"Brynn, what am I going to do?"
"I don't know, Nyla. You haven't even told me what's wrong." Brynn told her, holding her hand.
"I'm in love," Nyla said, and broke into a whole new round of tears.
Brynn almost laughed out loud. "Is that all?"
Nyla shot her a murderous glare through her tears.
"Okay, okay... why is that a problem?"
"It's a problem because look at the last time I fell in love. I got hurt so bad that I never wanted to get close to another man again. Now I go and fall in love with someone who's as big a player as I am," Nyla explained.
"So, why is this a problem all of a sudden?" Brynn repeated.
"Zaiden asked me to move in with him."
Brynn paused, thinking. "Well, that's great. I still don't see the problem."
"Yeah, right." Nyla threw her hands up in the air. "Remember a few weeks ago when you freaked out because Chandler wanted to move in with you? Don't tell me that it's not a big deal. Add to it the fact that Zaiden has never committed to anyone, along with the problem that I have always been so independent, and I don't want to lose that. Then, we have a big problem."
"So it's a big deal to move in with someone. I mean, let's face it...you've already lost some of your independence, because it's basically like you and Zaiden already live together. So it really won't be that different," Brynn reasoned.
"But what if he freaks out after we move in together, and he decides that he wants to see other people, or that he can't handle commitment?"
"I don't know the answer to that. But as for you, are you ready to say goodbye to all your one-night stands?"
"Yeah, I already have. I feel so much more secure having Zaiden around all the time, and I really like being with him."
"Then talk to him about your concerns and work things out. Don't do it unless it's something you both want," Brynn said with a smile.
Nyla dried her tears. "I know, you're right. I guess I just needed a little kick in the ass to put me in the right direction. And, just think, not too long ago I had to do the same exact thing for you." She smiled and sniffled one last time, looking at Brynn with relief. "So, tell me how you're feeling? You must be loving it that you get to work from home part time now."
"I'm tired all the time, and I get sick every morning, but that'll be over in a couple of weeks. I am so thankful that I don't have to be in the office the whole week though! I'd never make it!"
"So, are you feeling better about the whole pregnancy thing?"
"Yeah, Chandler and I are both feeling a lot better about it now. I'm getting used to the idea of having a little one around again. You should see Chandler. He is so cute about it. He talks to my belly. I think he is the most excited about it," Brynn smiled, thinking about how good Chandler had been to her since they found out about the pregnancy.
"So, which room will be the baby's, now that Willow and Barrett have the only two other bedrooms besides yours?"
"Well, we haven't really talked about it, but I will likely move my office to the basement, and we'll put the baby's room there. It's a little small to be a bedroom, but it will do for the first couple of years," Brynn said.
Not long after, Chandler returned with Willow and Barrett, and a couple of bags of Chinese food. "Hey, Nyla! Care to join us for lunch? We have plenty!"
As Nyla watched Brynn and Chandler through lunch, she saw exactly what she wanted with Zaiden. She realized that her time as a playgirl was over, and that it was time for her to settle down. Granted, she wasn't ready for marriage and kids, but she was definitely ready for a commitment of some sort.
She couldn't wait to get home to tell Zaiden!
Chapter 26
The next month passed rather uneventfully. Nyla and Zaiden made up and were discussing their future together. They hadn't agreed to move in together, but Brynn knew it was only a matter of time before they did.
The house Chandler and Willow used to live in was still empty. They hadn't found anyone who was suitable enough to live there, without them having to worry about the house getting trashed or the rent being late. There was one young couple who was really interested, but they had wanted to buy the house, and Brynn and Chandler weren't sure if they were ready to let it go or not.
Brynn was finally starting to feel better. She was now in her second trimester, and her bouts of morning sickness were slowly becoming a thing of the past. The pregnancy was progressing along normally, and each day brought more and more excitement about the little one growing inside.
The kids had been told about their new brother or sister. At first, they weren't too happy about it, but the more Brynn and Chandler planted the seed of excitement into their heads, the better they got about the situation. Willow was the first to be happy about having a new brother or sister, and slowly Barrett came around too.
A week into her second trimester, Brynn had her first ultrasound. Chandler sat by her side as they saw their beautiful baby, comfortably floating in the womb. The doctor told her that everything was progressing nicely, and wished them well as they set off for the day.
Chandler took the rest of the day off work to spend it with Brynn, hoping to finish the day in a most perfect way. It was so special for him and Brynn to be able to see their baby on the ultrasound screen, and to be able to hold its very first picture in their hands. He wanted the rest of the day to be as wonderful as it had been seeing their baby for the first time.
Chandler drove Brynn home and made her a nice lunch, pampering her and trying to show her how much he loved her. As they sat down to eat, his cell phone rang. He got up to answer it, leaving Brynn to sit at the table waiting for him. Brynn didn't want to eat without Chandler, especially since he had gone to so much trouble to make the nice meal.
After waiting a full ten minutes for him to return, Brynn went to see what was going on. Chandler was in the office on his cell phone when Brynn walked into the room. He mouthed "Work. Five more minutes," to Brynn, and with a nod of her head, she walked out of the office and back to the table. She was a little annoyed because he promised that he was going to take the afternoon off to spend with her.
Five more minutes passed, then ten, then twenty. He had been gone for half an hour at that point, and Brynn was starting to get heated. Her stomach growled as she looked at the food sitting in front of her. She decided to forget about waiting for him and dug her fork into the food.
As she put it in her mouth, she was met with cold food. Of course it was - it had been sitting there on the table, waiting for Chandler, just like she had been.
Angrily, Brynn took out some bread and made herself a sandwich, slapping the ingredients on as she muttered to herself about how rude Chandler was. When it was gone, she cleaned up and walked back to the office. Chandler had been on the phone for forty-five minutes; he was never on the phone for business that long.
Nearing the room, Brynn heard Chandler laughing. She heard him whisper a few things, not clearly making out what he was saying, then laughed some more. Brynn's anger reached new heights when she walked into his office, and saw the surprise on his face at seeing her. She could feel the redness and heat rising up her body, from the tip of her toes, to the top of her head.
The only logical explanation to what was happening was that Chandler was cheating on her. That's what the phone call was about, the laughing and the whispering. He was cheating on her, when she was thirteen weeks pregnant with his baby. She knew that as soon as she started to gain weight, he was out of there.
Chandler quickly told the person at the other end of the line that he had to go, and hung up the phone in a flash. He knew he'd have to do damage control, wondering how much of the phone call she had heard. As he began to speak, Brynn held up her hand, motioning for him to stop.
"I don't even want to hear it right now," Brynn said, her voice full of disgust. She turned from the room and ran downstairs. On her way out the door, Brynn grabbed her purse and the keys. She slammed the door when she left, and
squealed the tires of her SUV as she took off. Chandler knew she was mad.
He picked up his cell phone and dialed the number to his office. "Hey, Rylee. That was a close call. I hope she didn't hear any of the plans for her baby shower. I want to really surprise her."
"Is she still there?" Rylee asked.
"No, she got mad that I was taking too long on the phone, and she left. I'm sure she's just got her hormones all worked up, and she'll be back in a few minutes when she calms down. Now, what kind of games were you talking about? The one with the dirty diaper kills me! You melt chocolate and put it in the diaper?" Chandler asked, and started laughing again.
Four hours later, Brynn still hadn't returned. He was starting to get nervous. Chandler had tried calling her cell phone numerous times, never getting an answer. He had a horrible feeling at the pit of his stomach, worried that something was wrong.
Not knowing what else to do, he called Nyla to see if she had heard from Brynn. Nyla said no, but on hearing the worry in his voice, she told him that she and Zaiden would be right over.
When Nyla and Zaiden walked into the house, Chandler looked scared. "I can't explain it. I just feel like something is wrong," he told them. Almost as if on cue, the phone rang. Chandler slowly picked up the phone, afraid of what he'd hear at the other end.
"Could I please speak with Chandler Tiller?"
"This is Chandler," he said, his heart thumping.
"Mr. Tiller, this is Dr. Miner calling from the hospital. Do you know a Brynn Chase?"
Chandler's mouth went dry. "Yes, I do," he choked out. "Is she alright?"
"Ms. Chase was in a car accident today. I think you better get over here, and contact any family she has."
Chandler tightened his grasp on the phone as he dropped to his knees. He listened to the doctor telling him to hurry. Then the line went dead. He brought the phone to his chest, as his face blanched and tears poured from his eyes.
Chandler screamed. It was a heart-wrenching, gutting scream that brought Nyla and Zaiden running in panic. "Brynn...she-she was in an-an accident," Chandler stammered. " I can't lose her. I can't lose her the way I lost Brooklyn," he cried, looking up to Zaiden like a lost little boy, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt.
Zaiden put his arm around his best friend and looked to Nyla, who was now crying tears of her own. "Where is she? What did they say?"
"She's at the hospital. All they said was that I'd better get over there and to contact her family," Chandler said, sobbing.
Zaiden instantly took control. "Where are the kids?"
"At my mom's."
"Lock the door after us," he told Nyla.
"She can't be dead," Chandler moaned.
"Come on. We need to get to the hospital," Zaiden said, pulling Chandler off the floor. He put one arm around Chandler to keep him steady, then his other arm went around Nyla.
Somehow, Chandler made it into the passenger seat of his SUV, with Zaiden driving and Nyla sitting in the back seat. He drove to the hospital at breakneck speed as Chandler looked out the window, remembering the night he lost Brooklyn.
Then another thought hit - a worse thought, if such a thing were possible. "Our baby," he whispered. "What about our baby?"
They pulled up to the emergency room of the hospital and Chandler jumped out of the vehicle before it came to a stop. He ran into the ER and frantically asked for Brynn Chase. The nurse told him that she would get the doctor, and motioned for them to sit in the waiting room.
"But this can't wait!" Chandler insisted, trying to muscle his way back.
Zaiden held him back. "Come this way and sit down," he ordered, in a voice that was not to be brokered with. Chandler started to cry again, and let Zaiden lead him. Once in the waiting room, Chandler paced anxiously, thinking the worst.
Not long after, a man in a white lab coat and green scrubs walked in. "Chandler Tiller?"
Chandler looked up. "That's me."
The man stuck his hand out for Chandler to shake. "I'm Dr. Miner. I was the doctor on duty when Ms. Chase was brought in. Luckily, her OBGYN was here, passing through and recognized her. We got your name out of her doctor's files as an emergency contact," the doctor explained.
"What happened?"
"Ms. Chase was in a serious car accident. From the way we heard it from the paramedics, Ms. Chase's vehicle was t-boned on the passenger side, and the airbags inflated, causing-"
Chandler interrupted. "Is she ok? Can we see her?"
"There was internal bleeding and possible head trauma. It looks like we are going to have to operate to try to stop the bleeding," the doctor said.
"What about our baby?" Chandler asked.
The doctor took a deep breath. " This is a lot of trauma for a pregnancy to tolerate, and we aren't sure if it will survive the surgery."
Chandler swallowed hard. "I understand."
"Ms. Chase is in a room for the time being, until we can take her up to be operated on. I can let only immediate family in to see her right now."
"I'm her fiance," Chandler stretched the truth. "She doesn't have any other family, other than an eight year old son."
"Alright, you can go in. Just follow me," the doctor said and led him out of the waiting room.
The moment Chandler saw her bruised body, fresh tears came to his eyes. He took her hand and sat in the chair next to her bed.
"Oh God, Brynn. You have to make it through this. You have too much to live for. Willow, Barrett, and I all need you. Our baby needs you." The tears flowed down his face as he reached over and touched her stomach. There was still a nice little bulge there where his baby was.
"Neither one of you can leave us. We have the rest of our lives together, so you both need to make it through this."
The doctor slowly pushed open the door, and told Chandler they had to take Brynn up for surgery. Chandler leaned over the bed and kissed Brynn's stomach, then kissed her forehead. "I love you both. I'll be here waiting for you," Chandler said.
Just as he was about to let go of her hand, he felt a little squeeze from Brynn.
Chandler watched as they rolled her away. He went back to the waiting room to comfort his best friend and girlfriend, as they all waited for news of Brynn's surgery.
A couple of hours later, Dr. Miner appeared back in the room, looking solemn. "Mr. Tiller?"
Chandler looked up with tears in his eyes, waiting to hear if his life as he knew it was over or not.
Chapter 27
Chandler stood and walked over to the doctor. His feet felt like they were made of lead, his knees were like jelly, and his mouth like a desert.
"Ms. Chase is out of surgery, but she still has not regained consciousness. We were able to stop the bleeding, and there doesn't appear to be any serious damage that won't heal over time."
"So...so she is going to be okay?"
"It's hard to be absolutely sure, but it looks like it, yes. We will keep a very close eye on her for a few days, but right now it seems this will turn out well for her."
Chandler lost the ability to stand. The relief flooded him and he sank into a chair. The doctor smiled at the obvious rush of happiness that coursed through the man in front of him.
"What about the baby?" he asked.
The doctor cleared his throat. "For now, she still has a viable pregnancy, but that can change quickly. You need to be prepared in case that happens. We are monitoring her closely, though there isn't much else we can do in this situation."
Chandler nodded. "Can I see her?"
"After she is out of recovery and into her own room, you will be able to see her. I suggest you go get something to eat, and take a break from the hospital for a while. She will be here for several days, so you will have more of this place than you can stand," the doctor said, smiling again.
"Thank you, Doctor. For everything," he said, shaking the man's hand.
Chandler turned to look at Zaiden and Nyla. "Do you guys mind taking me to a few places? I don't think I can really drive
right now."
"Sure man, I'll drive you wherever you need to go," Zaiden said, giving Chandler a typical man hug. "Sounds like she's going to make it."
"As long as she gains consciousness soon," Nyla said, still skeptical of Brynn's condition.
"We need to hurry up so that we can get back here and see her," Chandler said absently, thinking of where he needed to go. The doctor was right, he really should get something to eat, and he had to go to the flower shop before it closed, run to Wal-Mart, then head to the house for a minute...he just hoped they had enough time to do it all. When he told Zaiden all he had to do, Zaiden took charge again and set the order of where they would go.
After stopping at the flower shop to get flowers and balloons for Brynn, they went to get a quick bite to eat. After a quick Quarter Pounder and fries, they finished the errands and stopped at the house Chandler shared with Brynn.
After a few minutes inside, Chandler came back out. He turned on the overhead light in the SUV as he sat down, then fished a small box out of his pocket.
"Nyla, as Brynn's best friend, I need your opinion on something. Do you think she will like this?"
Inside was a beautiful marquis cut diamond ring, with two rows of small diamonds in a channel set on each side of the large diamond.
Nyla gasped upon seeing the ring. "Oh my God! It's beautiful, Chandler! When did you get this?"
"I bought it for her a couple of days ago. I know that she didn't want me to ask her to marry me just because of the baby, so I didn't. I want her to marry me because I can't see myself spending a single minute without her for the rest of my life," he said, and paused as he began to get choked up. "Today, that almost happened."
"She's going to love it, " Nyla whispered through her tears, and reached up to hug Chandler. "She's lucky to have you."
"I'm lucky to have her," Chandler said, as he shut the box and put it back in his pocket. Zaiden began driving back to the hospital.
"I never thought I'd see the day..." Zaiden said, as he looked proudly at his friend. "Not after you lost Brooklyn. I never expected you to find someone else."
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