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“Thanks for the warning,” I sighed. “But with that stubbornness comes strength.” I see it in both of these men. They shared other traits as well-kindness, loyalty, and…tenderness.
He smiled but didn’t contribute to my thoughts on that subject. Instead, he asked, “Would you like me to drive you to the hospital?”
“Thanks, but it makes no sense for you to sit in a waiting room when I have no idea how long I’ll be. Maybe you can watch a movie or…take a nap. You didn’t get much sleep last night. And from how spotless my apartment looks, you didn’t get any today, either.”
“I’m sure I can find something to keep myself occupied, but dinner sounds good.”
I got up on my tippy-toes and kissed him. “Clark, thank you for coming.”
“You already said thank you before,” he said. “And there wasn’t any need to then. I’m here because there’s no place else I’d rather be.”
I wrinkled my brow. “Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. This isn’t the highlight of anyone’s day right now.”
He pulled me close to him, tipped my chin up, and said tenderly, “Then they’ve never met you.”
Clark kissed me so sweetly that I melted against him. This is where I wanted to be, here in his arms. I pulled away slightly and said, “I’m never going to leave if you don’t stop touching me.”
He slowly loosened his hold and said, “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“And I’ll be hungry,” I said. And not for dinner, either.
It didn’t take me long to get to the hospital from my apartment. Joey was asleep in the chair beside Crystal’s bed when I arrived. She smiled at me weakly.
“Has he been here all day?” I asked. She nodded. I walked over and touched his shoulder. “Joey. Go home. I’ll stay with her for a while.”
His eyes popped open and he looked at Crystal, half in a panic. Then he looked at me, “Phillie, when did you get here?”
“Just now. Go home and shower.”
“I don’t want to leave them,” he said.
I loved hearing him say them. That meant Crystal was still pregnant. And I’m going to be an aunt.
“Trust me, if you don’t go home and shower, the nurses might throw you out for being a respiratory hazard,” I warned.
Crystal said, “I think he’s holding out for a sponge bath.” She laughed and then cried out in pain. “Oh, I shouldn’t do that. It…hurts.”
“I promise, I won’t say a funny or happy thing while I’m here,” I lied.
“Good. We can talk all about Clark and you can give me all the juicy details while Joey isn’t here to eavesdrop.”
“Maybe I should stay,” Joey teased.
We both looked at him and said, “No,” in unison.
Once he was gone, I dragged the chair to sit beside the bed. “How are you feeling?” I asked softly.
“Like I got hit by a truck. Oh, wait, I did.”
My stomach went into knots. I didn’t know exactly what happened, and I wasn’t sure I wanted the visual. “I’m glad to hear you’re going to be okay. You and the baby,” I said, giving her the eye.
She smiled. “Yeah. I know. I should’ve told you. When Joey thought you were pregnant, he was freaking out because he thought we’d be raising our little ones together.”
“And I thought he was pissed,” I said.
“Well, maybe a little of that, too. He’s so excited to be a dad. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was afraid to tell him. You know, with how much he is gone for work and stuff. But we talked about it and found something that will work for us both,” Crystal said. “Maybe I should wait until Joey is back to tell you the rest.”
“Or maybe you just spill it now,” I suggested. Joey was going to make sure I only knew what he wanted me to.
