“Can we talk in private?”
She stood up the best she could, and moved away from him. She didn’t want him close to her, in any way.
“Chantal?” he called out to her firmly.
Not listening, she moved over to where the guys were standing there watching her.
Dom spun her around, pulling her into his arms. She pushed at his chest, and demanded, “Let go of me, Dominic.”
She struggled free from out of his grip, and then he held onto her shoulders. “What happened to your face?” She heard the concern in his voice.
Why is he so worried about me now, when he didn’t give a care in the world last night?
“Answer me, now, Chantal,” he ordered.
I don’t think so, mister!
“I don’t have to answer to anyone, and I sure as hell won’t answer you. So you can go and order someone else around that gives a shit.,” she growled as she moved past him.
“Nate called. Skylar’s in hospital, something to do with the baby.”
She froze. “Nate has been calling your phone all morning, but kept getting the message bank, so he called me to find you.”
Once her brain kicked in, she spun around to face him. “Is she alright?” she asked frantically, as she walked over to where her bag was, and threw it over her shoulder before looking over at Bryan.
“Go. We’re right here.” She nodded and moved towards the front door, where Dom stood waiting for her.
She asked again, “Is she alright?”
“Nate didn’t say much other than that she was in hospital and to find you and take you there.”
She glanced back at Joey, and he said, “I’ll follow you, baby. Go with Dom.”
Giving him a half smile, she walked out and to Dom’s truck. Opening the door, she jumped in and waited for him.
When Dom was in, he pulled out quickly and drove straight towards the hospital. Wrapping her arms around herself, she flinched when Dom touched her arm. Moving away from him, closer to the window, she heard him mumble something under his breath, but didn’t ask what he said.
She looked out the window as the cars around them flew by, knowing she needed to be there with Skylar. They had gone through so much together growing up. When Skylar moved away to study, she was left with no best friend living just around the corner. Although it was only a couple of hours drive down there, it was not the same, with her not being a phone call away. She was always there for her, like when she had a fight with her parents, or a guy she couldn’t get rid of, or even hearing her talk constantly about the love of her life.
Glancing over at him, again, there was so many things that she loved about him but the one that mattered the most was him loving her back. A single tear ran down her cheek, she was never going to get that from him, ever.
Wiping her cheek, she couldn’t think about him, not at this moment. Skylar was the one that needed her there with her, going through God knows what.
******
A
s Dom drove, towards the hospital, all he wanted to do was pull Chantal into his arms. She tried hiding it from him as she wiped the tears away, but he knew. She cared a lot for Skylar. They were best friends. He knew that she would do anything for Skylar, as the same as he would with Nate.
As they pulled up in the closest car park, Chantal jumped out and made her way quickly towards the doors. He followed closely behind, and she stood there for a spilt looking around for Nate. Once Dom reached the door, Chantal took off to the right.
Quickening his steps, he came up to where they both were.
Chantal threw her arms around Nate, and sobbed, “Where is she?”
He pointed down the hall. “Room 6b.”
Nodding, she leant up and kissed Nate on the cheek before she moved past him and towards the room Skylar was in.
––––––––
N
ate flopped into a chair, as he stood there. “Why are you out here, and not in there with Skylar?”
“They called security to escort me out. I wasn’t making it easy for them to access her in that I wasn’t leaving her alone, then some stupid doctor got in my face, demanding that I leave so they could start assessing her condition,” Nate growled.
“How is she doing?” He had no idea what to do for his best mate, as his future was lying in a bed not far from them.
“I don’t know. Every time I asked, I got told the same thing. They are running more tests, or they’re doing this or that. It’s frustrating as hell, Dom.”
He had never seen Nate this upset over anything. He really did love Skylar. He sat down beside him. “You need to calm down, bro. I know that this is hard, but you can’t go off the rails, just yet. Skylar needs you; she can’t go through whatever this is by herself.”
“I can’t do anything for her, as she lays there in that bed.”
“Let the doctors do their job, Nate. That is what they’re paid for, she is in safe hands.”
Leaning his face into his hands, Nate whispered, “I thought she was waking me to tell me to get out. So, I faked being asleep. When I heard her gasp, I shot out of the bed and saw her slide to the floor.”
Dom nodded as he continued, “She grabbed my hand and pressed it in between her legs. I had no clue what she wanted, and as I pulled my hand away, it was covered in blood.”
How the hell do you reply to that?
“I had no idea what to do for her or our baby. The only thing I thought of was that we were both going to lose our child.” As Nate finished, he looked up at him. There were tears streaming down his face. He had never gone this far with anyone to understand what he was going through, but the thought of him and Skylar losing their child was gut wrenching. He wrapped his arm around him. “Everything is going to be fine, Nate. Skylar and the baby are safe; just let the doctors do their work.” Then he watched his best mate cry, sitting right there beside him, and even felt a tear slip from the corner of his own eye.
He really hoped that everything was going to be okay with her and the baby. He did not know exactly what would happen if something was wrong with either one of them. Nate’s world would end if he
lost
both of them.
Fuck!
His would too, if he was in the same boat.
******
A
s Chantal entered the room, she called out softly, “Skylar?”
“Chantal?”
Moving the curtain aside, she found Skylar lying down, attached to several machines.
Why was she attached to so many?
Her eyes welled up, but she was going to be strong for her friend—no, she needed to be strong for her, and herself. Taking a deep breath, she moved closer to the bed.
“What’s going on?”
Sitting up as best she could, Skylar began, “I was having a shower this morning and noticed blood. Then, I got this sharp pain in my side ... ” Skylar sobbed around her words.
Chantal tried to keep it together; she could not break down in front of Sky.
“Chantal, I’m losing the baby. I can feel it.” Skylar placed a hand over her belly. “I can’t lose this baby, Chan. Out of everything that I have ever wanted in life, this is the most important thing, right here.”
Leaning over she placed her hand over Skylar’s and squeezed. She had to be strong for her; she could not cry, even though she wanted to so bad, she couldn’t.
“The baby will be fine,” she whispered.
“No, it won’t Chantal. I can feel my heart breaking in two. There’s no movement. I haven’t felt any since yesterday and that is not normal. The doctors haven’t told me anything, all they do is more tests and that’s not helping. I need to know what is going on with my baby.”
And there go the tears.
Lying down beside her, she draped her arm over her belly, propping herself up with her other hand. How do you tell someone, that everything will be ok, not knowing if it was or not.
“Nate really wants this baby. If I lose it, he won’t want me anymore. This is my only chance to have him close. I know I don’t show it and push him away all the time, but I really want to be with him. I love him, Chan. I know what he has done in the past wasn’t great, but I’m trying to get over that and trust him again.”
Lifting the blanket up to her eyes, she wiped them. “Sky, he loves you. No matter what happens today, he wants to be with you, and only you.”
“He is only with me for the baby, Chantal, that’s it. He’s been acting differently ever since I told him the news about the baby.”
She wasn’t going to sit here and listen to her say that about him. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to Nate.
“Why are you hooked up to all these machines?”
Pointing to the left, she rattled off, ” This one is monitoring the baby’s heart rate, and movement. That one,” she continued, pointing to the right, “Is for my heart rate, and the one at the end of the bed is the new ultrasound equipment.”
What is that long thing attached to the cord? It looks like a vibrator!
The door to the room banged against the wall as both Nate and Dom walked in. Glancing between them, she slowly sat up as Nate moved to Sky’s other side. Dom stood at the end of the bed, and as she turned to look at Nate, something caught her eye near the door. Looking back, she noticed Joey standing there, staring at her.
Sliding off the bed, she walked over and threw her arms around his waist, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him.
“Are you alright?”
Nodding she turned towards the bed, as Nate spoke, “How are you feeling, Sky.”
“I can’t feel the baby, Nate. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing. No one will tell me what is going on,” Skylar sobbed.
Nate wrapped his hand around hers, covering her belly.
“Our baby is fine, Sky. I know it.” He leaned down and whispered against her stomach.
“How can you know that, Nate? Are you a doctor? Do you know what is going on? No. You don’t. You need to leave, Nate. There is no reason for you to be here anymore, I’ve already lost the baby. We both know that is the only reason you are here, the child that I was carrying, and that I lost.”
Skylar yanked her hand from his and rolled over.
Nate moved around the other side of her, and knelt down beside the bed, lifting her face to his. “Skylar, I know to the bottom of my soul that our child is going to be fine.” She shook her head, and he went on. “Yes, it will be. But, I’m not here just for our child. I’m here for you. I have been in love with you from the first minute I saw you, when you ran into me at your door.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black box. Chantal gasped, as well as Skylar.
He opened the box, and held it up for her to see. “I gave this to Craig to hold for me, after we broke-up. I was going to ask you on Christmas morning.” He took a breath. “Skylar Montague, you are my whole world. You have my heart, body, and soul. I will give you everything that you want, and more. I will love you till the last breathe that I take, and then beyond this world. Will you give me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“You want to marry me? Even if I lost the baby?”
“If we did, we can try again, Sky, but we won’t lose this baby. Why would you doubt me that I want to marry you? There is nothing more on this earth I want more than I want you, Skylar.”
Nodding and holding her hand over her mouth, she cried harder.
“Is that a yes?” Nate whispered.
“Yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you, Nate.”
He leaned over the bed, and crashed his mouth to hers. His hands roamed over her body, as she moved as close to him as she could.
“Hmm, that is pretty hot guys,” Dom said as he laughed.
Of course, he had to go and say something like that. Walking over towards the bed, Chantal gave Nate a hug. “Congrats, guys.”
“Thanks, Chantal,” Nate said as he let go of her and moved across the room. Sitting down on the bed, she bent over and hugged Skylar. “See, I told you he loved you,” she whispered against her head. “Now, let me check this ring out.” She grabbed Skylar’s left hand and lifted it for inspection. “Holy shit, Nate. That is one big rock.” They both giggled at her words.
“Only the best for my girl.” Nate winked towards Skylar.
The diamond was huge, square cut, and had small diamonds around the solitaire and halfway down each side of the band. It was every girls dream to receive a ring like that. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“Skylar Montague.”
Everyone turned as the doctor said Skylar’s name.
Chantal stood beside the bed, holding her hand, and Nate moved back to the other side and sat down.
“I’m Dr. Davis,” he announced, flicking through her chart. “We have gone over all the results from the tests that we have performed, and figured out what the problem is.”
“Is the baby going to be ok?” Skylar whispered.
The whole room went quiet waiting to find out the outcome, wishing it wasn’t going to be bad. They both needed this to be good news, to go along with the marriage proposal.
Standing at the end of the bed, he informed, “You have partial placenta praevia, and placenta abrupto.”
She sat up slightly, but before she had a chance to ask, Nate jumped in. “What the hell is that?”
“You are?”
“I’m her husband,” Nate growled.
Reaching for his hand, she pulled him closer to her. “Fiancée. What does that mean?” she asked.
“Placenta praevia is where the placenta is lying low in your uterus. Complete means covering your cervix, Marginal means really close to your cervix, within 1 to 2 centimeters, and partial means partially covering your cervix. This is the one you have. Placenta abrupto is where the placenta tears away from the uterine wall. Both of these cause bleeding. Your Placenta has only torn away a small amount, not all of it.”
“So the baby is fine?” Nate asked.
“Will the bleeding stop?” Skylar asked.
Dr. Davis smiled towards both of them. “Your baby is completely fine, and the bleeding will stop, eventually. You will have to take it easy for the next several weeks. You need to have someone be there with you to help.”
“I’ll move to her help,” Nate answered.
Sky frowned. “Nate, you live next door. You don’t have to move in.”
“I’m moving in, end of story, Skylar,” he replied firmly.