and stood up, extending her hand to him.
“Thanks, Allie,” he said, giving her a kiss on her cheek.
“Anytime, Ethan.”
And she meant it. She’d do anything for them.
Luke
The woman at the nurse’s station was quite helpful and easy with Mia’s room number. He found the room but it was still empty. Standing in the hallway, he waited for them to bring Mia back from the operating room. Luke needed to see her, needed to make sure she was in one piece with his own eyes.
God, he couldn’t imagine his life without her. She was family—his person.
Leaning against the wall, his eyes were all over the place as he waited for Mia. Finally, he saw her being wheeled back, and thankfully, she seemed to be awake. The damn tears came again. He brushed them back and put a smile on his face.
Get it together, man.
“Luke!” she said quietly but excitedly. Hurrying to the gurney, he smiled down on her.
“Hey there! Nice of you not to leave us.”
“Yeah … sorry about that,” she said sheepishly. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Please don’t ever do that again.”
“I promise,” she said, trying to grab his hand with her shaky one but failing. To spare her from trying again, he took her hand in his. “What the fuck? Why am I shaking like this?”
“One of the side effects of the anesthesia,” said the nurse. “It’ll wear off.”
Luke let go of her hands so they could transfer her from the gurney to the more comfortable bed in her room.
“Ooh, I’m hooked up,” she said, noticing the IV in her hand. “What’s in this IV? Anything good?”
Dr. Kendall laughed as he came into the room. “Right now, you’re still getting a blood transfusion.”
Mia’s eyes bulged open at that. “Really?”
“Miss Mia, you are one lucky lady,” he said, checking her machines.
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah, I was scared, and a doctor shouldn’t be. I thought we were going to lose you.”
Luke watched her briefly close her eyes before pasting a smile on her face. “But I’m here and I’m going to be fine, right?”
The doctor sat down beside her. “Yes … these medicines,” he said, pointing at the bags hanging from the IV stand, “are helping to control the bleeding and the seizures.”
“What happened? Why? I need to know—step by step,” Mia asked soberly. “All I remember is feeling like something was not right after the first baby was born. I heard my son cry, but nothing after that …”
“I’m not surprised that you don’t remember,” he said and proceeded to tell Mia, step by step, what happened, as she’d asked.
“I seized?” she asked, confusion wrinkling her face.
“Yes, and you are on a medicine to help prevent that from happening again. Lots of good stuff being pumped into you right now.”
“Uh, how long was the seizure?”
“A little over a minute. You lost consciousness and stopped breathing.”
She’d stopped breathing? Luke wasn’t an expert by any means, but he knew that meant a lack of oxygen to her brain. What kind of effect would that have on her? He’d have to look this up later or ask when he was away from Mia.
“You had what we call an eclamptic seizure,” the doctor continued, “that caused the placenta to tear away from your uterus too soon causing all the blood loss.”
“Wait! That’s because of high blood pressure. Mine had gone back to normal … I don’t understand,” she told him.
“It came back—big time. Expect a lot of attention from my staff, and not because you’re a celebrity.”
“Blah, I rather sign autographs,” she complained, letting her head fall back against the pillows.
“I know,” Luke and the doctor said in unison. Mia laughed but sobered up, her eyes darting all over the room.
“When can I see my babies?” she asked Dr. Kendall.
“They’re getting cleaned up and having their first checkup. When that’s done, you’ll get to meet them, okay?”
She nodded and then looked around the room. “Where’s Ethan? I’m the worst wife ever. I didn’t even notice he wasn’t here until now.”
Luke took her hand, waiting until her wandering eyes focused on him. “He’s with your boys. Allie’s with him …”
He didn’t want to tell her what shape Ethan had been in when he’d left him, but she sensed his hesitation and attacked. “And?”
“I’d give him a bit to pull himself together. He saw all that happen, Mia,” Luke admitted and kind of cursed himself when he saw the dread cross her face. A mistake had