Monroe, Marla - Her Biker Bodyguards [The Dirty Dozen 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (20 page)

“Gavin?” There were tears in her voice.

“Shhh, baby. It’ll be okay. We’ll go see the doctor and he’ll know what to do.” Gavin zipped up and helped her to lie back down. “Just be still until we know what to do. We’re both right here, Briana.”

He listened to the answering service give directions then gave them their phone number and address. He watched as Gavin soothed Briana. He held her hand and brushed the tears from her face.

Dillon hung up the phone. “The on-call doctor will phone us back in a few minutes. Let’s get her dressed.”

Dillon grabbed a pair of loose-fitting warm-ups and helped Gavin dress her. Bless her heart, she was trying to remain calm, but tears still rolled down her cheeks. When the phone rang, they all jumped.

Dillon dealt with the on-call doctor and explained what was happening. Dr. Avery explained that it could very well be nothing at all, but since he didn’t know her, he wanted to meet them in the emergency room of the Woman’s Hospital and check her out. He agreed and hung up.

“Okay, baby. We’re going to the hospital for the doc to see you. He doesn’t think it’s anything to worry about, but he’s not your regular doctor, so he isn’t going to take a chance.”

“Okay. I’m ready. Gavin dressed me.” She looked up at Gavin and squeezed his hand.

Dillon was glad his brother was there to help. He didn’t know how he would have been able to handle her and his own emotions as well. Right now, he was doing okay, but the minute he touched her to help her, he felt everything begin to close in on him.

“Gavin, can you carry her? I’ll go get the truck warmed up.”

“I’ve got her, Dillon.” Gavin picked her up and carried her down stairs. He sat on the couch with her while he waited for Dillon to tell them the truck was ready.

On the drive over to the hospital, Briana began to cry. Gavin tried to calm her down, but she was obviously scared. Dillon didn’t know what to do.

“My stomach hurts,” she finally told them.

“Easy, baby. You’re scared. Just try and relax. We’re almost there.” Gavin was staring at Dillon over her head.

Dillon didn’t dare take his eyes off the road. He gritted his teeth in an effort to remain in control. He wanted to hold her, but knew it wasn’t a good idea for him to be the one trying to keep her calm. Gavin was doing a good job.

When they pulled into the emergency room drive, a nurse with a wheelchair came out to greet them.

“What’s going on, everyone?”

“She’s about eighteen weeks pregnant and started bleeding. Dr. Avery told us to meet him here.” Dillon filled the nurse in.

Gavin refused to let go of her and carried her inside the emergency room. Dillon had to move the truck, then got stuck filling out the paperwork for her before they would let him back with them.

When he got there, he found Gavin standing outside the room with his arms crossed and a seriously worried expression on his face.

“Why aren’t you in there with her?” Dillon demanded.

“The nurse is getting her ready for Dr. Avery to examine her. We can go in when he gets here, but the nurse wanted to get her set up without me in there.” Gavin put a hand on Dillon’s arm. “Man, she could lose the babies. If she does, she’s going to be a mess. We’ve got to be strong for her.”

“I know. I’ll be okay.” Dillon figured his anxiety was showing for Gavin to say something.

A man in jeans and a navy-blue T-shirt walked up. He stuck out his hand toward Gavin.

“I’m Dr. Avery. Are you Dillon?”

“No, I’m Gavin, this is Dillon, my brother.” Gavin indicated Dillon.

The doctor shook his hand. “Let’s go see what is going on. No matter what, you’re going to need to be strong for her.”

Gavin nodded. “We know.”

The doctor frowned. Then he closed his eyes and nodded. “Okay. Now I know why your names are so familiar. Her doctor filled me in since I take calls for him when he’s out of town. You’re in a ménage relationship. Right?”

“Right. Is that going to be a problem?” Dillon asked.

“Not as long as it doesn’t interfere with taking care of my patient. If it does, you’re out of there no matter what.”

“Fair enough. We want what’s best for Briana and the babies.”

“Let’s go see about her, then.” He knocked on the door and walked in.

Chapter Eighteen

“Okay, here is what is going on,” Dr. Avery began, looking down at Briana. “You’re about eighteen or nineteen weeks along. Not quite twenty weeks. The babies are still intact and doing fine, but you’ve developed a little tear in the placenta where it’s attached to your uterus. What that means is that we are going to admit you to the hospital for a few days of monitoring to see if this hole seals up, or if we will have to go in and work on it.”

“Am I going to lose my babies?” she asked with tears flowing down her face.

“Honestly, I can’t tell you yes or no on this. It’s a serious problem. We are going to do everything in our power to save your babies. But I’m going to have to have your cooperation. That means you have got to calm down and stay in bed. No getting up at all until we see what we’re dealing with. Understand?”

Briana swallowed hard around the knot threatening to choke her. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She hadn’t done anything to cause the tear. She was sure of it.

“What caused it? I haven’t lifted anything or done anything that I can think of.”

“Sometimes, it just happens. It’s not because of anything you’ve done. While we have you here, we’re going to give you some iron and see about bumping up your appetite some.”

“See, baby, they’re going to take good care of you,” Dillon said.

“Okay, I’m going to go write the admission orders. You’ll stay here until a room is ready, and then they’ll move you. Remember, no getting up for any reason.” He shook the men’s hands and left.

Gavin took one hand and Dillon her other one and stood next to her. They kissed her forehead and cheeks and whispered that everything would be okay in her ear. She knew they were trying to help, but it only made things worse. She kept sniffing, trying to stop crying.

“Baby, do you want me to call and get Tina or Brandy here?” Dillon asked.

“I don’t want them. I just want you two. I’m sorry. I really haven’t done anything to hurt the babies.” A fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes.

“We know you didn’t, baby. The doctor said it just happens sometimes. Don’t make yourself sick over this.” Gavin squeezed her hand and rubbed his cheek against hers.

Nearly an hour passed before they had a room ready for her. They all three rode in the elevator to the second floor to a high-risk obstetric room. They strapped a belt around her to check for contractions and listened to the babies’ hearts beating. The men were mesmerized by the fast-beating little hearts. The nurses were in awe that she had two men there with her.

Gavin pulled up a chair and sat on one side with Dillon on the other side. Both men appeared anxious, but were holding it all in well. She felt like a total wreck. She finally stopped openly crying, but a stray tear would fall every once in a while. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to lose her babies.

“We love you, Briana.”

Gavin’s words stopped her breath for a moment.

“No matter what happens with the babies. We still love you and want you with us.”

“You’re just saying that,” she whispered.

“No, baby. I’m not just saying that. I love you with all my heart. I can’t stand seeing you hurting like this. If there was anything I could do to make it all go away, I’d do it for you.”

She turned to look at Dillon. His brother looked as serious as he did.

“We love you, baby. No matter what. We want these babies as much as you do, but if it’s not to be, then there is nothing any of us can do but love each other.”

Briana reached out with her hands and squeezed theirs. “I wish I could believe you. I want you to love me as much as I love you, but…”

“We do love you. I fought it, Briana. But I fell in love with you back in Round Rock and wouldn’t admit it to myself. You’re everything to me. As much as I want our babies, I would choose you over them if it came down to it. You’re everything to me, baby.” Gavin bent over the bed and laid his head on her chest.

Briana gently smoothed his hair down and stroked his hair. He meant it. He really did love her. If he did, then Dillon did, too. She turned and looked at him. He had tears in his eyes, but he smiled at her.

“Do you love me, Dillon? Really love me?”

“Baby, I’ve loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. I’ve only fallen deeper and deeper in love with you these last few months. Nothing will ever take away how I feel for you.”

“I love you, Dillon.” She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed it then turned and looked in Gavin’s eyes as he sat back up again. “I love you, Gavin. I want us to have our family. I don’t want to lose out babies.”

“Settle down, Briana. You need to rest. We aren’t going anywhere. You rest and we’ll watch, okay?”

Briana smiled a watery smile and nodded. She could trust them to watch for her. She closed her eyes and prayed for her babies before drifting off to sleep.

* * * *

Later the next morning, Dr. Avery came in to go over her test results with them.

“You’ve lost a little more blood than I would have liked. You’re already anemic. You’ve probably been that way for some time since you’ve adapted to it so well. We’re going to give you an iron infusion along with some other vitamins and nutrients. You really can’t afford to lose any more blood, Briana. I don’t want to risk giving you blood if we can manage to get around it.”

“Why not?” Gavin asked.

“Because it is always risky to the babies to have to give blood to the momma.”

“Use our blood. We’re both O negative and related to the baby.” Gavin stood up.

“If we have to, then that’s a viable option.”

“I don’t want to risk Briana’s life. If she needs blood, then give it to her,” Gavin insisted.

“No!” Briana shook her head. “Not unless it becomes necessary for them. I’m fine.”

Dr. Avery sighed and shook his head. “I’m with Briana on this—for now. Right now, she’s stopped bleeding. I want to keep it that way. If she doesn’t start back, we’re going to be fine. I want the tear to have time to heal up. So no getting up at all.”

“Her appetite has picked up,” Dillon pointed out.

“Good. The more she eats, the better the three of them will be.” He smiled and left.

“Baby, if you need the blood, you should take it. The babies will be fine. I’m more worried about you right now,” Gavin insisted.

Dillon squeezed her hand. “He’s right. There will be other babies, but there’s only one you, Briana. I don’t want to lose you.” He swallowed.

Briana couldn’t believe how lucky she was. They both loved her. She never dared dream it would be possible no matter how often she
had
dreamed it were true. They were so attentive to her needs and didn’t let her cup get empty. One of them was always holding her hands.

They never left her alone. If one needed to step outside to talk to Cole or one of the others who’d come by that day to check on them, the other one stuck by her side. She was never without their company or their love. They told her often and made sure she believed them. Briana wasn’t sure why they loved her, but they did, and she wasn’t going to ruin it by demanding to know why. It was enough that they did.

Two days later, her regular doctor returned and met with all of them, including Dr. Avery.

“It looks as if the placenta tear has healed up. I don’t want you on your feet at all for the next two weeks. I’m going to let you go home on bed rest with bathroom privileges only. The good thing about the tear healing is that it will be a small scar, which is actually stronger than the original tissue was. Still, you’re not healed to that point yet, so you need to be very careful.”

All three of them agreed to be careful, and that she wouldn’t get up for any reason other than bathroom needs.

“We’ll carry her so she won’t need to walk even then,” Dillon assured the doctors.

“Just wait until I gain a lot of weight. Then you’ll be taking those words back,” Briana teased.

“Honey, you gain weight and I’ll lift weights so I can carry you.” Dillon kissed her, and everyone laughed.

Later that afternoon, Dillon eased her into their own bed at home. Home. It sounded even better than before. The house felt more like home now that she knew they loved her. She felt like she truly belonged there now.

Gavin got on his knees by the bed and held her hands. Dillon dropped to his knees as well and handed something to Gavin.

“Briana. I love you with all my heart and all my soul. Would you do me the honor of becoming our wife?” Gavin asked, holding her hand.

“You’re asking me to marry you?” She looked from one to the other.

“Yes,” Dillon said. “You’d marry Gavin since he’s the oldest, but would still say your vows to both of us in a private ceremony with just the gang.”