“Stop it! You’re only making it worse.”
I wasn’t sure if I should go to Merit or keep myself between the father and son.
Then everything changed when Michael drove the final nail in.
“Besides, Mom’s moved on and she doesn’t want you any longer.”
Lori sucked in a breath as Roger growled and made his way toward us. I watched Merit step in front of her father once more to stop him.
I shook my head. “Fucking hell, Merit! Don’t!” I yelled as she placed her hands on her father’s chest.
“Stop this! Stop! You cannot come home and do this! What is the matter with you?” Merit screamed.
Roger grabbed hold of Merit and started to shake her and yell. “You can’t show up with your money and fix everything! Not when you abandoned us!”
I dropped my hold on Michael and rushed toward Roger and Merit as I tried to control my own rage. “Let her fucking go, Roger! Now!” I shouted.
Then, he did the unthinkable—he pushed Merit out of his way so hard it caused her to stumble and fall down the small group of stairs that led back down to the driveway. My heart stilled as I watched her tumble down the steps.
“Merit!” I yelled, running to her. My stomach lurched when I saw her head hit a rock and her body go limp. I dropped to my knees and pulled her to me. “Merit! Merit!” I cried out as I held her.
Michael was at my side a moment later.
“Oh my God, is she okay?” he asked, his voice filled with the same fear that coursed through my veins.
“She…she hit her head,” I managed to say as I heard Lori on the phone with 911.
“I…I think she hit her head. She’s unconscious,” Lori cried out. “Is she breathing?”
“Yes!” Michael said.
It felt like an eternity before an ambulance finally came. Merit was still unconscious, and Michael held his shirt to the large cut on her head.
“Sir, I need you to let her go,” one of the paramedics said to me.
I shook my head, momentarily scared to death at the thought.
“Sir, please.”
Michael tugged on my shoulder, prompting me to let Merit go. I watched as they took care of the cut and strapped her onto a stretcher.
As they started to take her to the ambulance, I quickly walked alongside them. “She’s almost ten-weeks’ pregnant.”
I could feel Michael’s eyes on me, but I didn’t bother to look at him. I had no idea if Lori heard me, and at that point, I didn’t care. The medic asked me if I wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance with her.
I nodded and climbed up. Turning, I looked at Michael. “I suggest you tell your father to leave. If anything happens to her or our baby, I swear to God, I will hunt him down and kill him!”
Michael swallowed hard. “You won’t have the pleasure of killing him, not if I get to him first.”
The door to Merit’s room opened, and I jerked my head up to look at the doctor who entered. They had decided Merit would stay the night in the hospital and had given her a room while she got a CT scan.
“She’s done with the CT scan, and I’m happy to say she woke as we were taking her up. No internal bleeding, and there doesn’t seem to be any damage other than a concussion.”
I let out a breath. “And the baby?”
“Is fine.”
I scrubbed my hands down my face and held them there as a sob of relief came bursting out of me. I felt the doctor place his hand on my shoulder and give it a light squeeze.
“This early on, they’re so well protected in the womb. The head wound was more a concern than anything else. But, needless to say, the trauma of the accident could always have an adverse effect. The main thing we want to do is make sure Miss Eden isn’t under any stress. I’d like to keep her in the hospital overnight, especially since she lost consciousness. But honestly, everything is fine besides the nasty cut on her head and the concussion. It could have been a lot worse.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Her mother and brother are in the waiting room. I’ll let them know the news.”
“Doctor, can you not mention the baby? Merit hasn’t told her mother yet.” I had to assume that Michael hadn’t said anything to Lori.
He smiled. “Of course.”
Then, he walked out the door, and I sat in the hospital room alone. A