, trying to bury it, but seeing the intensity of his emotions in this moment—I simply can’t anymore.
I’m in love with him.
Deeply and utterly in love with him.
And in my fear, I’ve been pushing him away while he’s been trying to pull me closer. Why else would he put me first all the time? I’ve been so scared to face the pain of his rejection that I haven’t been honest with myself.
My heart leaps and spins with excitement, but all I can do is stare at him.
“Do you understand?” he asks.
“I think so,” I whisper, overwhelmed by my emotions.
“You look tired,” he remarks, frowning.
“I am. I’m going to rest a bit,” I nod, even though the last thing I could possibly do is sleep right now. I want a moment to myself to gather my thoughts and process.
“Alright. I am going to see what the chef has planned for dinner and make one or two calls. Just call my name if you need anything at all, and I’ll be here.”
“Thank you,” I smile, fighting the urge to leap out of the covers and wrap my hands around his neck to hug him.
Anxiety, nerves, excitement, and fear are mixed inside me like a firecracker waiting for a flame.
Kris leaves the room, and I’m alone with my thoughts.
A soft giggle slips from my lips. “All this time, you let your fear hold you back from something that could possibly be perfect,” I whisper. “You risked losing him, simply because you were scared of losing him.”
Reaching over, I grab my phone and toy with it in my hands. I don’t want to be scared anymore.
I dial Jess because she saw the truth before me. I want to tell her that she was right all along. And I want to talk to her about something else.
“Hi, you, how are you feeling?” she asks right away.
“Much better. And…I have so much to tell you…about…Kris…and me.” I stammer through the words.
“Is this my perfect opportunity to say I told you so?” she asks, laughing.
I can’t help but laugh, too. “Yes, pretty much. I, um, I’m in love with your brother.” It feels so good to admit it. To finally let my heart feel it without holding back. It surges a beautiful energy through me, spreading a wide, happy smile across my face.
“This makes me so happy, Georgie. Have you told him? What did he say? I told you he feels the same way.”
“I haven’t told him yet. I wasn’t that brave,” I laugh. “Besides, before I do that, I think it’s more important to deal with another issue first.”
“What?” she asks, her voice filled with confusion.
“Your father.”