I’m at the passenger door once Holly parks her SUV, opening it and getting Phoebe unbuckled before she has it shut off.
“I’m okay, Eli, I promise,” she slurs out. “It just took a little more out of me than I expected.”
“If Thelma wasn’t on her way here, I’d be taking your ass to the hospital,” I reply as I stride back into the clubhouse then up to our suite of rooms.
“Eli,” she whimpers. When I look down at her, I can see how pale she is, but when she says, “I’m sorry,” I nearly lose my composure completely.
This woman has me, heart and soul, and it’s killing me that her first experience being pregnant has been so miserable. “There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I tell her, gently laying her on our bed before I slip her shoes off. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable.”
“If it helps any, I did find a dress,” she murmurs.
“Sweetheart, you could wear a potato sack, and I wouldn’t give that first fuck,” I growl out. “I just want you to feel better and I suspect, based on what happened today, that we’re looking at bedrest.”
Tears start to trickle from her eyes as she nods. “What am I supposed to do with myself all day every day?”
“Study, do those practice tests from the book that Thelma gave you, and grow our baby,” I instruct as I ease her shirt over her head. “Bra on or off?”
“Off, please. I kind of wish I could take a shower, I feel gross since I ended up on the floor.”
“Give me a minute and I’ll make that happen,” I reply.
By the time I’m done bathing her, she’s almost asleep and I don’t know if it’s because she fainted earlier, she’s weak from the HG, or it’s just her normal nap time. Not willing to take any chances, I waste no time getting us out of the shower, drying her off, and putting comfortable lounge clothes on her before I tuck her into bed. Hearing my phone chime, I grab it from the nightstand and say, “Thelma’s here, sweetheart. Let me go get her so she can get you hooked up to the good stuff.”
She smiles even though her eyes are closed and says, “You’re too good to me, Eli.”
I swear whatever is in the IV is a miracle drug, because Phoebe’s alert and laughing as we sit in the common room and talk about tomorrow’s wedding. She looks at me and teases, “It’s almost too late to back out, Eli.”
“Babe, you’re stuck with me,” I reply, leaning in to kiss her. “Now, I know you’re feeling better, but to ease my mind, I think you need to head up to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be busy enough as it is, sweetheart.”
“Spoilsport,” she grumbles, grinning up at me as I lean down and scoop her into my arms. “I can walk, you know.”
“Not happening,” I reply as everyone tells us good night.
“Isn’t it bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding?” she asks as we head to our room.
“We make our own luck, and I’m not leaving you for a second, until it’s time for Ella to help you get ready,” I announce as I breach our doorway and move to our room. I start to put her down, but she shakes her head and points to the bathroom.
“Stupid fluids make me have to go,” she grumbles, causing me to laugh. “Plus, I need to brush my teeth.”
“Holler out when you’re done and I’ll come in to keep an eye on you.”
“So bossy,” she teases as I set her down in front of the toilet and turn to leave.
“You’re absolutely correct, especially when it comes to making sure you’re okay,” I reply.
Despite my secret fears based on how she’s been feeling, the wedding itself went off without a hitch. It might not have been conventional by most peoples’ standards, but it was us and we had our family surrounding us as we pledged our lives to oneanother. Right now, she’s getting checked over by Thelma to make sure she doesn’t need another bag of fluids, but we’ve all watched her like a hawk today and haven’t let her do too much.
I walk into the bedroom to see another IV bag hooked up while she argues with Thelma. “Don’t give a shit that it’s your wedding night, Fee,” Thelma states. “And I suspect your husband isn’t the kind of man to push the issue considering what you’re dealing with.”
“You’d be correct,” I reply as I sit down next to my wife. Taking her hand in mind, I bring it up to my lips and kiss her ring finger. “Phoebe, we’re taking no chances on your health or that of our bean.”
With everything going on with her, we decided against knowing our baby’s gender. At this point, I just want my wife and baby to survive the birth, although her obstetrician has assured me that we’re doing everything possible to ensure both will be okay.
“Fine,” she grumbles. “But once I’ve had this baby and waited the prescribed number of weeks, you owe me at least a week in bed, mister!”
Thelma and I both start laughing because the look on Phoebe’s face is a combination of frustration and anger. I understand completely, since I feel the same. Not about having to wait to have sex again, that would make me a complete asshole, but about the situation as a whole. She’s had to put everything on hold just to carry the baby to term, and being put on bedrest in the hospital is still not off the table.
“We’ll make it two and call it good,” I finally say once I’ve stopped laughing. Turning serious once again, I tell her, “It’s highly likely that you’re going to end up on bedrest at thehospital, Phoebe, but as long as we’re able to avoid that, it’s all good. This is just a blip in our journey, sweetheart. You’ll be able to get back on track once our little one arrives.”
