Splendor (Inevitable #2) (64 page)

Another vicious, stabbing pain ripped through her belly as she ended the call, and she cried out in agony, wrapping her arms around her midsection. She gasped as she felt a fresh gush of blood seep down her thighs, and this time she did panic when she saw the spreading stain on her sweatpants. Tessa had no idea what was happening to her, but she knew this was far more serious than just a heavy period.

The effort it took to crawl to the front door and open it when the doorbell rang depleted what was left of her strength. Tessa wasn’t even aware when she slumped to the ground in a dead faint, and most certainly didn’t hear the alarmed voices of Julia and her boss.

***

Doctors, nurses, and whoever else might have been walking through the hallways at University Medical Center were quick to move out of the way of the tall, dark haired man in the gray pinstriped suit. The look on his face was deadly serious, and passers-by glanced away hastily when they glimpsed the fire in his eyes and the tight set to his mouth. No one would have dared to think of approaching him as he strode purposefully down the hall.

Ian was fighting to suppress the rising panic he felt with each step that brought him ever closer to the visitor waiting room where Julia would be meeting him. The last few hours had been nothing less than nightmarish, and his brain was a jumble of thoughts and emotions, none of which made the least bit of sense right now. He was terrified at not knowing what was going on with Tessa, trying to remain positive and not assume the worst, but also about two breaths shy of a full blown anxiety attack. He was furious at himself for having waited so long to check his bloody voice mail, a full three hours after Tessa had left that last message, her voice barely audible. And he was cursing the casino manager for his treachery that had required Ian’s presence in Las Vegas these past three days. If he hadn’t had to fly out there to clean up the mess, he would have been here with Tessa, able to look after her properly.

Ian had alternately scolded and teased Tessa about the so-called premonitions she felt at times, particularly on Wednesdays, which she still insisted were cursed somehow. But he himself had woken very early on this particular Wednesday, before dawn in fact, and the unsettled feeling he’d had then continued to nag at him all morning. He’d done a full hour of swimming laps in the hotel pool, hoping it would both ease his stress and dispel these odd feelings he kept having. Not wanting to wake Tessa too early, he’d sent her a text before heading off to resume the grueling round of meetings about the increasingly complex money laundering operation. He’d excused himself at various intervals to call her, growing more and more concerned when she didn’t answer her phone or reply to his messages. Then, finally, there had been that brief text apologizing for having overslept, and assuring him she’d call soon.

He’d felt instant relief at that point, assured that all was well, and had returned to the meeting. Things had begun to develop at a rapid pace at that point, and before it knew it the morning had all but disappeared and it was already noon.

In between bites of a hastily consumed lunch, Ian had fielded three rather urgent phone calls from the San Francisco office before he’d finally pulled out his personal phone to check for messages.

The voice mail from Tessa had put him on instant alert, for he could immediately sense the fear in her voice that she had so unsuccessfully tried to mask. But it was the next three messages – all placed from Tessa’s phone but left by Julia – that sent him into a full blown panic.

The first message had been delivered around 9:30am, and Ian could hear the sounds of traffic in the background.

“Ian, it’s Julia. Call me on Tessa’s phone the moment you get this. She’s being taken to the ER in an ambulance, Travis and I are following behind. Not sure exactly what’s wrong but when she called me this morning to cancel our lunch, she was in awful pain and said she was bleeding a lot. When Travis and I got to your place – God, Ian, she just fainted dead away and all the blood – it was awful. We called 911 immediately and I’d guess right now we’re less than ten minutes away from the hospital. I’ll call you after we arrive.”

Julia’s next message had come about forty five minutes later, and this time the background noise was minimal at best. She’d been struggling to keep her voice calm.

“Ian, it’s Julia again. I really hope you check your voice mail soon. Look, we’re at the ER now at University Med Center and Tessa’s being looked over by a team. At first they thought it could be a miscarriage but one of the interns just popped out and said the ultrasound is indicating her IUD has most likely perforated her uterus. They’ve managed to stop the bleeding but she’s going to need surgery. As soon as I know more I’ll contact you. Call me, please.”

The third and final message had been left just after eleven a.m., and there was no mistaking the annoyance in Julia’s tone this time.

“Damn it, Ian, why the hell aren’t you answering this phone? I’ve tried calling the hotel there in Vegas but no one will put me through to you. Please call me the second you get this. They’re taking Tessa into surgery now to remove the IUD and repair the damage to her uterus. That’s really all I know, they won’t tell me anymore, and it’s like an insane asylum in this place today. Travis has been here with me but he needs to get back to the office, and Nathan is up at the hotel site in Napa today. I’ll stay here and keep you updated but you need to get back to San Francisco right away. And CALL ME!”

What had happened next – in very quick succession – still had his head spinning. He’d called Julia immediately, apologizing profusely for not returning her earlier calls, and demanded an update on Tessa. When he’d learned she was still in surgery, he’d put the next steps in motion with dizzying speed – giving his management team no opportunity to argue with him when he’d announced he had to leave at once; calling to have the corporate jet made ready for a speedy departure; contacting Simon as he gathered his belongings from the suite and arranging to be picked up at the airport in San Francisco; commandeering one of the local hotel staff to drive him to the private airstrip where his plane had been waiting. During the hour long flight, he’d called Julia three times for updates, as well as badgering Jordan Reeves’ receptionist until she’d finally agreed to page the doctor. The affable OB/GYN had called Ian back promptly, and agreed to check on Tessa just as soon as the baby he was scheduled to deliver within the next half hour was born. Jordan had assured Ian that Tessa was going to be fine, that these sorts of things, while rare, were usually relatively easy to repair, and it was highly unlikely that there would be any complications.

But any reassurances Ian had been given were instantly forgotten the moment he entered the hospital. Like most people, he disliked such places, and fortunately had had to spend very little time visiting them. His anxiety only continued to increase with each step that brought him ever closer to the visitor waiting room.

Julia was busily tapping away on her iPad when he all but burst inside the room, and she sighed in relief when she saw him approach. She set her tablet aside and stood. “Ian. Thank God.”

“Where is she?” he demanded. “I need to see her right away. She’s been out of surgery how long now?”

Julia laid a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. “About forty five minutes or so. But she’s still in recovery, so no one can see her yet. One of the nurses said the surgeon will be out to talk to us any minute now.”

Ian shook his head. “Not good enough. I want to talk to someone now. Where’s this nurse you spoke to?”

“Ian, you’ve got to calm down, okay? I realize all of this has been a shock to you, but you’re not going to help Tessa a bit by freaking out and going into boss mode. Sorry to break the news, but you aren’t the boss here,” she told him sternly.

He heaved a sigh of frustration, raking a hand through his hair. “You’re right, of course. It’s just frustrating as hell. I should have been here, Julia. I should have been the one taking care of her, bringing her to the hospital. And then to ignore all of your messages – Christ, I’ll never, ever forgive myself if she doesn’t come out of this all right.”

“Hush.” Julia took both of his much larger hands in hers. “And don’t blame yourself. Tessa seemed fine when I spoke to her yesterday. I think this happened very suddenly, so there’s no possible way you could have anticipated it.”

Ian squeezed her hand gratefully. “It’s more than that. This damned IUD of hers – I’ve been after her for months to get it removed, to consult with a doctor about alternatives. But we’ve been so busy with one thing or another, she just kept putting it off. When I left her on Monday morning, I could tell she was in a bad way but she kept insisting it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. God
damn
it!”

Julia gave a little start as he slammed a fist against what was fortunately a very sturdy wall. “Why don’t we sit down, hmm?” she suggested calmly. “Look, let me go try and find that nurse, see if she has an update for us. And you look like you could use a cup of tea. Maybe a nice, calming blend like chamomile?”

Ian made a face. “Hate the stuff, have ever since our old nanny tried to pour it down our throats to make us sleepy.”

Julia eased him into a chair and patted his shoulder. “OK, Darjeeling it is then. And I need a really large cup of coffee, plus the biggest piece of pie I can find. I’ll be back in a bit, all right? And,” she added with a smile, “try not to punch any holes in the wall while I’m gone, okay?”

He couldn’t help but smile a little in return. “I’ll try my best. And Julia – thank you. Thank God you and Travis were able to get to her so quickly. I owe both of you a long weekend at one of our hotels. Your choice. Unless,” he added with a wink, “you’d rather have a new pair of shoes.”

Julia’s green eyes sparkled merrily. “Wow, what a decision. I did love that weekend Nathan and I spent in Santa Barbara last year. But I’ve also been eyeing a new pair of Jimmy Choos, too. I’ll get back to you, okay?” Then she sobered before telling him, “It was no trouble at all. I’m just glad we could help. And when we found her.” She shuddered. “God, it will take me a long time to forget that sight.”

She disappeared down the hallway before Ian could quiz her further, and the frightening images her words called to mind only served to increase his anxiety.

But then in the next minute the tall, broad-shouldered form of Dr. Jordan Reeves sauntered into the room and Ian instantly sprang to his feet.

“Well, it’s about damned time that baby was born,” groused Ian. “Boy or girl?”

Jordan grinned, his black hair mostly hidden beneath the dark blue surgical cap that was the same color as his scrubs. “A girl. Seven pounds nine ounces and she’s pissed as hell. A real screamer if I’ve ever heard one.”

Ian managed a wry smile as he shook his friend’s hand. “Just your type from what I’m told. And
I’m
going to be the one who starts screaming soon if that good for nothing surgeon doesn’t arrive soon to tell me about Tessa.”

“Relax.” Jordan squeezed Ian’s shoulder. “First of all, Danny Shapiro is just about the best surgeon on staff here. And second, I just had a long chat with him about your lady and offered to give you all the details. Which is fortunate, considering he’s got another emergency surgery to rush into.” Jordan glanced around the nearly empty waiting room. “You here alone?”

Ian shook his head. “Tessa’s friend – correction, our friend – just left to get us some tea. Julia was the one who called 911 earlier today. She’s been here the whole time.”

Jordan’s gray eyes sparkled with interest. “Please tell me Julia was the really, really hot babe that I just passed in the hallway. Long hair, tight skirt, high heels, stacked like a brick shithouse?”

Ian shook his head. “Forget it, mate. That is definitely Julia but afraid she’s already spoken for. Tessa and I were at her wedding back in June.”

Jordan sighed. “Damn it. She’s just my type, too.”

Ian rolled his eyes. “I didn’t realize you had a type. Other than young, female and beautiful. Now, enough about your love life. I need to know every single detail about
my
woman, including how soon I can see her.”

Jordan explained in a quick, concise manner about the laparoscopy that had been performed on Tessa to repair the damage to her uterus. It had been a minimally invasive procedure, requiring only a very small incision in her abdomen.

“And of course they removed the offensive little device that caused all this trouble. Saved me the effort in extracting it, I suppose. How long did you say she’s had the IUD?” inquired Jordan.

“Going on eight years, I believe.”

Jordan nodded. “They’re usually good for about ten years before they have to be replaced. This – what happened to Tessa – is actually quite rare. Fortunately there won’t be any lasting damage. The perforation was fairly easy to repair.”

Ian sighed in relief. “Thank God. That’s the next question I was going to ask. This won’t affect her ability to have children, will it?”

“Nope. Not in the least.” Jordan cocked his head to the side, regarding Ian curiously. “Why? Planning on knocking her up soon?”

“Jesus, you’ve got a helluva bedside manner,” complained Ian. “I hope you don’t talk to your patients that way. And no – I don’t plan on knocking her up as you so charmingly put it for at least a couple more years. That’s why we need an alternative form of birth control as soon as possible.”

A deep laugh rumbled from Jordan’s chest. “A bit touchy there, Ian? Hey, I can’t blame you. Enjoy her for a while before you start procreating. But you’ll have to hold off on the fun and games for a bit, I’m afraid. She’ll need some time to recover from this.”

“Obviously. Well, I abstained for two and a half years while I was waiting for her. I suppose a few weeks will seem like nothing in comparison.”

Jordan stared at him in disbelief. “Two and a half
years
? Seriously? I don’t think I’ve gone two and a half
days
without some action since I was about sixteen.”

Ian shook his head. “Knowing you as I do, that doesn’t surprise me in the least. Now, when can I see Tessa and how soon can I bring her home?”