She pulled back from Ben and took a deep breath.
“I’m pregnant. The paparazzi just hounded us outside the hospital about it, so apparently it was leaked to the press.”
Will nodded. It would make sense that he had already heard the rumors since he tried to keep up on anything that needed to be sent to their public relations team. Liam and Theo’s faces remained neutral as they processed the information. As if Will could read her mind that she wanted to move on from the conversation, he spoke first.
“This isn’t on you,” Will said. “We all should have noticed he wasn’t doing well. You telling him about the pregnancy didn’t cause this. One night of poor rest wouldn’t land him in the hospital. Plus, Jake is an adult. He should have come to me and contacted Celine much sooner if he was struggling.”
He nodded in finality before continuing to pace to the door and looking out.
“Here comes Celine,” he said.
Celine appeared a moment later and looked at the stressed faces of everyone around her.
“He’s okay, everyone. You can take a breath.”
A collected sigh went around the room.
She sat down in a seat opposite them.
“He’s exhausted and hasn’t been sleeping. His body couldn’t take anymore and shut off. Sometimes it has to do that to protect someone if they won’t protect themself.”
“So what now?” Theo asked.
“He needs rest. The hospital is keeping him overnight as a precaution, but he’ll be released in the morning. Then you’ll all be forced to slow down.”
Ben scrubbed the back of his head. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“It’s not at all,” Celine said. “In fact, I want you all to check in with me once a week to let me know how you’re doing. It can be by text, but at least once a month I’m going to meet with each of you in person so we can make sure you’re doing well.”
The guys all nodded in agreement.
“Can we see him?” Liam asked.
Celine nodded. “His doctor said it’s okay to visit briefly. I can bring you to his room, but we need to make it quick so he can get some rest.”
The guys all stood, but Claire hesitated. Maybe it would be best if she didn’t go if she was the reason he was losing sleep. As if Theo knew exactly what she was thinking, he quickly stepped over and took her hand, helping her out of her chair.
“He’ll want to see you,” he whispered.
She nodded and followed everyone down the hallway. Theo moved his hand to the small of her back as if to make sure she didn’t run away. She would have laughed if she wasn’t so scared for Jake and what all this meant.
The guys filedinto the room one-by-one. Last came Claire. She was the only one Jake really wanted to see. Claire’s eyes met his briefly before shifting away.
“How are you feeling, man?” Liam asked.
Jake was exhausted. His entire body felt heavy, like he was engulfed in thick mud. He asked that they not dose him with any sleeping medication until after he saw everyone to ease their minds. The last thing they needed after seeing him collapse was him doped up on medication and not being able to make coherent sentences.
“I’m okay.” Jake took the time to look at each one of his friends. They all had various degrees of concern on their faces. Guilt engulfed him.
“I’m sorry I scared everyone.”
Ben shook his head and dragged a hand down his face. “We’re just happy you’re okay.”
“But, dude, next time, let us know you aren’t sleeping. We could have gotten you help sooner,” Will said.
Jake nodded, and then his eyes landed on Theo. “I’ll be better about taking care of myself and heeding warnings.”
Theo nodded, not needing to reply to know Jake was directly apologizing to him for not taking his advice sooner.
