“Bits and pieces. I know I was shoved against a doorframe.”
“That’s correct. You had a concussion, which caused you to lose consciousness, and that’s why we’ve been monitoring you. We’ve done a CT scan, and there’s no sign of internal bleeding or serious trauma, which is great news.”
Indie nodded, but that little movement caused a flicker of pain in her head. She cringed.
Colt noticed and his fingers tightened around her hand.
“You’re probably feeling a bit groggy,” the doctor continued. “Maybe nauseous with a headache. That’s all normal after a head injury.”
“Okay.”
“And the baby’s fine.”
Air stalled in Indie’s lungs, those four words hanging in the air, suspended, like they weren’t meant for her.
For a moment there was silence. A heavy silence that no one seemed to want to break.
It was Colt who asked the question. “She’s pregnant?”
“Yes.” The doctor frowned slightly and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”
Indie forced herself to breathe before asking, “Are you sure?”
“Very. Your beta HCG levels are strong. At least six weeks.”
Tears gathered in Indie’s eyes. “I’m pregnant.” The words almost felt too big and heavy for her to hold. She turned to look at Colt. “We’re having a baby.”
Colt’s face was a mixture of relief and happiness and shock all merged together. “We’re having a baby,” he repeated quietly, his eyes locked on hers.
The doctor continued to talk. Indie caught some words, likerestandmonitoringandsymptoms. But most of it was a blur.
After years of trying. Years of invasive procedures, blood draws, hormone crashes, and hope that grew, only to shatter, she finally heard the words she’d longed to hear.
When the doctor left the room, Colt looked down at her, and there was so much love in his eyes. He was the father of her child. The love of her life. And they were having a baby together.
Gently, he set a hand over her stomach before lowering his head and kissing her belly. The small action made more tears gather. This was all she’d wanted for so long.
When he lifted his head, he looked at her again. “What are you feeling?”
“Happy. God…happiness barely touches the surface of what I feel. But I’m also scared. So much can happen during a pregnancy. I don’t think I’ll feel safe until I’m holding our baby in my arms.”
He cupped her cheek. “We’ll handle anything that’s thrown our way together.”
“Thank you.”
He leaned forward, his lips hovering over hers. “You don’t need to thank me for loving you.”
Then he closed the last bit of distance between them and kissed her. At the feel of his lips against her, some of that fear dissipated, and the familiar safety Colt invoked returned.
Colt heldIndie as she slept, the TV a quiet drone in the background. They were on the couch and had gotten home from the hospital less than an hour ago. Noah had fixed the lock for the window in the bedroom, but he was still on high alert.
She hadn’t said it, but she’d been hesitant to go into the bedroom. He’d suggested a movie, knowing full well she wouldn’t last very long. Hell, it had been almost midnight when they’d gotten home. She’d held out for the first five minutes before falling asleep on him.
He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, a tightness clutching at his lungs when he surveyed the wound on her temple. At the memory of her unconscious on the floor and the panic that had spread through his limbs like wildfire.
And all while she was pregnant.
The sudden urge to get up and go to the hospital, find his father, and make sure he never hurt Indie again was strong.
