Текст книги "Lead Him Not Into Temptation"
Автор книги: M. L. Steinbrunn
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 11 страниц)
“What’s going on, where are we going?” I ask, grabbing the bags as several nurses storm into the room and begin wheeling the bed into the hallway. There’s no time for IVs or an epidural. Jen’s going to be pissed she didn’t get to wear her designer hospital gown. She waited weeks for that thing to be delivered because she thinks hospital issued ones are ugly and no matter how hard you try, your ass always hangs out the back.
“Everything is okay, we need to get her to a delivery room, the baby is here,” a nurse reassures me. I’m following close behind the hoard of people until I see good old Pam waiting for me with her clipboard. “Sir, you missed a signature, can you please follow me to finish the paperwork?”
My. Head. Explodes. With Jen out of earshot, I feel it’s safe to unleash the verbal diarrhea I’ve wanted to spill onto this woman since I got off the elevator.
“With all due respect, you can shove that clipboard up your ass. I understand this paperwork is important, but making sure my girlfriend and baby are safe sits a little higher for me. Maybe if you had worried a little less about those forms and a little more about the patient, my baby would be born in a delivery room with an actual doctor instead of the fucking hallway for everyone to see.” I swipe the clipboard from her hand, sign the missing piece, and toss it back to her. “I don’t want to see your face again while we are here.”
I turn and race down the hall, following the sound of chaos to a room mid-way down the corridor. I quickly get to Jen’s side and wipe the sweat from her face. “He’s almost here,” I whisper in her ear.
The on-call doctor barely enters the room in time to catch the baby. There’s no delivering about it, she might as well have had a catcher’s mitt.
I cut the cord and when I hear him cry all of the drama and frustration to get to this moment fades away. Thankful, I’m just thankful. Looking down at Jen, worn out and shaking from the drop in adrenaline, I can’t hide my grin. “Good job, sparkplug,” I say, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “He’s perfect, you did so well. I love you, Jen. Thank you for giving me a family.”
“I love you too,” she smiles. “Go. Go check on Ryker,” she murmurs, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Excited but nervous, I tentatively approach the baby warmer where the nurses are taking care of Ryker. “Hi, little man,” I coo, allowing his tiny hand to grasp my index finger. “You were in a bit of a rush.”
“He’s fine, sir, but we’re going to need to take him to the nursery to suction him out better and give him a little oxygen,” a nurse interrupts.
Before I can question her or ask if I’m allowed to go with him, buzzers and alarms ring out around Jen’s bed. When I see she’s unconscious, I rush to her and grab her lifeless hand.
“Jen!” I shout, shaking her. “Sparkplug, wake up.” There’s no response. My frozen panic sets in as the pandemonium of the room swarms around me, pushing me away from Jen’s bedside.
“Start an IV!”
“Push the epinephrine!”
“She’s bleeding out, get the O.R. and anesthesiologist prepped!”
“Someone get her chart, now!”
“Sir...”
“Sir…”
“Sir?”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, snapping out of my trapped state of anxiety.
“Sir, does she have any known allergies or any history of clotting disorders?” the nurse asks me.
“No. She’s healthy. There haven’t been any issues with the pregnancy,” I tell her and she quickly turns, leaving me standing alone once again. “What’s going on, is she going to be okay?” I ask. No one answers; everyone is too busy working on Jen.
I push my way through the crowd to get near Jen, and grab her hand once again. “Please, what’s going on? Is she going to be okay?” I yell to the crowd, my voice breaking with the strain of the tears I’m holding back.
“Her blood pressure is crashing again!” a nurse yells and pushes me out of the way.
As nurses pass by me, I try to get their attention to get information, but no one notices me as they stay focused on feverishly working on Jen.
“Someone please tell me what’s happening!” I shout as loudly as possible. Everyone stops working for a moment to look at me. “Get him out of here,” the doctor says, drawing my attention to the space in which she’s working. Blood is covering the floor, more blood than I’ve ever seen. I can read the concern on the doctor’s face, and I know in that moment, I could lose her.
More beeping grabs everyone’s attention. “Get the crash cart!” the doctor yells as two nurses attempt to escort me from the room.
“Please. Please, let me stay. I can’t let her be alone. I need to be with her.” I fight to get back in the room as the crash cart is wheeled in.
“Sir, we are doing the best we can to help her. You need to stay out and let us do that. If we get her stabilized, we will let you know,” she says before rushing back into the room.
Moments later a team of nurses and the doctor wheel Jen’s bed out of the room and run down the hallway toward the operating room. I watch stunned as the love of my life, my sparkplug, floats away from me. I look at the nurse who took me into the hallway, the one who attempted to reassure me. I replay her words in my mind, but only one sticks out and I stumble on it like a crack in the pavement, a wrinkle in my world.
“If,” I whisper, sliding down the wall and letting my suppressed emotions of the moment pour out of me.
Vivian
I hear the car honk and I kiss Brooks one last time good-bye. “I’ll call you when I know more,” I tell him. He nods and continues to rock our baby daughter, Joslyn, back to sleep.
Hustling down the stairs and out the entryway, I find two of my best friends in the car waiting for me.
“Hustle, Viv, we have to get all the way across town,” Carly says from the passenger seat as I climb into the back.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get us there,” Campbell interjects after I close my car door. Gravel kicks up from under our wheels as she peels out of the driveway. Surprisingly there is a lack of conversation in the car as we make the thirty minute trek across town to the hospital. There’s a nervous tension in the car with hope, concern, and anxiety all mixed together in a thick ball of emotion a person could choke on.
“Has anyone heard from Casen?” I ask.
Campbell’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “Not since I called you,” she says, before directing her attention back to the road. I settle into the leather seats and watch the street lamps and lonely cars pass by as we race across the city. There are towns, which never sleep, but looking at the streets of Denver, we are a people who apparently need their rest; it’s desolate outside. Right now, though, I wouldn’t complain about that, it helps us to get to the hospital faster.
Piling out of the car, we follow the signs to the labor and delivery section of the hospital. Once the door is unlocked for us and we’re allowed through security, the three of us rush through the double doors. We only make it a few steps into the main hallway before we see Casen sitting on the ground outside a delivery room.
We all halt and my heart sinks…we’re too late.
“Casen?” Campbell says apprehensively, trying to get his attention. He looks up, his eyes bloodshot and streaks of dried tears scattered down his cheeks. “Where are they?” she asks.
His face scrunches in pain before he looks back down at the ground. He takes a deep breath before looking at us once again to respond. He then says the two words I never thought I would hear, and will never forget.
“They’re gone.”
Casen
“I wish your momma could be here, little guy,” I tell Ryker before kissing his head. He giggles and wiggles in my arms, and I’m grateful he’s been quiet during the ceremony and he hasn’t thrown up on my suit.
“Um, Dad?” A word I haven’t quite haven’t gotten used to, but I don’t get tired of hearing.
“Yes, sweetheart, what’s up?” I ask Abby.
“Blake and the girls are over there by the snacks, can I go hang out with them?” her voice meek and unsure. We’re still maneuvering through our new relationship, but we’re doing well. It’s an adjustment for everyone, but I’m glad Abby has decided to live with us full-time.
“Absolutely. Stay with the group and don’t leave the building. Deal?”
“Deal.” She leans down and lands a kiss on Ryker’s cheek and takes off toward the kids. It still amazes me how much she looks like her mother. She’s a petite little thing with the same wavy blonde hair, which she insists on having up off her neck. She prefers jeans and T-shirts to dresses and ribbons which makes life super easy on me.
Vivian’s kids have completely accepted her and included her in their world, which I’m thankful for. These people have become more than friends, they are my family…the family I’ve always wanted.
Vivian bounces down the aisle, her eyes scanning the rows, more than likely looking for her children. When her eyes land on me, she offers a gentle smile.
“They’re over at the snack table,” I tell her while standing to give her a hug, her usual greeting.
“Thank you. I should have guessed. They wandered away from their seat after my speech,” she says, directing her line of sight to the snacks and waving at the kids. “How are you guys?” she asks, taking Ryker’s hand and playing with his fingers.
“Things are good. You know Jen would have liked to have been here,” I offer.
“Oh, Casen, I know,” she smiles. “It means a lot that you and the kids are here. We’ve been working on opening this at-risk youth foundation for almost a year; I’m happy to see it finally come to fruition. I think this was the perfect way to honor my dad’s memory.”
I look around the room, the main banquet room for the foundation, which will be used for events to raise more money to keep the foundation going. It’s decorated elegantly; the whole building was put together well. I would expect nothing less from Brooks and Vivian. “Everything looks fantastic, Viv. You guys should be proud of what you’re accomplishing here. I wish something like this was available when I was a kid.”
“Thank you, Casen that means a lot.” Her eyes look past me and a huge grin breaks across her face. “I can’t believe she made it.”
I turn around toward the entrance to look at who’s caught Vivian’s attention. The second I see her, I find a smile, which matches Vivian’s. When Jen sees us, she rushes down the rows and throws her arms around Ryker and me. “Everything is done,” she whispers. “We’re legally a family now.”
She then turns to Vivian and bear hugs her as well. “I am so proud of you, Viv. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” she says, her voice breaking with emotion.
“Thank you, Jen. How are you even here? I didn’t think you would make it,” Vivian asks, breaking away from the embrace.
“Preston didn’t protest anything, he signed over all rights. My aunt was there to sign all the necessary paperwork. It’s done, Abby is legally ours,” she sighs with a smile.
This has been a long road, one that led both her and Abby to counseling to come to grips with the past and their current relationship. After paternity tests were completed and it was established that Preston was in fact Abby’s father, we petitioned to have his paternity rights revoked. Thankfully, it didn’t require a legal fight, since he willingly signed whatever was needed to silence what he had done to Jen. The statute of limitations on the rape expired, but the courtroom of public opinion can be just as brutal; Preston is smart enough to know that.
“Did your mother show up?” I inquire. I’m not sure whether now is the time to address it or not, but I can’t help but ask. Her mother and this court hearing have been weighing on her. Since Jen’s parent’s divorce was finalized, the two have slowly been working on rebuilding their relationship, but this hearing was like facing all of those demons again for her.
Jen’s eyes cast down to the floor. Immediately, I reach out and grasp her hand to give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. My touch draws her attention back to me and her eyes meet mine.
“I didn’t invite her. I just couldn’t,” she explains. “I asked her to go to dinner with us tomorrow to celebrate, but I just couldn’t have her there. It would have been too much.”
Seeing the emotion build in her eyes, I pull her close and wrap my arm her. “It’s alright, sparky. You don’t have to explain,” I murmur. Jen nods into my chest and relaxes into me. Our moment is short lived though, as Ryker begins to whine from being smashed between us.
“Sorry little man,” Jen chuckles as we pull away from one another. “I’m going to go let Abby know,” she adds, kissing me and Ryker before running over to the kids and gathering Abby in her arms.
It’s hard to believe a few months ago I almost lost her. When they wheeled her away to the operating room, I thought it was over. Seeing her open her eyes after surgery in the recovery room gave me a relief I don’t think I’ll ever find a comparison for. It was the worst and best day of my life.
Noticing Jen’s departure from the conversation, Carly and Campbell hustle to mine and Vivian’s side.
“Give me that baby,” Carly says, taking Ryker from my arms and snuggling him against her shoulder. “Ah, I love that smell,” she adds, inhaling deeply.
“What? Has he pooped?” I ask.
“No,” she laughs. “Baby smell. I think you need to let me babysit more often.”
“Anytime.”
“Enough baby talk, she’ll be back any minute. Let me see it,” Campbell interrupts.
“Did Lakin get the camper all ready for us?” I ask her.
“Everything is good to go,” she answers quickly. “We got back this morning.”
“We?” I question, but she ignores me and gestures to move it along.
I grab the diaper bag and unzip the inside pocket where I had stashed the ring. I knew the girls would want to put their seal of approval on it, so I brought it just in case. The three of them circle around me to shield any viewing eyes.
“Really? The diaper bag?” Vivian asks disapprovingly.
“What? It’s the one place Jen wouldn’t look,” I explain. “I love her, but when is the last time she changed a diaper? Seriously, girls.”
They giggle and agree, but once again Campbell pushes us along by grabbing the black velvet box from my hand and snapping it open. The shimmer from the diamond prompts them all to sharply inhale.
Vivian and Campbell both squeal.
“Gorgeous.”
“It really is, good job, Casen.”
“It’s yellow,” Carly says confused. “You know it’s supposed to be an engagement ring, right?”
“It’s a canary diamond…the color of dandelions,” I explain.
“I don’t get it,” she says.
I take the ring from Campbell and run my fingers around the yellow stone and the two white diamonds, which sit on either side, signifying our children. Looking across the room, I find Jen looking right back at me. Her playful smile makes me smile as well, our love silently being expressed. She is what I’ve been waiting for…the weed amongst the flowers, the dandelion amongst the roses.
My eyes follow her as she moves in our direction. “Don’t worry, girls,” I say keeping my eyes glued to my future bride. “She’ll understand.”
The End
LOOK FOR CAMPBELL AND CARLY’S STORIES EARLY 2015.
REVIEWS MAKE THE INDIE BOOK WORLD GO AROUND. PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS BOOK ON AMAZON.
Jen Andrews
The Reason (Book One of the Just Say Yes Series)
This is book one of three for characters Zoey and Andy.
Zoey James is in a funk. She has been through more in her twenty-three years than most people have experienced in their entire lives. After her ex-husband tries to take everything she’s worked so hard for, she makes one rule: Never date someone she works with.
When her father’s newly hired mechanic moves into the apartment above their family-run business, Zoey’s lonely life is flipped upside down.
As a teenager, New Zealand native, Andy Tate’s family is tragically killed in an accident, and he is taken in by his aunt and uncle. Andy is pulled away from the only place he’s ever known as home, and moved halfway around the world to Northern California.
Ten years and one failed marriage later, Andy finds himself living in a new city, with a new job at James Racing, and living in an apartment next door to Zoey, his new boss’s beautiful and damaged daughter.
After an interesting chain of events over one weekend, Andy and Zoey form an unexpected bond. Even though he’s the only one who can get through to her, she will do all that she can to keep him at a distance and not break her one rule.
Will Andy be the reason for Zoey to start living her life again, or will she continue on her downward spiral, until she finally hits rock bottom?
Book two, Just Say Yes, is also available.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M7N1Q6U
A.D. Ellis
For Nicky, A Torey Hope Novel Book 1
bit.ly/NickyAmazon
Elizabeth Decker views herself as shy, totally average, and pretty much insignificant. She’s nothing special, at least not compared to her little sister, Audrey. Elizabeth is content with her plain and lonely future; she’s too insecure to contemplate a relationship thanks to her sister. Audrey is a bombshell and uses this to get what she wants. She’s a girl who will stop at nothing to control anyone and everything around her. She craves power and doesn’t care if she has to hurt Elizabeth to get it.
Nathaniel Morgan has spent his whole life fighting for his twin brother, Nicholas. Somewhere along the way, he lost himself. Now he’s just getting by. He’s devoted to his family, but emotionally detached from the women he burns through like wildfire. He has no plans of getting into something as complicated and committed as a “relationship”.
Nicholas Morgan has placed the new librarian, Miss Elizabeth, on a pedestal and is begging her to meet his twin brother, Nathaniel. Elizabeth and Nathaniel agree to meet, for Nicky. Both are caught off-guard when unexpected sparks fly between them. This was not in their plans. Will Nathaniel and Elizabeth be able to escape a past that still plagues them? Or, will the past, suspicions, and insecurities come between them one too many times?
**This is a contemporary new adult romance. It should only be read by ages 18+ due to adult themes and situations. This book is a stand-alone but should be read before book 2 in the series. This book is not a cliffhanger.
Because of Beckett, A Torey Hope Novel Book 2 by A.D. Ellis also available.
bit.ly/BeckettAmazon
Connect with A.D. Ellis
www.facebook.com/adellisauthor
www.goodreads.com/adellisauthor
www.twitter.com/adellisauthor
www.adellisauthor.webs.com
http://bit.ly/ADEllisAmazon
For Nicky, A Torey Hope Novel Book 1
Paper back copy
Amazon Kindle copy
Barnes and Noble Nook
iBooks
Smashwords
Kobo
Scribd
Because of Beckett, A Torey Hope Novel Book 2
Amazon Kindle Copy
Barnes&Noble
Smashwords
Kobo
Scribd
iBooks
V.L. Brock
Seeking Nirvana, (Dark Evoke, #1)
****CONTAINS AN ELEMENT OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE, AND IS THEREFORE ONLY RECOMMENDED TO READERS OVER THE AGE OF 18****
They say that old habits die hard, and twenty-seven year old, Kady Jenson, is about to discover how true that statement actually is.
Waking up in the hospital with a complete stranger at her bedside should have caused panic and confusion, but for a reason unknown to her, Kady finds herself drawn and calmed by the presence of the rugged, devastatingly handsome man with the pleasant Irish brogue.
It’s when she discovers that she has just woken from a four day coma, with a three year void in her memory, which spawns confusion and panic.
Kady soon comes to realize that things change with time, and not only appearances.
Not only is the sexual chemistry she once shared with her long-term boyfriend, now a long-ago memory, but Kady also begins to unconsciously fall back into unremembered habits, and with each day, the increasing sense of foreboding becomes increasingly harder to ignore.
Left on her own when her boyfriend goes on a business trip, Kady seeks help from the Irish stranger as they go on a quest together, in a race against time, to piece the puzzle together.
This is the first instalment of The Dark Evoke Series, and is therefore NOT intended as a standalone novel.
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L0PA3OC
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00L0PA3OC?%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20758520-seeking-nirvana?from_search=true
Eluding Nirvana (Dark Evoke, #2), coming October 5th.
Transcending Nirvana (Dark Evoke, #3), TBA
