It's Not Over (Fair Lakes 1)

“Yes, Mr. Drake.” She types something on her computer then looks up at me. “The doctor just finished up. Would you like to speak to him?”

“Yes, and I want to see her.”

“Of course.” She gives me a kind smile. “Let me get the doctor for you, and then we can take you on back. Just have a seat down the hall.” She points at where she wants me to go. “Third door on the left is consultation room three. I’ll let him know you’re waiting.”

“Can we not do this in her room? Can I see her firs

t?” My voice is pleading.

“I’m sorry, the doctor should fill you in on her condition. He’ll be right in,” she says, dismissing me. I stand here for a few heartbeats while she places the phone next to her ear and tells the doctor I’m here. “He’s on his way,” she says again with a kind smile. I don’t offer her one of my own. I can’t. Not yet. Not until I see Winnie and know that she’s okay.

Making my way down the hall, I peer into every room to see if I can spot her, but without any luck. Pushing the door open on consultation room three, I barely have my ass in the seat when the door opens, and an older gentleman in a white coat walks in.

“Mr. Drake?” he asks.

“Yes, Harrison.” I reach out and take his hand. “How’s my wife?” I have no intention of telling him we’re divorced. Not until they let me see her. It’s just a piece of paper anyway, a minor technicality in the grand scheme of things.

“I’m Doctor Frazier, Gwendolyn is very lucky. She was involved in an car accident earlier this evening.” He looks down at the tablet in his hands and begins swiping the screen. “Some bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Some minor burns from the airbag, but otherwise, your wife and baby are just fine.”

Slumping back in my chair, relief washes over me as his words play on repeat in my head. “Your wife and baby are just fine.” What? I grip the edge of the chair as I open my mouth, but no words come out. Trying again, I swallow hard then speak. “D-Did you, did you say baby?” I ask, my voice disbelieving.

“You didn’t know?” From the look on his face, he’s worried he might have spoiled the surprise.

“N-No.” I didn’t know, and suddenly, I’m angry. Pissed off that she’s already moved on, how could she forget what we had so fast? Then there’s the thought of her and another man, his hands on her, the two of them… I shake my head, not wanting to go there. I need to keep my cool. I need to see her.

“You okay?” He averts his eyes to my tight grip on the chair.

Looking down, I see the W tattoo and my wedding ring. A million things are flowing through my mind, but one stands out among the others. The day of our divorce. The last time I made love to her, just a few short weeks ago.

“H-How far?” I clear my throat. “How far along is she? I mean, the baby.” I stammer over my words. I would have known that day, right? I would have been able to see the difference in her body? It would have felt… different if she were pregnant then, right?

He looks down at the tablet and swipes the screen. “A few weeks, according to her bloodwork.” He keeps swiping at the screen, unaware of my mental breakdown.

A few weeks.

It’s mine. This baby is mine. How could I have ever jumped to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be? That’s not my Winnie, divorce or not. That’s not who she is, and I love her even more for it. Thank fuck I had time to process this before seeing her.

I’m going to be a father.

“Can I see her?”

“Of course.” He stands from the chair. “We’re going to move her to a room and keep her overnight just as a precaution with the pregnancy. The ultrasound tech should be in there with her now.” He glances at his watch. “If we hurry, you might be able to catch the end of it.” He turns and opens the door, and I’m hot on his heels.

I follow him down a busy hallway, with curtains pulled giving what privacy they can to the patients behind them. “There.” He points to the last curtain at the end of the hall. “Go on in. I’m going to work on getting her moved to an inpatient room.” With that, he turns and walks away. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath preparing myself for what’s going to be behind this curtain. She’s okay, I mentally remind myself.

I hear a female voice that’s not my wife. Carefully, I pull back the curtain and stand just inside the threshold, taking in the sight before me. Winnie has her legs in stirrups while the ultrasound tech has her hand between her legs. Their eyes are riveted to the small screen on a rolling cart. I take advantage of being unnoticed and look her over. Her arms are bandaged, she has a butterfly over one eyebrow. Other than that, I can’t see much from where I’m standing. Regardless of her injuries, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and it’s been too damn long since I’ve set my eyes on her.

“Winnie.” My voice cracks. Slowly, she turns her head to look at me. Tears fill her eyes. “Hey.” My feet carry me to her. I don’t stop until I’m beside her bed. On instinct, I bend down and place a kiss on her forehead. “You okay?” I know she is, but I need her to tell me.

“Yeah.” She sniffs.

“Dad, I assume?” the ultrasound tech asks politely.

“Yes,” I say before Winnie can answer her. “How are they?” I ask, reaching out and lacing my fingers through hers, careful not to bump her forearm where she’s taped up, from I assume the burns.

“Mom and baby are both doing well. We were just finishing up.” She points to the screen. “As I was telling your wife, this”—she points again—“is your baby.”

Winnie squeezes my hand. Looking down, I find that her eyes are trained on me and not the screen. “I love you,” I tell her. My voice is clear, and there is zero hesitation. She gives me a watery smile.

“I printed some pictures,” the tech says, already cleaning up her machine; we missed that in our stare down. “They’ll do another ultrasound in the morning, just as a precaution, but everything with the baby is perfect. Congratulations, you two,” she says before disappearing behind the curtain, leaving us alone.

“Harrison—”

My lips pressing against hers stops her. “I love you,” I tell her again, pulling away. My eyes bore into hers. “We’re going to be okay,” I tell her. “We’ve got this.” I rest my hand that’s not holding hers over her flat belly. “This is what we said we wanted. It’s a few years later, but it’s happening. This baby…” I swallow hard. “This baby is fate, Winnie. It’s fate telling us that we belong together. I had already decided that I was going to fight for you, for us, and now—” I lean down and kiss her again. “—now I just have to fight harder. For you, for our baby, for our family.”

She loses her battle with her tears as they begin to slide down her cheeks. Releasing her hand, I wipe them away with my thumbs. “We’re divorced,” she cries.

“It’s a piece of paper.” I try to console her.

“This is not how it was supposed to happen,” she cries harder.

“I know, baby. But we’re going to get through this. You and me and Peanut.” Leaning in, I kiss her forehead. Seeing her upset like this, lying in a hospital bed, is wreaking havoc on my emotions as well. I’ve never been able to stand seeing her cry. It was my biggest weakness and why I left when she told me we needed space. I was willing to do whatever I needed to stop her tears. Looking back, I know I was wrong. I should have said fuck the tears and fought for us. I’m a man who learns from his mistakes, and I can guarantee I won’t be making this one twice.

“Everything is so messed up.” She weeps with her words. “We had this plan, you know, and now, now it’s ruined, and I’m a single mother. I don’t want to be a single mother.” I place my hands over hers, trying to comfort her. She runs her thumb over the W tattoo. “What are we going to do?” she asks softly.

I don’t hesitate when I drop to my knees right here in the emergency room. Carefully, I hold her hand between mine and look her in the eye. “Marry me, Gwendolyn Drake. I don’t want to live a minute longer without you by my side. I’m miserable without you. Marry me, and give me a house full of babies.” I grin wide, unable to hide my excitement that I’m going to be a father.

We did have a plan, but it kept getting pushed back. It never seemed like the right time with the gym expanding, but now that it’s here, and it’s our reality, I couldn’t be more thrilled. We made a baby together after our divorce was final. I’ve been lost without her. This is all a sign that we belong together. I don’t care what I have to do, or what I have to give up to prove it to her. Winnie and this b

aby are all that matters to me.

“Harrison.” She’s shaking her head, but her eyes tell me a different story. Her look is pleading, as if she’s begging me to make this better.

I stand up and sit on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in mine. “You tell me when. First thing Monday morning we can be at the courthouse, or we can go to Vegas, or maybe a destination wedding this time. You tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Harrison,” she murmurs.

“This is our story, baby. We can write it however we want. I want to raise this baby with you.”

“Of course you will. You’re the father,” she scoffs.

“With you and me in the same house, sleeping in the same bed, working on siblings for Peanut. That’s what I want. I want the life we planned but pushed to the side.”

“How do we do that? How do we get that back? Can we get it back?” she asks.

“We can,” I say adamantly.

“We signed the papers,” she reminds me.

“I know that. We also signed our marriage license, something that can easily be repeated,” I say, looking into her eyes.

She drops her head and traces my tattoo when suddenly her fingers stop moving. “Your ring,” she whispers. “You’re still wearing your ring.”

“I made a promise to you when you gave me that ring. We lost our way, and I’m to blame for that, but we can make it back. I never for one second stopped loving you.”

“Love was never the issue,” she counters.

“I know that. I let myself get carried away with work. All the while I thought it was for us. To make the gym a success, so when we decided to start a family, we would be set financially so you could stay home if you chose to do so.” I pause, letting my confession sink in. “I was an idiot.”

“All right,” a nurse says, barging in on us. “We’ve got your room set up. Here are her things. You want to follow me?” the nurse asks.