Dating Daniel (Cloverleaf #4) (16 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Daniel

He drove as quickly as he could to the only hospital in Birch Valley. Once they arrived, he and Hannah raced inside to find his family in the waiting area. They had been in this very room before. Then, the circumstances had been awful, beyond any kind of nightmare he thought possible.

“Mom.” Daniel went straight to her. Her eyes were red and raw from crying. Hannah appeared instantly. He hadn’t meant to ignore her, but he was riddled with worry for Maggie. Hannah pulled Mary into a hug, and Daniel rubbed his mother’s back. He looked at the rest of the family, who were seated nearby. Liam and Rachel were huddled together, sullen looks on both their faces. Patrick was missing, and Daniel realized why. There was no way Patrick could relive this all over again. Daniel’s father and grandfather were also missing. “Where is everyone?”

Mary released a sigh. “Well, Patrick and Amber are watching Melanie. Your father and Grandpa Paddy were here for a little bit, but you know how tired Grandpa Paddy gets. They will come if anything happens.” Her lip started to quiver, a floating sea of tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Mom, what happened?”

“Oh, Daniel,” his mother cried. Hannah reached for her again and cradled Mary against her chest. Hannah frowned, and all Daniel could think was that this must be all very bad. His mother was the solid rock in this family, the one who supported everyone. She was a strong woman, who, for being as sweet as she was, was not made easily vulnerable.

Liam and Rachel stood up. Rachel joined Hannah in soothing his mother, guiding the older woman to one of the uncomfortable seats. Liam grabbed Daniel’s shoulder, ushering him away toward a small table which had a coffee pot set up. Daniel remembered the bitter and stale taste of that coffee from a little over four years ago, when Beth was here, when they were all here waiting for news. Daniel searched Liam’s eyes, which also had hints of red and were glassy from unshed tears.

“What the hell happened, Liam?” Daniel was growing agitated.

“Well, Mom got the call from the hospital. Michael didn’t have any time to call her. He called the ambulance, I guess,” Liam began to explain.

Daniel had so many questions. “Why did he have to call an ambulance?” He ran his hands through his hair. No one called an ambulance unless things were very dire.

He could see that Liam was choosing his words carefully, in an attempt to keep from scaring Daniel. Too late for that. He was terrified.

“I guess after they got home, Maggie felt sick, and suddenly there was blood.”

“Well, isn’t that kind of normal when you are having a baby?”

Liam shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t think so, not like that. So Michael called for help and they rushed her here. They ended up taking her back, I think to surgery. She’ll be okay though, Daniel.”

“Well, why was she bleeding so much then? That doesn’t sound good, Liam,” Daniel stated firmly. “What about Melanie?”

“Michael dropped her off at Patrick’s since he lives right down the street.”

“Oh God, I mean, what do you think is going to happen to Maggie…to the baby? Why did this happen?” Daniel started to ramble, but the sound of a doctor coming through two large swinging doors interrupted his next set of questions. Liam and Daniel practically sprinted to see what the man had to say. The one thing that did not go unnoticed, and was absolutely horrifying, was the amount of blood that was on the his light green scrubs.

“Okay, we have some news on Maggie’s condition,” the doctor started to say. There wasn’t anyone else in the waiting room, just the very worried O’Brien family, but the doctor searched the waiting room, almost to verify what was plain to see. There was no else waiting to hear how Maggie was doing. He offered them a weak and tight-lipped smile as he headed slowly toward them, continuing, “Well, first let me tell you all that Maggie is headed back for surgery now. We are going to perform an emergency c-section.”

“So what happened?” Daniel blurted out. He was tired of no one explaining anything clearly, and his frustration was getting the better of him. He felt Hannah’s eyes on him, urging him to settle down. She was sitting with his mother, their arms looped together. Thank God for her.

“Well, quite frankly, Maggie’s placenta became detached. It’s something that is called
Placenta abruption.
Even though it’s not super common, it can happen.”

Daniel wanted to roll his eyes.
Well, obviously it can happen.

“Will Maggie be okay?” Mary’s voice was laced with stringent concern and fear.

“Ma’am, that’s our goal here. Luckily, she lives here in town, so they were able to bring her in right away. I’ll be back with an update as soon as the c-section is over, or if anything changes.” He disappeared behind the swinging doors.

The last part was not necessary, Daniel felt. It felt like hours, but in reality only about forty-five minutes had passed by the time Michael emerged from the doors, dressed in scrubs. He looked exhausted but deliriously happy.

“Max is here!”

Everyone jumped up from their place, except for Rachel. She was having some trouble getting out her chair.

“How’s Maggie, dear?” Mary asked, her hands clasped together. She had been praying nonstop, the rosary she kept in her purse still tangled around her fingers.

“She’s fine. They did a c-section, and little Max, who is not so little, was born. They were able to stop the bleeding and get Maggie all taken care of,” Michael tried to explain, but it was obvious he was still recovering from shock.

“How big is Max?” Liam asked as he shook Michael’s hand and pulled him in for a hug.

“Over nine pounds, if you all can believe it. He’s beautiful, you guys.” Michael’s eyes grew shiny, filling with the beaming pride of having a new baby.

Relief came in another wave as the doctor returned. Michael slipped back to be with Maggie and Max. The doctor went on to explain how they were able to deliver a very healthy baby and that they were able to repair some of the tears in Maggie’s uterus. Daniel almost passed out as he tried to listen to the doctor explain the procedure. But what he learned was that his sister was fine, his brand new nephew was a healthy whopper of an infant, and having Hannah there to help with his mother and alleviate his stress made all the difference. Today had been a remarkable day all around and proved to Daniel once again the O’Brien family could get through anything, as long as they were there for each other.

***

Maggie

Morning light infiltrated the room. She was confused for a brief moment, but the searing pain reminded her of what had happened the night before. Maggie looked over and saw a plastic tub, a swaddled and stirring Max inside of it. Michael was in an awkward position on a reclining chair, looking rumpled but still as sexy as ever.

Wincing as she tried to move a little in the hospital bed, Maggie was glad everything had ended well. She had never been so terrified in her entire life. When they had returned home from a lovely day at Cider Fest, she had felt exhausted and almost ill. In all fairness, she really hadn’t felt well all day, but after learning her brother was going to be proposing to Hannah, she wanted to be there to witness that special moment. But once they got home, Michael went to get Melanie ready for bed. Maggie had a sip of water, felt the urge to use the bathroom, and noticed she was bleeding profusely. She calmly called for Michael, asking for just him to come in. She didn’t want to alarm Melanie, let alone traumatize her, but Maggie had been scared and started praying. Once Michael entered their bathroom, the color drained from his face. He’d turned around and immediately called 911. Not long after, the sound of sirens splintered through their quiet neighborhood. Maggie recalled feeling weak and suddenly tired. The rush of activity at the hospital didn’t bother her like it should have.

Looking back at it now, she realized she had lost enough blood to impair her thinking. She barely recalled recovery, Michael standing over her holding something in a stark white blanket or towel. Maggie wasn’t quite sure where she was or what happened, but then she remembered the darkness that followed. Sometime during the night, she wasn’t exactly sure when or what time, her mother had been at her bedside. Then Liam and Daniel. No Patrick, but Maggie’s brain was able to retrieve that answer for his absence quite easily and with little effort. Hannah and Rachel wore happy, quiet smiles. Then they were all gone. During the middle of the night she’d heard him—Max. Michael quickly snatched him up, trying to soothe the very loud and demanding son of theirs. Maggie felt herself smile, but then sleep came again. Now it was semi-bright in the room. Her senses were still a little muddy, but she knew one thing: Max was here.

***

Rachel

Rachel felt a swift kick from inside her. Her eyes fluttered open and she rubbed her belly, begging whichever daughter it was to settle down in there. She glanced over and caught sight of Liam, his naked torso exposed, their comforter bunched near his waist. Her brain started to replay the events of the night before. It had seemed like a nightmare, and though everything had ended well, Rachel now saw how something explosive affected the O’Brien family. They rallied around each other, but seeing Mary so shattered and distraught, that broke Rachel’s heart. Seeing a mother’s intense love for one of her children, her daughter, well, it opened Rachel’s eyes to a lot of things. After breakfast she was going to call her mother. Then they would be going to the hospital to visit Maggie and cuddle that precious Max.

She had no idea just how adorable he would be. If she weren’t already pregnant, she would demand Liam and her have a baby. She loved the way Max fit into her arms, and the hints of his sweet scent she caught as she hovered above his beanie-covered head. He was pure magic, and Rachel knew without a doubt that motherhood was now something she felt privileged to experience. Her mind wandered to all the fun she and Maggie were going to have with their children, especially with them being so close in age. What Rachel kept forgetting was that she was getting two for the price of one. She was going to have her hands full, but after seeing how excited the family was at the birth of this special little boy, she knew they would be there for her daughters as well.

“What are you doing up?” Liam’s voice sounded sleepy and scratchy. He yawned and stretched, revealing even more of his skin.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?” He moved to face her, his hand grazing her cheek and moving the hair out of her eyes. Those pesky bangs.

“Just about how last night went. I think I’m in love.” Rachel exhaled softly.

“Really?” Liam raised his eyebrow at her with interest.

Rolling her eyes, she playfully slapped at his chest. “Max. And babies in general.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we got you pregnant.” He inched closer to her.

“I guess so.” Rachel took in her husband’s handsome face. Liam’s jaw was covered in a rusty brown-colored stubble, his eyes heavy and sleepy but deliciously sexy. At the sight of his nude chest and the tight and smooth muscles of his abdomen, she couldn’t resist letting her fingers travel down the length of his torso. He gave her a wicked smirk, one which dared her to move further down. Rachel was up for a challenge.

***

Amber

Patrick was flipping his famous pancakes, and the wonderful smell of the cooking batter filled the kitchen and dining room. Amber started to set plates on the table. Last night had been exhausting, filled with worry and finally relief at the arrival of baby Max entering the world. Melanie was anxious to meet her baby brother, and they would all be going to the hospital after breakfast. The house was filled with more energy than Amber’s coffee could keep up with. Finn and Connor were watching cartoons with Melanie in the living room, and Dylan was still asleep like a typical teenager.

Amber crossed back into the kitchen and got the milk and juice out of the fridge. She stared at Patrick, who wore dark forest-green pajama bottoms and a well-loved and faded Seattle Mariners t-shirt.

“You doing okay?” Amber asked Patrick, who seemed lost in his own world, but on auto-pilot as he flipped the golden round circles of perfection. She paused as she reached into the cupboard to get a few cups for the kids.

“Yeah, I’m just glad it all turned out okay, you know?” His face was still covered in creases from the pillow. They hadn’t slept much, and the little they got consisted of a lot of tossing and turning. Patrick had called out in his sleep at one point, waking Amber. After that, it had been nearly impossible to fall back asleep. Watching him as he poured some batter, he looked rather worn and disheveled, but he was still sexy in her eyes.

She stretched, trying to reach his cheek to kiss him. “But it did turn out well, and now you get to meet a new nephew today. We should probably bring something fun to Maggie’s room since she will be there at least a couple days.” Amber started planning out some ideas in her mind: balloons, a bouquet of flowers, and maybe some yummy treats.