Beginning of Forever (Heaven Hill #7) (16 page)

That had been two hours ago. “Shouldn’t we know something by now?”

Jagger thought they should, but he also though that for his own good, he shouldn’t mention that. “You want me to go see if I can find anything out?”

Tyler knew that his height and his looks intimidated most people. Pretty boy Jagger could get away with anything, he could make people talk. “Please, I just need to know that she’s okay. You understand that.”

They both knew Jagger did understand that. One time they had waited at this hospital to make sure that Bianca was going to be alright after she’d had a run-in with a stalker principal. Trying to think back to the last time he’d been here, Tyler closed his eyes. They’d been here when Tatum had been born. That was also the day Jessica had come to live with them. So much of his life was connected with the club—in reality he knew it, but it wasn’t until he sat down and thought about it that he realized it. What would he do if Meredith was no longer a part of that? He shook his head; now he was reaching. She’d been puking. It wasn’t like she was going to die.

Jagger ran over to him. “Hey, I ran into Ashley, she said we can go back.”

They made their way to the doors that lead to the rooms, and Tyler punched the metal disc that opened them, squeezing through before they opened fully.

“Over here.” Ashley waved them over. “I’m warning you now, don’t talk over me, ’cause I haven’t told Meredith anything yet either. I wanted to make sure I was right before I did.” She pointed a finger at Tyler, her gaze serious.

What the fuck did that mean? He wanted to ask and he wanted to know the answer before he walked into the room, but Ashley was notoriously tight-lipped. Jagger stood outside the room. “I’ll wait on ya, make sure nobody interrupts.”

Steeling himself against whatever news this could be, Tyler drew in a large breath, letting it fill his lungs, and forced himself to relax before he entered the room.

*

“How are you doin?” he asked Meredith as he hurried over to her bedside. She looked a lot better than she had a few hours ago, but he quickly took stock of the needle in her hand, the IV situated to the side, and the machine that was also in the room.

“Been better.” She licked her dry lips. “But I’m starting to feel more human. I just wanna know what the hell is going on.”

“Makes two of us.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, smoothing back her bangs.

“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get to the two of you, and I’m sorry I had to poke and prod you, Meredith, but I wanted to be absolutely sure about this before I said anything.”

Meredith reached up, grabbing Tyler’s hand tightly in hers. This was going to be awful news. They were going to tell her she was sick, or even worse, she was dying. She wasn’t sure she could take it. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt for sure that she was going to get sick again.

“Just tell us. I can’t take the waiting anymore,” Tyler told her.

Ashley smiled slowly at the two of them. “Meredith has a virus. It’s the stomach virus that’s been going around.”

“Well I could have told you that,” Tyler breathed out, looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

“Remember I told you to shut the fuck up and let me tell you what I had to tell you?”

Those weren’t the exact words she’d used, but they did the trick, and Tyler didn’t utter another word.

“Now.” She had a seat on the rolling chair. “The way we diagnose virally is to take a blood sample. We generally run many tests when we take those blood samples. I specifically did with you, because to be honest, I was a little worried about appendicitis. Thankfully, that’s not what we’re dealing with here, but I want the two of you to listen to me closely and know that I’m telling you the truth.”

For years, even though she and Meredith had started off on the wrong foot, Ashley had been one of the people who Meredith had come to—usually to voice her fears about not getting pregnant. It was Ashley who had set up all the appointments to get them tested, it was Ashley who had told them they were both perfectly fine and they had no need to worry, and it was Ashley who had waited monthly for an excited text that never came.

“Okay, I understand,” Meredith told her, but the fear was there, it was apparent in her eyes.

“The reason this virus hit you so hard? You’re pregnant, Mer. From the last menstrual cycle you gave me, I’m guessing you’re twelve weeks. I’m thinking it’s a Fourth of July baby, or around that week.” Ashley’s smile was so wide, it almost broke her face.

“Are you sure?” Meredith didn’t look happy at all. “I’m not regular, not since everything I did to try and have a baby before. It’s not unusual for me to go months with no cycle. It’s not unusual for me to feel awful somewhere in between there. Are you sure?” she asked again.

Tyler sat beside his wife, a look of complete wonderment on his face.

“I figured you’d say that,” Ashley told her as she fired up the machine that sat next to her. “We’re going to do a vaginal ultrasound, so that I can show you. Okay? We wanna make sure this baby is doing fine after all the puking you’ve done. This will also tell us a little more about how far along you are.”

Meredith nodded, her mind spinning. Another doctor had come into the room and stood beside Ashley.

“This is Dr. Metcalfe. He’s an ob/gyn. You know I can do most everything, but delivering babies is not my specialty. It’s his. He’s a highly recommended doctor and a personal friend; I wanted you to have the best.” Ashley grinned over at them, tears in her eyes as she stood and allowed him her spot. She went to stand on the other side of Meredith, putting a hand on the arm that Tyler wasn’t holding for dear life.

“It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you, and Ashley has told me about your history. Let’s get you checked out,” he said as took a seat and flipped the lights, getting into position.

“I figured I’d gained a little weight,” she whispered as she looked down at her stomach. It was fuller than it had been, but not overly so.

“You probably have,” Ashley patiently explained. “But that’s good, we want you to.”

As Tyler opened his mouth to ask a question, a loud thumping filled the room, and on the machine, they could clearly make out a dark mass.

“Here we go,” Dr. Metcalfe said, moving the wand around. “We have a good, steady heartbeat. Doesn’t look like the baby is in distress at all. Do you two want to know about how far along you are?”

“Ashley said she thought Fourth of July,” Tyler whispered, looking at the screen in awe.

“I’d say she’s about right, you look to be twelve weeks. Everything looks perfect. I’ll give you some prenatal vitamins before you leave here, and I’ll give you the number to my office to set up your first appointment. Congratulations, mom and dad, you’ve almost made it through the first trimester.”

Neither one of them could believe this.

“I’m never pregnant,” Meredith sobbed, finally uttering words, tears streaming unchecked down her face.

Ashley leaned down, tears of her own trailing on her cheeks. “You are now, honey. You are having a baby.”

Meredith lifted her head up so she could see Tyler. “This is real, right?” she questioned him, needing his reassurance.

He leaned down, so their cheeks rested together. “This is as real as it gets. Addie’s about to be a big sister.”

Those were the sweetest words she’d ever heard.

‡
Chapter Nineteen

B
oth Meredith and Tyler were dazed as they left the hospital. She held a prescription bag with pre-natal vitamins and Zofran in her hand as she got into the back of the SUV. Neither she nor Tyler had said a word for a while; both were lost in their own thoughts. It was early morning, the sun had already risen, and people were starting to go about their day.

“Do you think you could handle some breakfast? Do you want me to stop and grab something?” Jagger asked softly from his spot behind the steering wheel in the driver’s seat.

“Yes.” Meredith nodded. “I think I could handle some food, and I’m really thirsty.”

“What about you big man?” He looked over at Tyler.

“I could eat.”

Jagger shook his head. He’d never seen the two of them so out of it. If he hadn’t known how badly the two of them wanted a child, he would have thought they weren’t happy about the situation. The truth of the matter was, though, he did know how much they’d wanted a child; he could appreciate that they were shell-shocked. Didn’t mean it wasn’t kind of eerie for him to be sitting there with them and neither one talking. Pulling the car through the drive-through of a fast food place, he at least got them to say if they wanted sausage, ham, bacon, or chicken.

They were quiet again as they ate their food and Jagger drove them back towards their house.

“Are you two okay?” he asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.

From the back seat, Meredith answered. “I’m honestly not sure. It’s not that I’m unhappy,” she tried to explain. “I’m in shock.”

“Same here,” Tyler agreed.

Jagger could understand that and knew, at some point, it would sink in and they would be the happiest people on the planet. He pulled into the driveway and parked. As they got out and walked into the house, B turned to face him, Addie on her hip. It hit him like a square punch in the gut. Maybe it was time for them to talk about things, but he knew now wasn’t the time to bring it up.

“Are you okay?” she asked Meredith as she glimpsed the hospital bracelet still on her wrist, the bag of pills on her arm.

Falling onto the couch, she glanced up at her friend, a small smile playing on her face. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” B squealed, her smile bright. “Addie, you’re gonna be a big sister.” She bounced the baby up in the air.

Jagger could tell that the other couple was still trying to process the news they’d been given. “B, they’ve had a long night. Why don’t we take Addie to the clubhouse and let them get some sleep? Give them some time to come to grips with what they’ve been told.”

Meredith could have kissed him. “Could you keep our news between the two of you?”

“Sure, whenever you’re ready, just give us a call, and we’ll bring Addie back,” B told her, leaning down to hug her.

“We’re taking your car though; we can’t get a damn car seat in the back of that Mustang,” Jagger said as they walked out the front door. He held it open, waiting for Bianca to grab Addie’s stuff. “We’ll be back later on this evening. You two relax and be happy, things are gonna be good.”

*