Fragile (29 page)

Lu chuckled. “Oh good, it’s not just me then.”

Laughing I walked into the kitchen. Dad nodded at me before he disappeared down the hallway and Lu smiled over to me.

“Hey,” I got myself some coffee.

“Hey. Sorry about last night.” Lu wasn’t smiling, but she was watching me.

I walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, “Don’t apologise. I would do anything for you.”

She moulded her hand around my cheek, grabbing her hand I slid it across to my mouth and kissed her palm. That’s when I felt it. Turning her hand I saw it there, sitting on her left hand. I looked into her eyes, they were watery but she was smiling.

“You didn’t have to take me away so that we could sort us out. We’ll be fine as long as we don’t let anyone get to us.”

I had tears in my eyes as I kissed my beautiful fiancé.

RICK

The next few weeks went by in a blink. Lu and I were stronger than ever. I don’t know what I was thinking taking her away to fix us. I guess I was scared that she would leave me and taking her away was the only way to get her to stay. I was wrong. She didn’t want to go away, or sleep in different beds. She wanted me to love her and I did. Beyond words.

I was lying on the couch with Lu in my arms and Dad on the other recliner when someone knocked on the door. “I’ll get it.” Dad got up from the couch and headed down the hall.

“Thanks,” I called after him, not wanting to let go of my family. I heard the door open then an all too familiar voice. Lu heard it to. She sat up and looked towards the door. “Wait here baby.” I got up to go down the hall but Luke came storming into the apartment.

“You’re marrying him?”

I stood in front of Lu, protecting her from the asshole. “Luke, leave.” Dad said from behind him. “He pushed his way in.” Dad’s eyes found mine.

“Lucinda!” I could feel Lu move behind me but couldn’t see her.

“Don’t talk to her.” I moved over to him.

“She won’t marry you.” Luke stepped to the side, finding Lu, who was now standing up.

“You need to leave, Luke.” Her voice was shaky but strong.

Luke stepped closer and I wanted to grab his neck and drag him outside, but I stayed calm, Lu needed this situation as calm as possible. “Take one more step towards my fiancé and I’ll break your nose.”

Luke didn’t even look my way. I felt Dad come to stand by my side and I hoped that he wouldn’t stop me if Luke took that step.

“You cannot marry him, Lucinda.”

“Don’t call me that and I can marry whoever I want. We’re over, have been for a long time now. You have Ireland; go home to her and your daughter.” Luke flinched at the mention of Ireland and his daughter, and I could see Dad holding back. As much as Dad despised Ireland for what she did, but she was still his daughter.

I could see Lu getting upset, “That’s enough.” I stepped next to Lu and put a protective hand around her. Luke’s eyes narrowed in. He was angry and I hoped that he didn’t do anything to hurt her.

“This is between me and Lucinda.” Luke’s eyes snapped to mine. They were full of anger. “Mind your own business perv. Lucinda is basically your sister. Her Dad and your Mum are married, which makes her your sister and you’ve slept with her.”

I tensed up at his words, “We are nothing like that.” I grated out through clenched teeth.

“Luke, leave. You don’t know what you’re saying. I see Tray as a brother but not Rick. You’re being ridiculous and creepy.” Lu wrapped her hands around her belly and her breathing was deep.

I looked down at her, her face was scrunched up. I didn’t like the feeling of this. “Baby?”

“Ok, that’s enough, Luke leave.” Dad stepped forward but Luke didn’t budge.

“Get your hands off her perv.” Luke took that step forward and that was when I stepped away from Lu and my hand collided
with Luke’s face. He groaned as he stepped back. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Because of him, Lu and I had had those rough patches. I hit him again, because of him, I hurt Lu. I hit him again; because of him Lu had been hurt, more than once. He made a loud thud when his boy hit the ground. I was standing over his limp body when Dad came and put a hand on my arm.

“Lu needs you.” I turned and walked to Lu who was sitting back down, breathing deep, her hands on her stomach, tears in her eyes.

“Rick.” Her voice was strained. She stood up, her legs shaky then she collapsed.

“Shit!” I knelt down next to her, “Lu. Lu baby.”

“I need an ambulance,” I looked up to see Dad on the phone, “My daughter just collapsed, she’s eight months pregnant.”

I put my hands on Lu’s body, “Dad,” I held my hands up to him to show him the blood. I was losing her.

“She’s bleeding.” Dad told them our address and stayed on the phone until they got here.

“Lu baby, stay with me. I love you.” I had tears down my face and my hands were shaking. “Lu. There are the sirens, stay with me.”

Dad went outside and when he came back he had two paramedics with him. One of them looked to the floor where Luke was laying. “She started to have some pain then she collapsed.” The paramedics knelt down with her and told me to stand to the side while they worked on her. They started to talk to each other, stuff I didn’t understand. They loaded, and look her to the hospital. On the ride there, the paramedic started to hook her up to a machine and picked up a phone, telling someone that they were on their way in with a critical patient. My heart was pounding. I could hear the blood rushing through my body.

“Is she going to be ok? Are the babies going to ok?”

“She’ll have a better chance when we get her to the hospital.” The paramedic in the back told me.

When we reached the hospital she was taken inside, surrounded by a group of men and women in scrubs. I was escorted to a waiting area, where there was nothing I could do but wait for someone to tell me that my family was going to be ok.

Shortly after I arrived, Dad arrived. “What’s happening?”

I shook my head at him as I bounced my knee, “They haven’t told me anything. They rushed her away as soon as we arrived.” My voice broke and Dad put his hand on my shoulder.

“They’ll be ok, Rick.”

“How can you say that, there was so much blood?”

He squeezed my shoulder, he looked scared. “I have to believe it. She’s in good hands here.”

I knew he was right; this was the best place Lu could be. She was one of their own, and I’d make damn sure that they would do everything possible to save every last one of them.

“Have you called Ray or Mum?”

“Yes and they’re on their way.”

I stood up, “I’m going to see if I can get any information.”

The lady at the reception desk told me that when they knew anything, someone would come and get me. When I returned to Dad, Ray, Mum and Tray were there. Tray came up to me straight away and hugged me. “Did they tell you anything?”

“They said that someone will come and tell us something when they know.”

Tray pulled back, tears in his eyes too, “They should know something by now. She was brought in half an hour ago.”

I agreed, but they knew what they were doing and I had to trust that. We waited for hours, Ray was freaking out, and I could see that he was more worried than me. We went over what happened before Lu collapsed and Dad said that he called an ambulance for Luke once Lu was taken. Ray was beyond mad at his and vowed that if anything happened to Lu or the babies, it would be Luke who paid.

I was about to go back to the reception when Dr. Douche Bag walked out, wearing a pair of scrubs. He eyed me and walked over to us. We all stood as he approached, he looked worn out. “Rick.” I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

“Let’s sit.” He gestured towards the seats.

“No offence but I’d rather stand. What’s going on with Lucy?”

“She lost a lot of blood,” I started to take deep breaths. “Her placenta separated from the wall of her Uterus, which caused the bleeding. She was lucky that someone was with her and that she got to the hospital so fast.”

“Is…is she ok?” Tray asked from beside me.

Dr. Douche Bag looked over to him, “Yes Tray. We managed to stop the bleeding and the babies are fine also.” I took a deep breath and bent over. Taking in as much oxygen as possible. “As I said, she was very lucky to have someone there when it happened.”

I stood back up. “Can I see them?”

“Of course, but one person tonight. Tomorrow she should be right for more visitors.”

“Thank you.” I sincerely offered. He saved my family.

He nodded “I’ll show you were she is.”

“Tell her we love her and that we’ll be back tomorrow.” I took I Ray’s words and followed Dr. Douche Bag to where Lu was.

When I saw Lu, she was awake but looked so tired. She smiled when she saw and I rushed over to her. “Baby.” I whispered into her hair when I reached her and held her to me.

“Hey.” she sounded tired, like she was out of breath.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” I kissed her cheek then her lips. A small cry took my attention away from Lu to two clear, bassinets sitting to the side of the bed. Lu smiled and tried to sit up. She winced and lay back down.

I walked over to our children, “I’m thinking Carter and Rosie. After our parents, your Dad’s and my Mum’s middle names.”

I looked over at Lu, “A boy and a girl?” Lu nodded, smiling. “A son and a daughter.” I said in awe as I picked up the baby wrapped in the blue blanket and brought him back to Lu. Lu took him and instantly put her finger in his little hand. I did the same with the baby in the pink blanket. Her hand barely fit around my index finger.

“Welcome to the world, Rosie.”