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I look to my left at Joey and see that his complexion is pale. His eyes are bloodshot and his cheeks are puffy. It’s clear to me now that he was crying while I was unconscious. My heart breaks at the thought of him being so worried about me.
“I’d really like to go home. I’ve managed this condition for as long as I have without hospitalization.”
“I understand that, Miss Andrews, but this is an extreme circumstance —”
I cut him off before he can finish his sentence, tired of being spoken to like a child. “Look, I can either lay in a hospital bed, or I can lay in a bed at home. Personally, I’d rather be on bed rest at home.” Something tells me that Joey is not going to let me out of his sight for the next few days anyway, whether I’m here or at home.
Dr. Sawyer sighs and rubs his forehead. “Alright, but I’m releasing you with the meds you’ll need to continue taking over the next 48 hours. I’ll need a few hours to draw up your discharge paperwork and fax your prescriptions in.”
I flop back against the pillow in frustration. “Fine.”
“I’ll be back shortly.” He taps his clipboard and walks out of the room.
People like him are exactly the reason I hate doctors. There is literally no reason for me to stay here, other than giving them more things to bill my insurance for. You’ve told me my problem — the majority of which I was already well aware of — and given me some options for the solution. Let me make the decision for how I want to proceed with my care and leave me alone.
“I don’t want to leave you, Angel, but I need to go get my truck so I can take you home. I’ll also grab you some new clothes while I’m there, okay?” Joey tenderly brushes his hand over my hair.
“I’ll stay here with her, you can take my car back to your house and get what you need,” Savannah interjects, handing Joey her keys.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?” I nod just as Joey kisses my forehead. “I love you, Kelsey.”
“I love you, too,” I sigh with a smile.
“God, you two make me want to throw up with how cute you are,” Savannah huffs a laugh.
My heart falls a little bit when I watch Joey walk away. I know he’ll be back shortly, but a small part of me is worried that he won’t want to be with me anymore now that he knows I can’t have kids.
“What’s going through your mind, Kels?” Savannah grabs my hand as she sits by the bed.
“This isn’t how I wanted him to find out about this whole mess. I’m terrified he’s going to leave me, or worse — that he’ll treat me like I’m broken.”
“If you saw what I saw today, you wouldn’t be worried in the slightest about him leaving. I’m surprised he didn’t ask you to marry him the second you woke up.” Savannah shakes her head. “That man is head over heels in love with you, Kelsey Nicole. And if you don’t want him to treat you like you’re broken, then you need to make it clear to him.”
“Have you met him, Savannah? He’s so protective over me, he’s going to be hovering worse than Mom when he gets me home.” I know I should count my blessings that I have someone in my life who cares so much about me. But I’m terrified about how the dynamic is going to change between us now that this happened.
“What’s really bothering you?”
“I can’t have kids, Sav. What if he wants them?” My eyes well up with tears for what feels like the hundredth time today, and I can’t help but to let them fall.
“Listen to me — I know this was never a problem for you because Grant didn’t want kids, so we’ve never really had to have this discussion. But there are plenty of options available to you.”
I usually love my sister’s optimism, but right now, it’s not what I need. What I need is to have this talk with Joey.
Chapter 33
I’ve spent the majority of the drive home trying to process everything that’s happened today. I find myself thinking about how much worse this could’ve been had I gone to practice after school. I’m glad I trusted my protective instincts and went right home. I don’t ever want to come that close to losing her again.
There’s so much about this situation to unpack, I don’t even know where to start. Kelsey has this horrible condition that I know nothing about, other than the fact that it severely reduces her chances of having a baby. The heartbroken look on her face when she told me was enough to break me in two. It was as if she was worried that I would somehow love her less because of it, when nothing could be farther from the truth. If having a baby is important to her, we will find a way to make it happen. I don’t care how many appointments we have to make to figure it out — I’ll do anything to make her happy.
When I walk in the door, the coppery smell overwhelms my nostrils, causing me to cough incessantly. In the midst of getting Kelsey to the hospital, I never cleaned up the mess on the kitchen floor. I grab a roll of paper towels out of the pantry and soak up as much of the blood as I can, so I don’t push it around the floor with the mop.
While I’m cleaning, I feel a wave of guilt wash over me. Was I too rough with her in bed? Is that why she bled so profusely? I know nothing about this condition, so I don’t know if things like that can be a factor. These are all things I need to discuss with her when she’s feeling up to it.
When I’m done mopping, I realize that the blood was sitting on the floor for so long that it mildly stained the kitchen tile. I’ll go through with bleach another time, but right now my concern is getting Kelsey home and in bed.
I go into the guest bedroom to grab some clothes for her, making a mental note to move this dresser into my room at some point. None of her things should be in my guest room anymore. Before I leave the house, I send a text to Frankie.
Me: I’m gonna be out for the next few days. Had to rush Kelsey to the ER today
