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I see Hunter standing several feet from me, in the doorway. He grimaces while holding up a pastel pink envelope with gold lettering. Bryan’s name next to my mother’s on the top left, makes my heart flutter for all the wrong reasons. My face feels unusually hot, and I realize there are tears running down my face once again. God, why am I so emotional today?
“So, did you get it?”
“Yes, I got it,” I say, sounding angrier than I intended.
Mom doesn’t seem to notice, because she keeps talking. “I will need to know by the end of November. We're having a spring wedding. Isn’t that lovely? With an open bar. We’re thinking sushi for the cocktail hour. I know how much you love that spicy tuna roll.”
I blink away the tears. “Yeah,” I croak.
This is really it. She’s moving on from Dad. And with Bryan of all people. Sure, he has money and seems stable, but does she really love him? And, oh, God, I will have the baby by the time she gets married. What am I going to do? Roll up with a baby and say, ‘Hey, Mom, congratulations on your wedding. Oh, and by the way, you’re a grandma, too’. Ugh. I need to tell her soon, but when. I can’t tell her now. She’s so excited about getting married. I don’t want to rain on her parade.
My headache worsens and I massage my temple with my free hand. Today has been way too much. I just want it to end. I waver on my feet. I’m suddenly feeling extremely dizzy. More than before. I totter toward the couch, but stop when my vision blurs. Something is wrong. Dots speckle my blurred vision, and then I notice everything starts slowly going black.
I can’t see.
“Lucas!” I shout, worry in my tone. “Hunter!”
“What is it?” Lucas asks angrily.
“I can’t see!” I cry while dropping my phone.
I hear it clatter at me feet. Mom is shouting, but I can’t make out her words. I reach aimlessly in the air, looking for something to grab onto. I stumble forward and catch myself from falling.
“I can’t see!” I scream.
“Rachel!” Hunter calls worriedly. His arms circle me and I bury my face in his chest as I sob, willing my vision to come back. The darkness seeps away, but my vision is still blurry. Perhaps from tears, but I’m too terrified to tell. I can’t stop shaking. My head is pounding. It feels like my brain is trying to escape my skull.
“You’re okay,” Hunter whispers in my hair. “I got you. It’s okay.”
“Something is wrong,” I sob while wrapping my arms around him. “Something is terribly wrong.”
Lucas comes into view and he brushes my hair away from my face. “Can you see now?”
He blurs together with Hunter and I sob, unable to stop crying as I lean into Hunter’s touch. I can’t believe this is happening. My vision goes dark once more and I feel myself sliding to the floor. I can’t tell if I’m fainting. I feel like I’m conscious. I can still hear Hunter and Lucas’s panicked voices. I hold onto what I think are Hunter’s hands while I will my vision to return once more.
There’s a stabbing pain in my belly that takes my breath away. It’s in my right side. It must be nothing, I tell myself. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. But then I feel it again, and again. I scream, unable to stop freaking out. Never mind about my vision. Am I having a miscarriage? Am I losing my baby right now? The stabbing pain won’t stop, and I can’t stop crying as I feel it. I should have stayed at the doctor’s office. I should have let Lucas ask his questions. And now, I’m going to lose my baby for being so stupid.
Chapter 23
HUNTER
“Rachel,howmanyfingersam I holding up?” I ask while I hold on to her, holding up three fingers with my free hand.
She just slid down to the floor. Her body won’t stop trembling. She stares back at me unblinkingly, like she can’t see anything.
“I knew something was fucked up,” Lucas mutters while fumbling for his phone. “I asked that doctor a million questions and she didn’t want to answer a single one.”
“Not helping, Lucas,” I grumble while pulling her close to me.
Rachel sobs and clings to me. “There’s pain in my side!” she cries. “There’s so much pain. I think I’m having a miscarriage.”
My heart stops and Lucas drops his phone.
“What?” Lucas breathes.
“We need to get her to the hospital. Now!” I shout while pulling her close to me and hoisting the both of us off the ground. I pitch forward briefly, unused to her weight, but I straighten myself quickly. She sobs in my chest as I carry her out of the house and toward my car. Lucas runs ahead of us and opens the door.
“How bad is the pain?” Lucas asks, sounding panicked.
