Four
Tinsley
The cramping is intense, and I know without a doubt that if I check my underwear that there will be blood. I wrap my arms around my waist, praying that I’m wrong about this. The hot tears are coursing down my face because until this very second, I didn’t even know that I truly wanted this baby. My heart shatters at the thought of losing this baby before I have the chance to come to terms with it, to tell Andre that he is going to be a father, or to hold the little one in my arms.
“This can’t be happening. Why do I always lose the people closest to me?” I ask the man kneeling in front of me as tears run hot down my face.
Andre stares at me, unmoving. Not understanding what is happening and why I’m so upset. Another cramp hits me, and I lay my head on my knees, grit my teeth and pray for … what … I don’t know in this very moment. I hear people around me speaking, though I can’t make sense of it as I sit here mourning a loss only I can understand. A pair of muscular arms lifts me from the stairs, cradling me to their chest. Andre’s unique scent wraps around me, and I fist his shirt in my hand, closing my eyes and doing something I haven’t done in way too long.
I pray.Pray for a miracle that this time someone will hear me and help me instead of ripping my heart out once again.
Andre slides into a vehicle, and we’re moving before the door is fully closed. He holds me close, whispering everything and nothing in my ear, letting me know he is here, and he isn’t going to leave me. I want to believe him—to believe that once he finds out what is happening, he truly won’t leave me. But that can never happen, not with the perceived wrongdoings between the families that no one person can say why or what caused the original rift.
The tires squeal to a stop and the doors are thrown open. I lift my head expecting to see a hospital, only we’re not at one. We’re at the back of a small clinic where a nurse is standing and holding open the back door as Andre slides out of the SUV still not letting me go. I close my eyes as we make our way down the halls, and another cramp hits me so hard I gasp with the pain.
“We’re almost there, Tesoro. Just hold on for another second and the doctor will take care of you,” Andre whispers, kissing the top of my head with such care that I almost believe he means it.
“Lay her right here, Mr. Kardoni,” a compassionate, no-nonsense voice states from in front of us.
Andre doesn’t acknowledge her but instead speaks to me. “Are you okay if I lay you on the table?”
I take a deep, calming breath before speaking. “It’s okay, Andre. You can sit me down. Thank you for taking care of me. It truly means a lot, but you don’t have to stay.”
He sits me on the crinkly paper before cupping my cheeks with both hands. “I am not leaving you here until I know you’re okay. If you want me to step out and allow the doctor to examine you, I will, but I am not leaving this building until you do.”
The wall I’ve been constructing around my heart shatters, and several bricks fall. Reaching up, I wrap one hand around each of his wrists, his hands never leaving my face.
“Thank you,” I whisper just before another cramp hits me.
His eyes go wide before he lets me go, turning to the doctor. “I need you to help her. She took a tumble down the stairs. Tinsley said she was fine and then doubled over, gripping her stomach, and went white as pure marble.”
“Okay, why don’t you step back and let me check on Miss …” she trails off, allowing us to fill in the name.
“Just Tinsley is fine,” I nod.
“Alright, Just Tinsley.” She winks, official breaking the tension, allowing everyone to relax and take a breath. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re feeling? Mr. Kardoni has told me what happened, but I need to know what’s going on with you exactly.”
“Do you have an ultrasound?” I ask, relaxing as the cramping has seemed to ease some.
Her eyes go wide for just a second before nodding, then turns to the nurse I didn’t see standing near the door. “Can you prep the ultrasound room for us?”
The nurse nods before turning to go. I put my feet up and lay back on the table trying to slow my racing heart. The doctor comes over to me. “Do you mind if I check some of the obvious damage and perform a routine check until she returns?”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I nod, trying to swallow around the dryness in my throat. I turn my head to look at Andre. “Do you mind getting me something to drink?”
His eyes narrow just a touch before he nods and leaves the room. I sigh, relaxing just a little more now that he’s gone, and I will not have to face his wrath right this second. The door closesbehind him with a soft click, and the doctor seems to relax some. She listens to my chest, checks my knees and hands that are scraped as well as testing for anything that might be broken or sprained.
“My name is Dr. Hannah, Tinsley. I want you to know that you can talk to me. Are you safe? Do you need help?” she finally asks, looking me in the face.
Giving her a soft smile, I sigh. “I am safer now than I’ve been in a very long time.”
She watches me as if she doesn’t believe me but lets it go when there is a knock on the door. I give her a nod, and Dr. Hannah turns, pulling the door open to reveal the nurse standing there with Andre at her back. Dr. Hannah looks back at me, silently asking if I’m ready.
“Let’s get this done.” I sigh, sliding off the table.
“Where are we going? Are you okay?” Andre questions with a look of panic written across his face.
“We’re going over to the ultrasound room. Everything else has checked out fine, so we need to do one more test,” she tells him, stepping out of the room and guiding us to the one with the ultrasound equipment.
