Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
D r. Reese yanked the curtain open and stepped in. “Hi, Charlotte. How are you?”
Charlotte shook the sleep off and blinked. “I’m fine. Well, I had some light bleeding, but other than that, I’m okay.”
“You’re six weeks along, right?” Dr. Reese gestured to a nurse in blue scrubs, who disappeared behind the curtain. “Have you been taking it easy? Avoiding lifting heavy things like I told you?”
Charlotte nodded and propped herself up. “Yes.”
Dr. Reese nodded and snapped on a pair of latex gloves. “Okay, good. Let’s take a look and see what’s happening. Have you been having any other symptoms?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No, just a sharp pain in my belly, and then, when I went to the bathroom, there was this brownish-red discharge.”
Dr. Reese pulled the stool across the linoleum floors. “Okay, well, first of all, discharge can be very normal, especially in the early days of pregnancy. Let’s take a look and see how our little champ is doing.”
In silence, she waited for Charlotte to unbutton her jeans and pull them down slightly. Then, Dr. Reese squeezed some cold gel onto Charlotte’s abdomen and reached for the transducer. She pressed it against Charlotte’s flushed skin, and a furrow appeared between her brows.
Charlotte held her breath and tried not to look at Addison and Mason.
Her mom had gone to the cafeteria to hunt down some food, but Charlotte suddenly desperately wished she was there. She swallowed and tilted her head to the side while Dr. Reese pushed a few buttons. For the longest time, nothing happened, and Charlotte’s stomach dropped.
You shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up, you idiot. This is what happens when you get ahead of yourself.
And she had no one to blame but herself for not taking it easy at work.
And for pushing back against Patrick’s criticism.
Why hadn’t she just listened?
Why hadn’t she just stayed at home?
Charlotte wanted everyone in the room to disappear so she could curl up into a ball and cry while lamenting her losses. She wanted to sit in a dark and quiet room and grieve for what could’ve been. But when Dr. Reese moved the transducer again and pressed harder, suddenly, the image on the screen changed, and she saw the baby there.
She was so relieved she almost peed herself.
Tears sprang to her eyes as Addison and Mason peered over the doctor’s shoulders and held each other’s hand. As one, they glanced over at Charlotte and smiled, and relief surged through her.
“Okay, the baby is fine. I’m just going to call in the nurse, and she’s going to give you a shot to stabilize the pregnancy. Then, I’m going to write down a prescription for a suppository. You’ll need to use it every night before you sleep.”
Charlotte pulled her jeans back up and zipped them. “Is there anything else I should do? Anything else I should avoid?”
“As much as you can, try to avoid high-stress situations or situations that’ll make you overexert yourself. Take it easy for the next few days.” Dr. Reese peeled off her gloves and threw them in the nearest bin. “I’ll be back with the prescription.”
Once she left, Addison threw her arms around her and sniffed. “Thank God you’re both okay.”
Charlotte hugged her back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put myself through something that would endanger the baby—”
Addison pulled back and frowned at her. “Of course you didn’t. We know that. You don’t need to apologize. It’s a good thing Patrick called the ambulance to bring you here.”
Charlotte swallowed. “Yeah, it is.”
When the nurse returned with the shot to be injected into her butt, Charlotte’s face turned bright red. Mason’s eyes widened as he fumbled through an excuse and disappeared. Addison held her hand but turned her back on Charlotte to give her some privacy. Her mouth was dry as she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them partially down. Then, she bent over the hospital bed and held her breath.
“This is going to sting a little, dear. Just take deep breaths.”
Charlotte glanced over her shoulders. “Am I going to be able to sit down afterward?”
“You’ll need to rub a little before you sit down. By tomorrow, it won’t sting as much.”
Charlotte released a deep breath and faced the gray-colored wall.
She felt the nurse stand behind her and sucked in a harsh breath. When she released it, she felt the injection pierce her sensitive skin. Moments later, little pinpricks of pain danced up her back, along with a burning sensation that made her want to scratch.
Abruptly, Charlotte yanked her jeans back on, and her hand moved to her butt to rub the sensitive spot. “When can I leave?”
“We’re just finalizing the discharge papers and waiting for the doctor to bring the prescription.” The nurse offered her a gentle smile. “I’m sure we’ll have you out of here in no time.”
But it still wasn’t soon enough.
Charlotte hated hospitals, and being in this one in particular reminded her of the long nights she’d spent by her dad’s bedside, praying he’d open his eyes. For days, she’d stop by after work and refuse to leave until well into the night. And she went to bed every night with a heavy feeling in the center of her chest.
Everything about this place reminded her of her dad and that dark period in her life. She never wanted to feel that helpless and angry again.
Slowly, she perched on the edge of the bed and gingerly rubbed her butt again. Charlotte drummed her fingers against her thighs and kept sneaking glances at the clock on the wall. Addison was a few feet away, a phone pressed to her ear while she whispered in muffled tones. When the nurse returned to take a blood sample, Charlotte reluctantly rolled up the sleeve of her sweater.
She inhaled sharply through her nose.
Then the nurse disappeared, and Charlotte was left alone with Addison, who was pacing and muttering to herself. Her mom returned, bags of food in hand and with Savannah in tow. Charlotte sat up straighter and glanced over at Addison, who gave her a thumbs-up and stepped behind the curtain.
“Look who I ran into.” Emily nudged Savannah, who was glancing everywhere but at her sister. “Has the doctor looked at you yet?”
“They gave me a shot to stabilize…things, and she’s going to write down a suppository I’ll need to take,” Charlotte replied, pausing to sniff the air. “What did you get?”
“I got you a latte with an extra shot of caramel syrup and a sandwich from that deli across the street. Had a hard time sneaking it in too.”
Charlotte’s lips lifted into a half smile. “You’re the best, Mom.”
Emily brushed her hair out of her face. “Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart. You and the baby are going to be fine, and you’re going to carry it to term.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “I hope so.”
Emily rummaged through the bags. “I spoke to Liam when I was in the cafeteria about the contract you, Addison, and Mason signed. He said he can get another lawyer to look into it.”
Charlotte’s eyebrows knitted together. “Why were you talking to Liam about it?”
“I just want to be sure you know you have options,” Emily replied without looking at her. “I love Addison, you know that, but this is a little personal—”
Savannah snorted. “It’s not just a little personal. They crossed that bridge a while ago.”
Emily shot Savannah a warning look and pursed her lips. “Yes, it’s a sensitive topic, and I wouldn’t want your friendship to fall apart because of this.”
Charlotte leaned back against her elbows and winced. “I think we’ll be fine, Mom. We’ve already discussed everything.”
Including the clause that allowed Charlotte to be a part of the baby’s life if she ever wanted to.
It was a clause she didn’t like and didn’t need reminding of, especially when she sat up in a hospital bed, waiting to be released.
Being there was making her uneasy and anxious, as was the thought that her mother was talking to cousin Lily’s son.
She didn’t want any more lawyers involved.
The last thing she needed was to make things more complicated for herself or Addison. Right now, all Charlotte wanted to do was go home, curl up on the couch with some good food, and watch trashy TV till she fell asleep.
Anything other than that could wait until tomorrow.
Emily placed a hand on her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to upset you, sweetheart, but I think it’s smart to get a second opinion. When you’re feeling better, give Liam a call, and he should have someone lined up for you.”
Charlotte blew out a breath. “Okay, fine.”
One phone call couldn’t hurt, and if she didn’t like the lawyer or anything he had to say, there was no need to mention it to Addison.
A while later, the nurse came back in and made Charlotte get back into bed. “Your blood tests are out. Most of them are good, but the doctor doesn’t like how dehydrated you’re looking, so I’m going to hook you up to this IV. It should bring those numbers back up.”
Charlotte made a face and stuck her arm out. “How long is this going to take?”
Nurse Roberts flicked the needle and gave her another sympathetic smile. “Hopefully, not long.”
After inserting the drip and making sure it was secure, she left Charlotte and pulled the curtain shut behind her. Charlotte sank back against the bed and brought her free arm over her head. She stared at the ceiling for a while and tried to imagine that she was somewhere—anywhere—else.
She was on a beach, sipping on a mojito and reading a good book.
She was in the ocean, with the sun on her back and clear blue waters stretching as far as the eye could see. Charlotte was beginning to relax when a monitor began to beep, and she saw a team of doctors and nurses race past her bed. There was a loud cacophony of voices and a strong smell lingering in the air.
Addison and Mason came back and wedged themselves in between Savannah and Emily.
Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut and hummed to tune out the rest of the noise.
Stay calm and stay happy. Forget about everything else.
Eventually, everything quieted down, and Charlotte’s head began to feel heavy. She heard her mom whispering and smiled. Then, someone pulled the cover up to her chin and tucked it in. Charlotte forced one eye open and saw everyone trickle out, with her mom pausing to pull the curtain shut behind her. Emily stopped before it was completely closed and gave her daughter a bright smile.
Left alone to the mercy of her thoughts, Charlotte sank lower against the bed and pulled the cover over her head.
Pretending she was somewhere else could only do so much.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t ignore the fact she was lying in a hospital bed—at the same hospital that claimed her father’s life while she fought for the life of Addison’s unborn child.
Fate had a twisted sense of humor.