“That’s a relief. Thanks, Mia,” I tell her, giving her shoulder a gentle touch. “I know it’s your job and Cole’s, too, but having you both here tonight is a godsend. For real.”
“Of course. We’re glad we could be here, too. And now that we know you’re going to become a father, I’d say we’re long overdue for a night out.”
“You got it. As soon as she’s up to it.” I promise something that is easy to fulfill.
Walking past the curtain, I keep my face neutral, not wanting to show my anxiety to Ashley.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
She looks up and the smile she gives me breaks my heart. It’s fake. I know it.
“How are you?”
As soon as I’m sitting in the chair next to her, nodding to Cole who’s typing something into the laptop he’s holding, tears pour out of her eyes and she begins to sob, leaning over a little bit to rest her head against my chest.
“Mia said she was okay!” I say to my friend, my tone accusatory.
His eyes drift to Ashley and he grips her foot. “She is but it’s normal to be emotional and a bit overwhelmed. Her body’s been through a trauma and it might take a few days for her brain to catch up with the fact that she’s all right.”
I let Ashley cry against my shoulder, rubbing her back and trying to offer her a little bit of comfort.
“She is, though? Going to be all right, I mean?”
“Yes, she is. She hit her head against her window which caused a concussion and some mild lacerations. We have wrapped her wrist because of a small fracture but we won’t need to cast it. I think it will heal perfectly if we keep it wrapped. We would like to admit her overnight to monitor her and the baby. Other than that, and a few cuts and bruises, I expect a full recovery. She’ll want to take it easy for a while. She mentioned that she lives alone but she’ll need someone to stay with her once she’s released from the hospital.”
“She’ll be staying with me.”
Cole and I both chuckle a little when she whimpers, “I’m right here, you know.”
“Glad you could be here for us, Cole. You and Mia, both.”
Ashley turns her tear-filled eyes up to me and I know she’s needing an explanation. “Dr. Ryan here has been a good friend of mine since we were eight. His wife, Mia, too. She’s the nurse who updated me and brought me back here.”
“Oh.”
Cole just grins and taps the end of the bed. “I’ll be back in to check on y’all in a bit and we’ll get the papers ready to transfer her over to the hospital room. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to hit the call button and someone will be right in. You’re a lucky woman from the sounds of it.”
Ashley hiccups through a cry and nods against me.
“Thanks, man. Making her cry even more,” I joke to Cole.
He shrugs and winks at Ashley and then disappears through the curtain.
“Scared the shit out of me,” I tell her.
“Me, too.”
Placing a hand on her belly, I lean down and kiss first her forehead and then her stomach. “Take care of your mama, little man.” It’s then that I realize there’s a band around her stomach.
Her hand finds the back of my head, playing with my hair. “We’re both going to be good as new soon. That’s just a monitor to keep an eye on him, too.”
I lift my head to look at her. “I meant what I said. After we leave here, you’re going to stay with me. No time limit on that, either. I’d like it to be long term. Get rid of your place.”
Her red-rimmed, puffy eyes widen. “Like… move in?”
“Yes. I’ve got three extra rooms, you know? I was already planning on converting one into a nursery for the baby.”
“Umm, that’s a lot for me to ask of you.”
“Good thing you didn’t ask, then. Good thing they’re keeping an eye on you for a little bit, you seem to be confused.”
She giggles a little and the sound is like music to my ears.
“I can probably do that,” she eventually says after we’ve been holding each other for a few minutes.
“Yeah?”
“I mean, if it would make you feel better,” she teases.
“That’s the only reason, huh?” I ask, knowing it’s not but the fact that she’s being cute and cheeky makes me happy. That is, until I remember who’s in the waiting room. “Your sisters are here,” I tell her. “I wasn’t very nice to Grace but I won’t apologize for that. She deserved what I said.”
“Oh no. What’d you say?”
“Nothing she didn’t already know. If you want me to go out there and give them an update I will. If you want them to come to your hospital room, I’m good with that. If you’d rather wait to see them until you’re settled at the house, that’s fine, too. This is your show, you run it. I’ll do what you say. But just so you know, my vote is to keep them in the dark because I feel like being a complete asshole at the moment, but the other half of that vote is that I support you. So you can see I’m a little conflicted at the moment but in the end, just know I’m all about you so you drive.”
“That was a lot of words in a short period of time.”
I lower my voice and let her know, “Learned today that if I don’t tell you everything I need to, it could be too late. Life is short, Ashley. I don’t want you wondering where my loyalty lies. It begins and ends with you and our little man.”
“They need to know. Grace was awful today and my guess is that after today she’s going to realize that. And she’s a complete brat for what she did today…”
“I would use a different description…”
“…but she’s still my sister and I know she loves me, even though she has a weird way of showing it.”
I sigh. She’s not wrong and I know it, but it’s hard to admit it. “I get to be in the room. If she says anything about adopting the baby, I can’t promise you I’ll behave.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. Though, she didn’t really offer to adopt so much as buy,” she admits.
“What?” I half growl, half whisper.
“Yeah, to go along with the adoption, you know? She wanted to “make it right”,” she says, using one hand to make finger quotes.
“Good thing I didn’t know that earlier,” I mutter.
A nurse pops in, saying she needs to check Ashley’s vitals one more time and looks at a long printout that I hadn’t noticed earlier. Ashley explains it’s from monitoring the baby so when the nurse smiles at what she sees, I release the breath I was holding.
“Good. Everything still looks great, Ashley. Do you feel up to talking to the police? They’d like to get your statement for their records.”
“Oh. Now?”
“If you’re up to it. If not, I’ll tell them to come back tomorrow.”
“Might as well get it over with, right?”
The nurse gives her an encouraging thumbs up that makes us both chuckle. “Once they’re done, we’ll transfer you up to your room. Then maybe get you a little something to eat if you’re up for it. Sound good?”
“I guess,” she says, sounding like she wants to do anything but that. I don’t blame her, but she won’t be alone. I’ll sleep on the hospital floor if I have to, but she won’t be left alone in the hospital all night. Not to mention, the thought of eating hospital food after our dinner ended up on her passenger seat floor.
The nurse pats her on the leg. “It’ll be all right. I know it’s not fun or ideal but it’s best for you and the baby if we keep an eye on how you’re doing through the night.”
“I know, I get it,” Ashley replies, sounding sad as ever.
“Why don’t I go to your place while they’re getting you situated? I’ll bring back a change of clothes and whatever else you want.”
“Would you?”
“Of course. Just tell me what to grab.”
She rattles off a list of items and when she says “cell phone charger” her gaze drops.
“I don’t even know where my pur
se or phone ended up. Or even my car for that matter.”
Her car is without a doubt going to a junkyard. Not this second, obviously, because of insurance and whatever the police will need to do with it, but it’s completely totaled. Which sucks big time because it was brand new. She drove it off the lot with less than a hundred miles on the odometer less than a month ago. “It’s okay, Ash. We’ll figure it all out. I’ve got your spare key to your house in my truck. You’re here with me and that’s all that matters right now.”
She nods, tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to eat the food here,” she cries somewhat pathetically. “I was looking forward to our evening of Chick-fil-A and Netflix.”
“I know, baby. Me, too. I’ll pick up something for you to eat and sneak it in, okay?”
The nurse zips her lips and gives us a wink. “Didn’t hear a thing.”
She lets the police officer know he can come in and excuses herself for a few moments to give Ashley privacy. I won’t be doing the same. I haven’t had the chance to find out what the hell happened today either and need to know. I’ve restrained myself from demanding answers but my patience is gone.
“Ms. Porter, I’m Officer Luis,” the policeman introduces himself. He’s a younger guy, a few inches taller than me, and dark blond hair that’s been buzzed close to his scalp. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about what happened earlier this evening?”
“No. That’s fine. But you can call me Ashley.”
“All right, Ashley.”
He turns to me, extending his hand for me to shake. “And you are?”
“Nik. Ashley’s…” I trail off, not knowing how to explain our situation. I’m way more than her baby daddy, which is a term I loathe, but I’m also not her boyfriend. Even though I want to be. I mean, I consider her my girlfriend, and there’s nobody else for me. I’m about ninety-nine percent sure there’s no one else for her, either. But we’ve never had the talk to make sure that we’re on the same page. That, in itself, makes my stomach churn.
Ashley saves me from my inner turmoil and clears her voice. “He’s my Nik,” she states. Her Nik. I can live with that. Not exactly the only title I want, but it’s enough for now.
Officer Luis nods in understanding.
“Okay, Ashley. This should be relatively quick. I won’t take up too much of your time. Can you recall anything from today’s events?”
“Yes. I had just picked up food from the drive-thru and was on the phone with Nik,” she says, pointing to me. “But it was through the Bluetooth function on my car so it was completely hands free,” she quickly adds. He jots it down on his little notebook.
“Then what?”
“I was at a red light and it turned green, I know it did. I was just going through the intersection when out of nowhere I was hit in the passenger side of my car. The impact caused me to skid across the road and hit another car, or actually, no, it was a truck. A big full-size one. I’m positive it was. And I think the first one was a big SUV. Pretty sure it was a dark red color. The truck might have been gray? I’m not sure on that though. I was pinned against the truck but not the SUV. I never saw where it went after it hit me.”
“What do you mean?”
Ashley shrugs slightly. “I guess I never looked for it. It all happened so fast and seeing where that car went wasn’t my priority, you know? My airbags had deployed but I had hit my head. I assume it was against my window because it was on the side, not the front, and the airbags deployed. I don’t know if the driver left or if they hit another car? I’m not sure. A guy came over and said he saw the entire thing and he was on the phone with police. Then the ambulance came and here I am.”
Officer Luis nods and writes down a few more notes. “You have a good memory,” he comments.
“I paid attention. My dad’s a retired cop. He taught me what to take note of. Sorry I didn’t remember what happened to the car that hit me, though.” Her lips twist and her eyebrows furrow. “That kind of annoys me. I don’t know why I didn’t look harder.”
I press my lips together to stop from laughing. Only Ashley would be mad at herself for not remembering every single detail of an accident that could have killed her. Officer Luis looks at me out of the corner of his eye and smirks.
“That’s all right, Ashley. This is a big help.”
“Yeah?” she asks, her eyes lighting up.
He lifts his notebook in the air and nods. “Yup.”
“Can you tell us more about what happened? Is everyone involved okay? What was the cause?” I ask him, eager for anything else to go on. It was a beautiful day so weather-wise there was no logical reason why the accident would have happened. It had to be a case of distracted driving, drunk driving, or worse yet — the driver could have become suddenly sick and lost control. I’ve heard of accidents where the driver has a heart attack or a seizure with no warning. Scary to think about.
“Nothing I can tell you yet but you’ll be hearing from us soon.” Damn. That’s not the answer either of us wanted to hear, if the expression on Ashley’s face is anything to go by. “Your car has been towed to Sam’s Body Shop. Insurance will sort that out for you. Your personal belongings like your bag and phone are here,” he says, lifting up a paper bag that I didn’t notice he brought in. “Considering you’re pregnant, I wanted to bring this to you now in case you had anything important in there for the baby.” He looks a little sheepish when he says it.
“Thank you, Officer. I appreciate it.”
“If there’s anything else you think of, don’t hesitate to give me a call. Here’s my card,” he says, handing her a business card. “If you don’t mind putting your number on this one, then I can let you know when we have an update for you.”
He hands her two business cards and a pen. She turns one over, scribbles her name and number down, and hands it back to him.
“Thanks for your time, Ashley. We’ll be in touch. Get well soon.”
“Will do.”
“Nice to meet you, Nik.”
“Same.”
And then he’s gone and we’re alone again.
Suddenly the weight of what happened earlier hits me and I have to sit down. “I could have lost you,” I whisper, my throat clogging up with emotion.
“You won’t lose me. I’m too stubborn.”
“Thank goodness,” I say, giving her a soft smile. “I need to go fill in your family. They’re probably worried sick.”
“I’m sure they are,” she agrees.
I lean down and kiss her forehead, taking an extra minute to soak her in. She’s here. She’s with me. She’s going to be more than okay.
“Give me a list of what you want me to bring back with me. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Is your phone in the bag Officer Luis brought with him?”
She looks inside and pulls it out, wincing when she looks at it. “Screen a little cracked?”
“Little bit,” she agrees. “I think I bought the insurance on it, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem to get replaced or fixed but that’s a pain, huh?”
“If a new phone is all we have to worry about, let’s count our blessings.”
“And a new car, too,” she reminds me and I flinch.
“Sorry, babe. There’s no way that thing isn’t totaled.”
She looks down at her phone. “I know. I also know it’s just a thing and that I am really lucky because the baby and I are fine but I really liked it,” she whimpers.
I sit next to her and let her cry a few minutes, knowing that she truly needs to let it out. Holding it in isn’t good for anybody. “You’re right, they’re all things that can be replaced but it’s okay to be upset about it.” She nods and I give her a squeeze. “Are you going to be okay while I’m gone for a bit to get some stuff from your house?”
“Yeah.” She rattles off a few things, leggings, underwear, bra, t-shirt, a few toiletries, her Kindle just in case. “Thanks, honey.”
“I love it when you call me honey,” I tell her. “Be back
soon.”
I give her one more kiss then make my way to the waiting room where her family is all huddled together. Grace sees me first and nudges her mom who stands up quickly, rushing over to me.
“How is she?”
“She’s going to be fine, the baby, too. They’re keeping her overnight for observation but… we’re lucky. She has a small fracture in her wrist and a cut on the left side of her face from where it hit the window. And a concussion, too. But nothing she can’t fully recover from.”
“Thank God. We’ve been out here praying,” she says, crying and giving me a hug.
“Do we know what exactly happened?” her dad asks.
I give them the brief explanation of the accident, not going into too many details, because I figure her parents don’t want to know the way I found their daughter. Pinned in her own car up against another. I wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to walk away or if she’d end up paralyzed.
“And what about the other drivers? I heard they had to bring one here for mild injuries but haven’t heard anything about the other driver.”
I shake my head. “The one who hit her, you mean?” He nods. “I don’t see how the outcome could have been good. It was bad. For as bad as Ashley’s car looked, that one looked ten times worse.”
After a long look between Lucy and Grant, she steps in close. “Life Flight took her to Detroit,” Lucy says quietly. “I don’t think… I don’t think she made it there.”
“Oh dear,” her mother says, her voice quivering.
“Shit,” I mutter, rubbing a hand over my face. “How’d you find out?”
It’s Grant’s turn to lean closer to me and says lowly, “Buddy of mine is a medic. Told me because he knew we are family. Said the driver had been drinking.”
“Son of a bitch,” I growl.
Grace, who’s been quiet this entire time, asks, “Can we see her?”
I want to say no instantly but that’s not the kind of person I am. Instead, I nod. “Tomorrow, I’d guess. They’re only allowing one person in the ER with her and they’re moving her to her hospital room shortly. I’m not sure what the visiting hours are.”
Together: A Surprise Pregnancy Romance Page 21