“She was there.” Her eyes go wide. “She was the one pushing me and the prospect out the door before the last shot went off, blocking me from the gun.”
“Blocking you? Why the hell was she blocking you?” Kooper asks with more heat in his voice than I know he intends. But the thought of a gun pointed at his girl, and his kid, is probably riling him up right now.
Ruby is quick to turn her smart mouth on her man with an attitude to match. “Maybe because I’ve got a problem with keeping my mouth shut when bullshit needs to be called. The guy was blaming his wife for stepping out on him when it was obvious the guilt was eating at him for himdoing it to her. Diana stepped in front of me the second she saw the gun pointed at me. So calm your tits.”
“Prospect,” Kooper growls, but Ruby shakes her head.
“Don’t you ‘prospect’ him. Him shooting the guy wasn’t going to help shit. It was a room full of scared pregnant women. He did what he was there for. He got me out and made sure everyone else did too. So stop bitching and moaning that he didn’t step in front of the gun like you wanted and be happy someone did, you big blockhead. I swear, if I didn’t love you so much, I’d smack you upside your head for your stupid caveman ways right now.”
Kooper grabs the back of her neck and brings her lips to his in a hard, crushing kiss. Which is fine for any other moment, but not this one.
“Are you saying she’s still in there?” I ask.
Ruby pulls out of her man’s embrace, and she raises her shoulder with a sad look on her face. “I think so. She was the one who brought the girl the guy was yelling at. Another nurse, I think, from the scrubs she was wearing.”
Ashley. Shit.
“Guy’s a firefighter,” I tell the group. “Met him a while back. Has a chip on his shoulder. Thought it was just about the club when he saw my vest, but now he seems more like the psycho-husband type.”
Ruby nods. “And a jealousy issue to boot.”
“That means she’s still in there,” Nana says, pulling everyone’s attention, but she only looks at me. “She’d never leave anyone alone in there. Especially a friend.”
I nod in agreement. My girl is a caregiver. She’d give everything to help another. It’s obvious she’d choose helping someone, even if shot, over saving herself if she could.
“Smoke. We’ve got smoke!” A cop yells, and we all turn to see black smoke barreling from the side of the building.
“Fuck,” Casper mutters.
“Oh God. The baby.”
My head aches with how fast I turn it from the smoke to Nana. “Baby?”
She shakes her head and covers her mouth as her eyes turn glassy.
“Nana, what are you talking about? What baby?” I step in front of her to get her attention.
“She was supposed to tell you. I told her to do it the moment she knew. But you—” She looks at Ruby, then back at me. “—you told us your news. She didn’t think it was the time. She wasn’t hiding it, but she didn’t want to add to your issues.”
“What? What are you saying? You’re not making sense. What baby?”
“Yours. Diana’s pregnant.”
The world blurs for a second, and I feel myself sway. Mad Max holds me for a moment to steady me.
“Oh my God,” I hear Ruby cry out. Then Casper is yelling at someone on the phone. Sirens go by, and more people yell.
None of it breaks through what’s happening in my head.
Diana.
Pregnant.
Mine.
I move before I think better of it. But what is there to think about? Diana is still in there. And she has my kid with her. I’d walk toward her even if she wasn’t pregnant.
Diana’s mine. All mine. And I plan to get her out and wrap her in my arms. Just like Kooper gets to do with his old lady. I should be able to do that too.
