GREY
The next few days were some of the goddamn toughest I’d been through in a long time.
Luckily, Dr. Matthews reached Maddie in time to get her cardiac episode under control. It was touch and go afterward. Of course, I was concerned about Maddie and the baby, but Katy was a wreck as well. I did my best to keep her spirits up, but our friendship was tenuous, at best. If something was to happen to Maddie, I had little doubt she’d hold me at least partially responsible.
As luck would have it though, towards the end of her third day, Maddie came out of the coma on her own. While she was under, the hospital had enough time to replenish their type AB negative blood supply. And on top of that, the baby was still alive. All in all, it couldn’t have gone much better.
And while Maddie and I still had some complex issues to sort through, it looked as if the worst was behind us now and for that, I was grateful. I’d have to be a real piece of shit to say what happened to her didn’t matter to me. It did. And now that she’d gotten some of her strength back, I wanted her to know it. In a way, I felt like I owed her that much, after all she’d been through.
It was mid-morning by the time I arrived at the hospital. Entering her room, I noticed no one on hand checking up on her. The familiar sounds of the monitoring penetrated my awareness as I approached her bedside. Her color had returned, flushing her with beauty once more. Where days before a pasty hue coated her flesh, youthful pink took its place, kissing it with the alluring glow I’d forever connected her with in my mind.
No matter what, she would always be that goddamn knockout blond I saw that day at the airport. And now, for the first time in quite a while, delicate femininity returned to her complexion. I reached down to touch her and as I did, her eyes flickered open. My hand continued to travel towards her forehead, coming in contact with it as consciousness returned to her.
“Feeling better?” I asked.
She extended her arm and touched me just above the waist.
“Mmm, hmm.”
“You, um, you’ve been pretty shitty company since you came out of the coma,” I said. Craning my neck around towards the door of her room, I continued, “There’s some cute nurses on the floor I could kill some time with, if you’re still not up to socializing.”
Maddie pinched her thumb and index finger against my side, squeezing me.
“Jerk,” she said with a soft smile.
I chuckled and leaned in over her, pressing my lips against her forehead. I continued to stroke her hair as I returned to a standing position.
“What’s the latest from Dr. Matthews? I haven’t seen him around since I got here.”
Still weak, Maddie let her arm fall away from my side. It returned to the mattress with a soft thud.
“He was here first thing this morning,” she began. “The latest tests seem to indicate the worst may be behind me, as far as the baby is concerned.”
I stopped mid-stroke and looked into her eyes. I gazed down at the brilliant blue that ensnared me from the instant I first saw them. The effect hadn’t diminished at all.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“Well, Maddie,” I began. “That is wonderful news, incredible. So what does that mean? You’ll be able to leave soon?”
Maddie shrugged. “Well he didn’t say exactly but, yes, I think so.”
I felt a smile come to my lips. I was happy for her. She’d been through a lot. Hell we all had. A bit of goddamn good news is what we all needed right about now.
“So what happens now? I mean with the baby?”
“Well, the complications are still an issue. There are no guarantees I’ll make it the full-term.”
“I see.” Sliding my hands in my pockets, I exhaled. “So if I may… I’m assuming this means you haven’t changed your mind about what you’re going to do?”
“No,” she began. “I haven’t. I’m keeping the child, Grey. No matter what.”
I have to say, I respected the hell out of her tenacity. But, this was my child also. I hadn’t had a chance to speak my mind about the issue before the events of the past few days went down. I mean, she’d kept so much from me. I was still angry about it and wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass me by.
“Look, Maddie…”
“Grey,” she interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it. My mind is made up and…”
“Well you goddamn well will hear me, Maddie,” I replied, cutting her off. I reined in my anger before it escalated. Thinning my lips, I looked down and her and continued, “This is my child as well.”
Her eyes flashed with a hint of shock.
I swallowed as I considered how to proceed. It’s a delicate thing, you know? Here this woman nearly dies hanging on to the child and now I’m gonna tell her to revisit the notion of ending the pregnancy? There was no chance I wouldn’t seem like an asshole for suggesting it but, really, her life was still at risk here. I didn’t want to lose her.