Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,17

room to fill my family in on the events of the evening.

Chapter 5

“Knock, knock.” Dr. Ellis peeks his head into the private waiting room.

I just finished giving my parents’ and Reagan, who they picked up on the way here, the condensed version of my day. Telling them that I was going to be a father was the hardest part. By the time I was finished, there were lots of tears for Melissa, the baby, and just the entire situation.

“Ridge, this is Dr. Robbins. He’s treating Melissa,” he introduces us.

“So, how is she? How’s the baby? What’s next?” I rush through questions that have been bouncing around in my head since I first found out.

“Baby is good, vitals are strong,” Dr. Ellis states, looking at a tablet in his hands. “His vitals are good, now we just wait for her body to decide to wake up. Medicine is not an exact science. We have to let her body heal and decide when it’s time; it’s a waiting game.”

“Mom is stable for now. Her body is protecting her from her injuries. It’s now just a waiting game to see if and when she wakes up,” Dr. Robbins tells me.

“If?”

He nods slowly. “If. As Dr. Ellis said, medicine is not an exact science, and it’s hard to know how the body is going to react to trauma. We are hopeful, but she’s been out for a long time.”

“And the baby? What does all of this mean for him? What happens if Melissa doesn’t wake up?” I ask, even though I’m fearful for the answer.

“In situations such as this, we will continue to monitor the baby and do a cesarean delivery when the time comes,” Dr. Ellis answers.

“Is that safe for Melissa? How does that affect her?”

“As safe as it can be. We would provide her with the same anesthesia we would any mom in this situation.”

“So, we just wait?” I scoff, thinking there has to be something else.

“At this time, yes. That’s all we can do. Dr. Ellis will monitor the baby closely, and if there are any signs of distress, we will deliver without question,” Dr. Robbins states.

Resting my elbows on my knees, I bury my face in my hands. I hate that I can’t fix this. I can’t help Melissa, and I can’t do anything but wait and pray that the baby is okay.

More prayers. I’ve been calling in a lot of those in the last several hours.

“We’ll keep you posted should things change.”

They both turn and leave the room, leaving me with ‘all we can do is wait.’

“Ridge, is there a chance . . . ?” Reagan stops.

I know what she was going to ask me. “I don’t really know her, I explained that, but this letter, and just the few hours I spent with her . . . She’s not the deceiving type. At least, I don’t think she is.”

“I’m sure the hospital will do a test once the baby is here, just to make sure,” Mom assures me.

“Yeah, but I still can’t leave them. If the baby is mine—and I feel like it is—I can’t just leave them here. She has no family. What if something goes wrong?”

“You do what you need to do. I have the office covered,” Dad says, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Retirement is getting boring anyway.” He winks at me, trying to lessen the somber mood.

“You tell us what you need, and we’ll do it. We’re here for you,” Mom adds.

“Thank you. Reagan, can you call the guys and let them know what’s going on? That saves Dad the hassle of going out to the job sites tomorrow.”

“Consider it done, big brother. Do you need me to bring you anything?”

“It would be nice to have some dry clothes and maybe my cell charger.”

“Hey, why don’t you run home, take a hot shower, change, and grab what you need? I’ll stay here in case she wakes up. If anything happens, I’ll call you, promise,” Reagan suggests.

“Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. I just . . . want to be here.” I can’t explain it, but I feel like this is where I need to be.

“Okay, well, the offer stands for whatever you need. I’ll run to your place and pick up some clothes and your charger and be back in no time.”

I stand and pull my little sister into my arms, hugging her tight. “Thank you. Please be careful. Take your time,” I stress.

“Always,” she says with shimmering eyes. “I’ll see you in a little