Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5)

by Lexy Timms

  Julie’s eyebrows pressed together as her eyes ran down, then up, and then settled on Charity’s mid-region. “When’s the last time you went to see your doctor?”

  Oh shit. Charity pulled on the hem of her shirt to straighten and hide her stomach. “A year ago?” Why did she have to say it like it was a question? Julie would totally know she was lying.

  Julie stood and reached out to lift Charity’s shirt.

  Charity jumped back. “What’re you doing?” She swatted Julie’s hand.

  “Something’s wrong. Have you been feeling tired? I think you need to go back upstairs and let’s get some bloodwork done. I’m not trying to scare you, but you know something isn’t right. I can see it in your face.” Julie frowned and put her hands on her hips. “So help me, if you have cancer and you’re ignoring the signs I’m going to kill you myself. You have family history!”

  Charity sympathized with Julie’s concern. She really did. However, she couldn’t stop the smile and then the giggle that escaped her lips.

  “This isn’t funny!” Julie looked ready to cry.

  Charity held her hand up. “I know, I know. I’m sorry.” She pressed her lips tight trying to suppress their corners from arching upward. “I don’t have cancer.”

  “You’ve checked? Don’t lie to me now.”

  “I have been to see my doctor. It’s definitely not cancer.” For all Julie’s brilliance, how was she not clueing into why Charity had a bump on her stomach. It wasn’t rocket science.

  “Then what… Wait! Oh! Ahhhh!” Julie’s face brightened. “You’re not!”

  Charity nodded. She knew she must look like a complete dork with a big, silly smile plastered on her face. “I am.”

  “How far? Does Elijah know? Does your dad? Why the heck didn’t you tell me right away? I’m your best friend! Is it Elijah’s?”

  Charity slapped Julie’s arm. “Of course it’s Elijah’s.” She shook her head trying to go through the questions just drilled at her at break-neck speed. “Elijah and I haven’t told anyone yet. We kind of figured with me working on my residence, it would single me out. I do not want to be treated as fragile.”

  “You’re a Thompson, no one would think you delicate. Trust me on that one. You do realize you need to be careful. There are a number of situations you can’t put yourself into.” Julie held out her left hand and began touching each finger as she started listing out concerns. “There’s radiation, that’s the biggest. Then what if some druggy comes in high as a kite and stabs you with a needle he’s just shot up with? There’s over-work, over-stress, not enough sleep, not enough nutrients. Are you taking a multi-vitamin? And Folic acid?”

  Charity burst out laughing. She hadn’t got past the mental image of some poor homeless person coming into the ER waving a dirty needle and chasing after Charity. “Drug crazed needle pusher? Really?”

  Julie waved her hand, oblivious to Charity’s teasing. “It could happen. You should see some of the crap that goes on in here.”

  “There’s a lot of crazy that goes on in my life, Juls. In the past year I’ve made friends with my dad, dated his top doctor, got shot, got married, almost lost my father after finally finding him, got pregnant and then went back to med school. Nothing’s going to stop me now.”

  “Hold up a sec. Did you say got pregnant and then went back to finish your residence and take your test?”

  Charity shrugged. “I’m five months.”

  Julie’s mouth dropped. “You’re barely showing.”

  “It’s my first. Nothing’s stretched out, you know, broken in, yet.”

  “What does Elijah think?” She hugged Charity. “I’m so happy for you! Right? You want this baby?”

  “Definitely. It wasn’t exactly planned for, but I’m ready. Elijah’s ecstatic. He can’t wait.”

  “I think I’m jealous of you all over again.”

  Charity blinked. “Why?”

  “You are like a super hero. Like that old song we used to listen to in uni.” She snapped her fingers. “What was the name of the band again? They were a one hit wonder.”

  “What was the song?”

  Julie moved her body to an invisible rhythm. “I get knocked down… but I get up again. You ain’t ever gonna get me down.”

  Charity covered her ears. “That’s awful.” She dropped her hands and pretended to cover the baby’s ears. “Chumbawamba.”

  “That’s it!” Her phone vibrated in her pant pocket. Julie pulled the cell out and scrolled through the message. “Shoot! I gotta go.”

  “Duty calls.” She saluted her friend as she watched Julie dash up the steps taking two at a time. “Hey, Jules?”

  Julie paused at the top of the next set of steps.

  “Don’t mention this,” she pointed to her tummy, “to anyone, kay? I don’t want my dad hearing about this from some first-year rez or someone who doesn’t know us. Things have been pretty good. I kind of want to try and keep it that way.”

  “No probs. I can hold the secret… Until tomorrow!” She disappeared through the doorway at the landing of the next set of stairs.

  Until tomorrow? Charity had no idea if they were going to tell her dad and Elijah’s mom right away. Her poor mother-in-law would just be getting off the plane from a long flight from New Zealand, she might just want to rest when she arrived.

  With her luck, Julie would congratulate her dad first thing tomorrow morning. Charity rubbed her temple. They probably should have told everyone two months ago. Now it was going to be a bigger deal than she wanted it to be. She rested her hand on her lower stomach. She was excited that a tiny little person was growing inside her, someone who Elijah and she had created.

  So why did she feel so nervous?

  Was it some kind of premonition?

  Some kind of sixth sense that something might go wrong?

  Chapter 5

  Charity lay in bed going over notes she had made for tomorrow surgery when she heard the familiar sound of the garage door opening and Elijah’s car pulling in. She smiled, humored by the fact that she had grown accustomed to the weirdest noises. A minute later the garage door closed and he came in through the side entrance by the kitchen.

  She checked her watch. Nearly eleven o’clock. She promised herself she would be settled down, lights out by midnight. Six AM would come too soon otherwise and her alarm would be annoying her ears, reminding her it was time to get going again. She had rounds at seven, the surgery at eight, her doctor’s appointment at ten… She forced herself to stop thinking about all the things going on tomorrow and just focus on rereading her notes from the last coronary artery bypass grafting she had done. This wouldn’t be the first time participating in one, but if Julie proved correct in her information about Dr. Fulton, Charity wanted to be prepared to fly solo if he asked her. It was a relatively standard procedure, and of all the rotations thus far she had done, cardiac surgeries seemed the most challenging and enjoyable.

  “You’re still awake.” Elijah came into the room carrying a bottle of beer and a sandwich he must’ve thrown together. “Everything alright?”

  She smiled and tossed the binder on the bedside stand next to her. “Couldn’t be better.” The sight of her beautiful husband made her want to throw him on the bed and ravish him. Where did that come from? She shrugged, unable to answer herself or understand why her inner needs suddenly shot up a couple of notches. She decided to just go with it and crawled on all fours when Elijah sat at the foot of the bed. She rubbed her lips gently against the back of his neck and then softly kissed his ear. He smelled of aftershave, deodorant and faintly of the hospital. Mouth-watering. “Did you shower before you left?” She thought she could smell soap mixed in with the other desirable scents.

  “I did.” He leaned his head away from her so she could have better access to his neck.

  Charity rested her hands on his shoulders and ran butterfly kisses toward his ear. She licked her lips and teasingly nibbled on his earlobe. When he groaned, she sat back
, cross-legged on the bed.

  He twisted his neck trying to see where she went.

  She spoke when his eyebrows went up in question, “Eat your sandwich and finish your beer.” She pulled her shirt off revealing a black lace tank top she had found in her drawer today. It was starting to get tight near the bottom but thankfully the stretchy material and sexy floral lace pattern hid the tightness perfectly. “I’ll wait.”

  Elijah’s eyes traveled hungrily over her, then to his sandwich and then back to her again. “I’m not so hungry for food anymore.” He guzzled the beer and set the empty bottle and sandwich plate on the dresser by the TV. He pulled his shirt off as he walked back to the bed.

  Charity enjoyed the view of his strong, lean chest and muscular six-pack as his arms worked to get his head out. “You keeping your pants on?” She giggled and stretched out her legs as she leaned back against the soft duvet. Her belly dropped and seemed to disappear when she lay on her back. She was up for no bump tonight or just for the next hour. She giggled. She couldn’t picture herself as sexy pregnant mama-to-be. The two words, sexy and pregnant, didn’t seem to belong in a sentence together. The only problem, because of their busy schedule, they hardly had time alone together. It might also be the onslaught of hormones… or whatever excuse she could blame it on, she wanted Elijah all the time, kissing her, touching her, inside of her. All of it.

  Elijah crawled across the bed like a prowling lion and hovered over top of Charity. The hunger in his eyes matched how she felt. He crushed his lips against hers and forced his tongue into her mouth.

  It didn’t take much coercing. She met his fever, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his short hair. She wanted his hips pressing and rotating against hers. She didn’t like the space between them so she ran her hands down that hot skin of his back and pulled his hips toward her. He wouldn’t budge, keeping them high above her. She groaned in protest as his lips left hers and ravaged kisses along her jawline and neck creating a trail of desire as he moved toward her breasts.

  She arched her hips and neck in animal response. “What are you trying to do to me?”

  Elijah let out a low laugh.

  His laugh was more intoxicating than any drink. She curled her hands into light fists against his chest and pushed him off her. Elijah fell beside her on his back in surprise. “What that—?”

  She straddled him and ground her hips against him, taking pleasure in the reaction she got from inside his jeans. “You scared to lie on me?” She kept her hands on his chest even though he didn’t struggle or resist against her. “I’m pregnant, not fragile.”

  “I know.” Elijah grinned, clearly enjoying himself. He trailed his fingers along the outside of her thighs and rested them on her hips, encouraging her to continue pressing against him. “I’m not going to hurt the baby.”

  “You won’t.”

  Elijah moved his hands and rested his arms behind his head. “Can’t we just fool around this way?”

  “Sure, we can.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips, gently tugging on his lower one before sitting back up. “When you tell me why you’re scared to be on top.”

  Elijah grinned. “Why did I know you were going to say that? You want the medical reason, Doctor Thompson-Bennet?” He winked. “Here it is, and please don’t tell me we aren’t going to have sex after I tell you why I’m uncomfortable. Your uterus is growing and it places pressure on your major blood vessels.”

  “The vene cana.”

  “Yes. It can become compressed. It supplies the blood from your body to your heart. I’m not going to constrict blood flow to you or the peanut inside of you. It can stress the fetus.”

  “I thought that wasn’t a concern till the third trimester.”

  Elijah shrugged. “Is it worth the risk?”

  He was right. She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he had a good point. She decided to play the female wanting sex ticket. No guy would say no to that. Charity giggled. “Am I allowed on all fours?”

  Elijah was licking his lips but paused when Charity spoke. “Pardon?” he said.

  She grinned slyly. “Am I allowed on all fours?”

  He swallowed. “Sure.”

  “Good.” She crawled off him and stood up beside the bed, pulling her panties down as she waited for him. “You need to get your clothes off if you want to have sex.”

  Elijah scrambled off the bed, ripping his shirt off in the process and then reaching for his pants.

  Charity smiled. “Wasting no time, eh?”

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard. He drew his head back to grab a breath and at the same time said, “I don’t like to keep my woman waiting.”

  She could feel his erection against her growing belly. It made her want him inside of her with such an intense desire she didn’t think she could wait. She moved to be closer to him. The edge of the mattress hit against the back of Elijah’s knees, dropping him into a sitting position on the bed. Charity went down with him, in slow, controlled motion so she had time to envelop him with her legs. Cowgirl position it is then. She grinned wickedly.

  The touch of his skin on her inner thighs made her shiver. She pulled her head away from his and stared into his bright blue eyes as she lowered herself onto him. She rubbed against the head of his erection, teasing and tormenting him with her wetness. It took every bit of her restraint, not to slide him fully inside of her.

  When he moaned and closed his eyes, Charity stopped her movement.

  “Look at me,” she ordered in a husky whisper. Her whole body trembled with desire. She was sure she had never been this horny before in her life.

  Elijah’s eyes flickered open. They burned with intensity as he met her gaze. He pressed his lips together and spread his hands over her derrière. “You are killin’ me, woman.” He let out a shaky breath. “Please. Stop. Tormenting. Me.”

  The pleading in his voice was her undoing. Her favorite part of sex was always the first stroke of Elijah’s penis entering her. It felt like the pinnacle before she was sent soaring.

  She brought her weight forward onto her knees tucked tightly on each side of him and circled her hips down. In one luscious thrust, his penis slid hard and smoothly inside of her. Her eyes shut tightly as she let exotic sensations wash over her.

  She lifted slightly, teasing Elijah with a few shallow thrusts so he only entered her an inch or two. It was too much for either of them. She enveloped him completely, rotating her hips hard against his. He responded accordingly. Matching her movement, lifting his hips off the bed, his abs tight, as he struggled to control himself.

  Slower… Harder… Deeper… Faster… They varied their motion until neither could stop the rhythm and it built to a firework climax. Charity cried out and ground herself tighter against him, trying to get every inch of him inside of her. Elijah shuddered and pulled out slightly before one last hard thrust as he came. He bit lightly into her shoulder as he fought to stop himself from crying out.

  They lay against each other, wet from sweat and both of them panting.

  “So I guess me being on all fours was a no?” she teased.

  Elijah fell back, cradling Charity so she lay on her side on top of him. “Give me ten minutes and you can have it your way.”

  She giggled and yawned. “How ‘bout we just chill here a bit?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I’m good with that too.” He pulled the duvet from the side of the bed and folded them inside of it like a taco. Charity thought of a funny comment to make about it and when Elijah didn’t laugh, she realized she hadn’t said the thought out loud. The moment had passed and she was perfectly sated and too tired to even make the effort to talk.

  I love you, and your incredible body, to the moon and back.

  Chapter 6

  Charity knew she was dreaming but it didn’t stop the delusion from continuing. She had just given birth to quintuplets and Dr. Govender stood at the end of the birthing table with a need
le as long and thick as an arm sewing her up. He was trying to tell her that there were more fertilized embryos and they would be ready in about two months. She needed to rest in the meantime to prepare to give birth again.

  She had no idea if she would sleep again with quintuplets. How could she manage to feed, burp, change their diapers, do laundry, entertain them and still finish her residence? Her father refused to help her, saying he had important manly stuff to do with Elijah, and her mother-in-law came from New Zealand with little birds. She set their nests up in Charity’s house to let hundreds of eggs hatch. She even suggested Charity carry a few to help the birds out. Margaret came into the birthing room carrying eggs and asking Dr. Govender to hold off sewing Charity all the way, she just wanted to add them in too.

  Charity woke in a cold sweat. She sat up and pulled the elastic band off her wrist she always kept handy and stuck her damp hair into a pony to keep it off her neck. Dr. Govender had mentioned last time that she might start having some zany dreams and not to worry, it was normal to feel a little anxious.

  Little anxious? My ass!

  She grabbed a long drink from the water bottle on her nightstand and curved around Elijah’s warm, naked body. She debated about waking him up but decided against it. They both needed whatever sleep they could get, wacky dreams or not.

  She went over tomorrow’s procedure in her head and it didn’t take long before she drifted off to sleep again.

  Charity stirred when she felt the bed weight shift as Elijah got up. She inhaled and exhaled long and slowly through her nose and then squinted as she glanced at the indiglo from her wristwatch. Five thirty. She rolled over to Elijah’s warm spot and snuggled deeper under the duvet. Five more minutes, that’s all I need. As she drifted off again, she heard Elijah turn the shower on. I’ll get up as soon as he’s done.