Page 86 of Together

“How far along are you?”

Raising my hands, I gingerly lift seven fingers.

“Seven months?” he guesses and I nod. “My fiancée’s just ahead of you. She’s eight months along. We’re getting hitched a few months after my baby girl arrives.”

I can hear the pride in his voice when he talks about his fiancée and unborn daughter and it makes me think of Nik and tears spring to my eyes. He’s so excited about the baby and I’ve never felt as cared for as I do around him.

Loud noises that I don’t care to decipher echo all around me. The sounds of people working to get me and anyone else involved in the accident free. Carter continues to talk to me, keeping me focused on him. “Do you know what you’re having?”

“Boy.”

He smiles. “Maybe ours will end up being friends. Wouldn’t that be something?”

“Yeah,” I agree. “It would.”

“How are you feeling right now? Where does it hurt?”

“Head.”

“Your head. Got it. What else? Your neck? Back?” I shake my head. “Good. That’s good news, Ashley. What about your arms? Can you squeeze my fingers?”

I nod and squeeze his fingers. “My left arm, it hurts but not bad.”

“We’ll help with that. Anything else?”

“I’m scared.”

His eyes soften. “I know you are and it might be difficult but I want you to stay calm. We’re working as quickly as we can to get you out so we can check you over.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, tears forming in my eyes. What I just told him is the truth. I’ve never been more terrified in my life. But not for me. For the baby boy growing in my stomach.

Even with all the sounds around me, I don’t miss Nik’s voice calling out my name, yelling at people to let him through.

“She’s mine. I need to see her!” he shouts.

Carter looks behind him and back to me.

“My Nik,” I explain and he nods his understanding.

“She’s over here!” Carter calls over to him.

In a flash, Carter’s face is replaced with Nik’s.

“Ash, talk to me. I heard it and I didn’t…” His voice cracks as he trails off, not finishing what he was going to say. I know what he was thinking, though. He didn’t know if I was alive after hearing me get into an accident.

“It’s okay,” I tell him, my voice becoming stronger, slowly coming back to me. Maybe it was the shock that had set in causing me not to be able to talk but I feel it getting clearer, less groggy.

Nik folds my hand in his and leans through the window, kissing the back of it. “I’m not going anywhere. They’re going to take good care of you. Just stay with me, okay? Promise you’ll stay with me. I can’t lose you, Ashley. You hear me? Stay with me.”

I nod. “I’m here.”

He blows out a breath at the sound of my voice. “Yeah. You’re here. Thank fuck.”

“I’m okay, Nik.”

Nik’s head drops as he tries to get control of his emotions but his hold on me never wavers.

A hand hits Nik’s shoulder to get his attention. “Sir, we need you to step aside so we can do our job.”

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