CHAPTER 26
Delia
I doubled over at my desk, my abdomen rolling with pain. I laid my forehead on my desk as I breathed deep, my hips aching like they were squeezed in a vice. It robbed me of my breath as tears sprang to my eyes, and I felt a hand come down onto my shoulder as I began to panic.
“Miss Jakobson? Are you okay?”
I tried to breathe through the pain, cradling my tight stomach. Something was wrong with my baby.
“No. No—I-I-I’m not. Can you? Get um—get Mr. H-Hart?” I asked.
“Hold on. Keep taking deep breaths.”
My body was under a lot of stress, juggling two jobs. I worked nine to five with Mr. Hart at the counseling center, then wrapped up things with my clients at the P.A. company during my spare time. Early morning counseling sessions, late night schedule toggling, phone calls planned for the weekend. My boss had accepted my resignation with a smile on her face as I explained to her the job I had been hired for. The only condition was that I wrapped up contracts I already had open with other clients.
The money was nice, but the lack of sleep was rough.
“Come on, Miss Jakobson. Let’s get you to the hospital,” Mr. Hart said.
“What if—what if something’s wrong?” I asked. “I don’t know if my health insurance has kicked in. I can’t afford those bills yet, Mr. Hart.”
“We’ll figure it out. Right now, you need a doctor. Come on.”
I had informed Mr. Hart of my physical condition on my first day of work and he had been very supportive. He applauded me for taking on the responsibility of being a single mother and offered to help in any way he could.
As my boss raced me down the highway, the cramping got worse. I held my stomach, fearing the worst as my mind began to swirl. If this was it, Drake had a right to know. If I was about to lose this child, Drake needed to know what was going on. Even with Mr. Hart at my side, I was scared and alone.
All I knew was that I had to tell Drake.
I had to tell him everything.
“Sir? Sir, what’s going on?” a nurse asked.
“Um—she’s a twenty-five-year-old female. One of my employees. She’s pregnant and experiencing some pain,” my boss said.
“Do you know how far along she is?” the nurse asked.
“About—seven weeks or—or so,” I said.
“Let’s get her in a wheelchair. Ma’am, if you could just sit back for me, we’ll get you into a room,” the nurse said.
“I need to call someone. Please. It’s urgent. I have to—have to call—um—”
I couldn’t get the words out. As they pushed me down the hallway, something warm was trickling between my legs, and the only thing I could think about was Drake.
“We need to get her a phone,” Mr. Hart said. “Now.”
My hand was trembling as I dialed Drake's number. The nurses were hooking me up to I.V.’s and preparing me for ultrasounds. There were monitors beeping and lights flashing and the room was so cold. My feet were numb and my hips were aching and my stomach was rolling and I felt like I was going to vomit.
I dialed the phone and Drake picked up on the second ring.
“Delia?” he practically shouted into the phone, sounding surprised.
“Drake --,” my voice broke.
“Delia? Delia, what’s wrong?” he sounded panicked now.
“I’m in the hospital Drake, can you please come?”
I barely remembered the rest of the conversation as the activity around me increased. I dropped the phone from my hand and listened to it clatter on the floor. The nurses had shoved my boss out of the room and wrapped me in heated blankets. I couldn’t stop shivering. I felt the room spinning. My vision was blurring, and my legs were freezing and there were so many monitors trying to lull me to sleep.
It was so hard to keep my eyes open.
I laid on the hospital table as nurses gathered around me. The doctor examined me and noted his findings in my chart. I felt so lost. So alone.
My eyes flew open as a ruckus grew outside my door. A voice was yelling, and people were shrieking. I heard footsteps trampling as my hospital door burst open. Tears were running down the side of my face as I felt someone’s hand slip into mine, and the moment I felt those calluses rub against my skin I knew who it was.
Drake.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, woman?” he said, into my ear.
I was so relieved to hear his voice that I giggled.
“What the hell were you thinking, not telling me about this? What the hell am I gonna do with you?”
I turned my face toward him and saw how red he was, inflamed with anger as tears of worry pooled in his eyes. His skin had a healthy glow and his lips were fuller than I remembered.
Sobriety looked good on him.
“I’ll give you two some privacy,” a nurse said.
I heard my hospital door shut behind him as my eyes held Drake’s.
“Why the fuck would you not tell me something like this?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, with a sob. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“How the hell could you think that?”
“Your sobriety. I didn’t want to be a—a trigger.”
I fell apart into a fit of sobs as Drake gathered me in his arms. He held me against him and stroked my back. I felt his heart beating rapidly, filled with the fear I was experiencing in my own body. His hand stroked my hair as he whispered soft words into my tresses, kissing the top of my head and trying to get me to calm down.
“I’m sorry for fussin’ at you,” he said. “It’s gonna be all right. We’re gonna get through this.”
“I’m losing our baby,” I said.
“Whatever’s goin’ on, we’re gonna get you straightened out. And we haven’t heard from the doctor yet. Maybe there’s an explanation for it.”
“Something’s wrong, Drake. Something’s really, really wrong.”
He rocked me in his arms as I went limp against him. I sobbed as the pain continued to ricochet up my back. I felt Drake’s hand migrate to my stomach, his hand splaying across the tightness of my abs. I wasn’t far enough along to be showing, but I was far enough along for him to feel the change in my body.
I felt him pause, his fingers fluttering over my stomach as he digested the scenario he’d been thrust into.
“I knew somethin’ was different,” Drake said.
“What?”
“This past weekend. When we were together. I knew something was different about your body. Your breasts were swollen and your stomach was tight, I never figured—”
I pulled my face from his chest and gazed up into his eyes. I lifted my hand to cup his cheek, feeling his soft skin underneath my fingertips. I could tell he had been getting some sun. I allowed my fingers to trace his jawline, taking in the whole of him as he laid my body back down onto the bed.
“All right, Miss Jakobson. I have the results of your—”
I looked over toward the doctor, but her eyes weren’t on me, instead, her eyes were fixed on Drake. She swallowed thickly, and her cheeks began to flush, and that telltale shuffle many women had in Drake’s presence started.
What the hell was wrong with this woman? Could she not be professional?
“Ma’am?” Drake asked.
“Yes, sorry. Um—the results of your tests, Miss Jakobson. Your hCG levels are—”
Her eyes flickered back over to Drake and I sighed as I closed my eyes. I felt Drake’s hand tighten around mine as he cleared his throat. I wanted to know what was going on and the woman couldn’t focus long enough to tell me. I would’ve laughed at her had I not been so damn scared.
“Doctor. I appreciate you being a fan, but could you focus on the mother of my kid, please?”
“Yes Mr. Blackthorn. Sorry. Um—yes, your tests. Long story short, your baby’s fine, Miss Jakobson. Your hCG levels are steadily climbing into levels we always want to see this close to a second trimester.”
“Then what’s causing her pain?” Drake asked.
“Miss Jakobson is a thin woman. Her pelvis isn’t situated for childbirth yet, so her body’s doing a lot of expanding. She’ll experience pain like this on and off during her pregnancy. Her bones will be shifting and her tendons will be loosening as her body readies itself for labor. It’s normal but will be very uncomfortable.”
“So, she and the baby are gonna be okay,” Drake said. “Is there anything she can take for the pain?”
“Yes. We’ve got acetaminophen running through her I.V. right now. She can take Tylenol from here on out, as it is safe for pregnancy, but in the recommended doses only,” the doctor said.
“I’ll make sure that happens,” Drake said.
“You don’t need to babysit me Drake,” I said.
“Woman, you’re pregnant with my child. Now that I know that, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Would you like to see the baby?” the doctor asked.
I whipped my head over toward the doctor as Drake clamped down onto my hand.
“Like an ultrasound?” I asked.
“Mhm. We’ll need to do one anyway for our records. Might as well have Daddy present,” she said with a smile. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a mobile unit on a cart, so you don’t have to move an inch.”
I caught his gaze, his eyes sparkling with light and life as he nodded his head.
“Get that cart in here,” he said. “I wanna see my kid.”