Page 71 of Sizzle

“Follow me, sir.” She nods, and we leave the waiting area in favor of a quieter hallway.

As I pass, Patrick reaches out to squeeze my arm in solidarity, and when I look up, unshed tears are in my brother’s eyes. He gets it, just how serious this is, and being a father puts that much more worry on us both. But I have to cling to the hope because the other option is just not fathomable.

“Mr.?” The doctor wants to confirm who I am.

“Ashton, Liam Ashton.” I gulp, my voice shaking.

“Mr. Ashton, your wife had a nasty fall. Seems that in the dive, she partially strained some ligaments in her ankle and has some bruising to her ribs. We’re still trying to determine if she needs concussion protocol.”

“And the baby?” My voice cracks, everything within me hoping that I don’t need to hear about injuries to my unborn son.

“The baby is doing well, as good as can be. Your wife was very smart, and lucky, that the fall avoided any injury to the baby. He seems to be doing very well, he’s a strong little guy.”

A hot and cold nausea grips me at the news because I’m so relieved that I could faint. It’s a visceral reaction, and I have to shoot my hand out, palm flat to the wall, to make sure I stay upright.

“Thank God,” I whisper to myself.

“Your wife will need to stay for monitoring. We want to make sure nothing in her placenta tore and that the baby’s vitals stay consistent and healthy. Otherwise, we’ll treat her for the ankle and concussion, but both of those aren’t threatening and should resolve in a few days. I can take you back to see her now.”

“Yes, please, yes.” I start walking as if the doctor has told me which way to go.

“Mr. Ashton, Gabrielle might be drowsy when we go in, and you need to mind her injuries.”

It’s like she knows all I want to do is wrap her in a bear hug. I nod, and she gives me a small smile.

“She’s going to be all right.” Her reassurance makes me feel better than my family does because this professional actually knows it will be.

Following as she navigates down several hallways, I wring my hands as they begin to perspire. The only thing I want is to see Gabrielle, and yet I feel like I might break down when I finally hold her in my gaze. Finally, we stop in front of a door, and suddenly it opens to reveal the woman I’ve loved since I can remember what that emotion is.

Blond hair caked with dirt, her fragile body an outline under the white sheet covering her waist, the swell of her baby bump … I’m at a loss. Both so relieved and still fretting with worry at the same time, my insides feel in flux with all the conflicting emotions.

“Baby …” I have to bite down hard on my lip to stop from crying the minute I see her.

Cataloging everything at this moment, I want to survey her injuries, commit them to memory, and then hold her, knowing that she’s safe, if not unharmed.

Despite being the one trying to hold it all in check, Gabrielle suddenly bursts into tears at the sight of me.

Running across the room, I gather her into my embrace as gently as I can. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” I coo at her, stroking her hair as I’m careful to avoid pulling at any of the wires. The machines around her beep, and I reach down to rub her stomach, only to discover the band around it.

“What’s this?”

“They’re monitoring the baby to make sure I didn’t cause him any damage. So far, he’s healthy as can be.” A whoosh of breath releases from her lungs as if she’s been holding it since the whole thing happened.

“First of all, you didn’t cause him anything. Someone did this to you. None of this is your fault. If anything, you sacrificed other parts of you to make sure he was okay. But I’m relieved, to say the least, to hear our son is good. If anything happened to you, if anything happened to him …”

The tears come now, two leaking down my cheeks. It’s so out of character that the wetness feels foreign.

“We’re okay, I promise. A little battered, but okay.” She cups my face as her thumb brushes away the tears. “The only thing I could think about was you. How you’d come save us, that you’d do anything to make sure nothing more happened to us.”

“But I wasn’t there.” Guilt suffuses me.

“Liam, that’s not what I mean. Of course, I know you can’t physically be with me, with our son, every minute of the day. But I know, in my heart, that you’ll always protect us. Fight for us. You’re our strength, you make me believe when I can’t find it in me.”

Love, so overpowering and positive, warms the organ in my chest. The one that only beats for her.

“I will, forever. I just thank everything in the universe that you’re all right. So much worse could have happened, and I can’t do this life without you. I love you.” I kiss her temples, pressing my lips to her soft skin over and over again as if it will make her injuries heal.

“I love you,” she whispers, nuzzling into me.

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