“Derrick?”
At the sound of her rough voice, he looked at her. Her eyes were open and filled with fear.
“Hey.” He brushed her hair off her cheek. “You’re okay.”
“What happened?”
The worst. His nightmare. “You fainted.”
But he’d thought it was something else. He’d never dreamed the answer would be pregnancy. He could handle that, or he would learn how to. But watching her drop…he never wanted to see that again.
“I did?” She tried to sit up.
He gently pushed her down. She’d be in the hospital for a few days. They had decisions to make. There were tests to run and precautions to take.
“My head is killing me.” She lifted a hand and the tubes attached to her arm went with her.
“You’re on an IV.” He glanced at the bag hanging on the hook by his head. “You have some meds.”
“What’s wrong?”
He took a deep breath. “Well, here’s some news. You can get pregnant with an IUD.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“It’s rare but it happens.” He slipped his fingers through hers. “You’re about five weeks along.”
What little color was in her face drained away. Then her hand went to her stomach in a protective gesture that tugged at his heart.
“The first time we slept together,” she said.
“Yeah.” He didn’t want her to be in danger but it was hard to want to call that night back. It had started them down this road.
She swallowed a few times before talking again. “Tell me all of it.”
She deserved to know, so he didn’t hide behind calls for her to wait or for rest.
“It means this is a risky pregnancy. Taking the IUD out now can be a problem. Leaving it in can, too.” He swallowed before saying the part that made his voice break. “There’s an increased chance of miscarrying and a lot of precautions we’ll need to take if you decide you want to go through with the pregnancy.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I understand.”
So brave. No surprise there.
He leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. “I will support whatever you want to do.”
“You don’t have to… I told you about the birth control, but…” This time the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“We created this baby together. Both of us.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
The quiet tears tore at him. “I will be with you no matter what.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. The tears still fell harder. “I need to sleep.”
“Okay.” He had no idea if that was normal for her condition or if she was shutting off. He didn’t want to ask. “I’ll be right here.”
* * *
“You do love her.”
Derrick looked up an hour later to find Noah and Spence standing in the hospital room doorway.
“He wanted to see his sister,” Spence said.
“Of course.”
Derrick was more grateful for Jackson and Spence than ever. They stayed calm while he nearly lost it. He’d cradled Ellie, making sure she was breathing. They’d made the calls.
Noah came into the room then. He walked over to Ellie’s bedside and stared at her. “She’s really pregnant?”
Derrick couldn’t believe it, either. “Yes, but it’s risky.”
Noah nodded without looking up. “Spence told me.”
Spence. Interesting. Derrick hoped that meant they’d bonded. Noah needed guidance.
“Thanks.”
The word came out soft. Derrick almost missed it.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to her, Noah.” Derrick thought about what Noah had said about a mentee. “If you let me, I’ll make it up to both of you.”
“I shouldn’t have moved the money.”
“No.”
“We can worry about that later,” Spence said.
Noah nodded again as he stepped away from the bed. “I want to get her some flowers.”
“I know the place for that.” Spence gestured for Noah to follow then winked at Derrick.
He watched them go and thought about all that had happened. All the miscommunication and missed cues. He’d hidden behind his desk for so long, so focused on the business and not the people he cared about. But no more. He would do better. For her, he would try.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The DC Insider: An ambulance. A family fight. These Jamesons know how to keep things interesting. But the fairy tale is back on! Congratulations to Derrick Jameson and Ellie Gold on their upcoming wedding…and the little surprise they’ve been keeping. We’re hoping for a girl.
Ellie was finally able to leave the hospital three days later. Not that anyone let her even take a step on her own. She’d tried to get off the couch for a drink of water this morning and men had come from every direction.