Wait.
What?
“Baby?”
“Yes, it says here that Aspen is expecting.”
“Are you sure?”
Dr. Haroldson looks up from his tablet in his hands. “I’m sorry, were you not aware?”
I shake my head—a baby. We’re having a baby. Standing, I lean over the bed and place my lips next to her ear. “Aspen, we’re having a baby. I don’t know if you knew that or not. If not, I wanted to be the one to tell you. I love you. I love you both so much.” I press a kiss to her temple.
“Right, well, I’ll send Dr. Connor up right away,” the doctor says, and then he’s gone.
“Did you hear that, Marsh?” I ask my little brother. Reaching out, I gently place my hand on Aspen’s belly. “I’m having a baby. I’m going to be a father.”
Marshall is on his feet and pulling me into a hug. “Happy for you, brother.”
“Thanks,” I say, getting choked up this time from happiness, not fear. “Listen, can you not tell the others? I don’t think she knows, and I want her to find out first. Then we can tell everyone together.” I glance down at my future wife. The mother of my child. “When she wakes up, we’ll tell them together.” No way would she have known about this and not told me. I feel that deep in my soul. She would have told me.
The last two hours have been a flurry of activity. I sent Marshall to the waiting room to give our families an update about her progress, minus the baby. I had him tell them that there were no visitors allowed while they were extubating her, other than me—they knew I refused to leave. It’s true. No way am I leaving her, but it bought me some time for the OBGYN to come in and see her and our baby.
They brought an ultrasound machine, and I was able to see our baby for the first time. The flicker of his or her little heartbeat was flashing on the screen. The doctor assured me the baby was perfectly healthy, and there’s no reason to be concerned.
I hate she missed this moment. The tech who was assisting the doctor printed me lots of pictures and even handed me a DVD, which had me tearing up. Now, not only can I show Aspen, but our family too.
I’m going to be a father.
“I love you,” I say from my spot next to her bed. The tube is out of her throat, and she’s doing well, breathing on her own. Her vitals look good, and now we just need her to wake up. “I never got to tell you that.” My eyes are glued to her belly, where our child grows. “I was so afraid you would run if I did. This taught me a valuable lesson. Say today what you might not get to tomorrow. Never again will I go a single day without telling you how much I love you. How much I love our baby.”
“Baby?” a raspy voice asks.
My head jerks to her, and I blink hard. Once, twice, three times to make sure I’m not seeing things that aren’t really happening. She’s awake. “I missed you,” I say, leaning in and pressing my lips to hers. Pulling back, I offer her a sip of water.
She drinks greedily. “You said baby.”
I nod. “Did you know you were pregnant?” I ask.
Tears well in her eyes. “No. Is—” She stops, getting choked up.
“The baby is fine. You’re going to be fine. Do you remember what happened?”
“I woke up to the smoke alarm and lots of smoke. I couldn’t see, and the heat…” She shivers.
“You’re safe.” I lean in and kiss her again. “You and our baby are safe.”
“Conrad, I-I didn’t know.”
“Now we do. Starting today, we focus on our forever.”
“I could feel you. I could hear you, but I couldn’t say anything back.” She swallows hard, and I offer her another drink of water. “I focused on the feeling of your hand in mine.”
“I need to call the doctor and let them know you’re awake, but first.” I reach into the bedside table and pull out the ultrasound pictures. “This is our baby,” I say, pointing out the heartbeat. “They said you’re about seven weeks along. So, our night together at the cabin.”
“I’m on the pill, and we used protection. I don’t understand?” Except that one time.
“It’s the magic, baby. It doesn’t matter how or why. All that matters is what is. We’re going to have a baby.”
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you.”
Reaching over her head, I call the doctor to come and check on her before our families come in. “I’m going to text Aurora and tell her that you’re awake. I didn’t tell anyone about the baby except for Marshall. He was in here when the doctor told me.”