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“We can,” Ford promised. “If she seems to get upset, we’ll leave.”
“Okay, let me talk to the nurse about getting you back there. Give me a minute,” Ty said. Ford watched his brother-in-law as he pointed back to them and talked to the nurse who seemed to be in charge of the waiting room. She nodded and Ty motioned for them to follow him back into the ER. Ford felt as though his heart might beat out of his damn chest as he followed Ty and Journey down the long corridor.
They walked into the second to last room and found Luci sleeping on the small bed. She was hooked up to a bunch of machines and he could hear the baby’s fast heartbeat filling the room around them. Ford wondered if that was what his baby’s heartbeat would sound like and a part of him couldn’t wait to find out.
“Hey sis,” he said, gently nudging her shoulder to wake her. “Journey and I are here; can you wake up?” He looked back to find Journey standing in the corner of the room and he reached out his hand to her. She hesitated at first, but when Luci began to stir, Journey joined in, taking his hand.
“What are you two doing here?” Luci asked, peeping her eyes open.
“I called them,” Ty said. “They should be here for you, honey. This thing needs to end.”
“You mean, I should get over my best friend and brother both betraying me? I should just move on?” Luci asked, sitting up a bit.
“No, that’s not what he’s saying,” Journey said. “Ty called us to let us know that you were in the ER, but it was our choice to come to see you. I’m so sorry—this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have left you that message. It upset you and now you’re here.”
“I told you that it’s not your fault, honey,” Ford said.
“What are you two talking about?” Luci asked. “What message?”
“I left you a message last night and it upset you, I’m so sorry, Luci. I should have told you how I felt about Ford. I shouldn’t have kept it from you all these years,” Journey said.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Luci agreed, “but, I’m not here because of a message you left. I never got your message.”
Ty shot his wife a sheepish grin and Ford had a feeling that he was the reason why she never got her message from Journey. “You didn’t get it because I deleted it,” he said. “You were in the shower when it came in and I didn’t want you to be upset. Plus, if you had listened to that message, you would have ruined my and Ford’s plan to put you two back together.”
“You and my brother came up with a plan to get me and Journey back together?” she asked.
“We did, but then this happened, and I thought, why not just have you two talk things out here,” Ty admitted.
“What did your message say?” Luci asked. At least she was talking to them both. Ford had a feeling that telling her about the message would only serve to upset her, but she asked.
“I apologized for not telling you about Ford and me. You’re my best friend and I should have told you. I just didn’t want to hurt you,” Journey said.
“It feels like you lied to me our whole lives,” Luci said.
“I know, I feel awful about it. I just never thought that I’d have a chance with your brother and bringing up my feelings wouldn’t matter. If he never wanted me, then why spill my guts about crushing on him?”
“You should have told me anyway because that’s what best friends do. We tell each other everything,” Luci said.
“I know that asking you to forgive me now seems trite, but I’m here to do just that. I want our kids to grow up together,” Journey said, cupping her tummy.
“Kids,” Lucinda repeated. “Wait—you’re pregnant?”
“I am. I just found out that Ford and I are going to have a baby. I’m about two months along,” Journey said.
“We’re going to have kids about a month apart,” Luci whispered.
“We are,” Ford said. “I don’t want our baby not to know his or her aunt and uncle because of a stupid feud, sis,” he said. “Can’t we just start over? I’m in love with your best friend and I won’t apologize for that. I’ll never apologize for loving Journey. I want a life with her—I plan on marrying her.”
“You do?” both Journey and Luci asked in unison.
“I do,” he admitted. “We have so much to look forward to, can’t we stop looking backward?”
Tyler cleared his throat, “For the record, I agree with Ford,” he said.
“Of course you do,” Luci grumbled. He worried that his sister was too stubborn to accept any of their apologies, but when she smiled and reached for Journey’s hand, he knew that she was willing to try. “I think I agree with Ford too, even though it pains me to say so. As you know, I never like to agree with anything that my brother says.”
They all laughed and the nurse from the front desk walked into the room. “You all are being too loud,” she chided.
