Chapter 11

Misty sat by Gabe’s bedside and prayed. Hi, Lord…whoever you are. It’s me, Misty. I’ve spoken to you recently about the possible MS symptoms I’ve been having. It’s funny, but I’m more worried about Gabe than I am about myself. Please help him recover from his recent accident. You know the one I’m talking about, right? Well, of course you do. While he was rescuing my landlady, he was almost blown up and landed headfirst in the snow. How could you miss that? Oh! Please help her recover too. Amen.

Call it coincidence, but at that moment, Gabe opened his eyes. Misty rose quickly and leaned over his hospital bed’s safety railing.

“You’re awake.”

“Where am I?” he asked.

“In Boston General. Do you remember the accident?”

Gabe rubbed his forehead with his free hand; the other one was hooked up to an IV. “Do you mean the gas explosion?”

“Yeah. Thank goodness you got out of there just in time. I was terrified for you.” And terrified for myself. I’d die if I lost you.

“How’s your landlady?”

“Still unconscious last time I checked, but alive, thanks to you.”

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “I imagine she’s going to have one hell of a headache when she wakes up. I have one now, and I wasn’t even exposed to the gas that long.”

“Your head hurts because you landed on it.”

“Oh.”

A knock at the door was followed by Jayce entering the room. “Don’t worry about him, Misty. It’s not the first time he’s been dropped on his head.”

“Ha ha,” Gabe said. He reached for Misty’s hand. “How long have you been here?”

She clasped his hand gratefully. “Ever since they brought you in yesterday.”

“Jesus. You’re probably more than ready to go home. Wait a minute. Do you have a home to go to?”

She shook her head. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t worry him. If she had to, she could move in with her friend Julie, out in the ’burbs. Commuting to work would be a bitch, but she could do it.

Jayce looked over at Misty. “I’d offer you a guest room, but Kristine and I don’t have one. We have a couch you can crash on.”

“No, no. I don’t want to put you out.”

A female voice said, “Nonsense. You’re staying with us. We have lots of room.” Gabriella Fierro brought flowers into the room and set them on Gabe’s side table. “Hi, honey. How are you feeling?”

“Hi, Mom. I’m doing okay, I guess. I imagine the doctor will tell us something soon.” He looked at Misty. “Did he say anything to you?”

“Not much. They took some X-rays when you came in and said there weren’t any skull fractures or internal bleeding. No broken bones. And that you probably just have a concussion. You’re lucky.”

“Did you hear that Misty’s been here all night?” Jayce asked his mother.

Gabriella crossed to Misty and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You must be exhausted.”

Misty nodded. “It’s okay. I had to know he was going to be all right. Now that he’s awake and I can see he’s okay, I can go back to work and make the money I need to rent a new place.” She checked the clock on the wall. “I should either get going or call in sick.”

“I told you,” Gabriella said. “You can stay with us—for as long as you like. Call in sick. Your home blew up! You must be traumatized.”

“Thank you. Really. But I don’t want to impose longer that I have to. I really appreciate the offer of a temporary spot to land, though. If I could take you up on that…”

“Absolutely.” Gabriella looked at Gabe and smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of her.”

Gabe smiled. “I have no doubt of that. Misty, why don’t you go with my mom and get some sleep? When I get out of here, I’ll take you shopping or something. I imagine you’ll have to replace everything.”

That was just like Gabe. He was thoughtful of others. It was true he didn’t want to get married and have kids, but he would have made a terrific husband and father.

While she had sat by his bedside during the night, Misty had come to the conclusion that he really didn’t want those things in his life. And she wouldn’t push it. At the same time, she couldn’t see herself with anyone else. She had even let the nurse believe she was his fiancée so they’d let her stay at the end of visiting hours.

She’d just stick with him as long as he let her and hope she never had to move on.

“Hey, Mom,” Jayce said. “Why don’t I stay with my lazy brother while he’s just lying around in bed doing nothing? And you can take Misty home.”

“Why is everyone trying to get rid of me?” Misty asked.

Gabriella tapped her on the end of her nose. “No one is trying to get rid of you, darling. Everyone is just concerned about you. You were here all night. The rest of us went home, had a good night’s sleep, and said we’d check back in the morning. Now that I know Gabe is getting well and under good care, I insist on taking care of you.”

Misty smiled. “Thank you.”

“Be careful. She’ll feed you to within an inch of your life,” Gabe said, smiling.

“Thanks for the warning. I’ll have to buy new clothes one size larger.”

There was an awkward moment right before she left. They gazed at each other, not knowing how to say goodbye. A quick peck on the lips? Did his family know? His father had caught them in the kitchen, kissing. Did he tell anyone? She thought Gabriella would be happy about it if he had.

Instead, Misty extended her hand, and Gabe grasped it. For a moment, she worried that he might shake hands, and that wouldn’t look awkward at all, she thought sardonically. But he just squeezed her hand and held on for a bit longer. She left with his mother, who looked delighted.

* * *

Gabe watched them leave. Well, she always wanted a daughter. Now she has one. Hopefully that wouldn’t make their relationship weird…or weirder.

Another knock on the door was followed by Kristine poking her head in. “Anybody home?”

Jayce’s face lit up when he saw her. “Hi, honey. I didn’t think you were going to be here. You said you had a million things to do.”

Kristine crossed to her husband and gave him a sweet kiss. “One of those million things was visiting your brother.”

“I’m glad you came.” They were grinning at each other and gave each other another kiss before wrapping their arms around each other’s waists and facing Gabe. A united front.

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Newlyweds,” he mumbled.

Jayce laughed. “You should try it sometime, little brother. With the right woman, there’s a lot to recommend it.”

“Yeah, like getting Mom off my back.”

Kristine stuck her free hand on her hip. “Come on, Gabe. Maybe people just want the best for you…especially your mom. She and your father have had a wonderful marriage for thirty-five or forty years. Right? Why wouldn’t she want the same for you?”

“Thirty-four next month,” Jayce supplied.

“Just because marriage is right for them and you guys doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. So get off my back, and take Mom with you.”

“Fine. Just so you know what you’re missing,” Jayce said and swiftly dipped Kristine, giving her a long, passionate kiss. When he righted her, she giggled.

Gabe groaned. “Come on, guys. You’re making me nauseous.”

“That’s just the concussion,” Jayce said.

Gabe closed his eyes and feigned exhaustion. “Guys? I think I need to rest.”

“Sure. Of course,” Kristine said. “I’m sorry if we stressed you out.”

“Do you want me to call off the rest of your visitors using the group text or telephone tree?” Jayce asked. “Otherwise, you’ll see Dad and three or four more brothers soon.”

“Yeah, tell them to give me a couple of hours.”

“Sure thing.”

He took Kristine’s hand, and as they walked toward the door, she called over her shoulder, “Get better, Gabe.”

“I will. I’ll probably be out of here this afternoon.”

Finally alone, Gabe mulled over what everyone was saying. And demonstrating. Misty had stayed with him all night. Was that just because she had nowhere to go? She had friends. She had his family. She had plenty of places she could have gone.

But she stayed with me. Knowing that made him think. He didn’t know if he liked her actions or not. On one hand, it was nice that someone cared that much. On the other hand, maybe she cared too much. She deserved someone who would love her unreservedly and be there for her—always.

He just wondered if he was up to the job. At some point, he was bound to disappoint her.

* * *

Several days later, Misty was seeing doctors again. Her friend Julie took the day off and drove her. Misty could have taken public transportation, but she had a foreboding feeling and wanted her friend there. Besides, Julie made her laugh. She had an appointment right after this one with a gynecologist named Dr. Ingalls. Julie decided to rename the gynecologist they hadn’t met yet Dr. Tingles.

In her internist’s waiting room, Misty’s name was called.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Julie asked.

“Nah. I’m all right. Thanks, though.”

She followed the hefty nurse through the busy office area. This time, she didn’t complain when she had to step on the scale. The number shocked her, and she gulped. 120 pounds? Oh my God! I’ve gained ten pounds? How? When? It must be the lack of exercise. Or water weight. Yeah, one of those.

“No need to get undressed,” Dr. Warren’s nurse said. “In fact, you don’t even need to go into an exam room. He wants to meet with you in his office.”

Misty wasn’t about to complain, even though the formality concerned her a bit. She followed the nurse to a door with Dr. Warren’s nameplate on it and ushered her in. The walls were lined with books, and her doctor sat behind a dark wood desk. Two comfortable chairs sat in front of it.

“Have a seat, Misty.” His expression looked grave.

She lowered herself slowly into one of the blue upholstered chairs. “Hi.”

“I have some news, and I’m afraid it isn’t good.”

“Oh?” Her mouth went dry, and she steeled herself for whatever he was about to say.

“I’m afraid you have multiple sclerosis.”

She knew this was a possibility, but hearing it confirmed seemed surreal. “That’s…that’s what’s responsible for all my symptoms?”

“Almost all.” He smiled. “When you called to say you were experiencing nausea, I had the lab run another test on your blood.”

“Really? I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Sometimes we hold onto the samples for a while. I see you have an appointment with Dr. Ingalls right after this.”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen a gynecologist in a few—Wait! What are you saying?”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m letting Dr. Ingalls explore the new findings with you. It’s her area of expertise.”

“New findings… What did the blood test show?”

He paused until she thought she might throttle it out of him. At last, he said, “You may be pregnant. We’ll need that confirmed. I expect your gynecologist will want to do a more definitive test and an exam before confirming anything.”

Internal shock waves knocked Misty back in her seat. “Are you sure?”

“Again, I’ll let Dr. Ingalls be the one who determines that. Don’t you want to know more about the MS?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes. Of course. I’m just…overwhelmed at the moment.”

He didn’t get up or even extend a hand across the desk for comfort. He simply nodded. “Well, the good news—if there is any—is that pregnancy can alleviate the symptoms of MS for a while. But I don’t want you thinking the diagnosis must have been wrong. It isn’t.”

“Is there any medication I should be taking?”

“Not yet. I’ll let your neurologist and Dr. Ingalls decide what to prescribe and when.”

“Will I ever be able to dance again?”

“You’ll probably be able to waltz, depending on how you feel. But anything more strenuous than that may become progressively more difficult. What you have is relapsing-remitting MS or RRMS.”

She made herself concentrate on his words, despite her mind’s desire to wander off on its own.

“RRMS is characterized by clearly defined attacks of new or increasing neurologic symptoms. These attacks—also called relapses or exacerbations—are followed by periods of partial or complete recovery called remissions. During remissions, all or most of your symptoms may disappear. However, there is no apparent progression of the disease during the periods of remission. Approximately 85 percent of people with MS are initially diagnosed with RRMS. So you have the most common type.”

“Yay, me,” she muttered sarcastically.

He sighed. “I’m sorry. If you have any questions at all, you can call me, but I think working with your neurologist will be more important going forward.”

“I’m okay. I think it’s just the shock of it all.”

“I’ll get a nurse to help you out.”

Misty felt as if she were walking through a fog as she was escorted to her next appointment. She latched onto Julie as they walked through the waiting room. After she’d made it through the new waiting room, the nurse she was handed off to made her stop at the restroom and give a urine sample.

She hadn’t gone to her gynecologist in the suburbs for a few years, so when she was making appointments for everything else under the sun, she took the nurse’s advice and scheduled that too. By the time the appointment rolled around, she’d been experiencing nausea, and her always reliable period was absent.

Misty didn’t smile or answer some question she barely heard, and Julie frowned. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, you know…MS, new mysterious symptoms, the whole nine,” she said as she changed into the hospital gown.

“You definitely have MS?”

Misty nodded.

Julie stood there with her mouth hanging open for a moment. “What new mysterious symptoms?”

“Nausea. And I should have gotten my period by now. My internist didn’t want to commit to anything, so he’s letting Dr. Tingles give me the news.”

Her friend remained quiet for once.

A pretty redhead in a white lab coat entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. Ingalls. Misty had to remind herself not to add the T to her name—ever! She had Julie stick her nose in a magazine during the internal exam, but it was over quickly.

Her gynecologist confirmed the bombshell Dr. Warren had dropped earlier by saying, “You’re pregnant. Congratulations! That means I’m your new best friend.”

Julie’s eye rounded, but she quickly hid behind the magazine again.

“I’ll let you get dressed, and I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll prescribe some prenatal vitamins, but you shouldn’t take anything else unless you check with me first,” the doctor said as she whipped off her exam gloves and tossed them into the trash bin.

Now Misty lay on a cold exam table in nothing but a hospital gown. “How the hell did this happen?” she asked in a trembling voice.

Julie’s eyes widened. “Um, you don’t know? Well, when a man and a woman like each other very much—”

“Shut up.” Misty draped an arm over her face as she lay on the exam table. Tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

I have multiple sclerosis and I’m pregnant. How the hell do I deal with this?

Since her feet were still in the stirrups, Julie patted Misty’s bent knee. “Cheer up, Mist. It could be worse.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. Maybe if this were happening during the zombie apocalypse? The doctors and nurses would be way busier, and you’d have to wait forever to get an appointment.”

“Oh God!” The mention of nurses reminded her that Gabe’s sister-in-law worked in this hospital. “Sandra must know. She’s a nurse here. Or maybe she doesn’t. Is there any way you can find Dr. Ingalls? I need to ask the doctor if she can keep it to herself.”

“I’ll try. Will you be okay by yourself?”

Misty moved her arm and stared at her friend. “What do you think I’m going to do? Give myself a coat-hanger abortion while you’re gone?”

“I…oh, hell. I don’t know. I was just trying to… Never mind. I’ll go find the doctor.”

“I’m sorry, Jules. I’m angry, but not at you.”

Julie left, thank God. Misty had to think. What could she do? This was a disaster. If only she didn’t have MS too. It would still be a disaster, but less of one.

Why did things have to happen all at once? She was just preparing herself for the diagnosis of MS. Now this. She’d almost rather deal with a zombie apocalypse.

A few moments later, Dr. Ingalls returned, with Julie right behind her.

Misty waited until her friend had closed the door. “Sandra Fierro is the father’s sister-in-law. I’m not ready to tell him yet. Does she know? Is there any way you can keep her in the dark for a while?”

Dr. Ingalls gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t know if she’s aware of it or not. I can’t keep her from peeking at your chart if she decides to.”

“Isn’t there something about doctor–patient confidentiality?”

“That pertains to people outside the hospital. Hospital personnel have to communicate with each other regarding patient care. They sign a form saying they’ll keep any information they learn about patients confidential. I can remind her of that.”

Misty nodded sadly. “Thank you.”

“May I ask why you’re not ready to tell the father?”

Misty was tempted to say “No, you may not.” But there was no reason she couldn’t tell her doctor that Gabe had just been released from another hospital with bad news of his own. He couldn’t work until the fire department’s doctor cleared him. And he wasn’t happy about waiting around and twiddling his thumbs.

“It’s just bad timing. I’ll tell him as soon as the time is right.”

Dr. Ingalls patted her arm. “If you need anything, give me a call.”

I need a miracle, Misty thought. She couldn’t get an abortion—this was Gabe’s child, and on a deep, secret level, she wanted it. Desperately.

It might be the only part of Gabe she could have and love long-term. She wouldn’t expect Gabe to marry her. Others might, but that’s not how she wanted her relationship with him to play out.

The doctor left as soon as she was confident Misty was in a stable frame of mind. Julie agreed to stay with her all afternoon. Misty got up off the table and made Julie turn around while she put on her underwear.

“Seriously? We’re both girls here. I’m probably going to be your birth coach, and I’ll see a whole lot more of you, if you know what I mean.”

Misty halted with her arm half in her sweater. “What makes you think you’re going to be my birth coach?”

“I thought Mr. Handsome disappeared after the night of your party, never to return. Did he come back?”

“Yeah. He came over the next day. He was there when my house blew up.”

Julie smiled. “I’d say something about the sparks between you two setting off that explosion, but it’s probably too soon.”

Misty pulled her sweater over her head. “Ya think?”

“So, how are you going to tell him? And when?”

She sat down to put on her jeans. Her balance was still questionable. “As I told the doctor, I don’t know when. And I don’t know how either.”

Misty started tearing up again. She tried some deep breathing and fanned her face.

Julie looked over her shoulder. When she saw Misty falling apart, she rushed to her and put her arms around her. “It’s gonna be all right. It’s okay to cry. I’ll be here for you no matter what happens. Okay?”

Misty swallowed the rest of her tears. “I know. Thank you.”

Julie was sweet but not who she really wanted. Then she remembered someone else she had to tell.

“Oh, crap.”

Julie leaned back and gazed at her. “What is it?”

“Parker. I’ll have to tell Parker too.”

She took a few more deep breaths and pulled her jeans up as far as she could before standing. When she rose and tried to pull them up the rest of the way, she wobbled and grabbed Julie’s arm.

Misty burst into tears. “Oh, I can’t do this. I just can’t.”

“Relax. I’ve got you,” Julie said. She held her shoulders steady while Misty zipped up her jeans. “You see? We can do this together. We can do anything together. We’re women, dammit! Hear us roar!”

Misty appreciated the feminist leanings of her friend but doubted her own at that moment.

There was a knock at the door, and it opened partway without her saying Come in.

Sandra peeked around it. “Are you decent?”

Misty gave her a halfhearted smile. “Depends on what you mean by decent.”

Sandra entered and shut the door behind her. She strode over and enveloped Misty in a warm, tight hug. “I want you to know I won’t tell anybody anything. Not even Miguel. I won’t even say you came in today.”

Misty exhaled a deep breath. “Thank you. I appreciate your telling me that.”

Sandra stepped back and rubbed Misty’s arms. “How are you holding up?”

Misty dropped her gaze to the floor. Tears threatened to spill again.

“Oh, honey. I know how you’re feeling, but it’ll be all right.”

Misty glared at Gabe’s sister-in-law. “What do you know about how I feel?”

Sandra smiled, albeit sadly. “I imagine you’re overwhelmed, scared, and feeling alone. I’ve seen this before, Misty.”

She sagged. That’s exactly how she felt. Misty nodded. “You forgot feeling sorry for myself, but other than that, you nailed it.”

“I know one person who won’t be sorry.”

“Ha. If you say Gabe, you’re dead wrong.”

Sandra tilted her head. “I was going to say Gabriella. She wants a grandchild so badly, she’s bugging all her younger sons to get married and have kids. The older married ones have already said they won’t be providing her with grandchildren.”

“Well, she’ll be disappointed on that front with Gabe. He has no intention of getting married. Ever.”

Sandra lifted her chin as if sure of something. “He’ll do the right thing.”

“I want him to do the right thing for him. For all of us. That doesn’t mean marrying me out of pity. He’ll resent me for it. He might even resent the baby too.”

Sandra’s lips thinned. “Okay. I can’t predict the future, but there’s one thing I know about the Fierro men. When the chips are down, they’ll come through. Only an asshole would walk away from your situation. These guys are not assholes.”

Misty nodded sadly. “I know that. I’m afraid of that, actually.”

Sandra tipped her head and gazed at Misty for a moment. “Don’t be. I can’t divulge the details of the conversation I had with Gabe recently. But I think you may be surprised by his reaction.”

Misty’s brows shot up. Had Gabe had a change of heart? Oh Lord, I hope so.