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Amelia was in and out of consciousness. Leo never left her side. His parents brought him food he barely ate and tried to get him to sleep.
He didn’t dare sleep.
At one point, Amelia’s eyes fluttered open, she struggled to focus on him beside her hospital bed, and she whispered hoarsely, “Leo, I-I think I’m pregnant.”
Hysteria and agony crawled through Leo’s chest.
Leaning forward, he took her hand between both of his. Soothingly, he whispered, “I don’t want you to worry about anything but getting well. Let yourself heal and then you’re coming to live at my house. We talked to your dad and he agreed that it’s the best thing for you.”
Confused, she murmured, “Live with you? I-I’d love to live with you…” The pain medication pulled her back under and he watched as her eyes drifted closed.
Sobbing painfully hard, he pressed his forehead to the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, Amelia. I’m so fucking sorry, sweetheart. I never should have left you in that house. You get better, just get better, and we can face the rest together.”
When she woke fully thirty-six hours after being admitted, her memories were disjointed and chaotic. There were huge blank spots containing nothing due to the blood loss and trauma she’d been through.
For a long moment, she stared at the ceiling. Then she turned her head and looked at Leo with a frown. “What happened to me? Why am I in the hospital?”
Standing, he stroked his fingers through her tangled hair. “It’s okay, Amelia. Everything is going to be okay…”
“Leo!” She gasped and pressed her hand to her stomach. She started crying softly and moaned, “Oh, no. No, no, no.”
Closing his eyes, he told her through tears he fought to keep from falling, “You’re safe, Amelia. I swear it. Please.”
“Look at me. Look at me, Leo.” He opened his eyes and stared into hers. The moment they made contact, he wasn’t able to control the pain, the hurt, that welled up. She ordered him, “Tell me what happened.”
Tears slipped over his cheeks. He cupped the side of her head and took her hand. “I love you. More than my own life, Amelia...I love you.”
Barely able to speak, she repeated, “Tell me, Leo.”
“We can talk about everything when you’re better. I just want you well and out of this hospital.”
Gripping his hand as hard as she could, she asked, “What happened to me, Leo? You have to tell me.”
He lifted his head and stroked her hair back from her face. She was delicate compared to him. He’d never realized how fragile she truly was until this moment.
“You’ve been through enough, Amelia. Please...”
“You never hide things from me, Leo. I-I trust you to always be honest. Just...whatever it is, I need you to tell me.”
Nodding, he closed his eyes to collect himself. He took a deep breath and faced the woman he loved with news he never, ever imagined having to say.
“You were drugged and walked out of the house through the garage; probably before they would have fully hit you. There were opiates in your system. Augusta drove you to a clinic and arranged for some quack to do a backroom abortion.”
“No, Leo! No!” She released a keening wail that almost broke him. He carefully gathered her in his arms and held her while she sobbed against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Amelia. It’s going to be okay. I swear it. I love you, I love you, I love you.”
She alternately rambled incoherently and screamed in devastation until a nurse entered to sedate her. As she drifted away, she moaned, “Our baby...our baby, Leo.”
Struggling for air, he held himself up on the rail of her bed as his tears fell to the sheets beside her. Eventually, he went to his knees, still holding her hand.
It was how his mother found him. “Come, Leo. Come, darlin’.” She helped him to his feet and into a chair. Grabbing one of the blankets they’d brought for him, she wrapped it around his shoulders. “Breathe, son. I need ye te breathe for me, Leo. Slow and steady now.”
She opened a bottle of water. “Drink. Sip until it’s gone. That’s it.” She crouched beside the chair until the bottle was empty. “Look at me, sweetheart.”
Somehow, he managed it. She wiped his face and raked her fingers through his hair before taking his hand.
“Breathe and listen te me, Leo. I know yer pain is bad. I know ye’re grievin’. I’m breakin’ for the both of ye.” She held his cheek. “She’s gonna be a wreck. Ye know that, aye?” Leo nodded. “It’s gonna be worse than ye imagine. As bad as ye’re hurtin’, Amelia is gonna be lost. Ye gotta be strong enough to keep her steady. Yer dad and I will help.”
