Page 46 of The Plan

They had a baby on the way, and if they did okay with Alien-baby Number One, they would talk about a few more. She wanted a big family. Six, he’d said. The house could hold six comfortably.

Well, she was looking forward to making that happen.

Someday.

He was never getting away from her.

She was a woman with a plan now.

32

It wasthe lights that pulled her back in. Made her remember the accident.

The lights were hurting her eyes. No surprise, everything on Ronnie hurt right now. “Wait! I was with George and Greer. Where are they?”

She fought the panic. Where was her husband? George wouldn’t be too far away now. He’d be out there panicking and making demands. If he could. “George!”

George was always near her when she needed him. Always. He just was. Every time she needed him. That he wasn’t there…terrified her. What if something had happened to him? What if he was hurt? Where was George?

“Shhh.” A soothing hand touched hers, then there was a blonde woman next to her face. A beautiful one. One she’d seen before. Genny’s best friend, Aubrey. Aubrey was there, just like she’d been after…the crash. Telling her that she was going to be okay. That…they would all be okay. “Take a deep breath, Ronnie. It’s going to be okay.”

She was the woman George’s brother was going gaga over right now. Guthrie, the one who had always reminded her ofGeorge the most. “Aubrey, Aubrey, where’s George, is he okay? We were hit.”

“He’s going to be okay, Ronnie, I promise. I helped him sign some paperwork, and George flat-out told me to get my scrawny ass upstairs with you,” Aubrey said, calmly. “George has a few cracked ribs on his left side. And Chad, Dr. Fields, is putting his left wrist in a splint. George also has a hairline fracture of the ulna, but it’ll be fine in a few weeks. That’s it. He’s mostly just terrified for you. He’s getting a bit demanding—a trait I suspect he shares with his brother. So I’m here to find out how you are to give that gorgeous Hiller of yours an update.”

He was okay. Tears covered her cheeks. “He’s okay. Greer?”

Her husband’s baby sister. She adored George’s sisters. All three of them.

“Genny’s with her now. We’re going to keep her tonight, just to be sure. But everything looks good with Greer. I promise. But it’s you who gets to be the star of the show this time.” Aubrey just kept talking to her, calming her down. Just like she had out there on the road. Ronnie would always appreciate the woman for that. The fates or something had put Aubrey and Genny out there behind them on the road. A doctor, a nurse—there to help when they’d needed them. Ronnie would never forget. “And…it looks like…we have a George-by-proxy right here now, all gowned up, coming to join us. I think he just wants to be the first uncle to see what your big secret is. Those Hillers can be a bit competitive, I think.”

Another shape leaned over her head, blocking the fluorescent light. She looked into gorgeous hazel eyes. For a moment, she thought it was George. It wasn’t. It was one of his look-alikes. Ronnie pulled in a deep breath. Guthrie was one of the best obstetricians in the state. She’d heard that from her own OB. Everything would be okay with Guthrie there. He wouldn’t letanything happen. He wouldn’t. She adored her brothers-in-law—almost as much as she did their sisters.

Guthrie wouldn’t let anything happen. He just wouldn’t.

“Hi, sweetheart. Georgie sent me up here, to get him the play-by-play. Otherwise he is refusing to cooperate downstairs. He always has been spoiled. It’s because he thinks he’s mom’s favorite. As soon as Chad’s finished with him, they are going to bring him up to the waiting room.”

“He can’t come in with me? He’s been in with all of the other girls.” Panic started again. She couldn’t do this without her husband next to her. Not this time. It was too early, and she hurt too much. She didn’t think she could do it this time. Not without George. “He needs to be here. I need George to come in with me.”

“Sweetheart, things are going to be a bit different this time. We’re going to have to do a c-section pretty quickly. You’re bleeding from the accident, so we’re going to be extra cautious. There might have been some trauma to the placenta, and we can’t get the blood stopped without some interference. We can’t wait for George this time. He’ll be at least another hour downstairs. We need to get the baby out before then. We’re going to have to put you under to control the bleeding so we can move quickly. But I’m not going anywhere. I have that pesky MD after my name that says I can be right here. I promise I am not going anywhere. I won’t leave you. I’ll be with you the entire time. I’m a Hiller, you can’t shake us for anything.”

Aubrey wiped Ronnie’s cheeks gently, blotting the tears. Ronnie met her blue, blue eyes. Aubrey had the bluest eyes. The kindest. And Ronnie just looked at her, and not the operating room around them. “I’m going to go back and forth to keep George updated, too. And Genny. She’s already being obnoxious and threatening to sneak in here, too. She’s going to wheel Greer upstairs in a few minutes. Everyone wants to be here tosee if George gets his boy. Everyone is out there in the hospital somewhere. Everyone is going to be okay, I promise.”

“George…I want at least one to look like a Hiller. Not a single one looks like their father.” Not a one. She had four beautiful baby girls now, and they all looked just like her. No. They mostly looked just like girl-versions of Ronnie’s brothers. George never had quite gotten over that fact—but he denied it anyway. Said the girls all looked like her.

She wanted to see her babies so much.

“I’m sure he will,” Aubrey said, but Ronnie barely heard her. The people around her were doing something…

There was something they were going to tell the family tonight…but…she couldn’t remember what it was… “It’ll all be okay…”

Aubrey’s hand wrapped around hers. Ronnie just clung until her eyes drifted shut…

“That’s it. Go to sleep, Ron. I’m manning the fort now…I promise…” Guthrie sounded like he was miles away now. Ronnie’s eyes closed. He sounded like his brother. She loved George so much…and their babies…all of her babies…

“Just make sure my babies are okay…” The babies…George would take care of the babies, if she…she knew that.

She loved him so much. She wanted him there… She opened her eyes again, to see his brother right there. “George…I want George…”

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