AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I gasp. “Due to stress?”
“Stress and the meningitis are both dangerous for the fetus,” she explains. “So, you need to take it easy. I recommend bed rest until you’re free from the meningitis, so I’d like to keep you in the hospital for another few days.”
I nod slowly. “Of course,” I say, wiping at my eyes.
I seem to have sprung a leak and I can’t plug it up. I guess it’s the hormones, plus all the stress I’ve been under with everything happening with Derek and taking care of a sick Eli and this little guy inside my belly.
I wonder briefly how Eli’s doing, feeling a pang in my heart thinking about the young boy. I want him and Maggie to be well, and I wish I knew what’s going on with them. I can’t very well expect Derek to visit me in the hospital – for all intents and purposes, I'm just his employee, after all.
When the doctor leaves, I sigh, rubbing my stomach. I miss the kids, and I miss Derek, and I wish that I could share this with him from the start.
But if he doesn’t even want to face me or talk to me, how am I supposed to tell him about this baby? I can’t just force him to listen, can I? Now that Eli is okay again, I could tell him, but I’m not sure I’m strong enough while I’m here to handle the rejection. Except, am I not in the right place to mend a broken heart if it comes to that?
I need to stop worrying about this, especially since I’m almost sure I’ll only see him when I go to the house. For now, I’m under doctor’s orders to sleep and rest plenty, so I close my eyes and eventually drift off.
When I wake up, I feel disoriented, thinking I’m back in my room at Derek’s mansion. When I realize where I am, I feel disappointed, but at the same time, I guess I’m glad I don’t have to deal with his cold shoulder for a few days at least.
There’s a knock on the door, and instinctively, I throw the blanket over the fetal monitor again, even though my parents already know. It turns out it’s good that I did, because Derek Ledderman walks in the door.
31
DEREK
When I walk into the hospital hallway, Frank is talking about a baby. I don’t think much of it, and when I walk into Kenna’s hospital room, she looks a little pale.
“How are you doing?” I ask, putting the vase of flowers down on the side table.
“Oh, Derek, they’re beautiful,” she murmurs, looking at the arrangement from inside the plastic bubble. “I’m doing a lot better, thank you.”
Her voice sounds flat but she must be tired, so I don’t pry.
“I wanted to say how sorry I am that Eli got you sick,” I say, sitting down awkwardly on the chair across from the bed.
I don’t know how to say that she’s changed my life and the kid’s life too. I don’t know how to say I’m afraid that I’m falling in love with her just as my kids have fallen in love with her, so instead, I just say that I’m sorry.
I’m sorry for more than Eli getting her sick, but I don’t say that, either.
“It’s not his fault,” Kenna says, frowning. “How’s he doing? Has Maggie gotten sick?”
I shake my head. “Luckily, no. The doctors say he’s not contagious anymore, and he’s been fine, just a little lethargic as he’s getting better.”
Kenna lets out a breath of relief. “Thank God,” she says. “I worry about him and Maggie all the time.”
“I know you do,” I say warmly. “I wanted to thank you, Kenna, for all you’ve done for my family.”
She frowns again. “Why does this sound like you’re firing me?”
“Oh, god, no,” I say quickly. “I couldn’t fire you if I wanted to. My kids would mutiny,” I joke, trying to keep it light, but Kenna’s brows are still drawn together. “Don’t worry. Your job isn’t going anywhere.”
“I think we maybe should start cutting down my hours,” she says quietly. “I’ll be going back to school, soon.”
The idea of her leaving and going back to college makes my heart seize up, but I would never hold her back. She’s going to college out of state, so cutting her hours means she’ll soon quit all together. I guess I always knew this would be temporary, but it still guts me.
I swallow hard. “We’ll figure it out,” I say, looking at her curiously. “You look so tired, sweetheart. Should I leave so that you can rest?”
Kenna shakes her head. “No. All I’ve been doing is sleeping,” she complains. “I want to hear more about the kids. I miss them.”
“They miss you, too,” I assure her, and they do. And so do I, but I don’t tell her that. “They want to visit but I don’t want to risk them getting sick.”
