Abel (5th Street 4)

Hector had even flown their mom out to be by his side yesterday, because he’d been so concerned. It’d been one of the few times Abel had stepped out of the room since he’d seen some life in her. “You need to eat something, Abel.”

“I’m not hungry, Mom.”

“Hector says you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. He’s very worried about you. Worried about what you’ll do if she . . .”

The very suggestion, even if unsaid, had pissed him off. He didn’t even want to think it. He wasn’t giving up hope, especially seeing that she’d made an effort to come back. Convinced now that even she didn’t know she was pregnant or she would’ve said something to him, he was certain that the effort she’d made to come back was for him and their baby because he’d been whispering it in her ear nonstop.

Her parents and Roni had all sat with her for hours, and none had gotten even the slightest reaction from her. Abel had now become a permanent fixture by her side and would stay there until she opened her eyes.

With his head down as he held her hand, he prayed hard, forcing himself to not do it angrily—bitterly.

“Abel?”

His heart nearly stopped and he jerked his head up. Her voice was hoarse and frail, and her face scrunched, looking as agonized as he’d felt this whole time. “Don’t talk, baby.”

Glancing up at a stunned-faced Hector who was on his feet suddenly, Abel stood now too. “Get the nurse!”

Hector rushed out of the room as Abel soothed Nellie’s hair, completely choked up. “You came back to me,” he whispered, the tears already running down his face as he kissed her hand over and over. “You came back to me.”

~*~

Roni told Nellie that she’d never look at Abel the same way again. Days after coming back to him, as Abel liked to say she did, they were in her hospital room, packing up Nellie’s things, and Roni was talking about it again.

“Noah said he’d never seen this side of Abel. I don’t think even Hector had seen this side of his brother. My God, Nellie, as terrified as I was that you might not make it, I was more scared for him than myself. For someone who’s so damn reserved, he held nothing back. Even before we knew you were in the hospital, we all saw the desperation in his eyes, and once we found out, he just fell apart.”

It almost hurt Nellie to imagine what he must’ve gone through. The last thing she remembered before passing out at the hotel was thinking he’d been seriously injured, and that had nearly ripped her heart out. She couldn’t even imagine being told he might not make it.

Finding out where she was and why was a big enough shocker, but finding out she was pregnant was a surprise that she still had mixed feelings about. The baby seemed to be doing well as far as the doctors could tell, but it’d be weeks until they found out if it’d suffered any damage. Abel, on the other hand, was ecstatic and very optimistic that the baby would be just fine.

Before Nellie could respond to Roni, Abel was at the door with a big smile. “You ready to go home?”

“Yes,” she smiled back. God was she ever.

Roni gave Nellie a quick side look, and Nellie knew what she was thinking: Thank God he hadn’t heard her. The nurse had already given her all her take home instructions for the rest of her recovery. One of the biggest things they harped on was rest and no stress. Abel was already making sure of it. The doctor had suggested maybe hiring some in-home care for the first week so that she could stay in bed as much as possible.

Abel wouldn’t hear of it. He said he’d wait on her hand and foot himself. Already, he wasn’t letting her lift a thing. He reached for the small duffle bag that she was holding.

“Abel, I think I got this.”

He gave her a look lifting an eyebrow, and she grudgingly handed it over.

Roni laughed. “Oh, she’s a stubborn one, Abel. I think you’re gonna have your hands full all week.”

“It’s what I’m most looking forward to.” He winked, moving out of the way so they could exit first.

~*~

Hector, who’d flown back to Los Angeles the day Nellie had woken up, was waiting for them at the airport. No one had heard from Abel since the fight. Even Andy didn’t know where he was. Abel wasn’t over being irritated with Andy just yet. Noah had told Andy the only thing Abel had allowed him to: that he was taking time off and to reschedule any appearances or interviews he had for the next few weeks. As far as he knew, no one but the immediate family had a clue where he and Nellie were or that Nellie had even been in the hospital. He was planning on keeping it that way for a while. The only other person he’d told was Felix when he called to check on Abel. Felix immediately offered his private jet so they wouldn’t have to fly commercial and deal with the pain-in-the-ass paparazzi at the bigger airports.

Now that the pool house was fully remodeled, Abel brought Nellie home with him. She’d be recovering there since he lived in a gated community and his home was far more private and secluded than hers. With the scandal still going strong, he was certain the paparazzi were already camped out on her street. He wasn’t having it.

They reached his house, and Hector pulled all the way to the back so Nellie wouldn’t have to walk far.

“So I never got the story,” Hector said to Nellie as he and Abel began unloading the trunk. “What were you doing in Henderson?”

Abel already knew. She’d told him she’d gone there to get away from the media, but they hadn’t discussed why she hadn’t trusted that he wouldn’t be upset with her. He hadn’t wanted to go there with her yet. He did have every intention of asking her later, because this media crap wasn’t going to go away, especially now that he’d won. He didn’t want any more issues arising because of the media attention, so he needed to get a few things straight with her. And once word got out that she was pregnant, they’d be all over it—the disrespectful vultures—no doubt raising the question of whether the baby was his or Sam’s.