Fighting to Save US

by Sarah Stevens

  As time goes by, I get a few more squeezes and eye flutters, then suddenly I’m looking in his beautiful, confused eyes. “Mom, go get the nurse, his eyes are open.”

  “Hey, handsome, nice to see that you’re awake.”

  His voice is super scratchy when he tries to speak. “Hi,” he gruffs out.

  “Let me get you some water. That should help your throat.” When I turn to get the water, I hear a groan from him. He’s trying to move on the bed and can’t, because his right side is all bruised up and trying to heal. “Give me a second and I’ll help you.” He doesn’t say anything, but I do hear a few grumbles.

  James, Mom, and the nurse are walking back into the room as I’m finishing up getting his water. I take a straw and hold it up to his mouth. “Small sips.”

  The nurse glances at his monitor and then smiles at him. “Well, it’s nice to finally meet the famous Max everyone has been going crazy over the past few days. How are you feeling?”

  “Not dead, but almost.”

  Everyone laughs.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Max

  The last thing I remember hearing is either a nurse or doctor talking, and bright lights. I thought I was dreaming when I heard the people I love around me, talking to me, but today I think I heard Bren tell me she no longer has cancer and that she’s pregnant. Hearing those words from her lips, I fought harder than ever to come back to everyone. Each time she said them, I fought a little harder. Bren is who I’m fighting to get back to. When I finally wake up, I’m lying in the hospital, and Bren is right there by my side. She never gave up, and she never walked away, unlike me, who couldn’t handle it when she ended up in the hospital.

  My throat burns when I try to speak or swallow, and my body is killing me. Bren is there with water to help soothe my throat, and the nurse that just entered is making a joke. When things settle down and the nurse has checked me over with a promise to have the doctor come in as soon as possible, the reality of the words that brought me out of my sleep sink in.

  Holding onto Bren’s hand I turn to look her in the eyes. “Bren, did I imagine what you said while I was waking up?”

  “Depends on what you think I said,” she says smiling. “If you thought you heard that my cancer is gone then you heard correctly.”

  A huge smile takes over her face, and I say the only thing I can think of. “Thank God! That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a very long time,” I rasp. “Was that all you said?”

  She moves in closer to me and whispers in my ear, “I said I was pregnant, but don’t tell anyone yet.” And she places a kiss to my lips. I can’t help the smile that forms as I look at her in shock.

  “How?” I whisper.

  “We will talk all about that later. Now, I believe you have a line of people that are waiting to see you.”

  “Okay,” I say as I kiss her, holding her head to me with my left hand since I’m unable to use the right. I’m all bandaged up and my shoulder is immobile. James and Mrs. Montgomery are standing at the foot of the bed, waiting for our moment to be over.

  “I won’t stay long, but I want to say that I’m so glad to see that ugly mug of yours awake finally.”

  “Thanks, James, glad I can entertain. Happy to see your face again, too. Thanks for looking out for everyone. I’m sure you have had your hands full. Thanks.”

  “No thanks needed. We’re all family now, and we look out for each other. Just glad to have you back. I’ll bring Kat by tomorrow. I want to let you have the night with Bren.”

  “Thanks, see you tomorrow.”

  “Don’t you ever scare us like that again, young man,” I immediately hear from Bren’s mom, then she comes over to give me a gentle hug. “We love you, Max. Thank you for protecting my daughter.”

  “I would do anything for her, anything. So, you never have to thank me for loving her and doing what I need to do.”

  With a kiss to the cheek, she says, “I will see you tomorrow. I’ll hold everyone off until then. You and my daughter have a lot to talk about.” With a wink, she and James walk out of my room, leaving Bren and me alone.

  “My mom was with me at the doctor, so she knows what’s going on. I’m happy, excited, and scared, because this is really, really uncommon. I want to keep my pregnancy between just us until I’m able to talk to the fetal risk doctor and make sure everything is okay. I hope you understand that.”

  “I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I kind of like the idea that this is our secret, minus your mom, but I’m just as excited that you’re completely cancer free. What did the doctor say?”

  “Dr. Gerrard said that right now it looks like they got wide, clean margins during the surgery, but he also said that he wants to see me in a month to make sure that nothing pops up in my blood counts. He did a pregnancy test today because my bloodwork showed elevated hormones, and he wanted to make sure he was correct. He wants me to get together with Dr. Tracey immediately, so we can make sure everything is good and healthy. It’s rare that this happened, and thankfully the egg appears to have been in the process of implanting, therefore when they checked before surgery there was no sign of pregnancy. I’m still in the really early stages, just a few weeks along.”

  I take her hand and pull her toward me so that she’s sitting on the edge of the bed. “Come here,” I say as I urge her to lie next to me, so I can hold her close.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t hurt me. Now come here and lay next to me. I want to feel you curled up against me.”

  She carefully positions herself against my side, and we gently settle into each other.

  “Bren, you make me so happy. I can’t believe I’ve woken up to two dreams come true. Call tomorrow and make the appointment with Dr. Tracey so we can make sure everything is okay. Your body has gone through so much lately. And as happy as I am, I’m also scared to death to get too excited, just in case she has bad news for us. Either way, I’ll always be here for you.”

  “I’m scared too, Max, so scared. We’ll be there for each other.”

  It's late afternoon as we settle in and wait for my doctor to arrive and check me out. We didn't have to wait too long, though. My vitals are checked once again, and notes are made. The doctor looks me over, explaining all my injuries with me. I've got a broken clavicle, gunshot wounds to my side and shoulder, and a punctured lung, on top of being in a medically-induced coma for several days.

  “Besides the injuries, everything is looking good, and you already seem to be healing nicely. We had to place a rod in your clavicle because it was shattered, which is why your arm and shoulder are immobile. Your lung seems to be working well and your oxygen saturation is great. You’re going to be in a lot of pain for a while, but if everything is looking good and progressing like I want, we’ll be able to release you in a day or two as long as you have assistance at home.”

  “That would be amazing. I’ll have Bren to help me with everything I need. Thank you, Doc.”

  He leaves the room, followed by his nurse, and Bren and I settle in for some rest, no words spoken, just comfortable silence and appreciation for each other.

  After a long night of restless sleep, with nurses coming in and out of the room hourly, I decide to give up. Bren is snoring quietly next to me. She needed some sleep, and I don’t mind giving it to her. She was exhausted when I woke up—I could tell by the dark circles under her eyes and the way she carried herself. And again, I did that to her. I can’t seem to make her life easy in any way. I make a promise to myself to make the best effort I can to take care of her the way she should be. I start thinking about what I need to do for Bren and our new family. I need to talk to Jackson, and seriously think about staying here and getting away from the mob family, maybe even open my own personal security business. But, that can wait until I’m out of here and know what we’re looking at with Bren’s pregnancy.

  The sun has been up for a while now, and Bren’s eyes start to flutter open. “Morning, bab
e, sleep well?”

  “Surprisingly I did, like a rock. I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was. How are you feeling?”

  “Feeling okay—hurting quite a bit, but I’ll survive. I’m about due for a visit from the nurse and another dose of medicine.”

  She gets up carefully and excuses herself to the bathroom. I watch her walk away, thinking to myself how I wish that things would be calm for a while. I want us to be able to spend time with each other, not having to look over our shoulders to see when the next hit will be. When Bren gets back from the bathroom, I realize I need to go, too. That turns into a conflict because I’m not about to pee in a bottle in front of Bren and the nurse, in spite of all their arguing. Unfortunately, Bren takes the brunt of my frustration when I snap at her for trying to help me. Eventually, I make my way to the bathroom with her rolling the IV cart and holding the stupid hospital gown. I draw the line at her holding my dick as I take a piss. I lean forward enough to rest my head on the wall and focus on keeping my balance as I aim for the toilet. Luckily, I am not a small guy, and I’m able to accomplish my goal, bare ass hanging out and all.

  “I know you don’t want my help but I’m here to give it. You just have to let me. You’re in pain. I can see it on your face. Please don’t shut me out.”

  “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I don’t like being helpless. I never should’ve taken my frustration out on you, and I promise I’ll try not to do it again. I love you.” I lean down the best I can, my body screaming in pain, and kiss her quickly on the lips. The nurse comes in just as I’m about to get back into the bed and trying not moon the world. Who the hell ever came up with these damn hospital gowns anyway? Bren sees my problem and helps me keep covered as I get positioned in bed. Having one side completely bandaged up is a pain in the ass.

  The nurse checks me over, takes my vitals, and leaves after giving me a dose of medicine. I’m not sure what they’re giving me, but it knocks me flat on my ass each time. As time ticks by my eyes get heavier and heavier then eventually close. Once I wake up, however long that may be, Bren is in new clothes and smelling amazing.

  “Hey, babe, did you sneak out of here and shower while I was knocked out?”

  “Kat brought some things for me and I showered here. I couldn’t leave you all alone, even to run home and shower. She also brought you some clothes, so you don’t have to show off that shapely backside of yours every time you get up. She just ran outside to make a call, and she’ll be right back. She’s been dying to see you but didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Please tell me she brought some of that amazing coffee with her.”

  “She did, actually, and I have some right here for you.”

  “Thank God. I need that like no other.”

  Kat comes back in the room, and the second she sees me awake her smile widens as she heads my way. “Hey, sleepy head! So good to finally see your eyes open. How are you feeling?”

  “Felt better, but I’ll be okay. Did Bren tell you her good news?”

  “No, what good news?” She turns to look at Bren.

  “Yesterday I had my follow-up with my doctor, and he said they got all the cancer without having to do chemo treatments.”

  “O-M-G! That’s amazing news. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “Eh, I kinda like seeing the look on this guy’s face every time I say ‘no cancer’—makes it more fun.”

  “You’re such a bitch.” Kat smirks at her.

  We talk for a little while before everyone starts arriving to visit. James comes in with Steph, and Mike and Jackson come by shortly after that, then Bren's mom and dad stop by. We all visit for a while but after the nurse comes in for another round of pain meds, they start making moves to leave. Before Jackson and Mike walk out, I catch Jackson's attention.

  “Jackson, can I talk to you before you go?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Turning to Mike, he says, “I’ll meet you at the car.” Mike leaves, and it is Jackson, Bren, and I left in the room.

  “What’s up?” he asks

  “I have an idea I wanted to run by you, to see what you think.”

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “With everything that’s happened this past year, I was thinking about making a change—stepping away from your life and making my own. What I mean by that is I’d like to stay here and start my own business in investigation or personal protection. What do you think?”

  “You know what? That actually seems like a really good idea. I understand you wanting to stay away from Boston and the everyday Family business. I’ll support you in every way I can. Do you have any ideas of who you might want to have on your team?”

  “I was hoping you would give me Mike—I like him, I trust him, and I think he would be good at it. What do you think?”

  “I think that would work just fine, that way I have two of my guys here if anything ever pops up again, knock on wood.

  “Let’s get you all healed up and look at some locations, start thinking of a name you want to use, and we’ll get it all set up.”

  “I’m not asking so you’ll foot the bill. I actually want to do this on my own. I could use your resources for real estate around here, but I want to pay for it. Bren’s on board, and if Mike wants to go in on it, I’ll see if he wants to be my partner.”

  “Good deal. I’ll help however you want me to help.”

  “Thanks, man. Thanks for everything.”

  “You’re family, no thanks are necessary.”

  He leaves, and Bren and I are left sitting there, holding hands and talking about our future.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Bren

  It’s been a few days since Max woke up, and today he’s being released to go home. Perfect timing, too, because I have an appointment with Dr. Tracey this afternoon. By the time all the paperwork is done and Max is discharged, we have enough time to make it to my appointment on the first floor of the hospital.

  We enter the office, both looking a little rough around the edges, Max more so than me, but in the past few days I’ve been starting to feel sick and not just in the morning, it lasts all day. After I check in, I take a seat; Max stands because it hurts too much to sit and then get back up, not to mention it takes a little more time for him to do so only having the use of one side of his body. It isn’t long before I am called back, and he follows quietly behind me. I’m excited and terrified all at the same time. What if this isn’t real? What if there are any complications from me having surgery? So many questions filter through my mind as I’m asked for a urine sample then lead to an exam room. Vitals, height and weight are taken, and then we are left to sit there to wait in deafening silence. We both have a lot on our minds and we’re both scared to death. We aren’t married, live in a studio apartment, and have just lived through the worse six months we could have ever gone through.

  Dr. Tracey finally enters and has a smile on her face as she gives me a hug. “Bren, it’s so good to see you, and I hear that we’ve had some good news recently. Dr. Gerrard filled me in. I can’t believe it. From the looks of your blood test last week and the sample you gave me today, you are pregnant. I know the biggest questions of the hour are is everything good with the baby, and are there any risks since having your surgery. The good news is that even after your surgery, you still have a fully functioning uterus, so what I need to do today is to make sure everything looks good and healthy. Now, I want you to know that there is a chance that you might have an ectopic pregnancy, which means a fertilized egg gets trapped in the tube, and if that’s the case, then we would have to end the pregnancy as soon as possible. Now, let me go and get the sonogram machine so we can look.”

  I hold Max’s hand like he’s my lifeline and say nothing. He kisses my forehead and knuckles reassuring me of his presence. Dr. Tracey walks back in a few minutes later with the machine and plugs it in.

  “Now, Bren, since the timeline seems to point out that you may only be around four to five weeks along, I have to look wi
th the wand internally.”

  I’m directed to lie down on the table and put my feet in the stirrups while she puts her gloves on. Once I’m situated, she covers the wand with a condom then slowly inserts the wand and starts to look around. I turn to Max, and he is looking right back at me, obviously nervous about what Dr. Tracey has to say. Turning back to the monitor, I hold on to Max’s hand tightly, waiting for the moment of truth as I stare at the screen. I can feel my nerves starting to get the best of me and feel like I'm holding my breath for what seems like forever. Max feels the tension, too, and is constantly kissing my knuckles, reassuring me. Finally, Dr. Tracey speaks.

  “Well, guys, I have good news for you,” she says with a smile. “You have a baby that has successfully been implanted in the uterus. Even better news, I hope, is that it appears you may have two.”

  I gasp at her words as I feel the tension rise in Max. “What do you mean by two?” he says, eyes wide.

  She points to a small circle on the screen. “You see how this circle here has two darker spots in the middle? Those are your babies. I want to say that since we had been giving you additional hormones for the egg retrieval, that you released multiple eggs. So, if everything continues to go well, you’ll be bringing two babies into the world. What do you think of that?”

  “I’m terrified, to be honest. I never thought I’d get to have one, and now I’m having two. I can’t believe this,” I answer with a smile on my face.

  Max has a terrified look on his face and isn’t saying anything. His hold is now causing my knuckles to go white. “Max. Hey, Earth to Max. Can I have my hand back before you cause it to fall off? You all right?”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m just…wow, I can’t believe this. I’m in shock, honestly. Happy, but shocked.” I look down at Bren, who has a worried look on her face. “I’m fine, really. Just shocked. I came today trying not to have any expectations, not wanting to be too excited because we didn’t know if everything was going to be okay. Now, to learn we’re having two—I can’t believe it. I’m happy, so happy. Bren, don’t doubt that please. Just give me a few minutes to recover from the news.”