Renewed
By H.D’Agostino
Renewed
H.D’Agostino
Copyright © July 2014 by Heather D’Agostino
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
The following story contains mature themes, profanity, and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.
Cover design by Michelle Warren of IndieBookCovers
ISBN: 978-0-9912075-7-2 (eBook edition)
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Nick
“It’s gonna be ok Baby! Just hold on,” I begged as I squeezed her limp hand in a death grip.
Leah lay motionless as the paramedic assessed the situation. "Sir, sir you need to step back," one of the men looked at me, and gave me a light push.
“No Damn it! I’m not leaving her. Never again,” I was frantic at this point as I begged Leah to open her eyes. Her head lolled to the side as the medics lifted her onto a stretcher and began moving her toward the waiting ambulance. I jogged along beside them until they reached the doors. “Where are you taking her?” I grabbed the older of the two’s sleeve.
“Washburn Memorial," he called over his shoulder. "Anyone riding along?"
“I am,” came a deep voice from behind me. When I turned to see who had answered, I saw Mr. Carmichael jogging toward us.
"Get in. We gotta go," the medic called. "Anyone else can follow."
I nodded slowly as my vision began to blur. So much had happened in the last twenty minutes, and my brain was having a hard time processing it all.
“You can ride with us,” came a voice from beside me as a hand touched my shoulder. When I turned to see who it was, my brother’s sad eyes met mine. I nodded and began stumbling in the direction of his car still in a daze.
The ambulance pulled away, sirens blaring as Cam, Avery, and I scrambled to follow after it. Washburn was forty-five minutes away. I hoped that by the time she arrived, it wasn't too late.
"Why are they taking her there?" Cam grumbled as he sped along the streets trying to keep up.
"They have the best prenatal care in the area," Avery sobbed in the back seat. "Whatever the problem is, that's the best place to get it checked out."
“It’s gonna be ok,” Cam nodded as placed his hand on my knee trying to comfort me as I stared out the window.
"I knew something was wrong," I growled. "I fucking told her that those pains weren't normal."
“Relax,” Cam sighed as we made the final turn into the emergency entrance at the hospital.
"How am I supposed to do that? Huh?" I turned an angry glare on him. "The woman I love along with my baby are in trouble. You tell me how I'm supposed to fucking relax!"
Before he could respond to my outburst, I shoved open the door to his truck and bolted in the direction of the emergency room.
ooooooooo
"Where is she?" I yelled as I burst through the door. "Leah Carmichael! Where is she?" I ran up to the nurse's station panting as my eyes frantically scanned the room.
“Sir you need to calm down,” the nurse behind the desk looked up at me like she didn't have a care in the world.
“My wife,” I shook my head to clear it, “I mean fiancée was just brought in. Where is she?"
“Sir,” another nurse came walking toward me. “If you’ll follow me,” she motioned toward a set of doors and waited for me to head in her direction.
My feet stumbled along as I followed the petite nurse down several hallways and finally into what looked like a waiting room. She motioned for me to have a seat, but the fact that I still didn't have any answers kept me standing.[G1]
"I'm Jackie. I'm Miss Carmichael's nurse. The doctors are still running some tests, but I was sent out to inform the family. How are you related?" her lips curved into a tight smile as she looked up at me.
“Leah’s my fiancée. That’s my baby she’s carrying,” I fought to keep my voice even. "Where is she?"
“Sir,” she began again.
"Nick, Nick Sutter," I interrupted her before she could continue.
She nodded slowly, "Mr. Sutter as I stated before…they're still running tests. I'm not quite sure what the doctor has determined as the problem yet."
"Is she ok?" I tossed my arms up in the air as I reached up to tug on my hair.
"She's stable," Jackie nodded. "If you'll wait here. I'll have a doctor come out as soon as he knows more."
"Thank you," I mumbled as I lowered myself into one of the chairs behind me.
Jackie turned and scurried out of the waiting area just as my brother and Avery rounded the corner. "They don't know anything," I growled. "They're still running tests."
Cam nodded silently and then darted his eyes to the right of me. I noticed the odd look on his face, and slowly turned where his gaze was directed. There in a chair crumpled in the corner was Mr. Carmichael. He looked so small and broken. Here I was not even thinking about the other people in Leah’s life, and how they were affected by this. He’d lost his wife not even a year ago, and now his daughter was here. I slowly stood and made my way over to him. He glanced up at me as I approached, but didn't respond. It was as if we both knew what the other was thinking.
I placed my hand on his shoulder and offered a gentle squeeze. His body tensed and just when I thought he would be angry with me, he turned and wrapped his arms around me in a giant hug. Sobs rolled out of him as his body shook against mine. Barely keeping it together myself, I wasn't sure how to respond at first, so I just hugged him back.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I'd trade places with her if I could."
"Sorry?" Mr. Carmichael's head lifted as he rubbed his eyes. "What do you have to be sorry about?"
"If I'd been more forceful…made her go get this checked out…it wouldn't have happened," I cocked my head to the side.
“This is no one’s fault. My daughter is a stubborn woman. You couldn’t have convinced her to do anything she didn’t want to do,” he sniffled.
“You’re right,” I released a humorless chuckle as I thought about the many arguments Leah and I had been having lately. She never did anything that she didn't want to do.
"I just wish they'd let us know something," he blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair as I shifted in mine.
Several minutes passed as I stood and began to pace. I’d moved from sitting, to leaning against the wall, to pacing the room, and back to sitting. The minutes ticked by excruciatingly slow, and I began to wonder if we'd ever see a doctor. "I don't understand why they make these chairs in waiting rooms so uncomfortable," I grumbled as I shifted yet again. "I mean seriously. They want you to wait forever to find anything out. You'd think that the
y'd want you to be comfortable."
Before anyone could respond to my rant, a doctor in a white lab coat breezed through the doors to our left. She had her head down as she twisted her hands in front of her. "Leah Carmichael?" her eyes searched the room as Mr. Carmichael and I both stood. She smiled at us as she moved in our direction, "I'm Dr. Wright, Leah's OBGYN."
"Is she ok?" I blurted out. "The baby?"
"She's stable, and the baby is stable," Dr. Wright nodded as her gaze turned sympathetic. "Are you the father?" she watched me for conformation.
I bobbed my head in the affirmative, "Yes…the baby's mine."
Dr. Wright scanned the room looking at the rest of our group, “You may go in and see her. She’s still unconscious but should be waking up soon." She then turned back to me," I need to discuss several things with you, but I also need to discuss them with Leah. Things are stable now, but there are many important decisions that need to be made in reference to your child. Do you plan to be around here tonight?"
My entire body went stiff as the words tumbled from the doctor's mouth, "Yes."
“I’ll be back to check on Leah this evening. I’d like to discuss her treatment with the both of you at that time if that’s ok with you,” she glanced down at her watch. "I have to go now, but you're more than welcome to join the others."
"What's wrong with her?" I called after the doctor.
"I really want to wait and talk to you both tonight," Dr. Wright murmured. "Everything is fine for now…really."
I shook my head to clear it as I watched the doctor disappear. The waiting area was empty now. Everyone had gone to Leah’s room. I scrubbed my hands down my face as I let the doctor’s words tumble around in my head. She was keeping something from me. Something that had to do with my baby and the woman I loved. The next several hours were going to be some of the longest I’d ever lived though.
ooooooooo
After gathering my thoughts, I began heading in the direction the rest of our group had gone. I wanted to be close to her just like they did. Even if she wasn’t awake, I was sure she’d know I was there. When I entered her room Cam, Avery, and Mr. Carmichael were all sitting in chairs along the far wall. As I looked on at Leah, surrounded by monitors and dressed in a white hospital gown, terror seized me. Every fear I’d ever had about losing her rushed to the surface, but then I heard it. There behind all the beeps was the gentle whooshing of the fetal monitor. The sound of my baby’s heartbeat brought me back to Earth and helped me get a grip on my emotions. Without even being a part of my world yet, this tiny being was my one strong hold on reality. I knew as I knelt by her side and clasped her hand in mine, that we were going to be ok…we had to be.
Chapter 2
Leah
Beep, beep, beep, beep. I could hear it in the distance. The constant beeping that seemed to keep rhythm with the pounding in my chest. Memories of the previous day flitted through my subconscious as I fought against the darkness that wanted to take me under.
As the beeping grew louder, I realized it was coming from me. Where was I, and what was it? My eyes fluttered open, trying to focus on anything nearby. It was dark with only the glow of a single light above me. I tilted my head to the left, and then the right. I was in a hospital bed with dozens of wires attached to different parts of me. Was I dead? Panic seized my chest. This was it. Something had happened, and I couldn't remember what exactly.
When my eyes landed on the body leaning over the side of the bed, a peace washed over me. Nick had his hands wrapped around one of mine, and he was resting his head beside them. I lifted my other hand and reached for him. When my fingers brushed against his soft sandy hair, he flinched and lifted his head.
"Leah," the words came as a whisper as his lips curved into a gentle smile.
"Where am I?" I croaked against the dryness in my mouth.
“The hospital, baby. You passed out at the church. Do you remember?" he stood and kissed my forehead.
I crinkled my brow in thought as I tried to remember exactly what had happened. When the pieces started clicking together, I nodded. "Yeah," I sighed. "The baby?" panic gripped me as I glanced around the room.
“Is fine,” Nick kissed the back of my hand.
Instinctively, I reached down and caressed the small bump. I couldn't believe how much this child had already burrowed its way into my heart. At first the thought of being a mother scared me. I wasn't sure I was ready, or if I’d even make a good mother. Now as I listened to its heartbeat fill the room, I couldn't imagine my life without it.
"The doctor wanted to talk to us tonight, but she had an emergency come in. She stopped by when you were still pretty out of it, and said she'd meet with us in the morning," Nick reached for the chair he'd been sitting in and pulled it closer to the head of my bed.
“Talk about what?” I turned my head to look more directly at him.
"I don't know baby," he murmured. "She said everything was fine for now, but she needed to discuss something else."
As the news began to settle, the beeping in the room sped up and got louder. I glanced around in a panic wondering what exactly had caused it. Nick lifted himself up and sat on the edge of the bed right beside my hip. “You need to relax, or they’re going to come in here and give you medicine to make you sleep again," he soothed.
Reality began to sink in further as I realized the beeping was coming from me. My heart was racing with fear and anxiety over mine and my baby's future.
"Hold me?" I peered up at Nick and shifted to the side in the bed.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Nick mumbled.
"Please? I need you," I begged as I moved a little more.
"All right," he conceded as he glanced around to make sure none of the nurses were going to come in and throw him out.[G2] “You need to rest though,” he tried to look stern as he climbed into the bed, and stretched out beside me. He extended his arm to wrap me in his embrace and tug me over to rest my head on his chest. As I felt the thumping of his heartbeat under my cheek, I released a sigh and let exhaustion take me back under. Nick was here, and I felt safe in his arms. He'd never let anything happen to me or the baby. He loved us, both of us, with all his heart.
ooooooooo
Nick
I watched her breaths even out as she relaxed into me, and my heart melted a little more for this woman. She had me wrapped around her finger so tight I didn’t know where she ended and I began. We seemed to want the same things now, finally! We knew what the other was thinking, and we could anticipate the other’s movement without verbal communication.
Leah nuzzled further into my chest as I squeezed her shoulders tighter, and the thumping of the fetal monitor in the background lulled me back to sleep. Tonight we would take solace in each other’s arms. I had no way of knowing at the moment that our lives were going to take a turn for the worst in mere hours. Leah and I were about to be tested again, and if I’d known what was coming, I know I wouldn't have slept a wink.
ooooooooo
I was awoken the next morning to the sound of footsteps as a nurse came into the room. When my eyes opened, she grinned at me as she took in my position on the bed. In my sleep, I'd managed to keep one arm around Leah's shoulders while the other hand sat protectively over my child.
"Mr. Sutter," the nurse whispered. "I need to check her vitals."
I nodded as I tried to disengage myself from Leah without waking her. Once my arms were free, I rubbed at my eyes and tried to fight off the yawn I could feel coming. I shook my head quickly and pushed off the bed to a standing position.
“Dr. Singh is doing her rounds as we speak. She should be by shortly,” the nurse smiled as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Leah's arm.
I watched amazed that Leah didn't wake, and suddenly wondered if she's fallen into unconsciousness again. The nurse jotted some things down in Leah's chart, then removed the cuff, and pushed her cart toward the door.
“Is she ok?” I called in a panicked voice.
"She's fine, just tired Dad," the nurse grinned as she escaped into the hallway.
Knowing that Dr. Singh would be coming by soon, I rushed to put my shoes on and make my way to grab a coffee. I knew it would taste awful, but I needed the caffeine to jump start my day.
ooooooooo
When I returned a few minutes later, I found Leah propped up in bed and Dr. Singh standing beside an ultrasound machine. Leah was chewing on her lower lip while a nurse was setting the machine up.
"What's all this for?" I called as I rounded the end of the bed, and took up residence in the chair I'd spent most of the day before sitting in.
“I want to check something quickly and see if there’s any change from yesterday. Then we’ll decide on a course of action,” Dr. Singh was reading Leah's chart and didn't look up right away. When she finally did, her face was blank of emotions. “How long were you experiencing abdominal pain Miss Carmichael?”
"A few days," Leah continued to twist her hands together. "Is that bad?"
"I'm going to be honest with you both," the doctor sighed and slumped down on a stool on the opposite side of the bed. "Your condition is stable right now, but we don't know how long it will stay that way. The pain you were feeling was a warning."
"What?" Leah gasped as she caressed her baby bump.
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Singh took a deep breath before she glanced at the two of us. "I don't recommend that you carry this baby to term."
"No!" Leah cried. "Why?"
Dr. Singh stood and grabbed the wand on the ultrasound machine. She motioned for Leah to lift her gown as she reached for a bottle of blue jelly. After squirting a liberal amount on Leah’s abdomen, she began sliding the wand through it. “You see this?” she pointed to the screen.
Stunned into silence I nodded and reached for Leah's hand. She jerked it away from my grasp as she covered her mouth to stop the sob that was trying to break free.
“That’s the placenta, the part where the baby gets its nutrients?” Dr. Singh looked at me for understanding.
Renewed (Shattered #3) Page 1