Page 68 of Fall Into You
The hand that isn’t attached to the IV flies to my stomach, even though I know there’s no way I’ll feel anything, not even a bump. But still, just putting my hand there makes it real, like I can feel a baby growing inside me.
Matt tells me how he found out I was in the hospital, and I rub in how much of an impression I left on his boss, teasing him, asking him if it made him jealous. Obviously, we both owe a huge thank you to Dr. Parker and his willingness to bend the rules—something that will never be publicly spoken about again.
“Oh my God, Matt,” I say randomly at one point. “I’m gonna lookhugeat graduation!” He laughs at where my priorities are at the moment, but I tell him I’m gonna look like a circus tent in my graduation gown. He starts to argue with me, but we’re interrupted by the arrival of my doctor.
“Ms. Castelli? I’m Dr. Chang. I see you’re finally awake.” A short, middle-aged man in scrubs stands at the foot of my bed with a tablet in his hands. He has kind but tired-looking eyes that smile when he addresses me. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, thank you,” I say, sitting up higher in my bed. Matt helps adjust the pillows behind my back as we prepare to hear the doctor’s assessment and suggested course of treatment.
Dr. Chang walks me through what happened since I arrived at the hospital and the tests that were performed. I remember some of what he’s talking about but not everything. My lapse in memory can just be from me having passed out or from the concussion they suspect I have. They weren’t able to confirm whether I have one or how bad it is—because I’m pregnant (!)—so they’re keeping me here for observation for one night, which isn’t horrible news.
Matt makes plans to stay overnight as well and works on getting me a private room. It pays to date a doctor who works in the hospital, especially one who just found out he’s gonna be a dad and has suddenly become crazy overprotective and relentless.
Just as we’re packing things up for them to move me upstairs, Vinny comes back to meet us. “They releasing you now?” he asks, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “Mom’s coming into the city to see you.”
Shit.
“Actually, they’re asking her to stay the night for observation,” Matt says, stuffing my clothes into the plastic bag the hospital provided. He’s not happy that we have to lie to Vinny again, but it’s different this time around. It’s ababywe’re talking about, not a relationship. I think this is justified.
“Stay the night? For a little dehydration and a concussion?” He furrows his brows in confusion. “All she needs is an IV, which they gave her, and to be monitored from home. What did the CT show? Is the concussion really that bad?” Matt continues to pack up my stuff for me, ignoring my brother and biting the inside of his cheek. Vinny takes in Matt’s sudden nervousness, and his eyes widen. “Shit, how bad is it? But you look fine—just a little beat up.”
“They didn’t make me get a CT,” I say to Vinny, trying to remove the heat from my boyfriend.
“No CT, but they think she has a concussion? What kind of hospital do you work for, Matt?” Vinny jokes, albeit nervously, and again, Matt doesn’t respond.
“I don’t know, they didn’t want to do one,” I say, shrugging. Matt looks at me, eyes wide with panic, and I realize immediately I’ve said something wrong, but I don’t understand why.
“What do youmeanthey didn’t want to do one?” Vinny narrows his eyes at me, upset. He looks like a hysterical woman at a restaurant right before threatening to call the manager, craning his head left and right, looking for a doctor to speak to. “What doctor in their right mind…” His voice trails off. “Unless…” He gasps. “Are youpregnant?!”
“YOU KNOW,I can walk just fine, Matt,” I whine as he helps me out of the elevator with an arm wrapped around my waist the following afternoon.
“I know that,” he huffs. “But the doctor said you need bedrest fortwo weeksuntil your first check-up with the OBGYN. I’m not taking any chances with you or my kid.” I roll my eyes at him, but I’m truthfully thrilled. Matt’s taken the news of my pregnancy extremely well. He’s happy—buoyant, even—which makes me even more excited to be having this baby with him.
Matt came completely out of left field to me. I don’t know how I got so lucky to find a guy who cares for me in the right way, loves me in the right way.
As a teenager, I often daydreamed about being with Matt, but never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imaginedthis. If you had told me then that I would be in a committed relationship with Majestic Matt, I would’ve laughed in your face—probably hysterically. Add the fact that we’re about to start a family together? I don’t think I would have been able to take the news without losing my mind.
I think both Matt and I believed that Vinny was going to crack at the news, but he definitely did not take it as we had expected. Once my brother put two and two together and realized what was really going on—that I was actually pregnant—he started crying. Matt and I stared at him in shock, not understanding what was happening. After everything that happened between the three of us, we were just afraid of more familial drama, and we didn’t want to poison what we thought was happy news with more negativity.
But we were wrong. Vinny turned out to be extremely happy. He told us that the reason he was coming around to us being together was because he had just been reminded how important family was. Only a few days ago, he and Danielle had found out that she was pregnant. He was ecstatic that our kids would be growing up together, that they were going to be around the same age.
So, now we won’t just have one more baby in the family, buttwo.
It’s been a surreal last twenty-four hours, I tell you.
Matt throws a nervous look in my direction, and I gaze quizzically at him. He slides the key into the lock of the apartment with shaking hands and pushes the door open. I am immediately hit with a wave of his signature scent—except, this time, it’s mixed with the almost overpowering one of pine. His arm is still around my waist when I walk into his apartment and gasp.
“Matt! When did you do all of this?” The entire living room looks like Christmas has thrown up on it, with twinkle lights strung around the TV and windows, holiday-themed throw pillows on the couch, poinsettias on every surface in quirky and festive pots of every size, and a massive Christmas tree in the corner of the living room (which makes me wonder how in the world he ever got it into the apartment—do they even sell trees this big in Manhattan??) with a pile of gifts underneath.
“I may have had a little help from some people you know.” He smirks, wiggling his eyebrows. “Plus, since you’re on bedrest, we can’t go out to Long Island to your mom’s for the holiday, so I suggested we do it here. She’s gonna stay at your place, if that’s okay. And…” He exhales. “If you’re still up for it, I want you to move in here.”
“Of courseI want to.” I beam, placing a kiss on his cheek. I feel his breathing increase; it’s coming in jaggedly.
“I also asked for their help because I want this place to feel like your home, too. I don’t want it to feel like you are moving intomyapartment. I want you to feel comfortable and to bring some of your unique Liza-ness into it. Make itours. A place where we can start a family together.”
A family!
My heart soars. It’s trying to jump out of my chest, my ribs struggling to keep it inside.
