Total pages in book: 227
Estimated words: 220940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1105(@200wpm)___ 884(@250wpm)___ 736(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 220940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1105(@200wpm)___ 884(@250wpm)___ 736(@300wpm)
I walk, eyes forward, to the family room and enter, leaving the door open. Danny follows me in, limping to a chair and lowering.
I can’t sit down. The doctor does, though. He’s still in his scrubs. Now, my mouth won’t work either.
“I’ve removed a bullet from Miss Kennedy,” he says, his voice grave, his face grave, his whole fucking persona grave. “It grazed her bladder and lodged itself in some tissue near the lower abdomen.”
My legs wobble, forcing me to lower to a chair, waiting for what comes next. “She has a broken arm and some ribs, but I’m told they were sustained in a previous accident.”
I nod.
“She’s lost a lot of blood but she’s stable.”
“Stable.”
“We’re monitoring her closely. We hope she’ll come around very soon.”
“And she’ll be okay?” I ask, breathless.
“It was touch and go. Her heartbeat was erratic, and we were forced to shock it back into an even rhythm so we could continue with her surgery.”
“Jesus Christ,” I whisper, looking at my shaking hands. “She flatlined?”
“We intervened before that, Mr. Black. Like I said, it was touch and go. She’ll be in recovery for a while. I’m confident she’ll make a full recovery, but rehabilitation will be intense. Frustrating. Especially given her condition.”
I look up. “Condition?”
“The baby.”
I cough, dizziness attacking, forcing me to sit back and hold on to the side of the chair. “What?”
“She’s pregnant, Mr. Black. You didn’t know?”
I stand. Sit back down. Look at Danny. His face, I expect, is exactly the same as mine. I don’t think shocked quite does it justice. “Pregnant?” I shake my head. “How?”
“I’m sure I don’t need to give you a lesson in the human mating ritual, Mr. Black.” The doctor laughs lightly, standing. “Does Miss Kennedy know she’s pregnant?”
“I don’t know,” I mumble. Does she? Did she keep that from me? I instinctively look at Danny. He’s holding out his smokes. I take them and light up.
“Mr. Black, this is—” The doctor looks between us. Sighs. “Never mind.”
I suck hard, blow out, walk up and down. I can’t believe this.
“It could be she didn’t know,” he goes on. “She’s a few weeks, perhaps. And thankfully.”
“Thankfully?”
“Any further along in her pregnancy, I can’t promise the baby would have survived. Organs in the body move as the baby grows, to make space, and the bullet would have likely hit something vital to the baby’s survival.” He smiles. “This may be one of those rare occasions when the father gets to let the mother know they’re pregnant.”
I must look like a fucking goldfish as I stare at him, taking drags of my Marlboro as I try to process what I’m being told.
“Miss Kennedy has been very lucky,” he goes on. “But, like I’ve said, it’s going to be a long, grueling road to recovery. Add a pregnancy to that . . .”
“Okay,” I murmur. Another drag.
“She’ll need to be closely monitored throughout.”
“Okay.”
“I recommend she doesn’t return to work.”
“Okay.”
“And regular scans during the first trimester especially.”
Another drag. “Okay.”
“I think I’ll leave you to your thoughts for now.”
“Okay.”
He holds out a card, and I look down at it for a beat too long, making him pass it to Danny instead. “I’ll be overseeing Miss Kennedy’s care while she remains in the hospital. Once she’s discharged, I’m available day and night. Any worries, anytime, you just call me.” He nods and leaves, and I stare at the closed door. Frozen.
Pregnant?
I turn my wide gaze onto Danny.
And see it.
“Don’t you dare fucking laugh.”
Air seems to burst from every orifice he has, his arms clenching his belly. If I had it in me, I’d punch the cunt. But I don’t, so I drop to a chair and stare at the floor, in a mindfuck to challenge all others, while Danny falls all over his chair. I’m speechless. I light up another cigarette, smoke my way through that pretty fast, Danny’s laughing dying down until he’s watching me walking circles around the room again. Pregnant? Jesus Christ, she’s on birth control! How the fuck has this happened? Jesus, it was the shower. I thought I pulled out on time.
I take another drag and drop the butt into a cup, listening to the sizzle of it going out.
And then the door opens, and the doctor appears again. “I just got word she’s coming round.”
“Coming around.” She’s coming round and I’m not there. I dash out of the room, running aimlessly.
“It’s this way, Mr. Black,” he calls, making me skid to a stop and run full pelt back the other way. “Last door on your left.”
I burst through, causing the staff to startle, and nearly fall on my ass when I see her on the bed, flat on her back, machines bleeping all round her. “Oh my God,” I breathe, walking to the side of the bed, taking in every inch of her. The odd mix of anger and relief is too much.