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“Of course. But one more thing.”
I appraise his expression. A ‘but’ is never good when it’s coming from a doctor. “Just tell me,” I say, bracing myself for bad news.
“Your partner still has a lot of recovering to do. But this is actually good news.”
I hold my breath.
“Mr. Hartley, your partner is pregnant.”
My shoulders release their tension, and my heart leaps for joy. “She is?”
“Congratulations.”
My eyelids slowly press downward, squeezing out tears of joy. Amber-Rose is going to be the mother of my child. But then a thought jumps out at me. “She dove deep, and she was hit. And… the x-ray, the sedation.” I feel weak thinking about what could happen.
“She’s three weeks along. We still have to monitor her closely, but so far the signs are good. The x-ray was safe, and we only used local anesthetics. They won’t affect the baby.”
“Can I see her now?”
“Give us a couple of minutes. A nurse will let you know when she’s ready.”
I turn to Clay, who’s waiting nervously in the seating area. I’ve got to share the news with him. He’s been there for me, and I still need him.
“What did the doctor say?”
I take short breaths out of excitement. “Clay, she’s pregnant.”
Clay boxes me in with his arms, clapping my back. “Congratulations, brother.”
“I’m gonna be a dad, Clay. Can you believe it?”
“No, I can’t. But yes, I can.” My brother cries with me. “I can’t believe you did it before me!” he chuckles. “But then again, I can believe it, because you’re the best big brother I could ever hope for. And you’ll be the best dad the Hartleys have ever seen.”
“And you’ll be an uncle.”
“I guess being an uncle is cool, too. But you know what? One thing won’t change.” He wipes his tear-laden face. “We’ll still be brothers, the Three Musketeers.”
“Always, Clay. Always.”
He hands Bjork to me, along with a card. “Go on, go to her. I’ll wait here.”
It’s not long before a nurse comes and leads me to Amber-Rose.
“She’s still weak, so let her sleep.”
My little fighter looks calm now, and I can see her chest moving gently and steadily, a far cry from the writhes and jolts when I pulled her out of the water tonight.
I put Bjork on the seat next to me and lean Matty’s card on his belly. Not wanting to wake up my girl, I simply touch her fingertips, occasionally rubbing her knuckles.
“I’m gonna tell you the story of us,” I whisper really quietly. It’s almost like the voice is contained in my head, but I want her to hear it too. “That night at Lake Geneva, I didn’t see you. No, I didn’t. But there was a powerful force I felt coming from the water. Lina and I were trying to decide whether to call it a night or stay on the lake till morning. But I justhadto look outside.
“And then I saw you. That tug, that force, it was coming from your direction—and my heart pounded, trying to meet that force. When I pulled you up, I could feel your heart and mine connect. You almost had no face. Lina thought you were dead, but I could see you. Despite the gashes, despite your hair running across your face, I sawyou. There was nothing romantic at the time, but it persisted. So I kept holding on to your tiny hand, wishing I’d known your name. I wanted to call it out so badly.”
Mulling over the event, I decide that maybe Lady Geneva had a hand in bringing us together. Although we parted ways before we knew each other, nature has a way of producing miracles.
I bend over and drop a kiss on her forehead, secretly wanting to see her lips curve, even though the nurse said I should let her sleep. But she doesn’t even twitch, and I’m glad—she’s getting the rest she desperately needs.
“I knew you’d make it. My hands held you tight so I could protect you—from shock. I figured you would survive your facial injuries, but shock could easily tip the balance in the wrong direction. So I held you, for as long as I could.” This time I can’t help showing what I’m telling her, securing her hand in my grip.
