Wilde Ride (24 page)
They allowed him in the ambulance with me and while one EMT tended to me, the other tended to Ryder’s hands. Once his injuries were treated, the police took him to the station for questioning. He was there for hours before being released; the whole time it was killing him not knowing what happened to me.
As Ryder is finishing up telling me about the aftermath with Matt, his cell phone starts ringing. He looks down at the display and frowns. Answering it he says, “This better be good.” I listen in on his conversation to get some idea of who is on the phone, but Ryder doesn’t say much other than yes and no. He disconnects without even saying goodbye.
“Who was that calling?” I ask him.
“It was one of the pigs that took me in for questioning,” he answers.
Ryder than proceeds to tell me Matt was treated in a hospital in the neighbouring town of Solana Beach. When he regained consciousness, he quickly admitted to the threats and the assault on me to the police. He will be transported to the prison in San Diego, where he will be held until he has to appear in court for his arraignment. According to Ryder, the police told him that he will be arraigned in court in two days and since Matt is entering a plea of guilty, he will be sentenced by the judge. I will not have to endure a trial. Thank God.
As he finishes telling me everything, a nurse comes in with my medication. Ryder gets me a glass of water to swallow the pills when Dr. Ashford enters the room again. I’m pretty sure an hour hasn’t passed yet.
“Well, I just got some more test results back. Everything looks good, but there is something. I’m going to have to insist you not take the medication for your pain,” he says, which makes me nervous and my body tenses.
Ryder feels me tense and urges the doctor, “Spit it out, Doc.”
“Looks like you’re pregnant, Ms. Scott. Congratulations.”
That’s when I feel Ryder’s body go stiff and not in a good way.
“That can’t be. I’m on the pill,” I say, not quite believing what I’m hearing.
“The doctor who prescribed your birth control pill would have explained to you that like any other contraceptive method, nothing is one hundred percent effective. The lab administered both a blood and urine test. Both tests came back positive. You are definitely pregnant, Ms. Scott,” he confirms.
“Oh,” I say, in shock.
“I’ve scheduled you an appointment next week with one of the Obstetricians on staff. She’ll determine a regiment for prenatal care and how far along you are in your pregnancy.” He hands me a card with the doctor’s name and my appointment time written on it. Dr. Ashford takes the meds from the side table and leaves me and Ryder alone again.
This can’t be happening. Looking down at the card again, I realize that it is. I know I thought about being married to Ryder and having two point five children, but I didn’t expect to get started on the children part so soon.
My gaze falls on Ryder, he look as if he’s in shock as well.
“Ryder, I don’t know what to say,” I say quietly. I can feel the tears start to well up in my eyes again.
“There’s nothin’ to say, babe. I knocked you up. It’s pretty self-explanatory,” he returns.
Ummm. Okay, not the nicest way to describe it, but whatever.
“Are you okay with this?” I ask, nervously.
“Yup,” he says, giving me a weak smile.
Yup. That’s not quite the reaction I was expecting. Even though this is the last thing I had planned, I’m kind of excited and happy to know that I’m carrying Ryder’s baby.
“I gotta go in a minute. I called Payton, after being released at the police station. Obviously, she freaked out and wanted to be here. Her and Karen are booked on the earliest possible flight and will be here in about an hour. I’m gonna go pick them up at the airport,” Ryder tells me.
He sits on the side of the bed, giving me a quick kiss on the temple, saying he’ll see me later and then stands up and leaves.
Just after Ryder leaves, Dr. Ashford enters my room with two police detectives wanting my statement. I comply, giving what information I can remember.
Going Home
About an hour and one doctor visit later, Payton and Karen walk through the door.
“That stupid little shit! If Ryder hadn’t already kicked his ass, I would so be going down to the jail and going all Karate Kid on his ass,” she shrieks, while sitting down on the side of my bed and wrapping her arms around me, squeezing hard.
“Shh, Payton. This is a hospital. Be quiet!” I say, hugging her back.
“I don’t give a shit, Ella. That preppy punk needs another ass kickin’ and I’m pretty sure I’m the one that needs to give it to him. I’m half tempted to go down to the jail to see if they’d let me get a crack in,” she counters, squeezing me harder.
I watch as Karen goes around to the other side of the bed and joins Payton and me in our hug. I’m in a Clare sandwich and I am loving every minute of it. “Ryder filled us in on everything on the ride from the airport. I’m so sorry this happened to you, honey. But I’m so thankful Ryder was there to stop him,” she says softly into my ear.
I immediately start crying again and both women embraced me, until I cried myself out.
“Where is Ryder?” I ask.
“He needed to go home to clean up. Plus, he wanted to give us some time alone with you,” Karen answers.
“Did he tell you what the doctor said today?”
“All he told us was that you weren’t raped. And that you had a concussion and some bruising. That’s it. Is there something wrong?” Karen asks with her voice full of concern.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out.
“Oh. My. God,” both women say at the same time, releasing their grip on me.
I think they’re just as shocked as I was when I found out the news. The only difference is that I’ve had time to adjust and I’m not afraid anymore. This is a good thing and I can’t wait to experience it. I just hope Ryder wants to experience it with me. He says he’s okay with it, but I’m not so sure.
“I’m actually getting used to the idea of becoming a mom,” I say, gently placing my hand to my flat belly.
“You’re not freaked out?” Payton asks.
“I kind of was at first, but I’m not now. I’ve got a great job and a man who loves me and I have you guys.”
“I think you will undoubtedly be a wonderful mother,” Karen states, pulling me into a hug again.
“Ditto,” Payton adds, making a Clare sandwich again.
“Awww. Thanks auntie and grandma,” I say. And suddenly we’re a bunch of hugging, happy crying women.
The girls spend the next hour keeping me awake by talking about my job, babies and of course the sexy Mr. Wilde. A nurse enters the room to check my vitals and then informs Payton and Karen that visiting hours are now over. They both pull me into a hug again and are saying their see-you-laters to me, when Ryder walks through the door.
“Ready to go?” he asks the girls.
“Hey, sexy,” Payton greets him. “Buddy, you must have some pretty potent swimmers to get Ella knocked up while she’s on the pill,” she adds, grinning from ear to ear.
I see Ryder smile, but the smile doesn’t match the look in his eyes. His eyes look scared not happy. I’m not sure what to do.
“Payton and I are just going to go wait in the lobby for you Ryder. Give you and Ella a minute alone,” Karen quietly says. They both say they’ll be here tomorrow when I’m released and that they both love me, then walk out the door leaving Ryder and I alone staring at each other.
“Ryder, please tell me what you’re thinking,” I beg. “I need to know you’re okay with this.”
“Baby, I’m okay. Took me by surprise, but I’ll get used to the idea,” he says, sounding distant.
“Okay, handsome. I’m kind of tired now; it’s been a really long day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure, baby. See you tomorrow,” he returns, walking over to my bed, placing a soft kiss on my lips.
When Ryder leaves, I try to rest, but it’s not easy when the nurses keep waking me up every hour to check my vitals.
****
The next afternoon, Dr. Ashford gives me the all clear and releases me from the hospital. He tells me to take it easy and get a lot of bed rest over the next couple of days. Payton lays my overnight bag on the bed next to me. She’s packed some comfy sweats and sneakers for me to change into for our ride home, which is a good thing because I’m pretty sure the hospital gown I’ve been wearing will be kind of drafty. As I walk out of the bathroom, I notice Ryder and Karen are in the room with Payton.
“Hi sweetie, how are you feeling today?” Karen asks, pulling me into an embrace.
“I still have a killer headache, but the nausea has passed,” I say, lightly rubbing my temples.
“We’re going to get you home and let you rest, honey.”
“You sure everything’s okay?” Ryder asks, looking worried.
“I’m fine, gorgeous. The doctor wouldn’t have released me if he didn’t think it was okay,” I say, trying to reassure him.
He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight and my body instantly relaxes into his. I feel his warm breath against my neck and he murmurs into my ear something that sounds like, “God, I’m gonna miss you.” No, I must have misunderstood him.
Pulling back, I look into his eyes. “What did you just say?” I ask, feeling panic deep inside.
“God, I wanna kiss you,” he says. And he does exactly that. I can’t help but respond to his kiss and melt into his arms. After all, this is Ryder Wilde I’m talking about.
“Okay, you two break it up. Let’s get home before you start knocking boots. This is a hospital not a hotel,” Payton says, interrupting the moment between Ryder and me.
Ryder releases his hold on me and says he’ll meet us down at the front entrance with his truck. He leaves the three of us in the room. Before heading to the hospital lobby, I stop at the nurse’s station and sign a couple of discharge papers.
When the three of us make it to the front entrance, Ryder is exactly where he said he was going to be. He hops out and gives me a hand getting into the front passenger seat and helps buckle me in. I love the feel of his body as he leans across me to push the buckle in.
Once everyone’s situated, Ryder pulls out of the parking lot and heads home. He drops us off at the house, but he tells us he has to leave and go to the bar for a couple of hours. He gives me a quick kiss on the lips and I get out of the car. Watching him pull away, I can’t help but feel something isn’t quite right with him.
Payton and her mom are staying at a hotel, but agree to come spend as much time as possible tending to me. God, I love these girls. The instant we get inside the house, Karen and Payton are urging me to go to the bedroom and have a nap. Since the nurses kept checking on me every hour during the night, I didn’t get much sleep.
Before I lie down, I feel the need to use the washroom, shower and brush my teeth. Nothing beats feeling clean and fresh. Walking back into the bedroom and towards the bed, I pull back the comforter and crawl in. Lying on my side, I can smell Ryder on the pillow and it instantly soothes me. I practically fall asleep within seconds.
I feel the bed dip and a hard, warm body press up against me. After a minute, I roll over and snuggle into Ryder’s chest. I can feel his warm breath on the top of my head and his hands gently massaging my back. I immediately drift back to sleep.
****
Over the next two days, Karen and Payton literally spoil me to death. I’m feeling really good now. Any lasting effects from my concussion are gone. I want things to go back to normal, but I know normal means Payton and Karen will be leaving to go back to Boston soon.
Ryder has been loving and supportive over the last couple of days, but he’s also becoming very distant. It scares me because I don’t know what he’s thinking. Even with all the times I’ve asked him, he tells me he’s fine. I know the difference. Something is up with him and it scares me, BIG TIME.
Little do I know that I’m about to find out what is bothering him.
Gotta Leave
Payton and Karen decided to go to San Diego for a little shopping trip. I wasn’t feeling up to it, so I decided to stay home and rest some more. I am lying on the sofa reading, when I hear Ryder’s Harley pull into the driveway.
After about five minutes, he still hadn’t walked through the door. I stand up and walk to the window, looking out for him. He’s still straddling his Harley with his arms folded up over the handle bars. He has his chin rested on his arms and he’s looking out over the lake at the back of his house. He looks so intense it frightens me.
I feel tears prick at the back of my eyes. I turn and walk back to the couch, giving Ryder some privacy. Whatever’s bothering him, he’s not willing to talk about it with me yet. Ten minutes later, I hear the front door open. Ryder walks in and looks at me tenderly.
Speaking softly, he says, “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” I reply.
Sitting next to me on the sofa, I notice his body is very tense. Not at all like the carefree, fun-loving Ryder that I’ve known all this time. Uh-oh, something’s up. He lets out a long breath.