I hesitate momentarily. “Okay, see you soon, Brodie?” It comes out more of a question.
He hangs up abruptly. I sit there staring at the phone.
I hear the door close in the distance, awakening me from my stupor.
“Liv, I’m home.” I hear the sound of keys hitting the table in the foyer.
“I’m in the bathtub,” I respond and see him as he strolls in and places his tux on the bed. He walks over to me and strips down.
“No, we don’t have time to take a bath, Dax. We’ll be late since I still have to get ready.”
He goes to help me out of the tub and pushes me over the sink. “Who said anything about a tubby, wifey?”
I look at him in the mirror as he lines himself up with me and pushes in. He takes me hard and fast while I brace myself against the mirror. My protruding stomach is not letting me extend too far over. Dax has one hand, fingers tracing over my clit moving and pinching as the other hand rests protectively over my belly. He sucks on my neck, and I am coming all over his cock with his last thrusts as he spills in me with one last groan of pleasure. He stands there still, looking at me in the mirror’s reflection. His cock twitched inside me as he then pulled out. The evidence of our lovemaking dripping down my thigh.
“Well, that is a visual I can get used to, Liv. You bent over, pregnant, dripping my seed down your leg.”
I turn around and place my hands on his chest. I almost snorted at this comment if I thought he was joking, but his look tells me he is not. “Don’t tell me you want to see me pregnant all the time. Dax?”
He comes over with a towel and cleans me up. “Liv, I want as many children as you will give me.”
“You're serious, huh?”
“Oh yeah, baby,” he murmurs into my neck, kissing his way up to my ear. “Now, let's shower and get dressed before I end up taking you straight to our bed. My parents would be deeply disappointed in us for skipping the whole gala.”
Despite Dax’s best efforts at getting me to go another round in the sack, we leave on time and are greeted by his parents as we walk into the event. It is beautiful. The historic hotel on the seawall boasts a beautiful venue, and the cause is even more spectacular. Dax’s mother goes to the microphone on stage to welcome everyone and encourage us to take an assigned seat for dinner. Just as we walk to our table, we see Eduardo and my best friend Emma approach from the opposite direction. I hurry over to Emma and hug her in greeting.
“Geez, Liv, you’d think I didn't just see you a few hours ago.” She laughs, but I am so glad to spend some time with her after I finally quit my job in the ED.
When I found out I was pregnant and then proceeded to move in with Dax, I saw less and less of her. I haven’t seen her around as much as I used to, making me sad that we are drifting apart. Eduardo shakes Dax’s hand, and we all get settled in our seats. Dinner is served, and the silent auction follows. My phone rings, and I see that Melissa is calling. Emma looks at me, and I show her who it is.
“Excuse me. I need to answer this, Dax.”
He helps me up from my chair, and Emma excuses herself to follow me, but before she does, she mumbles something into Eduardo’s ear. He nods his head while looking toward Dax, who has a confused look on his face.
I make my way out of the room housing the gala and pass the bathrooms leading to an outside door. With less noise, I can hear Melissa better. She never calls me. I am curious and worried at the same time as to why she is phoning. As I push through the door, my phone starts ringing again, and I quickly answer it.
“Melissa, just a second.”
Emma moved through the door after me and grabbed my arm. “Okay, I can hear, Melissa. I am sorry. Go ahead. What is it?”
“Liv.” Her shaky voice comes through on the other line. “It’s Brodie. He went to the hospital in an ambulance. He had been sick, and tonight he had a fever, and I called the doctor to come over and look at him. Before he could get here, Brodie went unconscious, and I called the ambulance. They took him to the hospital.”
I drop the phone and slump to the floor.
“Liv!” I hear Emma say as she picks up the phone, and Melissa tells her the story again.
I see Emma trying to shake me, but I can’t listen to her or hear her words. It's as if I am underwater, and everything is muffled. I see Dax and Eduardo come running through the door, and Dax helps me up. I hear Emma giving them the information as I feel Dax moving me through the venue and out the door. A black SUV comes around the corner, and the door flies open. Dax helped me get into the car, and Eduardo and Emma drove us to the hospital that Brodie was taken to not long ago.
ChapterForty-One
Liv
The asphalt streetsgo by in a blur, and my emotions are laid out with them—flat and run over. We make our way into the emergency department, and Dax immediately goes to the front desk to ask for information. We are not related to Brodie, and they are not allowed or obligated to tell us anything. I spot Melissa and run over to her, hoping she can get us the information about Brodie. She hugs me and tells me Brodie’s parents are on their way over. It’s like déjà vu—feeling helpless, watching and waiting for news about Brodie. We were again waiting to see if he would live through that accident. I’m not sure what he did after the accident and rehabilitation. He was so upset with his condition. Being paralyzed and dependent on assistance for everyday activities like daily living. He had always been a carefree soul. I thought I had lost him once, and I saw him dying inside after that each day, his emotional state getting worse. He disappeared from my life after receiving inpatient help for his major depression. I saw the spark of life back in him, if only for a brief moment. He looked finally at peace with himself, but then this happened. What exactly happened? That is the answer I need, and again find myself waiting.
We sit out there for what seems like an eternity. Brodie's parents are here. They are arguing with each other again. I look at them and want to slap them both. Please give it up already. Can’t you get along during this time when your son needs you? I never did like his parents. They were always so self-absorbed, his dad with his career and infidelity. His mom was always doting on his father, caring more about him than her son, until he traded her for a younger model. Now she is just angry and drunk most of the time, botoxing her face to try to land herself another husband. Melissa is walking between us and Brodie’s family. She was there more for him than they were, even though she was paid to do that job. I know that she cared about Brodie.
The door finally opens, and time stands still. The voices quiet around us, and the doctor makes his way to us with another man with a security badge on his uniform. I stand up, as does Dax, watching them make their way over to Brodie’s parents. I hear a scream and then sob as Brodie’s dad walks off, holding his hand over his face. For once, I see his dad take his mom into an embrace, and they hold on to each other, crying. I know this isn’t good news, and I sink to the floor as Dax catches me. He lifts me, walks to a chair to sit, and places me in his lap.
