“Calling 911. What does it look like?”
“Winnie, I don’t need an ambulance. Just give me a second.”
“No way, I’m not chancing anything. You just fell down the stairs. As a pregnant woman, we’re calling an ambulance.”
“It was two stairs.”
“Which is more than enough.” As she speaks to an operator, I feel myself succumb to the dizziness. I’m not sure if it’s the sun beating down on me or the cool sidewalk, or the fall . . . but before I know it, my eyes are closed, and I’m drifting off to sleep.
* * *
“Is she in here?”I hear a deep male voice ask.
“Sir, she’s sleeping right now. Can I ask who you are?”
“Eli,” he says. “Can you tell me anything that happened?”
“Are you her husband, boyfriend?”
“Uh . . . what? No . . . I mean, I’m the baby’s dad.”
“Ah, okay. Well, unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything, but you’re welcome to sit next to her until she wakes up.”
“Thank you.”
There’s a soft click of a door, and then I feel a warm presence come closer, only to sit on the edge of the bed. My hand is covered in his.
My eyes slowly flutter open, and Eli’s handsome face comes into view. “Jesus,” he says right before pressing his forehead against mine. “Penny, are you okay?”
It takes me a second to figure out what’s going on. I’m in a hospital bed. Eli is sitting next to me, and beeping machines fill the silence. I look down at my stomach, and that’s when I catch Winnie sitting in the corner, legs drawn into her chest, looking scared.
“Winnie,” I say, holding my hand out.
She’s quick to her feet and takes my hand. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“What’s going on?” I ask her, ignoring Eli for the moment.
“You fell down the stairs at your parents’ house, remember? You passed out, and I called an ambulance. I told Eli because I felt like he needed to know. From what I’ve heard, the baby is fine.” She points at the monitor. “That’s the heartbeat.”
More tears fill my eyes as I stare at the monitor and see the line bounce up and down. My hand caresses my stomach as I glance down at it. “I’m so sorry,” I say to our baby boy. “I’m so sorry I was careless.”
“It was an accident,” Winnie says. “And you actually twisted so you didn’t land on your stomach. You did good, Mama.”
I let the tears slide down my cheeks. Glancing at Eli, I say, “How did you get here?”
“Private jet,” he answers and brings my hand to his lips. “Penny, are you okay?”
“I think so,” I answer just as a doctor walks into the room.
“Oh, you’re awake. That’s wonderful. How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” I answer. “Just a little confused.”
“That’s to be expected. You took a bit of a tumble, and given that you’re seven months pregnant, that makes things slightly more risky. Thankfully, your friend did the smart thing and called for help.” She glances at Eli. “Am I free to speak right now?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Okay, well, we checked on the baby, and he seems to be doing just fine. Tough guy in there. You did have some spotting, which is why we want to keep you overnight, just for observation, but other than that, you look pretty good.”
