Chapter Forty-One
AYDA
Ishifted on the examination table and cringed at the crinkle of the paper that was there for sanitation reasons. I’d been away from Drew for less than an hour, but that was an hour too long. The nurses and doctors who’d talked me into this had promised me it wouldn’t take longer than thirty minutes, and yet here I was wearing a hospital gown on the forty-fifth minute as they examined me.
It was the last time I was going to be doing a ‘favor’ for anyone.
Damn Eric to hell for suggesting to the nurse that I could be spared.
It was the first time I’d left Drew for more than a toilet break since they’d taken me to him. All I could think was that if anything were to happen while I was gone…
“Okay, as far as we can tell you and your baby are in good health, but with some of the trauma you’ve faced, just take it easy and get on those vitamins,” the hospital gynecologist said with a pat to my leg before she removed the glove from her hand with a snap. “We can give you a scan to make absolutely—”
“No. Not without Drew there,” I said over her as I pushedmyself to a sitting position. “I can’t see the baby without the father being there.”
The doctor, whose name escaped me, gave me another sad smile and glanced down at the chart she was holding. It felt very much like she was avoiding meeting my glance, but I turned away before she looked up again, my eyes lingering on an image of a weird cross-section starring a child in mom’s uterus.
“You can get dressed now, Ayda. I’m going to ask you to make an appointment with your gynecologist when you can, or come back and see me so we can do a scan. All precautionary.”
I slipped behind a room divider and pulled on my own jeans and a hoodie that had been brought to me by Autumn via one of the guys. I was glad of the comfort of it, and I shivered once I was buried in the hoodie again. It was always so damn cold in this place.
“I will,” I said, stepping out from the divider so I could push my feet into my boots. “Is there anything I should be eating? Drinking? Other than the vitamins?”
“Stay away from too much caffeine. There are some leaflets available at the front desk, which give you some good guidelines on foods to avoid, etc.”
I nodded and headed for the door, with another quick thanks as I rushed through the halls to get back to Drew in his room.
Hospitals weren’t always a good place for hope to blossom.
From what I could estimate, it had been five days since Drew had been admitted here, and with every hour that passed, my mind seemed to fall into a deeper pit of despair. He hadn’t deteriorated any, but he hadn’t improved much, either. Drew was in a stasis that left every single one of us who loved him in a holding pattern, waiting for some kind of hopewe could cling to with both hands.
I was so lost in the world of wires and tubes and schedules that I had no idea what was going on outside the room. None of the agents had been to talk to me. Not even Howard had tried to bring up what had happened in the warehouse when he’d looked in on Drew late one night. Up until my talk with Eric, I hadn’t been in any shape to talk to any of the guys as they’d drifted through.
My only concern had been Drew. Even now, his name was in every step I took on my way to his room, thinking constantly about what needed to be done before the nurses came in and took more blood. One of the physical therapists had shown me how to help with some movements to keep his muscles active while he was in the bed, and this little side trip had postponed that.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I found myself skipping to a halt the moment I was in Drew’s room, surprised by the reaper and hounds staring at me from the backs of Jedd and Slater as they stood shoulder to shoulder looking down on Drew.
“Hey, guys,” I squeaked, then coughed and tried again. “Hey.”
They turned to take me in; their faces unchanging as they studied me until Slater let out a low whistle and shook his head.
“Shit, Ayda. When was the last time you slept?”
I pushed my loose hair back from my face and walked casually to the other side of the bed to check on Drew. He was still there, still unmoving, still with wires pouring from his body like strings.
“I sleep in the chair,” I said, tipping my head in its direction. “You two doing okay?”
Slater glanced down at Drew. “Never been worse.”
Jedd shifted, moving around to drop down into the chairEric had taken while there. His leather creaked as he rested his elbows on his knees and planted his chin on his joined hands. Jedd’s face was filled with responsibility and regret, the weight of all this clearly heavy on his shoulders.
Slater reached out to grab Drew’s hand, his rough fingers touching Drew’s skin only for him to quickly pull back as he shook his head. “I thought him going to prison was bad. Seeing him like this is so much fucking worse.”
I’d never had to live through him being in prison, but I understood. At least behind those bars, Drew was up and breathing on his own, that mind of his always working on something. Like this, he was an echo of the warrior we knew and adored. Here, but not here, which was heartbreaking to see.
I reached out to lay my hand on Slater’s big forearm in comfort. I didn’t know what to say to him, or Jedd, who was watching the scene from under his dark lashes.
“We can’t give up on him now. It’s bad, but…” I trailed off and looked down at Drew’s face, losing the words I’d been saying. “Gotta think positive.”
