by Lea Kinkade
Xander started to shake his head when Jessie clutched his forearm and told the doctor, “She used to get some really severe headaches in college. She would be totally incapacitated. She complained of blurry vision, sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises. Sometimes she would even vomit. It would usually take a couple of days for her to totally snap out of it. The only thing that seemed to help was holing up in the dorm room with the shades drawn and the lights off. She wanted it as cold as we could get it in our room when she would have one of these headaches. I tried to get her to see a doctor, but she just laughed it off. I think she’s had a few since college, too.”
The doctor started nodding his head halfway through Jessie’s story. “That’s it then,” he said. “She’s been having severe migraines. This is helpful. We can treat migraines. Thank you very much. I’ll be back shortly.” The doctor quickly exited back to the treatment area.
About an hour later, the doctor returned. The waiting room had cleared out a little as Ryan and Ryder had gone back to Chaps & Spurs. His mother and father had gone back home after securing Xander’s promise to call after he was allowed to see Jordan. Taylor and Levi had gone back to the Ranch as well, telling Xander to call them if he or Jordan needed anything. Jessie sat with Xander on one of the hard benches, holding his hand.
Sometime later, the doctor came out front again, and nodding to Xander, the doctor told him that Jordan was being moved to a room on the floor so that they could control the light and noise better. The doctor told him that Jordan was a little more coherent now and had been able to give them enough information for them to determine that she was, indeed, suffering from a severe migraine. He told Xander the receptionist could tell him what room she was being moved to and that he would be allowed to see her once they had her settled. The doctor suggested only one visitor. Jessie hugged Xander and went back to the Ranch after telling him to call her the minute he had been in to see Jordan.
Waylaying the doctor on his way back to the treatment area, Xander asked the doctor if there wasn’t some kind of medicine they could give to Jordan to help her recover faster. Nodding, the doctor replied, “We have a drug that works well on this type of migraine, but we can’t give it to her. We’re attempting different treatments.”
“If it works, why the hell aren’t you giving it to her? Is it because she doesn’t have insurance or something? I’ll cover all of the costs. Just give it to her.”
“It has nothing to do with cost. This drug is contra-indicated in pregnancy. We can’t give it to her because it could harm the baby,” explained the doctor.
“Baby?” exclaimed Xander through the dull roaring in his ears.
“Yes,” the doctor affirmed. “From the tests we’ve done, I estimate Ms. Preston to be nearly four months pregnant. I don’t think she knows yet. I understand you’re her fiancé. Do you want to share the news with her?
“Don’t worry,” said the doctor, misinterpreting Xander’s silence. “She’s not in any condition to hear the news right now, anyway. Especially as it appears to be a surprise. You’ve got time. Looks like you’re just as surprised as she’s going to be,” he said, walking back toward the treatment area.
Xander just stood there. As he continued to stand in the waiting room, a huge grin lit up his face. A father, he was going to be a father. Jordan was already four months along, and she didn’t even know it. Wow, was she in for a shock!
Xander’s internal monologue was interrupted when the receptionist got his attention and gave him Jordan’s room number. He followed her directions to the elevator in a daze. He was going to be a father! Once he proposed to Jordan and she said yes, everything would be perfect.
Chapter 13
“Pregnant?” exclaimed Jordan, two days later. “What do you mean I’m pregnant? I’m on the pill. I can’t be pregnant.”
“Nothing but abstinence is foolproof. In any case, you are, indeed, pregnant. About four months along, in fact. Now that you’re a little more coherent and able to answer some questions, we should be able to get a more accurate estimate of your due date,” the doctor responded calmly. More calmly than Jordan cared for at the moment.
“Due date,” Jordan repeated dully. “Four months ago is right after I moved here from New York City. I’ve been on the pill for years to regulate my cycle. I don’t miss pills and I've had periods. They've been really light, but they're always light. I don't understand any of this.”
“Have you taken any other medications since you moved here? Some medications can interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills, you know.”
“No, nothing,” Jordan started to deny, then stopped as she remembered that sinus infection she had been treated for when she first arrived in town. “Wait a minute. I was on an antibiotic for a sinus infection. I saw the doctor right after I got to Deseo four months ago."
“That’s probably it,” said the doctor. “Antibiotics are known to interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills. I always tell my patients to use a barrier method of birth control while they’re on an antibiotic. I’ll check on you in the morning. We’ll do an ultrasound before you leave and set up an appointment with an ob-gyn. Although it's not ideal that you've been taking the pill all this time, it's not uncommon for a woman to still be taking her birth control pills and find out that she's pregnant. You'll want to stop taking it immediately, though. Being on the pill can cause light bleeding, so you may have thought you were having your period, but you weren't.”
Jordan stopped herself from saying snidely, “I wish you’d been my doctor at that clinic.” Sarcasm wasn't going to solve anything. “Could it have hurt the baby?”
“Doubtful. Like I said, it’s not unheard of. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
Wanting to ask him how she could stop worrying about it, instead, she asked, “When can I get out of here? I need to get back to my house, get back to work.” And she couldn’t afford to stay in the hospital any longer than necessary. Her health insurance at the club hadn’t kicked in yet, and she wasn’t earning any money while she was flat on her back.
“Well, I’ve been discussing your release with your fiancé. If we discharge you tomorrow, I’ll want you to stay with him for several days until the effects of the migraine are completely gone. Once that happens, you can go back to work. This was a severe migraine, and you need to take it easy for a few days or you could trigger another one. Some women have more problems with migraines while they’re pregnant. You’ll want to watch closely for the warning signs.” Smiling, the doctor left, telling her he’d see her tomorrow before she was released.
Pregnant! Four months pregnant! Did Xander know? No, if he knew, he would have said something. This was confidential information. Wasn’t it? Xander had told the doctor she was his fiancée. He had discussed her going home with him when she was released from the hospital with the doctor. No, Xander didn’t know. If he did, he would have talked to her about it. After Sophie, another unplanned pregnancy was the last thing he’d want.
Xander had been nothing but loving and gentle with her since she had gotten coherent enough to realize he was there with her. He was solicitous. He’d gotten her nightgown, other clothes, and some other personal items for her from the house. He had told her he’d taken care of the lawn mower and the house while she was out of it. He had spoken to Ryan and Ryder and made sure she got off as much time as she needed to recover from the migraine. He was arranging to take her home with him until she was fully recovered. He wouldn’t be so nice to her if he knew about the pregnancy. He’d been very explicit that first night that they had made love that he didn't want her to end up pregnant. What was she going to do?
Despite his obvious concern for her discomfort and pain, Xander had seemed happy these past couple of days. The only time he had gotten upset with her was when he came in yesterday afternoon and found her in the bathroom, too weak to get back up off the toilet. He had been upset with her for not calling the nurse, but not angry. He had seeme
d concerned that she could have fallen and hurt herself. He’d gently picked her up off the toilet and carried her back to the hospital bed.
She felt her head start to ache again. The doctor had warned her that stress was a trigger for migraines. She was stressed. Deciding she needed another nap before she could figure out what she was going to do now, she turned on her side, fluffed her pillow, and let herself drift off to sleep.
* * * *
When Xander arrived at the hospital that afternoon, he found out he had just missed the doctor. Jordan’s nurse, April, had been very taken with Xander’s solicitousness of her patient. April had been the one who had made sure there was a chair that folded out into a bed in her room that first night at the hospital. April also let Xander sneak meals in that he and Jordan shared each evening. So, when Xander arrived and asked her how Jordan was doing, she happily told him that the doctor was planning to release Jordan into his care the next morning.
Xander was excited. He was finally getting Jordan to his house for more than one night. Sure, in the past couple of months she’d stayed overnight at his house, but she hadn’t been there for more than one night at a time. Once he got her there, he didn’t plan on letting her go. He was sure Jordan had decided to move in with him. He had already packed most of her clothing and taken it out to his house on the Ranch. Everything was already put away in the closet and in the dresser. She’d need maternity clothes soon.
He thought the bedroom across the hall from the master would make a great nursery. Xander wanted her in his home on a permanent basis. They needed to talk about a wedding, too. They had a lot to talk about. As soon as she was completely recovered from the migraine, they would sit down and hash it all out. Things were coming together.
Jordan was sleeping when he walked into her hospital room. He could see that she had received another flower arrangement and went over to take a look at the card that was attached. His mother and father again. Between the family and her coworkers at Chaps & Spurs, she already had six flower arrangements in the room and several plants. His family was keeping Bach Florists very busy.
He went over to her sleeping form and just stood quietly watching her sleep. He had never wanted his charcoal pencils in his hands as much as he did at this moment. He wanted to draw her. She was so beautiful, and she was his. She was having his baby. He leaned down and softly kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes blinked sleepily. “Hello, angel. Have a nice nap?” he asked.
* * * *
Xander drove up to his house, pulling the Escalade into his three-car garage. Jordan was in the passenger seat with her sunglasses on. With the deep tint on the SUV’s windows, she probably didn't even need her sunglasses, especially now that they were parked in the darkened garage. She took them off and dropped them into her purse on her lap. He knew she didn't want to be here, but he had gotten his way in the end. The discussion between them regarding where she would stay after her release from the hospital had been short and succinct.
“I know you want to get out of here tomorrow, but the doctor said he would only release you if you had someone to stay with you for a couple of nights,” Xander said as he helped her back into bed.
“But you have to work. Maybe I could stay with Jessie.”
“Jessie has to work, too. Besides, I have an office set up on the main level of my house just so I can work from home. Jessie doesn’t. Plus, you’re my girlfriend, I should be the one to take care of you.”
“Okay. But it’s just for a couple of days. Then I’ll be going back to my own house.” She seemed too tired to argue about it anymore.
“We’ll see,” said Xander carefully. He knew she was very independent, but he intended this move to his house to be permanent. He would tell her later that he and his brothers had already moved everything of hers out of the little house she rented and had given the owner of the property notice that she would be moving out. The owner of the property wasn't going to charge any type of penalty as they had just been waiting for the six month lease to expire before selling the property. They had been waiting for Jordan to get out of the hospital to tell her they had already accepted an offer to buy the property.
Xander was glad. He knew Jordan could afford the rent on her salary when she was working full time. He didn’t know how this week of not working would affect her finances. He knew she was independent and would not accept money from him to pay any penalty that she may have incurred by breaking the lease.
She had told him she had some money from her mother’s life insurance, but he didn't know exactly how much. It was nice that she had some money of her own. That way she wouldn’t feel dependent on him. However, she and the baby were his now, and he would support them. She did not need to worry about money anymore.
He had put her potter’s wheel and kiln, along with all of her thrown and glazed pieces, in the bedroom that had the south and east windows. She had mentioned when he had given her a tour of the house that it would be a great art room as it got terrific light. The room was on the opposite side of the house as the master bedroom. He'd laid a heavy canvas tarp over the hardwood floor and had placed everything on top of the canvas, protecting the floor. If she wanted to change the flooring in the room later, she could. This room was bigger than the room she had been using at the little house, so there was extra room for her to expand. He had moved the shelving units from the other house as well, taking special care with both her finished and unfinished pieces so as not to damage a single one. Now, every piece was back on the shelves exactly where she’d had it. Again, she could change the paint scheme to one more in line with her artsy personality. Maybe he’d even set up a corner for his own art in the room.
Xander wanted Jordan to turn his—their—house into a home. It always felt like one when she was there, but he wanted her to make it her own. He thought of Levi’s and Taylor’s house and how warm and homey it felt. He made a mental note to ask Taylor the name of the interior designer they had used, that was, if Jordan even wanted the help of an interior designer. He knew she had more creativity in her pinkie than any other person he knew. A designer could do all the legwork for her though, a plus with having a pregnancy to deal with and all. In any event, he would welcome any changes that she wanted to make in their home. Their home. That had a nice ring to it.
Xander shared none of this with Jordan. She was, after all, still recovering from that massive migraine, as well as adjusting to the news of her pregnancy. They still had not discussed the pregnancy and what would happen next, but the next step was clear to Xander. They were in love and expecting a baby. They would get married, have a great honeymoon, and settle down to raise this child and any future children, together. Jordan would quit her job at Chaps & Spurs and concentrate on her pottery and the baby. Their course was clear to Xander.
* * * *
Once Xander had pulled the SUV into the garage and pushed the button on the garage door to further block out the midday sun, Jordan opened the door and slid out of the passenger side. Seeing his Harley in its place of honor in the third stall of the decked-out garage, she smiled briefly, remembering her rides with Xander around the Ranch during the past month and a half. She was surprised to see her own car parked in the second stall of the garage. He had the space decked out like a NASCAR garage. He loved to fiddle around with both the Harley and his Escalade. He even tinkered with the lawnmower’s engine each time he needed to mow his lawn.
Xander tsked when he came around the back of the SUV and saw her sliding out of the passenger seat. He quietly closed the door, placed his right hand at the small of her back, and led her to the door to the house. As they walked up the three steps to the door, he reached out his left hand and turned the door handle, opening the door into the mud room of the house.
“I’ll go back out and get everything from the back of the Escalade after I get you settled,” he said gently.
“I’m okay, you know,” she replied. “I can get settled by myself. I’m not an invalid.”
; “You’re not one hundred percent yet, either,” he softly retorted. “You gave me quite a scare two days ago when I found you on the ground like that. Humor me. Let me take care of you.”
Jordan shrugged her assent and let him lead her through the kitchen and up the stairs to the master bedroom. Leaving the lights off in deference to the light sensitivity that remained after the worst of the migraine had passed, she stepped into the room, went to the right side of the bed—her side—and dropped her purse on the floor.
“I’ll bring in your things from the car. You want to put on your nightgown to rest?” he asked.
“How about one of your T-shirts? I can get it, Xander. I know where they are,” she reminded him as he made a move toward the dresser.
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Are you hungry or thirsty at all?”
“Not right now,” she said with a smile of her own. “I’ll let you make me something later.” It was a standing joke. Except for when they grilled out, Jordan had taken over his kitchen whenever she was at the house. Xander hadn't fought her too hard on the point. After all, she cooked like a dream, she seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, and he loved to see her in his kitchen enjoying herself.
Once he had left the room, she stood up and went to the dresser. He had cleaned a couple of drawers out for her things for when she stayed over. Instead of delving into one of those drawers, she reached for the one where he kept his T-shirts and grabbed a Harvard T-shirt from the drawer and walked into the master bathroom. There was a little light spilling out from around the blinds, and Jordan used the facilities then stripped off her clothes and tugged the large T-shirt over her head. It hung to her knees and fell off one shoulder.
Jordan looked at her dim reflection in the big mirror over the vanities, looking closely at her face and in her eyes. She didn't look pregnant, did she? She didn't feel any different. She turned to the side and pulled Xander’s T-shirt taut against her breasts and belly. She didn't see any difference either. Sure, her tummy had a little pooch to it, but it always had, no matter what she did to try to flatten it out. Hearing Xander coming down the hall, she quickly turned from the mirror and headed back into the darkened master bedroom to meet him.