My eyes start to well, and I look to the ceiling to try and stop the tears.
“She’s asking for you and Autumn. But we’ll let her wake up before we roll her over there.” She gestures to Autumn. “I’ll have a nurse stay with her while you go and see Penny.”
I nod my head in thanks and follow the doctor to Penny’s room. The monitor is steadily beeping as we enter, and Penny is sitting up with her arm in a sling.
It’s been hours since the surgery ended, and her smile is warm and bright as I walk into the room. There’s finally color to her face that wasn’t there when she was wheeled into the hospital.
“Declan,” she breathes out.
I can’t control myself. I go to her side, grab her face, and plant my lips over hers. “You’re okay.”
I pull back and search her eyes while she gives me a small nod. “Yeah. I’m good. It hurts like hell, but I’m good. Where’s Autumn?”
“She’s sleeping,” I tell her and take a seat in the empty chair next to the bed, holding her free hand. “The doctors did a full checkup on her and said that she wasn’t physically harmed.” Penny’s eyes well. “She’s okay, Penny. She’s okay.”
Penny nods her head and releases my hand to wipe at her eyes. A moment later, a doctor I haven’t seen yet comes into the room, holding a clipboard and thumbing through sheets of paper.
“Alright, Penny, I got your labs back,” he says and looks at both of us. “And you are?” he asks, looking at me.
“Declan. Her husband.”
He gives me a nod. “Nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Rivas. I was the lead on Penny’s surgery. She did exceptionally well. She didn’t lose too much blood, and everything should heal nicely. She’s a very lucky woman.” He looks to Penny. “Your labs look good, Penny. And the baby is thriving, too. We’re going to keep you here for a few days just to monitor you, though.”
My heart stops. What did he just say?
“Excuse me, what baby?” Penny asks because I’m momentarily stunned.
His eyes go from Penny to me and back again. “We took your blood as soon as you were admitted, and the results came in while I was operating on you. We did an ultrasound just to make sure, and it looks like you are twelve weeks pregnant.”
“Did you just say twelve weeks?” I blurt out. Because that would mean that she got pregnant three months ago, while we were still using condoms.
Penny is silent, and when I look at her, she looks a little green.
“You didn’t know?” the doctor asks, his brows furrowing.
Penny shakes her head. “I’ve had my period. Oh my god. I got a tattoo, and I drank. I drank in Vegas, and I’ve been drinking wine. We were using condoms.” She looks at me with wide eyes. “We weren’t even married yet. You still didn’t want kids yet…”
“Breathe, Penny,” I tell her and take a deep breath. She follows suit, but I can still see the panic in her eyes.
“You were probably having breakthrough bleeding. But there shouldn’t be a need to worry about everything else because you’re only in the first trimester. But you’re going to want to find an OBGYN once you get back to Daybreak, just to confirm. Why don’t I go get the ultrasound machine so you can see your little one's heartbeat?”
I nod my head. “That would be great. Thank you.”
The doctor steps outside, and I give my full attention to Penny. “Hey. Are you okay?”
Her eyes move from the door, where the doctor just left, to me. “We’re pregnant.”
I nod my head and squeeze her hand. “We are.”
“We’re twelve weeks pregnant.”
“We are,” I say again.
Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine. “How in the hell do I keep getting pregnant on birth control?”
My lips tilt upward. “I don’t know.” I kiss the palm of her hand. “But it was meant to be.”
“Are you okay with this?” she asks, worry evident on her face.
