Page 116 of Rival
“You need anyone to grab a bag or somethin’ for you?”
She peeks over my shoulder after my question, then widens her eyes in surprise. Seems she wasn’t expecting us toallshow up when she texted her appointment time. Girl is in for a rude awakening. I’ll be damned if I’m missing a single one, and neither are they.
Griffin spent the entire drive looking up pregnancy facts and reading them aloud while Jaxon grew more and more worried the closer we came to arriving here. Finally, he snatched the phone away, begging him to stop reading all the worst-case scenarios.
“Oh, umm, I’ve just got a shoulder bag with a copy of my record from the other hospital I was seen at when…” She trails off and awkwardly shifts on her feet when she realizes she brought up a reminder of why she disappeared for months.
Clearing his throat, Jaxon carefully moves around her and plucks the bag from the passenger seat. “When you were keeping yourself and our little girl safe. It was the right thing to do and none of us will ever act like you shouldn’t have left.”
With a nod and lips pressed tightly, she glances toward the hospital. “My appointment is in thirty, but I have to check in fifteen minutes early to fill out some forms. Did you want to just come up when I go in?”
“Hell no, darlin’. Besides, I’ve got some questions about the baby.” Cupping her lower back, Griffin leads her toward the building while peppering her with question after question, barely giving her a chance to breathe between answers. “So, I was readin’ up on the whole throwin’ up issue you’ve got. It’s called emesis, right?”
Thinking it over, she tries to explain. “Hyperemesis something. It starts with a ‘g’, but I can’t remem—”
“It looks like it could get pretty serious. The internet said it makes eating and drinkin’ difficult, but dehydration is a real concern. Are you sure you’ve been gettin’ enough water every day? What’s your intake look like?”
“Knock it off, Fin,” I snap. I study the careful way she walks through the lot, holding her stomach as if she’s supporting the weight. Her baby bump is pretty out there, and I worry howmuch larger it’ll get over the next few months, especially on her petite frame. “And it’s called hyperemesis gravidarum.”
Both Edith and Griffin stop walking. She turns to me with her jaw hanging open. “Yes. That’s it. How did you know that?”
Glaring at Jaxon when he smothers his smile by wiping his face, I admit, “I’m perfectly capable of readin’. I also know your doctor is gonna be all over it and will make sure it doesn’t get too severe. Solay offthe naggin’, grandpa.” I direct the last part toward Griffin.
I know he’s worried but stressing her out over things she has no control over isn’t the way to go about it.
Nodding, he gets her moving again and we ride the elevator to the third floor where there are massive signs labeled LABOR and DELIVERY. Gulping down my nerves, I hurry forward to hold the door while Griffin goes with her to the check-in desk.
Although we were thirty minutes early, the time moves quickly as the three of us watch her scribbling a pen over a stack of papers, chewing on her lip when encounters a question she isn’t sure about. I noticed a few yes boxes checked instead of no, which the majority of them were.
Is there more goin’ on with her aside from the nausea?
Her cheeks flush when a nurse calls her name and all of us jump up to be the one to help her. She brushes our hands away, and, without looking at us, follows the nurse to her room. The woman throws us curious looks, but never says a word about why three oversized men are tagging along.
We stop and wait while Edith has her weight and height checked, Jaxon turning both Griffin and me around just before the scale flashes a number. Whispering, he keeps his voice soft enough for Edith to not overhear him. “Women don’t love having their weight flashed in front of everyone.”
“That’s stupid,” I mutter back. “It’s just a fuckin’ number.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue. We turn back around when they’re finished and the nurse hands Edith a soft pink gown, then points toward the room at the end of the hall.
“You’ll be there on the end. Why don’t you head in and change out of your clothes? You can keep your bottom clothes on. Keep the gown open to the front so the doctor can have access for measurements, please. You aren’t due for an ultrasound since you had your twenty-week done at the other hospital, but the doctor may decide to do another.”
My pulse pounds at the chance of seeing the baby. I hadn’t even considered it.Christ, there’s a lot of shit to think about.Appreciation for what she’s been doing all on her own fills me as she simply nods and murmurs a soft thanks.
“Crack the door when you’re ready for us to come in,” she adds before stopping us with an arm as we start to follow. “You should wait out here until she’s changed. You all can head in when the door opens.”
“Not a problem. Thank you,” Jaxon says, flashing a smile. She’s not immune to him, laughing softly. Eventually she leaves us to wait a few feet from Edith’s room.
She’s quick to change and within a few minutes, the door clicks and slides open a few inches. Rushing toward the door, I push it gently open in case she’s standing nearby, then hurry to her side once I find her trying to crawl onto the table in the center of the room.
Holding her sides carefully, I help boost her up until she’s turned around, huffing in annoyance. “I’m fine, Mason.” Her complaint is adorably frustrated, most likely due toneedingthe help versus me just giving it.
“Happy to help, girl. You comfortable?”
I bite my cheek when I catch Griffin’s attempt to smother his chuckle over how hard Edith is glaring daggers at me.
“Perfect,” she grits out.
A poorly timed knock at the door ruins my next round of teasing, and a tall woman pokes her head inside.
