Page 34 of His to Love
Chapter Sixteen
Alexa
Going from one client to another, I was walking down the hallway at the spa when I saw Patton coming my way.
“Hey,” he called out. “I just got a phone call from our OB-GYN’s office. They said they couldn’t get a hold of you, but they had to reschedule our three-month check-up appointment. It’ll be Monday of next week, instead of tomorrow.”
My back ached and I put my hand on it, stretching to see if it would ease up a bit. “That’s a relief. I wasn’t looking forward to another exam anyway.” I shuddered as I recalled the last one and how completely uncomfortable it had been.
Taking my hand, he tugged me along with him. “You need a break, little mama. I bet you haven’t eaten a thing since breakfast.”
“I had a candy bar around noon. One of the other massage therapists didn’t come in, so my workload doubled—I’ve had back-to-back clients all day. And I’ve got the backache to show for it.”
“I wish you would’ve told me that sooner.” He shook his head. “No, I don’t mean that. It isn’t your job to tell me those kinds of things. It is Hailey’s, though. I can make a call and get someone to fill in for the missing therapist.”
My back wasn’t letting me catch a break. I wasn’t one to whine about being in any discomfort, but I had more than just myself to think about. “Can you see if you can get two people to come fill in? My back is killing me. I think I need to get off my feet for a while.”
He pulled me into his office and made me sit on the sofa. “You lay down. Get those feet up. I’ll handle that right now.”
“I’ve got a client waiting,” I whimpered as I laid back. “I can’t just let that poor lady wait until someone can get here to replace me. I’ll just rest for a minute then go take care of her. The replacement can take the next one.”
“You’ll stay right where you are and not worry about that. I’ll make sure Hailey knows what I’m doing.” He kissed me on the forehead. “You’re lucky that your husband is one of the bosses around here.”
“I am lucky for that.” I felt lucky that Patton was my husband for so many reasons—work was just the tip of the iceberg.
Trying to relax, I closed my eyes, but the pain in my back wasn’t going away. My stomach began to hurt too, so I got up, much to Patton’s disapproval. “What? What is it? You need to lie down. I can get you whatever you need.”
“I need to go to the bathroom.” I knew he couldn’t do that for me. “I’ll be right back. My stomach just started feeling kind of icky.”
“Back pain and now stomach pain?” His expression told me he didn’t like what he was hearing. “I’m going to call the doctor’s office back to ask about that.”
“I’m sure it’s just that I’ve been so busy today. Once I can really rest, I’ll be fine.” I headed out to go to the nearest ladies’ restroom as my stomach began cramping.
Getting to the toilet suddenly became an emergency as the cramps just kept getting worse and worse.I shouldn’t have eaten that candy bar!
I thought it was a simple stomachache, but when I pulled my pants down, I found something I wasn’t supposed to find.Blood!
Moving like lightning, I yanked my pants back up then went out the door. Patton was there, waiting for me. “The nurse said to bring you in right now.”
“I don’t want to go to the doctor’s office.” I felt like I might faint all of a sudden and fell back against the wall. “I need to go to the emergency room. I’m bleeding.”
Before I knew it, I was in Patton’s arms and he was rushing to his truck and then to the nearest hospital. “Just stay calm, honey. No need to panic.”
“What if the baby is in danger, Patton? I feel very panicky.” Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself. I knew feeling stressed out wasn’t good for the baby. “I’m only three months into the pregnancy—too many bad things can happen this early on.” I closed my eyes, praying that this baby wouldn’t be taken away from me.
Sure, it had a loser for a biological father. But the father it was going to have would be an amazing one. I would be an amazing mother, too. We’d be there for this child, if it could just hang on.
Patton scooped me up, carrying me into the emergency room of the South Austin Medical Center. As soon as the glass doors slid open, he shouted, “We’ve got a possible miscarriage here and need help now! Right now!”
The double stainless-steel doors opened as if his words alone controlled them. A man wearing blue scrubs waved us in. “Come on back.”
Moving like the wind, Patton took me to the bed the man pointed at. “Everything’s going to be okay, baby. You’re here now and they will make sure of it.”
The man nodded at me with a smile on his face. “I’m Davin. Now, tell me what’s going on here.” He pulled out a clipboard that hung at the end of the bed, handing it to Patton. “I’m assuming you’re the father.”
“I am.” Patton took the clipboard. “You want me to fill this out?”
“I would appreciate it, yes.” Davin turned his attention back to me. “So, how far along are you, Ms.—Mrs.—?”
