Promise Me

“How are you feeling?” Liam asked Skylar. He came today without Harley. No one asked about her yet.

“My blood pressure is good as long as I don’t overdo it,” Skylar explained.

“Only three more weeks?” He asked again. His head turning back and forth between Skylar and the television set. Mom came to the living room with Dad.

“Dad isn’t feeling well. We’re going home.” We all looked up at him to see what he would say about how he was feeling.

“Just a little light headed. Probably coming down with something,” he explained.

“Liam, is there a reason that Harley didn’t come today?” Mom asked.

He squirmed uncomfortably. Skylar’s feet were close to my brother’s leg. She poked him in the thigh with her foot. He scowled at her. “What did you do Liam?” Our mother asked.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“He did something,” Jamie told us scrutinizing his twin, our brother.

“You need to be quiet.”

“How is it that the younger of my three sons have all found nice girls that I adore but my older two are dragging their feet, kicking and screaming.” Mom walked over to Skylar and kissed her forehead. “Let me know if you need anything honey.”

“We’re just waiting for the right girl to come along Ma,” Jamie said distractedly. “Whoa,” he shouted when the Dallas Cowboys scored a touchdown on a punt return. “Did you see that?” They were beating the Detroit Lions now twenty-one to ten.

“Nice deflection,” Skylar told Jamie.

Mom headed to the front door expecting Dad to follow. He was looking at me and Skylar. “Don’t have that baby until I feel better,” he told Skylar. She smiled at him.

“I won’t Declan,” I promise.

So much for Skylar’s promises.

**

In the middle of the night when you are sleeping soundly the last thing you want to hear is your wife screaming your name. I bolted upright in the bed. I patted her side of the bed. Then I jumped out of bed and met the kids in the hallway. “It’s all right,” I told them. I opened the bathroom door and met her terrified blue eyes.

“I’m bleeding Ronan.”

“Bad?”

“Bad enough,” she said.

“What do we do?” I asked her. I was lost. I needed to rely on Skylar to guide me through this one.

“Call the doctor,” she told me.

I ran to the hallway where the three kids were waiting on me to come out of the bathroom. Dominick was standing there with his hands on Maddie’s shoulders. The little girl was terrified. “Maddie, I promise Skylar is all right.” I looked up at Dominick. “Call Fionn and let him know you’ll be coming to the farm. I have to take Skylar to the hospital.”

“I’m on it.”

I ran to the kitchen where our phones were plugged in. Nickolas followed me. Maddie stayed behind. “Don’t lie to me Ronan,” Nickolas said. “Is Skylar all right?” He asked.

“I’m not lying. She’s bleeding Nick. I just need to get her to the hospital. Want to help?”

“Yes,” he said with an urgency that let me know he was also scared.

“Go grab some jeans and a shirt for me. My shoes too,” I shouted as he was running back to my bedroom.

On Skylar’s phone, I found the doctor’s number on speed dial. I waited for someone to answer. I explained what was happening. I put them on speaker when Nick returned with my clothes. I was jumping into my jeans when the doctor said, “Ronan, what are you doing?”