It was at the end of the second week that Dr. Hamilton walked into Stacey’s room looking visibly shaken. Johnny had become quite accustomed to her cautious but steadfast optimism; seeing that expression sent icy shivers of foreboding through him.
“Johnny? Can I speak with you for a moment?” Her voice was calm, even, betraying nothing.
Johnny rose slowly. “You got some good news for me, Doc?” There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes; stubble graced his jawline. “Because that’s all I care to hear right about now.”
“Well, that depends.”
Johnny ran his hand through his hair. Conditionally good was better than definitely bad. “Okay. Shoot.”
“It’s clear to me that you care very deeply for Stacey. Your sister led me to believe that you may have been involved intimately.”
Johnny’s face hardened. “No offense, Doc, but I really can’t see how that’s any of your business.”
Dr. Hamilton drew a deep breath. “It is my business, Johnny, because recent tests show that Stacey is pregnant. Normally I would not disclose such information, but this is an unusual situation.”
Johnny felt his blood run cold while a nauseating buzz sounded in his ears. He swallowed hard and blurted. “We used protection.”
“Abstinence is the only truly effective birth control.” She frowned. “Perhaps I’ve assumed too much...”
“You haven’t,” Johnny said firmly, running a hand through his hair again. “She wasn’t with anyone else. You’re sure about the pregnancy?”
“Yes. We ran second and third tests to confirm.”
Johnny put a hand to the wall to steady himself as the room began to spin wildly around him. He was vaguely aware of Dr. Hamilton and an orderly guiding him to a chair.
“The baby?”
“It’s too soon to tell. But I thought you should know.”
Johnny fought to breathe; he felt as if his chest was being crushed. He looked at Stacey lying in the bed, looking so peaceful, like a beautiful angel. His gaze automatically went to her belly, where he now knew a child, his child, grew within. He placed his big hand over her abdomen, needing some connection with their baby. Then he lay his head next to it, and prayed.
If Johnny had been attentive before, he became doubly so. Among other things, he had taken it upon himself to become her unofficial physical therapist. He spent hours every day massaging her legs and arms. Dr. Hamilton approved of his efforts, and told him often how beneficial such hands-on care was. Nevertheless, she cautioned him about expecting too much. Until Stacey regained consciousness, they wouldn’t know if the operation had been a success, though early stimulation tests showed promise.
When Johnny wasn’t exercising her limbs or reading to her, he was telling her stories. Stories about anything and everything, because the sound of his voice had a definite effect on her. She also reacted to his touch, so he made it a point to hold her hand and stroke her hair often.
He was making little circles with his thumbs under the arch of her foot, regaling her with funny stories of some of the pranks he and Michael used to pull on Lina when they were kids, when he felt it. A tiny, almost imperceptible movement against his hand. Stunned, he ran his thumb along her arch and felt it again. Then he picked up her other foot and repeated the process, obtaining the same results. Excitedly, he pushed the call button.
“Page Dr. Hamilton,” he said when the nurse entered a minute later.
By that afternoon, a steady stream of curious doctors made its way through Stacey’s room. Johnny stayed by her side as much as possible, holding her hand or simply touching her shoulder, whispering into her ear, telling her how proud he was of her and explaining everything that was happening. She stayed calm as long as he did, but whenever one of the staff asked him to step away she became clearly agitated. Soon they all learned to work around him.
The glowing screens of the monitors provided the only light in the room, but Johnny had opened the curtains to let the full moon shine in. It was hard to believe a month had passed since the last full moon, when the light had shown him his first glimpse of his hellcat, soaking naked in his hot tub and ogling him with her silvery eyes.
Kyle was sprawled out on the larger chair in the corner, Lina in the cot beside him. Johnny remained at Stacey’s bedside, his head tucked by her arm, his hand splayed across her abdomen. Kyle and Lina had driven straight down after Johnny called them with the good news. They had taken turns holding her hands and talking to her for hours, but eventually, they had to give in to the need for sleep.
Johnny felt the feather-light touch on the top of his head, and assumed it was one of the nurses who’d come in to check on Stacey. They’d become fond of him over the last few weeks, treating him with ever-increasing gentleness when they had to ask him to move so they could perform whatever task was necessary. But the touch remained, and he felt the gentle feel of fingers combing through his hair. He lifted his head slowly, and looked right into the most beautiful silvery eyes he had ever seen.
“Stacey.” She gave him a weak little smile and tried to speak, but nothing came out.
“Ssshhh. Don’t try to talk, baby.” He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I knew you’d find your way back to me,” he whispered, his face just over hers as he stroked her cheek.
Her lips moved slightly, nothing but a whisper of air passing over them. One word. “More.”
“You want me to kiss you again?” Her eyes glowed intensely. He lowered his head and obliged, reciting his profound thanks to God like a mantra in his mind.
“She’s awake?” A sleepy voice mumbled from the corner. Then louder, “Oh my God, she’s awake!”
* * *
Suddenly Stacey’s entire field of vision filled with a sea of blonde curls and the feel of another cheek against her own. Lina? If Lina was here, that meant... She turned her head slightly. Yep, Kyle was here too.
They all looked so tired. Even through their happy smiles and tear streaked faces they looked like they’d all been through hell, especially Lina. A nurse came in then, prepared to admonish them, when she looked at Stacey and a shocked expression crossed her face. She leaned out the door. “Page Dr. Hamilton, now!” she yelled to the other nurse.
Within seconds her professional manner took over, but the shadow of a smile didn’t quite go away entirely. She took Stacey’s temperature, checked her pulse, glanced at the monitors. Then a genuine grin crossed her face. “Welcome back, Stacey.”
Chapter Nineteen
The next few days were a blur. A flurry of doctors and specialists came to see her. Only Dr. Hamilton, it seemed, had been genuinely optimistic she would come out of the coma that had held her hostage for nearly four weeks. One of the nurses told Stacey in confidence that the neurologist had taken a temporary “research” position at the hospital, but everyone knew it was because of Stacey.
More staff than she could count – nurses, aides, cleaning staff, the ones who delivered the meals – told her how Johnny refused to leave her side, having effectively moved in with a bit of string-pulling by Elena Hamilton. Quite a few sighs of envy punctuated those conversations.
Even Sam came by to see her. Apparently he’d been visiting every few days. He and Johnny, it seemed, had developed a kind of friendship over the past few weeks (Stacey was going to have to ask him how exactly that came about). His eyes lit up when he stopped by and found Stacey awake and smiling at him.
They were calling the operation a success, but it was going to be a tough road ahead. Months of grueling physical therapy were required. Stacey had to learn to walk all over again, but, after a series of tests, the doctors agreed that she would eventually regain full use of her legs.
And there were a lot of tests. Blood tests. MRI’s. Neuro-scans. Ultrasounds. Others that Stacey didn’t even know the names of, didn’t care. Every day became a series of seemingly endless pokes and prods, taps and sticks. She tolerated them all without complaint, because every night she got to
lay quietly in Johnny’s arms. The nurses turned a blind eye to the fact that he would crawl up into the bed with her, for no other reason than to hold her.
When Dr. Hamilton finally gave them the news they had been waiting for, it was one of the happiest days of her life. The night before her official discharge, the nurses even put together an impromptu going away party. Over the course of the evening, Stacey got to meet and personally thank all of the wonderful people who had been caring for her.
“I’ve been thinking,” Johnny said quietly once everyone had left and it was just the two of them.
A sense of apprehension skittered through her. Whenever someone started a sentence with ‘I’ve been thinking’ and paused meaningfully like that, it was usually followed by either really good news or really bad news.
Johnny had been wonderful throughout everything, but now that the crisis was over, what would happen next? Stacey had a lot of rehab ahead of her. There was a nationally recognized facility in the northeastern part of the state, not too far from Birch Falls, and Lina had been quite vocal in her attempts to convince Stacey that it was the perfect place to begin her road to recovery. Dr. Hamilton thought it was an excellent idea. Johnny seemed pleased, but they hadn’t really discussed anything specific.
The truth was, Stacey wanted to stay. She was in love with the wonderful man who had stayed by her side when he could have so easily walked away. If there was any chance at all for a future with him, she was going to take it.
Beyond that, Lina would be there too, and despite the time and distance that separated them for so long, Lina was her best friend. Stacey once thought shutting everyone out made her a stronger person, but now, she realized that in doing so she’d not only been hurting herself, but Lina as well. This time, she wasn’t going to try to do it all alone.
“And what exactly were you thinking?” Stacey cautiously prodded after Johnny failed to continue.
The seriousness of his expression made her hold her breath. “I was thinking that you should move in with me.”
Stacey released the breath in a whoosh. “What?”
“You should move in with me,” he repeated.
“Why?”
“Because I want you to.”
Deep in her chest, her heart soared. “You do?”
“Yeah. I mean, I know it’s a big step, but it feels right, you know?”
That sense of apprehension turned into a warm glow and blossomed. Yeah, she knew.
“Like I said,” he continued, “I’m not real good with words, but I want you with me, Stacey.” He paused and took a breath. “I’ll be gone most of the day, so you’ll have plenty of quiet time to write. Plus Lina will be close by, and the rehab place is just a few miles away - ”
He was so cute, thinking he needed to shore up his case by listing a bunch of pros. As if he hadn’t already said the only thing guaranteed to get her to stay. “You had me at ‘I want you with me’.”
Johnny exhaled and relaxed. “Oh, well good. Because I meant it.”
A month ago, she’d taken a trip to Birch Falls in the hopes of finding a piece of the woman she once was, but what she got was so much more. She’d reconnected with her old friend. Got the medical miracle she’d been praying for. And fell in love with a sweet, wonderful, caring man who was willing to take a chance on a future with her.
Among all the good news, though, something continued to niggle at the back of Stacey’s mind. Everyone was being incredibly supportive, but there was something they weren’t telling her. It was during that final night, reclining comfortably against Johnny’s chest, replaying the last few days in her mind, that realization dawned.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Stacey asked quietly into his chest, her fingers tracing over the ridges of taut muscle just beneath the smooth skin. He wore a loose cotton shirt, but she had unbuttoned it down to his navel, needing to feel his skin beneath her touch. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow night when they’d be alone in his house. Then there’d be no barriers between his skin and hers.
“Tell you what, hellcat?” he asked. His eyes were closed, his body relaxed as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“About the baby.”
Johnny suddenly stiffened beneath her, and she swore he stopped breathing for a moment.
“You know?”
“Well, it seems pretty obvious, really. The extreme fatigue, the lack of appetite, mood swings and raging hormones. It took me awhile. I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied, but I’m not stupid.”
“We didn’t know how you’d feel about it,” he admitted. “And even though all the tests have come back normal, we wanted to be sure before saying anything.”
Stacey sat up, searching his face. “What tests? Is there something else you’re not telling me?”
It was Johnny’s turn to look confused. “Well, it seems kind of obvious, doesn’t it? With all the meds and everything. But the doctors say everything looks good. We were going to tell you once we got settled back home.”
“What meds? I didn’t know Lina was on meds. Shit, Johnny, I’ve been so caught up in my own problems I never even knew...”
“Stacey, you’re not making any sense. Lina’s not on any meds. Why would you think...” His eyes widened. “You think Lina’s pregnant?”
“Well of course she is! I can’t believe it took me that long to see it. She’s glowing from the inside out. Wait... who are you talking about?”
For as long as she would live, she would never forget the look on his face at that moment. Her heart began to hammer, her stomach flipped, and she felt light-headed. Her hand went down to her belly. “Me? I’m... We’re ...”
Johnny wrapped his arms around her. They were the only things keeping her from falling into oblivion. She clung to his warmth, his strength. He was her lifeline.
“Yeah, Stace. We’re going to have a baby.”
“Oh, God. Oh, God. A baby. But... how is that possible?”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already.”
“No, but, we used protection! I mean, you did, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but I guess it was just meant to be.”
A baby.
Holy shit. She was going to have a baby. It was so unexpected. And terrifying. The thought of having a child would be scary on the best of days, but on top of everything else? She was single, recovering from surgery, and ...
Her hand went to her belly where, against all odds, Johnny’s child was growing within her.
Everything happens for a reason.
“Sssshhh,” he shushed, holding her close and stroking her soothingly. “Relax, baby. Everything is all right. The baby is fine. The doctors have been monitoring you closely, and everything is fine.”
“Thank God,” she whispered. The shock was still there, but she felt better hearing that.
“Johnny?” Stacey dropped her gaze.
“Hmm?”
“Are you, you know, okay with this? Is that why you wanted me to move in with you? I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to...”
“Stop right there.” He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I meant what I said. I want you with me because I’m falling in love with you. Because I’m pretty damn sure you are it for me, hellcat, and I’m not going to let you get away from me again.”
“Yes, but a baby... ” She opened her mouth to say something else, but he covered it with his own in such a passionate, soul deep kiss, it left her breathless.
“Now,” he said when he finally pulled away, leaving her dazed. “Any more doubts about how I feel about you or how much I want this baby?” Her silvery eyes focused on his, twinkling.
“I’m still not convinced.”
“No?” His lips quirked at the corners.
“No, definitely not. I think you might need to explain it again.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “A lot. I need details.”
Johnny was only too happy to provide t
hem.
“So,” Stacey said as Lina helped her pack the last of her things while the guys brought the car around. “Does Kyle know you’re pregnant?” If the look on Lina’s face was any indication, he didn’t.
“Is it that obvious?” She bit her bottom lip and sat down on the bed, absently rubbing her hand over her abdomen.
“Only to another pregnant woman.”
It only took the briefest of moments before Lina embraced Stacey in a hug so fierce she had difficulty breathing. “I knew it! When Dr. Hamilton was asking all those questions, I just knew it! Stacey, I’m so happy for you!” Then a shadow passed over her face. “Is everything, you know, okay?”
Stacey’s smile didn’t fade in the least. “Yes, the doctors say everything is fine.”
“Well, that does explain a lot,” Lina said, laughing. “No wonder my brother’s been walking around with a silly-ass grin a mile wide these days.”
“Kyle doesn’t know, does he?”
Lina’s smile faded. “No.” She played with the hem of her shirt.
“Why not, Lina?”
Lina got up and walked to the window. It was so long before she answered that Stacey began to doubt she would.
“It’s just... well, everything is so perfect right now, Stace. I love him so much, and we’re so good together.” She turned just enough that Stacey could see the sad smile on her face. “We’ve never really talked about having kids. I know he’ll make an awesome dad, but I’m just afraid it will ... change things.”
“He loves you so much, honey. You need to tell him.”
“I know. How did you tell Johnny? Did you just, you know, come right out and say it? Or did you kind of work your way into it?”
“Actually, Johnny told me. Apparently Dr. Hamilton spoke to him when it didn’t look like I was going to pull through.” She shivered a little at the thought of how close she had come to dying. Funny, she’d always thought she’d rather die than live life as an invalid. Now she’d do anything for just one more day, whether she walked or not.
Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2) Page 14