The Price of Fame: A Price Novel (The Price Novels Book 2) (17 page)

S
layde and I started building on the property next to his parents’. But it was really his thing. I just told him to do it and that I would show up the day we moved in. I wasn’t the kind of person who cared. I wanted it to be neat and clean, and that was all I really cared about. As far as the decorating, I was going to use Slayde’s saying: “Someone else will do that.” That was my motto for the whole house project. I even turned over most of the nursery decorating to Lexi. Not that I didn’t care about that, but she had good taste. We had an interior decorator, but she still had some questions from time to time about what we liked. For the most part, Lexi made those decisions too. Even though I’d thought Slayde was only trying to get a rise out of me when he mentioned it, we ended up with nine bedrooms in the new house.

We were also building a separate guesthouse for Casey to live in as long as she worked for us. She would be getting married at some point, but her fiancé worked away. So this actually worked out great for us. We would have a room in the house across from the nursery for when she stayed to help at night, but we knew she couldn’t be there all the time. When we mentioned that we would look into finding one more nanny to come in after I went back to work, Casey suggested that her sister might be able to do it. Apparently she had helped Casey in the past when a job needed another adult. So, assuming we would love her sister, Hannah, as much as we did Casey, we built two rooms in the guesthouse.

I really liked Casey; she reminded me a lot of my sister Isabelle. She was very smart and witty. She didn’t hold her tongue. She and Slayde got along well too, but only in a good way. I really had a good feeling about her being with us for a long time.

I was lying on the bed trying to get comfortable. I was twenty-four weeks now and miserable. Casey had come by to drop off some things she’d picked up at that baby store for me, and she was about to head home. Brian, her fiancé, was home for the weekend, and she was excited to see him.

“Have a good weekend, Arden. Try and rest,” she said, sticking her head in my open bedroom door.

“You too,” I said and smiled.

She smiled big. “Oh, you can bet I am. It’s been three weeks since I have seen him. We will have a good weekend all weekend.”

I laughed out loud. “Well, please don’t get pregnant, whatever you do. I seriously can’t do this without you.”

She sat down on the edge of my bed. “I won’t. I promise—but you have Slayde. He is going to be a great mommy.”

I nodded. “Yeah, he is, but unfortunately he has to go back to be Jake Brandon for a while, and I will be without my baby momma.”

“Oh, he could totally be GI Joe or whoever and have a baby on set. Surely Julie can change a diaper.”

Julie, Slayde’s assistant, was a wonderful assistant. But for some reason I just couldn’t picture her with children of any age, other than Slayde, of course. He was about all the child she could handle.

“Yeah, I don’t think I will be leaving my babies with Julie.”

“You know, some of these actresses take their babies to work. I think I read somewhere that Denise Richards or Alyssa Milano or somebody breast-fed her baby at work on set.”

I shook my head, not wanting to even think about it. “Yeah, well, I don’t think Slayde could handle two babies at work. So that would once again leave it up to Julie.”

“Poor Julie,” she said, shaking her head. She stood up. “OK, you rest and call me if you need anything.”

“OK,” I said as she closed my door behind her. Yeah, I felt certain that Casey and I would become the best of friends.

I had just come in from work, taken a shower, and crawled in bed. My last shift was brutal, and I hadn’t gotten to sit down at all, and I felt it now. When Slayde came in an hour later, he eyed me suspiciously. “What?” I asked, putting my book down.

He sat next to me on the bed. “Babe, don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like shit. Are you OK? Should I call Dr. Wells?”

I almost laughed. I could see the concern in his eyes, and I wanted to minimize his worry, but I was just too tired. “I feel like it. I’m just tired. I need to rest. That’s all.”

He went and turned on the shower for himself. He came back in the room and looked at me. “Have you eaten?”

I didn’t say anything.

His look grew even more suspicious. “I didn’t think so. I’m assuming you don’t want to go out, so I’ll go get something after I take a quick shower.”

I closed my eyes and said, “Thank you.” At least I think I said it out loud. I may have just mouthed it. I was too tired to be sure.

I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to Slayde standing over me shirtless and dripping wet, shaking me.

“What?” I asked. “Why are you wet?”

“Arden, look at your feet.” He pointed down at my usually tiny little bony toes, which had become swollen Vienna sausages.

I sat up. “Aw, crap.”

“That’s it. I’m calling Dr. Wells,” he said, and before I could even argue, he left the room. Minutes later he returned dry and with clothes on, carrying three pillows from the guest room. He grabbed my feet and put the pillows under them. I stared at him as he looked at me.

“These are now little piggies for sure.” Not really liking him calling anything about me a piggy, I scowled at him, but he smiled. “Please argue that point with me, so I know you’re still conscious.”

I leaned back. “I’m too tired, but I won’t forget that comment later. I promise.”

He chuckled. “Good. There you are.”

I tried to get comfy, and he said, “Nope. Don’t cross your feet. And I’m going to get you some water. If these puppies don’t look better in an hour or so, you’re going to see Dr. Wells.”

I groaned. “Slayde.”

“What?” he countered, but I was too tired to respond. I just closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

I woke up to him sitting up watching TV in bed. “What time is it?” I asked.

“Eleven thirty,” he said. “You’ll be happy to know that your feet look more like your feet and not Miss Piggy’s.”

I wanted to be mad, but that adorable crooked smile wouldn’t let me. “I hate you,” I growled.

“Ah, no you don’t.” Smiling down at me, he leaned over, kissing my lips. “Mom brought you food,” he said quietly. “If you make a happy plate, like Mom used to say, I’ll rub your feet.”

“Hooves.”

He sat up. “What?”

“Miss Piggy had hooves.”

He rolled his eyes and said, “That’s my girl.” He got up and disappeared, returning minutes later with a tray of food. A delicious home-cooked Lexi meal.

“Remind me to thank your mom,” I said before shoveling a forkful of mashed potatoes in my mouth.

He smiled and went back to his show. When I was done, he took the tray back to the kitchen and, upon returning, grabbed my feet, pulling them in his lap.

“I love you,” I said.

“Moody moody.”

I went back to sleep.

I was lying in bed the next night by myself when I felt them move for the first time. It was so weird. At first I wasn’t sure if that was what I felt. It just felt like something tickled across the inside of my belly. I had been having an emotional battle with my feelings about becoming a mother, but this completely changed things for me. I lay there absolutely still, hoping to feel them again, but I didn’t.

A few days later, after I climbed into bed to watch TV with Slayde, I felt them again. The tickle was a lot stronger this time. I waited a minute and then felt it again. Slayde tried to ask me something, and I told him to be quiet a minute. I wanted to concentrate.

He whispered, “What’s wrong?” and I felt it again. I grabbed his hand and put it on my tummy, and he was really still. After a minute, the babies moved again, and he felt it too.

“Is that what I think it is?” His eyes were huge.

“Yeah.” We were both still, waiting to feel it again.

“Is this the first time you have felt it?” he asked.

“No, I did the other night when you were in New York, but that was the only other time. It’s cool, huh?” I could tell he was so thrilled to see me actually excited about all of this.

With that crooked smile wide, he leaned down and kissed my lips and whispered, “Very,” before putting his lips on my belly and peppering it with soft kisses.

It wasn’t long before you could see the babies moving around. Slayde would come home and rub all over my stomach. If he would start talking to them, they would usually move. I guessed it was understandable, because they say they you can hear while in the womb, but it got old fast. Slayde usually started doing this when he got in bed, and then they moved around for hours after that. So I couldn’t sleep. I finally told him he wasn’t allowed to wake them up, because he didn’t have to stay up all night with them.

The next few months were long. I had to see Dr. Wells once a week after she released me to go back to work. She was not excited about the idea of me working after my little scare, but she was also a physician. She knew what stepping out now would mean to my career, so she was kind enough to see me when she was at the hospital so I didn’t have to go to her clinic across town. She said I was doing well, but I was still high risk.

I was still working my normal schedule, but I slept most of the time I was at home. I sometimes slept between twelve and sixteen hours; it was crazy. I felt terrible because I was hardly with Slayde while I was conscious, but he didn’t complain. He was the usual little momma hen that he always was. I was moody and extremely unpleasant when I was awake. I was sure he really wanted to slit his wrist, but if so, he didn’t let it show.

When I hit the thirty-four-week mark, I was officially beyond miserable. I was now at the point where I couldn’t sleep. If I was still, they were moving. There was no more room in there for anything. I couldn’t breathe.

One day I was at the hospital working, and I started having sharp pains in my stomach. I tried to ignore them, but finally I couldn’t. I called Dr. Wells, who happened to be at the hospital. She told me to meet her in her office, and she would check me out. As soon as I walked into her office, my water broke. I panicked. I had no idea what was happening or what to do. I had actually delivered two babies in the ER, but that doesn’t help you when you’re the one in labor.

“Arden, look at me,” Dr. Wells said. “You need to relax. I’m going to get you admitted and try and stop the contractions.”

“Stop them?” I asked.

“Yes, stop them. We want these babies to stay in another three weeks, if possible. I’d love to avoid any time in the NICU. Where is Slayde? Do you want me to call him?”

As soon as she said that, I started bawling. “He’s in New York.”

“OK, don’t cry. He’s nothing but a flight away. Give me your phone.”

She got me to a room before she tried to call Slayde. “He didn’t answer. Do you want me to leave him a message or not?”

“No, call Julie. She’s his assistant. She will answer.”

She nodded and left the room.

She came back in shortly after that. “Julie said she would have him call you. Do you want to talk to him?”

I nodded, and she handed me my phone. While waiting for Slayde to call, I went ahead and called Lexi, so she would come to be with me. I didn’t want to be alone.

Lexi had gotten there and they had already started the medicine to stop the contractions when Slayde called. I had calmed down some by then.

“Baby, what’s going on?” he asked. I heard a lot of commotion in the background, but he didn’t sound like Julie had told him anything.

“My water broke, but they’ve almost got the contractions stopped.”

“Are you serious?” Now he sounded scared, which made me feel worse.

“Yes, I’m sorry.” I started crying. I felt like I had let him down or something. I must have done something I shouldn’t have, or this wouldn’t have happened.

“Baby, why are you sorry? Don’t cry. I’m on my way to the airport now. Scott was in Atlanta with Dad. Mom called and had him come to New York to get me. So I will be there as soon as I can. I’m so sorry you’re by yourself.”

“I’m not. Your mom is here. I’m just scared.”

“I know, but everything is going to be OK. Please try and relax if you can. I love you, and I am on my way,” he said.

I did finally get to relax and go to sleep. I must have slept for a while, because when I woke up, Slayde was already there. I heard him outside my room, talking. After a few minutes, he came back into my room. I could tell he was exhausted. He had terrible circles under his eyes.

He smiled at me. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

I just shrugged. “What did Dr. Wells say? I’m stuck here, aren’t I?” I knew that was a stupid question.

“Absolutely. They really want to try and keep you from delivering for three weeks. They have you on a mild antibiotic drip to lower the risk of infection since your water broke, but you have to stay here until they’re born.”

“Are they OK?”

“She said they’re fine. She has started steroids to try and strengthen their lungs, just in case.”

I started crying, and he came and sat on the bed. “Arden, this isn’t your fault. There was nothing you could have done any differently.” He grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb over it softly. “Hey, stop beating yourself up, OK? I love you.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

Slayde was on the phone all morning the next day trying to get his schedule switched around. He was supposed to be finishing up a movie and would have a break when the twins were born, but this was messing it all up.

“Baby, why don’t you just go back to New York? There is nothing you can do here. Try and get as much as you can done, and I will call you if anything changes. I could be sitting here for weeks.”

“I’m not leaving you. I will figure something else out; leaving’s not an option.”

When Dr. Wells checked on me, she said that I was looking good, and all we could do was wait. After she left the room, I tried again to convince Slayde to go, but he wouldn’t hear of it.

A few hours later, Julie came to the hospital to talk to Slayde. I didn’t know what was going on, but I could tell it wasn’t all going great like he was telling me it was.