"And best of all, you kept this all to yourself while your innocent wife was working with your would-be fiancee. How do you think she's feeling right about now, Cochran? Are you proud of yourself? Happy with what you've accomplished? Because you've just about destroyed her, I want you to know that."
Rage was flowing from A.J. like sweat from a prizefighter. He was pacing back and forth and every so often punctuated a remark by poking Donnie in the chest. Donnie finally had enough and grabbed the man's hand. A.J. wasn't quite as tall as Donnie, but he was muscular and had enough adrenalin pumping to do some serious harm. None of that mattered to Donnie, though.
"Look, man, I just want my wife. Where is she? I need to take her home; we need to talk about this. This is none of your damned business anyway. Now get the hell out of my way, I need to see my wife!"
"You don't deserve her, Cochran. You're not fit to wipe her boots. She needs to be loved, Cochran, she needs to be with someone who's going to give her the love and understanding and support she needs," snarled A. J.
Understanding broke over Donnie in a flash. His face lit up in a feral smile that held no hint of humor whatsoever. "You're in love with her, aren't you? I knew there was something more to this so-called friendship. You want my wife, don't you? Well, I got news for you, pal, she's mine and she's going to stay mine," he said viciously.
"Like hell she is, not when you treat her like garbage." A.J. suddenly stopped talking and grabbed the lapels of Donnie's topcoat with his left hand and landed a right hook with the other. After his initial shock, Donnie immediately retaliated and they were embroiled in a full-out fistfight until Angelique's faint voice from the doorway made them stop.
"A.J., A.J., I'm bleeding... help me."
***
The next few hours were hellish. The only thing Donnie could relate it to was when his beloved only sister had been in the accident that caused the loss of her first child. This was even more agonizing because this was his wife, the person he loved more than anyone else. After rushing her to the hospital, he was forced to wait around with A.J., who had followed them and showed no signs of leaving. The doctor had come out to speak to them once, but the rest of the time had been spent waiting for lab results, waiting for consults, just waiting.
He had to call Warren and Lisette and let them know what was going on, as well as Paris. He was hesitant to call her mother just yet; he wanted to wait until they were sure of her condition. But he did call Renee and Andrew. Andrew surprised him by coming right over to the hospital. He gave Donnie a brief hug and said, "What's the point of being a doctor if I can't use my clout once in a while?" Then he disappeared into the restricted area and left Donnie alone with A.J. once again.
A.J. was the first to speak. "I probably owe you an apology, Cochran, but I don't want to give it to you. I can't sit here and pretend I like you, or act like the way you've treated Angel is okay with me. But for some reason you mean everything to her, and what matters to her, matters to me. She would want me to apologize. I can say that I regret my behavior; I'm not a violent person by nature."
Donnie raised his eyebrow and smiled to himself. He'd never heard a more ungracious apology, but he had to respect the man's honesty.
"No, you're not violent, except when it comes to my wife," he said dryly. "I shouldn't have goaded you. I always kind of knew how you feel about her. You're not the only one who regrets their behavior."
Adam emerged from the elevators and looked at the two men separated by a distance of two chairs, each with an icepack, one on Donnie's left eye and one on AJ.'s right. Adam shook his head in disgust. "You two are pathetic. How's Angel doing?"
Donnie moved the icepack from his left eye and touched the now-swollen skin. "She's sleeping, they gave her a sedative. I haven't been able to see her yet. How did you find out she was here?"
Before Adam could answer, the elevator doors opened again and the twin Cochrans, Alan and Andre stepped out, wearing identical expressions of concern. "Renee told us Angel was in the hospital. How is she?" Adam said.
A.J. took the sudden onslaught of Cochrans as a cue to leave. "Tell Angel I'll be in touch. Call me if anything happens," he said as he removed the icepack from his right eye and tossed it in the trash receptacle. Nodding to the men, he got on the elevator.
Impatiently, Alan turned to Donnie. "How is she? What are the doctors saying?"
Donnie repeated what he'd been told. "Andrew is talking to the doctor now. I don't know when they'll let me see her. I'm not going to lie; I'm scared, scared to death. If something happens to her, I have no idea what I'll do. And if something happens to our baby, she just won't be able to handle it. I know she won't. She wants this baby more than anything," he said, his agony evident in every word.
"Not more than she wants you, Donnie," Alan said quietly.
Andre agreed. "We should have said something before, but time just gets away from you. We were pretty salty when you two got married, but even we can tell that you two are really in love."
"Yeah, even the two ‘romantically deficient' Cochrans can see it's the real thing," Alan said wryly.
"Who are you calling romantically deficient?" Andre said indignantly.
"I'm just repeating what your wife told my wife. And my wife agreed and said I was the same way," Alan said glumly. "Anyway, a fool can see that you two belong together. She'll be fine, Donnie, she has to be."
Donnie thanked his brothers for their unexpected and much-appreciated support and stood up to begin walking around in circles again. Just then, Angelique's physician came out of the restricted area with Andrew. His words were an immense relief to Donnie.
"Your wife and the baby are doing just fine. She needs to be on bed rest for the next few weeks, right up until she delivers. It looks like she has toxemia, also known as preeclampsia. It's a condition that's marked by high blood pressure, sometimes edema in the legs and ankles, and can lead to seizures. She must be kept quiet and still and I mean no stress whatsoever. None, you understand?"
Donnie nodded numbly.
"Your wife is young and very healthy, and there's no reason she won't be able to carry this baby successfully but it's going to take a lot of tender loving care to make that happen."
"It's not a problem, doctor. Whatever she needs, I'll see to it that she has it. Can I see her now?"
"For a few minutes, then I'm going to put her into a room. She needs to stay here for a couple of days until she's stabilized."
Donnie approached the bed with his heart in his throat He was probably the last person on earth she wanted to see, but he had to see her, he had to make sure she was really all right. The bed was propped so that she was in an upright position and her eyes were closed. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face and was gratified when her eyes opened. He was stunned when she held out her hand to him.
"Adonis, I'm scared," she whispered. "I can't lose our baby, I can't I'm so scared."
Donnie leaned over the side rail of the bed and stroked her face. "Don't be afraid, Angel. God's not going to let you lose our baby. I'm going to take care of you, Angel, don't worry about anything. Nothing, you hear me? I'm here for you, baby." He kissed her forehead and her cheeks, and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "It's going to be fine, my Angel. Just fine."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Angelique was more than ready to go home. The two days she'd been in the hospital were absolute torture, even though everyone was as kind as could be. She'd had brief visits from Big Benny and Martha, Lisette and Warren and her sisters-in-law. Renee's visit was especially comforting to her. Renee just hugged her and held her and let her talk. Afterward, she reassured Angelique that everything would be fine.
"The girls remember you in their prayers every night and they can't wait for their Auntie Angel to go home and get better. They're really looking forward to a new cousin. Honey, you have the collective prayers of this entire family and your family, too. And don't forget that my family in Cleveland is praying for you, too. You're going to be fine. And so is your marriage," she predicted. "This is a bump in a very long road, sweetie. You two have what it takes for the long haul, trust me."