“Maybe you should sit down,” Cade suggested, adjusting his baby son in his arms. We were standing with his mom and Bull, while seven of his club brothers filled the noisy plastic chairs that wheezed every time they moved their massive bodies in them.
Thankfully, Indy was able to find out what was going on.
“He’s going to be okay,” she said calmly, walking back into the room from visiting the ER. This was her world. Where she worked. “He has been X-rayed and has a couple of breaks in his ankle. He’s being prepped for surgery.”
“Is he in any danger?” Ronnie asked, looking understandably rattled. Her youngest son had been driven into a tree by a crazed ex-girlfriend.
“There is always danger with surgery. But as far as his injuries are concerned, no, he’s not in any danger.”
A relief settled across the room.
Indy walked over to us and took her son from her husband.
“I was able to speak with him,” she said to me. “He’s groggy and in a lot of pain. But he asked for you. He wanted to know you were alright.”
Affection and longing flared in my chest.
“Can I see him?” I asked.
Indy shook her head. “He’s already in surgery.”
“He’s going to be okay,” Cade reassured me.
“Maybe you should go home, get some rest,” Indy suggested, rocking her son in her arms. “I’m heading home to put this one to bed. I’ll give you a ride.”
“No. I want to stay here. I want to be here when he comes out of surgery.”
I felt my baby move and shift, and I rubbed my belly. She had been very active all morning, and in my fatigue she felt heavier, my pelvis fuller.
“Is my grandbaby awake?” Ronnie asked, her tired eyes momentarily brightening.
My heart dropped. It was going to disappoint Ronnie to the bone when she found out this wasn’t her grandbaby. And these people. What would they think when they found out?
The truth was, I still didn’t have the paternity results back from Dr. Perry’s office. I’d told Brandi I did because I was terrified she was going to hurt someone. I lied to her, and I was so convincing even Caleb believed me. I’d seen the hurt on his face. Seen the disappointment momentarily replace his concern for the high-tense scene unfolding before us. And in that moment I knew, just knew, I’d done the right thing by breaking up with him. Because the look on his face and the emotion in his eyes told me just how gutted he was, and how he would always struggle with it. Over the years it would eat him up.
I rubbed my lower back as a tightening spread through my abdomen. I let out a deep breath.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Ronnie asked.
I nodded, sliding my hand beneath my round belly. Everything felt . . . tight. “I’m fine.”
But Ronnie looked concerned. She looked at Indy. “Maybe Honey should see a doctor.”
Indy’s big brown eyes studied me. “Are you having some tightening in the abdomen? Contractions?”
“No. Well, tightening, yes, but contractions, no.”
Indy put her hands on my big belly as a minor cramp tightened through me. “I think maybe we should get you into a room. It will be safer to get you checked out.”
“I’m fine, honestly,” I replied. But one look from Ronnie and I knew I would be going to an ER room.
Ten minutes later, I lay on a hospital bed with a doctor checking me out. After hooking me up to different monitors and doing a thorough check, he sat down on the chair next to me, flicking through a chart. He looked up and smiled kindly at me.
“Braxton Hicks,” he said. “You’re not in labor.”
“I’m not?” Relief spread through me.
“No. You’re not.” He smiled reassuringly. “And everything looks good. I’m releasing you.”
I nodded, relieved. The last thing I needed was to go into labor three weeks early. And definitely not when Caleb was in surgery following his ex-girlfriend’s death wish into a tree.
“Is Caleb okay?” I asked the doctor. He was friends with Indy and knew exactly what was going on.
He nodded. “He’ll be in a bit of pain, but he’ll be fine once they’ve set his ankle.”
“And the girl he was with when the accident occurred?’
He paused, unsure if he should share the information with me or not. Thankfully, he relaxed and took pity on me. “She came out of it rather unscathed. But she’s been admitted to psych. I’m not sure she was right in the head.”
HONEY
Four days later, Autumn drove me out to her family’s lake house. Caleb was recovering from two surgeries to his ankle and was in and out of consciousness. I’d spent hours at the hospital but I was only allowed to see him briefly, and even then he was so high on pain medication he didn’t even know I was there.