Chapter Eleven
Rachel opened her eyes and immediately shut them. The bright light made her head pound. For a minute, she struggled to remember what happened, but then it all came back to her. She was at the firehouse, making coffee, when an explosion happened. She remembered being trapped and struggling to breathe.
"Rach, hey, Rach. It's okay; you are fine. You're in the hospital. Open your eyes."
She did what she was told and the room was darker now. She was in the hospital. Slowly, her surroundings came into focus.
"Gracie?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"When did you get here? How long have I been out? Where's Jay?" She bombarded her friend with questions.
"You've been in and out since the accident. Zach and I got back yesterday and came straight here. I made him take Jay to his apartment to rest a few hours. He was by your side all night and he was exhausted."
"I'm so glad you're back," Rach told her friend.
"Me, too, sweetie. So, you and Jay? Is that what you were going to talk to me about, the other day?"
"I love him so much, Grace."
"But?"
"I'd be lying, if I didn't admit I am scared."
"I've never seen him like this, Rach, with anyone. I know he loves you; just be patient with him. This is all new to both of you."
"Both of us?" she questioned her friend.
"I say this with all the love in my heart but, honey, you don't do serious relationships, either," Grace replied as she sat down beside her on the bed. "I think it's because, like Jay, you had to grow up way too fast and, let's face it, neither one of you had an easy go of it. There are only a handful of people either one of you trust enough to get close to."
As much as Rachel wanted to argue with her friend, she couldn't, because she was right. She'd lost her mother at such a young age and never knew her father. Maybe that's why she and Jay were drawn to each other. The room to her door opened and the nurse came in to check her vitals. Grace hugged her and moved off the bed. She excused herself from the room to call Zach and give her some privacy to be examined. The nurse placed the blood pressure cuff on her arm and checked her temperature.
"Everything looks good. The doctor's ordered an ultrasound to check the baby. It's just more of a precaution; nothing to worry about."
"What do you mean, baby? I'm not pregnant," Rachel told the nurse, shaking her head.
There was no way she could be pregnant. She was on birth control, and the only person she'd ever not used a condom with was Jay. Oh, God! What would he think? They just decided to make a real go of their relationship. There was no way he was ready for this.
"You didn't know? I'm sorry to tell you like this but I have your test results here."
Rachel could tell the nurse felt terrible about her finding out like this but she was in total and utter shock. She racked her brain and couldn't remember missing her cycle; it was always like clockwork. An older woman, who appeared to be in her forties, came in her room dragging a machine behind her. She was explaining the process of the ultrasound to Rachel, but she didn't really hear her. She felt the cool gel being put on her abdomen and felt the wand move across her. She was on the verge of a panic attack, when she heard the woman speak.
"There's your little one. You see that little dot right here?" she said, pointing at the screen. "That's your baby. Everything appears to be fine. I would say you are about four to five weeks along."
Rachel stared at the screen and slid her hand protectively over her abdomen. She was pregnant and there was her baby. Hers and Jay's. It happened the night of Grace's wedding, their first night together. The ultrasound tech handed her a printout of her little peanut and left the room. The nurse told her the doctor should be by soon to release her to go home. She was scared, but once she saw the baby on the monitor, she felt happy, too. Her only hope was that Jay would be happy, too, and not leave them.
***
Zach had to all but carry him out of Rachel's hospital room. Jay didn't want to leave her. But his brother-in-law insisted he needed a few hours' sleep and a shower. The only reason Jay agreed to come home is because Grace agreed to stay with Rach. He took a shower, shaved and slept for a couple of hours. Now, he was ready to go back to the hospital. Mike called him earlier to let him know Carson went on the rampage because, after being a coma for months, his young son died. Jay could almost feel sorry for the guy. He admitted to everything and would be pleading guilty. Despite the millions of dollars in damage, there was only one death. Everyone in the fire station lived.
He sat on the bed and pulled his black boots on. He was ready to see Rachel. Grace called from the hospital and said she was awake and the doctor should release her to come home. Jay walked in the kitchen and found Zach sitting at the kitchen table.
"Hey, man, you look better."
"I feel better, but I'm ready to see Rachel."
"Let's go."
Less than twenty minutes later, he was walking through Rachel's hospital room door. She was sitting up in the bed talking to Grace. When she turned to look at him, a huge smile spread across his lips. He went over to her and kissed her lips softly. Grace slapped him on the shoulder and left the room. He carefully sat beside Rach on her bed and gently brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her more deeply this time.
"Hey," he whispered, rubbing his finger across her bottom lip.
"Hey, yourself." She rubbed her fingers across his newly shaven face. "I like it."
"How are you?"
"I'm ready to get out of this place."
"Let me see what I can do." He kissed her again and left her room.
He went to the nurse's station and found out the doctor had signed Rachel's discharge papers, so she was free to go. The nurse handed Jay the follow-up paperwork in a sealed envelope and he stuck it in his back pocket. He arranged a little surprise for Rach before they left the hospital. He got a wheelchair from the nurse and parked it in front of Rachel's bed.
"Your ride, my lady."
"My hero."
Jay carefully helped her dress in the sweats he'd brought for her. He picked her up and sat her in the wheelchair slowly so he wouldn't jar her head too much. He knew with the concussion she had, the lights could bother her so he placed his sunglasses over her eyes. He released the brakes and wheeled her towards the elevator. He'd texted Grace and Zach to let them know he would be taking Rachel to his place so he could take care of her. He rolled her in the elevator and instead of going to the parking garage, he hit the 4th floor.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Be patient. It's a surprise," he told her, kissing the top of her head.
They got off the elevator and he pushed her down the hall to room 457. He knocked lightly on the door and pushed Rachel inside. The look on her face said it all.
"Blake!"
He helped her stand so she could sit on his bedside. He knew she needed to see for herself that he was recovering, and Blake needed to see her. He was a good friend to Rachel. He looked pale but better than he had a few days ago. He couldn't speak above a whisper but that would get better.
"Hey, partner, you okay?" he heard Rach ask.
"I'm doing good, what about you?"
Jay stood back and let them visit with each other for a few minutes before he ushered Rachel out of the room. He promised he would bring her back to visit in a day or two, once she had time to recover. Thankfully, she didn't argue with him. After a stop at the hospital pharmacy, he helped her into his SUV and buckled her in. He ran through a drive-through and got them a couple of burgers and Cokes to take to his place. He hadn't had a chance to get groceries.
She didn't argue with him when he parked in front of his place. They sat at his table and quietly ate their burgers. Jay could tell her head was bothering her and he gave her a pain pill to take. After they ate, he carried her to his bedroom. He pulled back the covers and made her get in. He made sure the lights were low and the curtains were shut so the light would not bother her.
"Jay."
"Yeah, babe."
"Will you stay with me?"
"I'm not going anywhere," he said as he toed off his boots.
He crawled in bed and pulled her close to him, her back to his front. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered to her, "Rest now, baby, I have you."