by Krista Lakes
Chris lead the way outside to a security van. “Set her in the back. Dave will drive while I start an IV.”
AJ carefully set her down on the backseat, the leather squeaking slightly as he released her.
“Mr. Jacobson, you need to sit in the passenger seat,” Chris informed him. AJ realized he was blocking the door and just staring at her in the backseat.
“Of course,” he murmured before running to the front of the van. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of her for a second.
In the back seat, Chris set up his medical kit while Dave started the engine. AJ watched, wishing that he didn’t feel so damn helpless as Chris cleaned her arm and inserted a needle.
“Damn,” Chris cursed as he searched for a vein. “She’s got nothing...”
AJ tried not to think about what his words meant. She had to be fine. She had to be.
“Can you go faster?” AJ hissed at Dave. The man was driving far too slow. He wasn’t paying the man to go the speed limit after all.
Dave ignored him and reached for the dispatch radio. Without taking his eyes from the road, Dave contacted the hospital. It only took a moment before Dave was repeating the vital signs Chris shouted from the backseat into the radio for the hospital to prep for their arrival.
AJ watched as Chris finally got the IV started and hung a bag of clear fluid from the roof of the car. She was still out cold and he was doing his best not to imagine life without her. She’d only been in his life for a short time, but he knew that he needed her to be there for the rest. No one had ever made him feel like she did. He wished there was something more he could do.
Kat whimpered and her eyes fluttered. It was a good thing he was wearing a seat belt, or he would have jumped into the backseat to be with her. He was grateful and jealous as Chris smoothed her hair and made gentle calming noises.
The red and white sign of the hospital finally came into view and Dave thankfully sped up. The tires squealed as he peeled into the ambulance bay where three people in official-looking blue scrubs stood waiting for them.
He jumped out of the van, anxious to help in anyway he could. The faster he got her into that hospital, the faster she could be all right. AJ helped Chris pick up Kat and put her on the gurney, nearly cursing the man out for not being gentle enough.
“She just passed out,” he said to the closest person in scrubs. “She’s had a stomach bug this past week, but she was getting better.”
“We’ll take good care of her,” the doctor promised, putting his hand on AJ’s shoulder before whisking her through the hospital doors.
AJ followed, anxious and heart heavy.
She had to be okay, or he never would be.
28
Kat
An annoying, rhythmic beeping woke Kat from a dreamless sleep. She wished she could just go back to sleep. In sleep she had been comfortable. Now that she was awake, her arm ached and it felt like it was part of an ice-cold river, not to mention she had a wicked headache. But, on the upside, she wasn’t nauseous.
Cautiously, Kat opened her eyes to see gray ceiling tiles and florescent lights. The bed was incredibly hard and as she looked around, she realized it was actually a gurney and not a bed at all.
She was in a hospital.
She closed her eyes and her hand went to her belly. A cold wave of fear washed over her. Was her child okay? What was happening? How did she get here? What if the doctors had given her something that was bad for the baby?
She took a breath and tried to remember how she had gotten here. She could remember arriving at AJ’s house, but it was fuzzy.
AJ. Her hand tightened on her stomach and she swallowed hard. She was in a hospital with AJ. What if the doctors had told him?
Kat sat up quickly and immediately regretted the decision. The headache became blinding and waves of nausea rolled over her.
“Shhh,” a soft voice comforted her. A strong hand smoothed her hair back away from her forehead and guided her back down to the bed. She knew that touch. It was AJ’s, cool and soothing. “Lay back and relax. You’re okay. Just relax.”
“What happened?” Her voice came out as a whisper instead of strong like she wanted it to be. She hoped that the doctor hadn’t said anything. Maybe he didn’t know yet. Maybe everything was still going to be fine.
“You passed out,” AJ answered, still stroking her hair. “The doctor says you were extremely dehydrated.”
“Is that all?” Kat asked, hoping that it was.
AJ sighed and his hand stilled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kat bit her lip. Maybe they found something else wrong. Maybe they found out she didn’t have a spine. “Tell you what?”
AJ frowned and he pulled his hand away from her. His crystal blue eyes stared her down. “That you’re pregnant.”
“Oh.” So the doctors had told him. He knew now. This wasn’t how she had planned on telling him. This wasn’t how she planned any of this. She looked away from him, unsure of what to say next. She still had no idea how he really felt.
“Well?” His voice was completely unreadable.
Her chin quavered. “I don’t know how it happened,” she whispered. “I mean we were careful.”
Kat stared at the IV in her wrist. She couldn’t bare to look at AJ. She was terrified of what expression might be on his face. Was he angry? Upset? Disappointed?
“Kat.” He simply said her name, but she felt like he was shouting. She still couldn’t read his voice and she didn’t dare look up.
“I only found out last week. I didn’t have the flu. It was the pregnancy.” she said quietly. She took a deep calming breath, but still felt shaky. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make your life harder. You’ve been so stressed with this whole scandal thing and your partner...”
Her voice faltered. The room was silent except for the beeping of the machines. She felt like it was going to crush her. She wished she could just go back to sleep and find this was just a bad dream.
“I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how you were going to respond,” she finally whispered. “I was planning on telling you. Just... not like this.”
AJ’s hand wiped the tears from her face.
“Oh, Kat.” He cupped her face and smiled gently as she opened her eyes to look at him. “I love you.”
“What?” Kat blurted out without thinking. She immediately turned bright red, but the shock of it kept her from saying anything else.
“I love you,” he repeated with a chuckle. “And that means that I love the life growing inside of you.”
Kat couldn’t breathe, but it was because joy and relief were fighting for space in her lungs instead of oxygen. He loved her and he loved the baby!
“You’re right,” he continued. “This isn’t exactly the best timing, but... I love you.”
Kat was fairly sure that the machine beeping her heart rhythm was broken because her heart wasn’t beating anymore. It was flying and skipping, yet the beeps still came at regular intervals. Damn thing was definitely broken.
“I love you, too.” Happy tears streamed down her face.
AJ leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. His kiss was soft and full of gentle love. It was a kiss of long passion, not immediate lust. Joy filled her, lifting her soul like a balloon. For the first time since peeing on that stick, she wasn’t terrified of what was going to happen next. She was excited.
Smiling, they broke the kiss and just stared into one another’s eyes for a moment before the nurse knocked on the door.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” the nurse said, coming over and smiling. “I just need to check your vitals real quick.”
She hit a button on the machine and the arm band began to inflate while she wrote down the numbers on the screen. She then checked Kat’s IV and the bag of fluids that was attached to it.
“You’re looking much better,” the nurse informed her. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake. He should be in shortly
.”
With another smile for both of them, she went to the door and stepped out. As she exited, Kat could hear the murmur of a crowd outside the door. She’d been in the ER once and didn’t remember ever hearing a sound like that before.
Which meant only one thing. The press had found out that billionaire CEO Andrew Jacobson had rushed a female employee visiting his private home to the hospital. That would fuel the rumor mills for weeks and was exactly the kind of thing they were trying to avoid.
“There’s a lot of people out there,” Kat said, staring at the door and trying to figure out just how many people would sound like that. Maybe there was just a really large family for another patient. Or possibly, someone more famous.
“Yes,” AJ agreed, taking her hand in his.
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” she asked, her eyes going to his. Guilt washed over her in waves. How could she do this to him?
“Yes,” he said simply. He seemed remarkably calm and collected, which was good because she felt like freaking out.
“I’m so sorry. This is exactly the kind of thing we were trying to avoid. I should never have come over today.” Kat closed her eyes and tried to pull her hand away from him, but he held it tight.
“Hush,” he chided. “We had to come to the hospital. There wasn’t another option. As for you coming over, I’m glad you did. What if you had passed out like that at home? Alone? Since you were with me, we were able to get you treatment.”
Kat nodded, but she still felt terrible. She could only imagine the things the tabloids were coming up with while they were in here. Some of them were even probably true.
“I’m still so sorry,” she said, wishing that there were some way she could make this better.
“For what?” AJ asked. “Getting pregnant? It takes two. I helped, if you recall. In fact, if anything, this is my fault. I had that condom in my wallet for way too long.”
Kat smiled. “I thought you were supposed to be some kind of billionaire playboy.”
AJ shrugged. “Maybe I am. Maybe I just stuffed fifty condoms in my wallet and that was the last one.” There was a silence between them. “Bad joke. I’m sorry.”
Kat sniffled. He was being so wonderful that it wasn’t fair. “How could you fit fifty condoms in there and still have room for money?”
AJ laughed. “They make special big wallets and special big pockets for billionaires.”
She laughed again. Laughing felt good, but the feeling faded fast. “But what about your company?”
AJ shrugged. “All the media knows is that I rushed an employee to the hospital. Right now, I actually look like the best employer in the world.”
Kat raised her eyebrows and gave him a long slow blink. There was no way he actually believed that.
“Okay, so that’s how we’re spinning it,” he admitted. “But they don’t know why you’re here. I’ve made sure that they won’t bother you. That media circus isn’t your problem.”
“But…”
“No buts,” he said, cutting her off. “I’m going to take care of you. You know that, right?”
Kat nodded. He was sitting in the hospital room, holding her hand and telling her everything was going to be all right. He knew about the baby, and he wasn’t running away. He told her he loved her. She knew, deep in her heart, that he would always take care of her. Her and their child.
“What happens now?” she asked.
“We wait for the doctor and make sure that you’re healthy. No more passing out on me,” he replied. “As for the media circus out there, we’ll deal with that as we need to.”
“Okay,” Kat said. She settled back into the uncomfortably thin mattress. “AJ?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for rescuing me,” Kat said. As much as she wished she wasn’t here, it was a good thing that she had been at AJ’s home instead of her own. No one would have found her if she were by herself. She shuddered to think of what would have happened to her and her baby.
“Always,” AJ promised, leaning over and kissing her forehead. “I will always be there to rescue you.”
29
AJ
AJ evaluated the doctor standing in front of him.
The man looked far too young to be a real medical doctor, but his coat had the “Dr.” embroidered on it and so did his name badge.
“Where did you say you went to medical school?” AJ asked as the doctor checked Kat’s vitals and asked her questions about how she was feeling.
“Harvard,” the doctor replied. “With undergrad at Yale. My diplomas are in my office if you’d like to see them.”
AJ almost said yes. He wanted the best for Kat. And, while logically he knew that there were plenty of less prestigious medical schools that produced amazing doctors, he wanted the best. However, he didn’t need to be over the top either.
He made a mental note to have Charles hire the best OBGYN in the state and have him or her on retainer.
“Why did I pass out, Doctor?” Kat asked, shooting AJ a glare. He could read the “be nice” in her eyes, but he wasn’t about to back down. “Is it going to happen again? Is everything all right with my baby?”
“Your baby is fine,” the doctor assured her. “But we can’t let that happen again. You were extremely dehydrated and your electrolyte balance was way out of whack.”
“Out of whack? Is that a technical term, Doctor?” AJ asked, slightly annoyed.
“AJ, be nice,” Kat hissed.
He didn’t want to be nice. He wanted to protect Kat with everything he had. She was pregnant with his child. And while he hadn’t much time to really absorb and process that information, he knew that he was going to be the best damn father ever.
“We gave you fluid through your IV and your lab work is stabilizing,” the doctor continued, ignoring AJ’s comment. “However, we’d like you to stay the night here for observation.”
“Overnight?” AJ asked. It felt like ice water was thrown directly on his head. If she were staying the night at the hospital, then that meant something was seriously wrong.
“Yes, just as a precautionary measure,” the doctor explained. “We want to make sure this isn’t going to happen again.”
“Is it really necessary?” Kat asked. “I would really rather go home.”
“No, you should stay here,” AJ interjected. “It’s what the doctor says and he went to Harvard.”
Kat gave him a withering glance and the doctor chuckled.
“I’d recommend it,” the doctor told her. “We have stronger medications here and we want to keep a close eye on the two of you.”
“But, it’s just a little morning sickness,” Kat told him. “All pregnant women get it.”
“Not like this,” the doctor corrected her. “Morning sickness is normal. Going to the hospital and being treated for dehydration is not.”
Kat pouted, but she nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay here overnight.”
“I’ll go write the orders and have you transferred upstairs.” The doctor looked at the two of them. “Do you have any questions for me?”
AJ had a million questions. What was the chance of this happening again? Would she stay in the hospital longer than over night? What floor were they putting her on? Did they have an executive suite that he could rent out for her?
“Not just now, thank you,” Kat replied for him. AJ glared at her this time.
“Okay. If you need anything just use your call button. I’ll be back to check on you once you’re settled upstairs,” he told them. He washed his hands and left the room. The sound of the crowd outside intensified as the doctor left. AJ could even see several camera flashes.
Kat sighed. “I hope he doesn’t have very many other patients.”
“You should be his only concern,” AJ agreed.
“No, I mean with the press out there,” Kat said. “I hope he doesn’t have any other patients because he has to deal with that.”
“Oh. Right.” AJ sighed and did his best to rela
x his shoulders. For a moment, he had almost managed to forget about the media parked outside in the waiting room. He’d even heard that several reporters had faked injuries and illnesses in order to try and get closer to snap a picture of him and the mysterious employee he’d rushed to the hospital.
AJ closed his eyes for a moment. He needed a swim. He needed to clear his mind. Everything had just changed so fast in the last hour and he was struggling to keep up. He was still reeling from finding out that Kat was pregnant. He was going to be a father.
He hoped he could be a good one.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It hadn’t stopped vibrating for the past half-hour and AJ was fairly certain he was going to have to charge it just so that it could last another thirty minutes. He pulled it out to see half a dozen missed calls from his secretary and Charles, along with more text messages than he cared to read. The most recent was from Charles.
You need to make a statement. The board is getting anxious.
AJ sighed and put his phone away without reading anymore. He knew Charles was right, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to do it. He didn’t mind the cameras or public speaking, it was what he was going to say that bothered him. In all likelihood, he would either have to confirm or deny his relationship with Kat to the public, and he wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. Especially after a day like today.
Yet he knew it had to get done. With all the sex scandal press going on with his company, this needed to be addressed right away. The narrative needed to be controlled.
“Kat, I’m going to have to make a statement to the press,” he told her, sitting down in the chair next to her gurney.
“Okay.” She smiled. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
AJ wanted to kiss her. She wasn’t asking anything of him. She was sitting on a hospital gurney asking him if he needed anything. She really was amazing.
“No,” he replied. “But, I just want you to know that I really do care about you. No matter what you see on the news, I love you.”