Forty-Five | Lyric
Forty-Five
Lyric
“Watch, watch, watch,” I said excitedly as I balanced the plate on my stomach and pulled my hands away while Chloe stared in fascination.
Just as expected, one of the babies rolled, forcing the plate to move as Chloe’s eyes got bigger.
“Wasn’t that cool?” I asked, loving her beautiful expressions as she processed it.
She nodded, looking up at me with a wide grin on her face.
“Do you want to feel them move?”
She nodded again, this time curling up beside me on the couch as I guided her tiny hand to where they were the most active. I sucked in a breath, ignoring the pain as I got kicked in the rib again, and focused on helping her feel it.
Chloe had been excited when we first told her that I was pregnant, but as my due date got closer, we found her getting a little jealous.
I knew it was important that she know that the twins were not going to replace her and that she would always be loved and cared for.
I had spent the past few weeks doing more stuff with her while Ben and Kara were at school.
The summer flew by, and I found myself thankful for the cooler weather because being pregnant in sweltering heat made me grumpier than I expected.
It had taken a while to bond with the babies and to accept that nothing had happened.
While I knew there was still no guarantee life wouldn’t screw us over at some point, I had finally learned to stop dwelling on it after I started the third trimester and everything seemed to be going well.
We sat on the couch playing with the babies until Sherry came to take over with Chloe for a bit, so I could get some work done. I waddled out to my new office and opened the door, smiling every time I stepped inside because I still couldn’t believe this was real.
I sat down and turned on my computer, taking a sip of my chamomile tea while I waited.
I loved how easy the days felt and that I didn’t have the constant pressure of working for someone else.
So far, the collaboration with Fitastic was going well, and things seemed to be moving along in the right direction.
It was hard to believe that something I had wanted for so long was finally coming to fruition—well, technically several things.
I clicked an email open and had started to read it when my phone rang. Recognizing the school's phone number, I picked it up and swiped my finger across the screen to answer it.
“Hello,” I said, pressing the phone between my ear and shoulder.
“Hi, I’m looking for Lyric Coleman,” a woman said on the other side.
“Yes, this is she.”
“This is Jan, calling from the health office at school. Kara was hit in the face with a baseball during PE. I’ve attempted to stop the bleeding, but I’m concerned that her nose might be broken.”
“Oh my gosh,” I gasped, clutching my hand to my heart. “Is she okay?”
“Overall, yes, she appears to be. I would strongly recommend taking her in to the clinic to get checked out, though, just in case.”
“Okay, yes. Absolutely. I’m on my way.”
We hung up, and then I grabbed my phone and tucked it in my pocket as I rushed back to the house to let Sherry know what had happened.
“What’s wrong?” Sherry asked, immediately noticing the panic on my face as I rushed through the front door and grabbed my keys and purse from the hook beside it.
“Kara got hurt at school. I need to take her to the clinic.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you, though. I’ll call with an update as soon as I have one.
” I checked my watch, not wanting to waste any time getting to Kara.
It might have been because I was so far into my pregnancy that the mom instincts were in overdrive, or it might have been because I’d gotten so close to the kids that the thought one of them was hurt made me frantic.
“Can you call Cole and let him know?” I asked with one foot out the door.
“Absolutely,” Sherry confirmed, waving me off. “Go, go, we’ve got things here.”
I nodded and then pulled the door closed behind me before hopping into my car, putting it in drive as I pulled the seatbelt across my lap.
Traffic was light, as usual, so I took the liberty of speeding a little, trying to get to Kara as quickly as possible. I knew the nurse said she was okay, but getting hit in the face with a baseball had to hurt, and I wouldn’t feel better until we saw a doctor and got her checked out.
I turned onto the street leading to the school, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket. I glanced at the road, making sure everything was okay before I looked down to pull it out. The screen showed Cole’s name as I went to answer it.
“Hey,” I said, more breathless than I intended. This pregnancy weight was really taking its toll on me. “Did your mom call?”
Just as I looked up, a truck was heading directly at me, going well over the speed limit.
“No, why?” he asked.
But before I could answer, I let the phone drop as I gripped the steering wheel with both hands and braced myself for impact as the truck collided with my car head-on.
The sound of metal crunching and glass shattering filled my ears before everything went black.