it? Is she going to be okay?” Did the woman want to get me alone to tell me something was wrong? That things were worse than we’d expected?
Dr. Castor gave me a kind smile. “We are optimistic that Kenna is going to make a full recovery.”
My shoulders slumped on an exhaled breath. “What’s wrong with her? Can I see her now?”
“Kenna had a bad break in her left arm that required an orthopedic surgeon to set, that’s what took us so long. She also has a fairly severe concussion. That compounded with low blood sugar is why we had such a hard time bringing her around. She’s sleeping now, and we’ll be bringing her to a room soon to get her settled.” Dr. Castor paused for a moment before continuing. “Her pregnancy looks stable. We think the baby is going to be fine, as well.”
The entire world seemed to slow as if I were seeing and hearing everything from under water. Pregnant. Kenna. A baby. My mind snapped, speeding back up with a hundred different questions, but only one mattered in the moment. “The baby”—my voice cracked—“it’s okay?”
“Yes. We had a specialist come and check Kenna and the baby over. Heart rate and all other levels are good.”
“I need to see her.” I needed to touch her, touch them, assure myself that they were okay. A baby. The idea that Kenna had faced this news alone for the second time in her life made me want to throttle myself. But she wasn’t going to be alone any longer. And that meant not waking up to an empty room. “Please,” I begged the doctor.
“Come on, I’ll take you up myself.”
We walked back down the hall. Bell and Caelyn were standing with Ford, looking wrecked and…nervous maybe? Something clicked in my head. “You knew?”
Bell glanced at Caelyn. “She just found out a couple of days ago. She was going to tell you today.”
“You should’ve told me!” I roared. “The second you walked into this hospital, that should’ve been the first thing out of your mouth. What if I’d lost them both and had never known?”
Caelyn shrank back, tears falling from her eyes. “We told a nurse, but we thought Kenna should be the one to tell you.”
Ford stepped forward. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re not going to speak to them that way.”
“Kenna’s pregnant,” I snapped at Ford. His mouth fell open in response.
Bell held up a hand at Ford. “He’s right. We should’ve told him. I’m sorry, Crosby.”
I shook my head, not having time to deal with this right now. “Let’s go,” I told Dr. Castor.
She turned away from our dramatic scene, leading me through a maze of hallways and up in an elevator. When we finally reached the open door to a room, I froze. There she was, my fierce, tender-hearted girl. She looked so incredibly frail hooked up to a bunch of machines.
Dr. Castor cleared her throat. “Go on in. She’s just asleep, not unconscious.”
I nodded woodenly and slowly made my way to her. The chair screeched against the floor as I pulled it closer to the bed. I eased into it and took Kenna’s hand, careful to avoid the IV and the oxygen monitor.
I pressed her hand to my lips, just holding it there. “Brown Eyes…” Tears gathered in my eyes, spilling over and tracking down my cheeks. “You have to be okay. You and our little gremlin. We’re gonna be a family. And I’m going to be there for you every step of the way.”
I searched her face for any sign of wakefulness. There was none. I rested her arm back on the bed, keeping her hand in one of mine. With my other hand, I slowly reached out, careful to avoid her casted arm and any tubes, and rested my palm gently on her belly. “I love you, Kenna.”
Warmth spread up my arm and into my chest. We’d created a living being. And this little miracle was already so incredibly strong. “I love you, too, little one. I’m going to be the best dad possible. I’ll probably mess up a whole hell of a lot, but you’ll never have to question how much I love you.”
I let my eyes fall closed, sending up more silent prayers. Please don’t take my life away from me when it’s only just begun.
50
Kenna
We’re gonna be a family. I love you. The phrases floated around in my mind, but I couldn’t seem to grab hold of any of them.