Short Rides (Rough Riders 14.5)

“Sir. Calm down.”

“I will. Just as soon as someone tells me what’s going on.”

“The doctor will be out here to talk to you at some point.”

At some point? Why were they being so vague about where Keely was? “Not good enough. I want answers now.”

“Hold it together, son,” Carson warned.

Jack set his hands on the nurse’s shoulders. “I swear to Christ if something’s happened to her and you people are—”

“Sir. Let me go or I’ll have security remove you from the premises.”

Shit. He hadn’t even realized he’d grabbed her. He stepped back, embarrassed as well as angry. “Sorry.”

But she’d already stormed off.

Then Carson was in his face. “This ain’t helpin’ anyone, least of all you. So sit the hell down and shut the f**k up.”

Harsh words. Jack’s response was just as harsh. “And you’d sit in the corner like a f**king lap dog if Carolyn was behind those goddamned doors?”

“No. I’d’ve already ripped the doors off the hinges. But I’m askin’ you to be the better man than me, Donohue. Keely is gonna need you there by her side when she comes out of this.”

If she comes out of it. If she’s all right.

Carson poked him in the chest. “Get that look off your face. I will not allow myself to imagine anything but good goddamned news coming through those doors and you’d better not either.” He paused. “Because I’m havin’ a hard time breathing myself.”

They stared at one another.

“Fine. I’ll sit.” That lasted for about five minutes. Jack got up and paced. His brain tossed out all sorts of f**ked-up theories that he wished would just stop.

Carson stayed close by his side. When he wasn’t staring aimlessly out the window.

Jack felt every single tick of the clock in a slow drip of time eating away at his patience.

It was the most excruciating sixty-seven minutes of his life.

The doors opened and he was on his feet before they closed.

Doc Monroe, in blue scrubs, stood next to another woman in blue scrubs.

“How is Keely?”

The other doctor said, “She had a placental abruption.” Then she launched into an explanation of what it was and added that she suspected Keely had suffered from preeclampsia, which had Jack seeing red because he wanted to know how the f**k his wife was doing, not be subjected to a lesson on medical terminology.

Doc Monroe interrupted. “What Dr. Janis here, the OB who did the surgery, is getting at, is Keely is in recovery. We had to put her under for the emergency C-section.”

“So she’s...?”

Doc Monroe put her hand on his arm. “She’s fine, Jack.”

His relief wouldn’t kick in until he saw her. “When can I see her?”

“She’ll be in recovery at least another hour. Then we’ll move her to a post-op room.” The two doctors exchanged a look. “Don’t you want to know about the babies?”

Christ. How had he forgotten? “Are they all right?”

“Baby boy one is having some breathing difficulties, but it’s to be expected given his placenta detached. Baby boy two is perfectly healthy with no trouble whatsoever showcasing his lung capacity. The birth weights were in normal range for twins born at thirty-six weeks.”

Carson clapped him on the back. “Congrats.”

Jack still couldn’t wrap his head around two babies and they’d had months to prepare.

“Would you like to meet your sons?” Doc Monroe asked.

“I have to see Keely first.”

More exchanged looks.

“Sounds strange, I know, but I want to be with her when we see our babies for the first time.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Is there any way I can stay in recovery with her until she wakes up? I promise I won’t do anything but sit beside her.”

“Jack—”

“Joely. Please. I’m dying here.”

Her eyes softened. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Carolyn rushed in the room. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Keely’s in recovery and the babies appear to be fine.” Carson wrapped an arm around her and pressed his lips into her hair. “We haven’t seen them yet.”

That gave Jack an idea. “Can I give them permission to go do all the baby stuff while I’m with Keely?”

Dr. Janis shrugged. “Your call, Dr. Monroe.”

“I’m fine with it.” She smirked. “Another first in the McKay family. Grandpa and Grandma get to meet the babies before the parents.”

Jack finally allowed himself to smile.

Jack held Keely’s hand. He only took his eyes off her to look at the monitor. Not that he understood what the lines meant but they hadn’t changed, which was a good thing.

The nurse came in every ten minutes and checked her.

But Keely didn’t stir.

He pressed her palm against his cheek, wishing she’d wake up and bitch at him for being too lazy to shave.

Time passed in a void, but he didn’t have a sense of helplessness because he was with her. Didn’t matter if she wasn’t aware he was by her side.

Then her fingers twitched and he was instantly alert.

Keely opened her eyes. She blinked several times and cast a panicked glance around the room before seeing him. “Jack?”

“I’m here, baby.” He shot to his feet and framed her face in his hands before he kissed her. Once. Twice. By the third time his eyes were wet. He whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Her confused eyes searched his. “Why are you cryin’? Did something happen to the babies?”

“No. They’re both fine. I just...” He pressed kisses on her beautiful face. “It’s been a rough day and I went half-crazy thinking I’d never get to say those words to you again. You scared the life out of me, Keely.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He kissed her again—he couldn’t seem to stop kissing her, touching her, breathing her in. “How are you feeling?”

Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. “I hurt everywhere.”

That was a punch to the gut. “I’ll see if I can’t get you a painkiller. But first I want to tell you...” Jack buried his face in her neck. “No more,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t care about the who-can-have-the-most-kids competition you’ve got going on with your crazy-ass baby-making brothers and cousins, but we’re done. No more pregnancies. I can’t—I won’t—put you through this again. If anything happened to you, Keely, I’d...”