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CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
KENT
I hated the hospital. It reminded me of the end of my football career. I had been an inpatient for days and an outpatient for months. Every time I went there, I felt like a failure. When Damien called to say that Meara was in the hospital, I had to suck it all up to be there for her.
Being stuck waiting for so long with no information was torture. We looked up hopefully every time a doctor or nurse walked into the waiting room. Most of the time, they were there to talk to a different family.
Damien’s sister turned up and took matters into her own hands. She returned to the group after talking to the nurse with the first real news we had. “It’s her appendix.”
“How did you find out?” Vlad asked.
“I knew who to ask.”
“Who?”
“The head nurse.”
“What did she say?”
“They’re coming out to talk to you now.” The newcomer looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, the same tired doctor was on his way over to us.
“It is the appendix,” he confirmed. “We’re going to operate. We don’t need consent. Meara herself approved the surgery. We’re going to use general anesthetic. She’ll be out for twenty minutes, then we’ll wheel her into the recovery room, and you can go see her.” He pointed to Millie. “As soon as we determine that she’s stable, she’ll be able to receive other visitors. We’re not anticipating that we’ll need to keep her overnight. If it all goes well, you’ll be out of here in a few hours.”
It was music to my ears. After the pain of not knowing and all the worry involved, the matter-of-fact way the doctor surmised that it would be over soon was just what I needed. I looked at Damien and Sean and knew we were all thinking the same thing. We had come close to losing our shared obsession, the woman who drove us all crazy and owned a piece of each of our hearts.
Vlad kept his mouth shut. He looked at Millie protectively, and I could tell there was a story there. But he wasn’t forthcoming with news, so I let it go. The pair of them were on pins and needles until the doctor came back at the appointed time.
I could see the relief wash over them. Millie turned to Vlad and squeezed his hand. The doctor took her away from the rest of us. As the only legal family member, she had a right to hear updates that we weren’t privy to. I thought we should probably fix that. There had to be something we could do that would make emergencies run smoother.
The thought of marriage flitted through my mind before I turned away. I had always been opposed to the institution, but there were certain advantages. If one of us was legally Meara’s husband, then he could stay with her and help make decisions. Otherwise, we were relegated to the “friend zone,” incapable of helping out.
“What?!” Millie cried.
Damn the doctor’s orders—we all rushed over to see what had happened.
Meara’s twin turned to us and spilled the beans. “Meara’s pregnant.”
“What?!” I gasped, parroting her reaction perfectly.
“Holy sh—” Sean caught himself just in time, looking down at Damien’s niece.
“Oh my God,” Damien swore.
“We were very careful,” the doctor explained, now that the family member had involved the rest of us. “The procedure went well, and both mother and baby are fine.”
Sean turned to me, his eyes sparkling with questions. I looked at Damien, knowing he was thinking the same thing. A quick glance at Vlad and I understood that he read the situation correctly. We didn’t know who the father was.
“Is there any way to know when she conceived?” I asked before the doctor retreated to his office.
“She is more than halfway through her first trimester.”
That put the pregnancy too advanced to be either mine or Sean’s. Damien was the likely candidate, since his relationship with Meara predated both of ours. They had hooked up a few times before she came to work with us, and he was the first one to take her to bed after she took the internship. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that the baby was Damien’s, but somehow it didn’t seem to matter.
I felt possessive of the little one as if it were my own. It was outstanding news but delivered in a terrifying way. I wanted to see Meara as soon as I could, but I was forced to wait. Millie and Vlad followed the doctor to our lover’s bedside. I was left out in the cold with Damien, Sean, and Damien’s sister.
