by K. Anderson
“I tell you what, I’ll talk to LaTisha and see if I can drop one shift a week?” Her mom thought about this for a moment.
“Two. You’re already working six days a week and I think if you can cut it down to four then that will be okay.” Ivy sighed, she knew it wouldn’t be a problem with LaTisha, but she would miss having the restaurant to herself with Luther.
“Okay, I’ll ask her to cut two…but if they call me to cover for someone then I’ll do it…deal?” Her mom nodded.
“Okay. It’s for your own good, you just look so sickly lately.” Ivy nodded.
“I know mom.”
As Ivy lay in bed that night texting Luther she realized just how exhausted she felt. Opening up a browser she began to search her symptoms of feeling rundown and exhausted. She was sure it was just overworking, but she’d never felt this tired for work before so she looked through the possible causes. It was when she got to the third possible cause on the list that her heart stopped. Ivy held her breath. It couldn’t be…Switching back to her text messages, she texted to Luther.
I think I might be pregnant…
There was a long pause. Ivy waited as she watched her phone, waiting to know what to do next. It felt like an eternity until the phone buzzed in her hand:
Meet me tomorrow at work and we will find out for sure. Don’t worry until then.
It was easy enough for Luther to tell her not to worry. He had a job, a house and everything else he could need, Ivy thought. She still had another year of college to go and she was living at home with her parents. Oh God, she thought, her parents! How could she possibly hide something so huge from them? And when they found out and asked her who the father was…how could she tell them that it was the man they had warned her against at the Soda Fountain?
Ivy tossed and turned all night and by the time day broke she texted Luther:
Can’t wait, going to drugstore to buy a test. Meet me there?
She waited for his response:
Meet me at my place, you can take it here.
Buying the test was as nerve wracking as the thought of taking it and finding out the result, but Ivy knew that she had no choice. She picked the drugstore furthest from her parent’s house and bought the test. She picked up a pack of three just in case she needed confirmation. By the time she got to Luther’s small townhome she could feel the nausea rising in her belly. She knocked on the door and as soon as he answered she fell in to his arms.
“Oh my God, Luther, what am I going to do?” She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. Luther wrapped his strong arms around her.
“You’re not going to do anything, honey. If WE are pregnant, then WE will do it together. We will be just fine.” Ivy felt the tears begin to slip from her eyes.
“I’m so scared, Luther.” He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer.
“Don’t be scared, we will be just fine, okay?” She nodded silently against his chest. “Okay, so let’s get this test taken, shall we?” He stepped back pulling her with him and closed the front door. “Come on, the bathroom is right through here and I’ll stand outside the whole time.” Ivy nodded quietly.
A few minutes later Ivy emerged from the bathroom.
“What does it say?” Luther asked anxiously. Ivy shrugged.
“We won’t know for another few minutes, but I was making myself sick watching it.” Luther pulled her in to a hug.
“Stop. Take a deep breath. There is nothing that we can do about the outcome of this test is there? So let’s wait a few more minutes together and then we will look at it.” Ivy nodded.
“Will you look first?” Luther chuckled.
“Sure.” He rubbed his hand on her back. “You know, if we are having a baby, you can move in here with me. We will do it together. You won’t be on your own.” Ivy nodded, a small smile touching her lips.
“Thank you.” She whispered against his chest.
Chapter 8
Ivy struggled to get herself out of the recliner and finally with a loud exhale she managed to push herself off. She waddled across the living room.
“Are you okay in there, honey?” Luther’s voice came from the kitchen over the sounds of plates being laid out.
“Yeah, I just have to pee again!” Luther laughed.
“I’m going to move the toilet to the living room, it’d be easier for both of us!” Ivy shook her head as she waddled past the kitchen towards the bathroom.
“Don’t you dare. Besides, we only have a few weeks left until your son is born and I don’t want to have a toilet in the living room when all the people come over to see him.” Ivy disappeared in to the bathroom.
“Do you think your parents will come to see him?” Luther shouted hopefully from the kitchen.
“I hope so.” Ivy paused, “I’m pretty sure they will.” She shouted back from the bathroom.
“They didn’t seem too happy when we were over there the other week.” Luther put the two dinner plates on trays and walked one through to the living room. He set it on the table beside the recliner for Ivy.
“That,” Ivy came out of the bathroom, “is because they are stubborn, and overprotective.” Luther helped her sit back down in the recliner and when she was settled he put her tray on her lap.
“I have told you before, it’s a parent’s job to be overprotective.” He reached down and rubbed the top of her belly bump. “Just you wait until our son is born, then you’ll see.” Ivy shook her head.
“I will never be as overprotective as they are. Never!” Luther went back in to the kitchen to fetch his own tray.
“We will see about that.” He came back in and sat down on the sofa. “I guarantee you that there will never be a girl good enough to date our boy.” Ivy laughed, she knew that it was true.
“Well, that’s not being overprotective, that’s just being a parent.” Luther laughed.
“Oh…okay.” He stuck his fork in his potatoes and looked back over to Ivy. “Well, the next time your folks call, why don’t you invite them over? Tell them we’d like to see them and they can help to decorate the nursery…” Ivy shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes in to her mouth.
“Sure, they won’t come though, you know they won’t. They’re still mad at you because you knocked up their daughter and they’re still mad at me because apparently I lay there and asked you to knock me up.” She rolled her eyes as she took a sip of ginger ale.
When they’d found out about Ivy being pregnant, her parents had both sat in mortified silence for what felt like an eternity. When her mother finally spoke, she asked who the father was and Ivy had told them it was Luther. Her mom, having no idea who Luther was by name alone, asked if she had ever had the pleasure of meeting the “young man.” That was where things started to get a little complicated. When Ivy explained that yes, they had briefly met Luther at the Soda Fountain, her mom turned just about every shade of red in the book. She had been angrier than Ivy had ever seen her before, but she was angry at Luther for taking advantage of her ‘innocent’ daughter. Ivy had spent an hour trying to explain that she was a perfectly willing participant in the activities that had led up to the event, but this had only seemed to make things worse. Since then, Ivy had moved in with Luther permanently and her parents had made it a point to protest everything Luther related.
“Maybe you should ask anyway? You never know, maybe they’ll surprise us?” Ivy nodded.
“Sure. Maybe and maybe pigs will fly.” There was silence again for a few minutes as Luther picked at his food.
“You know what? I think I might go over there tomorrow. Maybe see if there’s anything I can do to help them out around the house or something like that.” Ivy looked over at Luther with a smile. “What?!” She shook her head slowly, a small tear escaping her eye.
“I love you Luther Gains.” He smirked.
“I love you too.”
Remembering My Husband
By: Shirley Lue
Remembering My Husband
©Shirley Lue, 2016 – All rights reserved
Published by Steamy Reads4U
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Warning
This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+ years old.
If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.
Chapter One
Nicole opened her eyes groggily, the images around her blurring as she awoke. She felt a dull ache in her head, and she released a soft moan. She raised her arms to rub at her temples, and realized that there was a white, plastic medical bracelet around one of her wrists, and an IV hooked up to one of her arms. She vaguely came to the realization that she was in the hospital, but she had no idea how she had gotten there.
“Nicole?” she heard a tense and eager voice come from beside her, and she looked over in the direction of the voice, her head throbbing softly as she did so. She hissed from the pain and rubbed at her head.
“Oh thank God you’re awake,” the man said, his relief clearly displayed on his face. His eyes were ringed with ark circles, and he looked gaunt, like he hadn’t eaten a proper meal or slept in quite a while.
Other than that, though, Nicole had to admit that he was quite attractive. He had short, black hair and deep brown eyes. His skin was a light olive shade, and it looked as though it had been slightly darkened by the sun. He wore a white t-shirt with a V-neck, and she could see dark chest hair peeking from the neckline. She blushed to be thinking of him this way when she should be more concerned with how and why she had gotten to the hospital.
More than that, though, she was concerned with the headache that wouldn’t seem to relent.
“My head hurts…” Nicole spoke up, her voice coming out hoarse and dry. “And I need some water…”
The man gaped at her for a moment, and his mouth moved as if he wanted to speak.
“Oh- okay,” he said, looking around. Finally, he pressed a button on the side of her bed. “I called the nurses, they should be right in to check you out.”
“Thanks,” Nicole said. She looked the man up and down for a moment and narrowed her eyes at him.
“What happened?” she asked, hoping that this man might have something to do with what had happened and why she was in the hospital.
“We were in a car crash,” he explained softly, looking her up and down with a mix of concern and hesitation.
That made sense to Nicole. This was likely the man she had been in a wreck with. She wondered if he had been drunk when they had crashed, and had stayed with her out of a sense of guilt. Nicole felt vaguely annoyed that she had woken up to this stranger, rather than with a member of her family or something of that nature, but she figured she could not deny him what his guilt demanded.
“Were you hurt too?” Nicole asked him, hoping to open up the conversation between them and maybe make him feel more comfortable in their unique situation.
“Um, not really,” he said. He held up his left arm, which was in a splint. “Just a sprain here.”
“Well, that’s good,” Nicole nodded. “I guess I was the worse for wear here…”
She chuckled, but the man looked at her solemnly.
“Look,” Nicole said, moving to sit u and face him. He moved as if to help her but she waved him off.
“We really should just put what happened behind us,” Nicole said with sincerity. “I appreciate you staying with me, but I’m up and I’m fine. I’m sure my family is on the way, so I won’t be alone for much longer. And I’m sure your family is eager to see you as well. There’s no reason to feel guilty for what happened.”
The man looked slightly confused, and he eyes her up and down. It seemed as if he was about to say something when a small team of nurses and a doctor came into the room.
“Ah, Mrs. Martel,” the doctor said, smiling at her broadly. “Glad to see you’ve woken up.”
Nicole was confused, and she laughed.
“Sorry sir,” she said lightly. “I think you have the wrong room.”
“Oh?” he said, and glanced down at his clipboard. “Are you not Nicole Elise Martel?”
“No,” Nicole shook her head. “My last name is Mason.”
“Oh,” the doctor blinked, looking somewhat sheepish. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that you preferred your maiden name.”
Nicole’s smile vanished, and she blinked in a mix of shock and confusion.
“My… maiden name?” she asked, her heart rate accelerating as she looked around the room. All eyes were on her, and all faces wore the same mask of concern. Nicole suddenly felt as if she was suffocating.
“Miss Mason,” the doctor spoke, and she was only slightly comforted by his correction. “I just have a few questions for you. Nurse Tally will set up a diamorphine pump for you while we discuss so that we can get rid of your headache. I heard you were thirsty?”
Nicole nodded, reminded of the dryness in her mouth.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that,” the older man smiled down at her. “Jackson?”
The doctor looked at the man who had been at her side.
“Will you go down the hall and fetch us a bottle of water for Nicole?” he asked.
“Of course,” the man, Jackson nodded and stood up. He gave Nicole a wary glance, and then finally left the room.
Nicole waited until he was gone, and she turned her gaze back to the doctor. She glanced at his nametag, which read Dr. Tim Red.
“Now,” the doctor said firmly and cheerily. “I have a few questions for you.”
“Okay,” Nicole blinked. She was sure that there was some information they needed to fill out, as her driver’s license only gave them so much of what they needed to know.
“Great,” Dr. Red smiled at her. “Now, can you tell me where your current place of residence is? No need to give me your address, just a city and state should suffice.”
“Charleston, South Carolina,” Nicole answered easily.
The doctor nodded vaguely and scribbled onto his notepad.
“Alright,” the doctor looked up at her. “Can you tell me what kind of car you drive?”
Nicole wanted to remark that she likely didn’t even have a car anymore due to the wreck, but she decided to keep the comment to herself.
“My car was a Ford Fusion,” Nicole said. Again, the doctor nodded, and made a note on his clipboard.
“Am I to understand clearly that you have no memory of the accident?” the doctor asked her.
“No, I don’t,” Nicole admitted, shaking her head slightly.
“That’s perfectly alright,” the doctor smiled, and made another note. “Now I have a more generic question, and it’ll be the last one, okay?”
“Okay,” Nicole answered and gave the doctor a small smile.
“Could you tell me about what the date is?” he asked her. “I know it may take you some time to remember.”
Nicole thought for a moment. It had been rainy and cold on the last morning she could remember, but not ridiculously cold. It was probably sometime in the fall.
“I couldn’t tell you the day,” Nicole shook her head for a moment. “But maybe later October, early November?”
“November second,” the doctor informed her kindly. “And the year?”
Nicole blinked, thinking it an odd question. Then again, he had warned her that they would be on the generic side.
“Two thousand eleven,” she replied. The doctor seemed to pause, but then nodded and scribbled down yet another note on his clipboard.
“Well,” he looked up and gave her another smile. “I think that’s enough interrogation for now. Now, do you have any questions for me?”
Nicole thought quietly for a moment, fiddling with her bracelet before looking back up at the doctor.
“Dr. Red?” Nicole asked, and the doctor nodded with a smile. “Who was that man?”
“He’s been here making sure you wouldn’t be alone when you woke up,” the doctor explained. “He was in the crash with you. He’s been very worried. I’m sure he’s very glad to see that you’ve woken up.”
“Oh,” Nicole blinked. “How long have I been out?”
“Just under a week,” the doctor said grimly. “Your vital signs were all fine, fortunately. We had faith that you would wake up eventually. But it’s a relief when it happens all the same.”
“Yeah, I can imagine…” Nicole mused, looking at her surroundings for a moment. “So… what happened to me? I mean in the crash.”
“Well,” the doctor sighed and took off his glasses. “It was a very bad crash. You hydroplaned and skidded off of a small bridge. Fortunately, you were coming off the bridge already, you ended up just sliding into a grassy median. But the car flipped, and rolled. That’s what the police said, anyway. It was really miraculous that you both got out of it as well as you did.”
Nicole blinked, as bits of the story started to fall into place. She was slightly puzzled as she realized that it sounded like the man at her bedside, Jackson, had been in the car with her when it crashed.