“Well I guess you’re the expert when it comes to love in extreme circumstances,” he responds, giving me a weak smile.
“Ain’t that the truth,” I agree wholeheartedly, getting him to laugh for the first time in a week. “Besides, Ivy will never forgive you if you leave before the baby’s born. She expects our baby’s godfather to be here for the christening, you know.”
“Do you really think she’s going to be able to hold out much longer?” Will asks as we sit and watch the wiper blades travel back and forth across the windshield.
“Honestly?” I shrug my shoulders. “It’s anyone’s guess. Right now, we’re sitting on the cusp of twenty-two weeks. She just has to hold on a little bit more. Dr. P. bought us some time, but if the baby comes shortly thereafter, it’s going to be extremely premature, and there’ll be a lot of complications that come along with that.”
“Like what?” Will questions, turning to look at me.
“It’ll probably have to be placed in an incubator,” I explain, gripping the wheel. “It might have to be hooked up to a ventilator if its lungs aren’t fully developed.”
“Man, I can’t run off to L.A. Not with everything that’s going on here,” Will cuts in, pressing his forehead against the glass.
“Bro, you gotta do what you gotta do,” I acknowledge. “We’ll definitely miss you, but we’ll get by. Don’t go taking all this upon yourself. My parents are here. Dr. P. and his staff are the best. Trust me. We’re in good hands.”
“And what about Ben?” he asks warily.
“You’ll figure it out as you go along,” I respond, not wanting to sugarcoat anything.
He sighs, covering his eyes with his hand and lightly ramming his fist into the side of my arm.
“Whoever thought I’d be taking love advice from the Landscaping Lothario,” he groans, causing me to snicker.
“It could be worse,” I deadpan. “At least I didn’t find you spilling your guts to Shep.”
“I never thought you’d be the one cheering me up with all that you have going on,” he mumbles, embarrassed. “I think you’ve finally grown up.”
“Well, one of us had to,” I say, trying to downplay the complement.
“No, I’m serious,” he continues. “Remember when you were going to kick my ass that day on the street when I was putting up the marquee? Whoever thought we’d end up friends? I sure didn’t see it coming.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m not the only one who’s changed,” I admit, sneaking a look at him out of the corner of my eye.
“Yeah, Ivy does have the effect on people, doesn’t she?” he replies, stiffening up next to me, probably thinking of all that can still go wrong with her and the baby.
“That’s why I fell in love with her,” I say softly, hoping against hope that everything will turn out all right—for everybody.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ivy
Today is Christmas Eve, and I’ve officially been in the hospital for two and a half weeks. And to say that I’m restless would be the understatement of the year. I’ve never watched so much TV in my entire life. Not even when my mom would plop me down in front of the set with some fast food after school and proceed to drink the night away.
I haven’t heard from her, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. If she’s really in rehab, maybe they don’t allow patients to make phone calls. I thought after her grand gesture that she’d want to keep tabs on the baby and me, but so far, nothing. I’m not going to let myself get bent out of shape about it. If she reaches out, fine. If not, she ended up doing me at least one favor by getting Conrad to leave us alone.
I’ve been following the news religiously, and it seems like Ben is free and clear. Things might heat up for a while when he starts college next fall, but for now, he’s out of the media’s crosshairs. Conrad seems to be letting Lauren’s death go, but after all that Joanie did to help us, he’s not going easy on Ryan. Conrad refused to post his bail, leaving him to fend for himself among the general prison population until his trial date, which could be months away. I fear the kind of man Ryan’s going to be when he does get out. He was a psychopath going in. There’s no telling what he’ll be like after this, especially if he’s convicted and given a lengthy sentence. I know it’s terrible to say, but I hope he never gets out. Maybe he’ll have to do more time for bad behavior. The world is definitely a safer place with him behind bars.