Keeping his gaze locked on me, he responded to Brynn's request. "I'll be in the waiting room."
I watched as he left the room and then turned back to Brynn. The sight of her changed my mood instantly. Being near her softened me. Maybe it was knowing that the life growing inside her was also a part of me, but, whatever it was, it was hard to be mad at anyone around her.
I walked to the other side of her bed and took the seat her friend once filled, slipping my hand beneath hers right after.
"I don't understand how you ended up here," I said, feeling like a huge part of the story was missing. It was still pretty early in the day, so what could've happened? "Are you still taking your medication like the doctor told you to?"
"I am. I was just-" was as far as she got before we heard the door to her room creak open. My initial thought was that dude didn't know how to follow directions and needed a reminder of where his place was, but then a white lab coat made me settle down again. It was only the physician.
"Hello," the man said, directing the greeting toward me.
I nodded and replied with the same. Next, his eyes shifted toward Brynn and there was a look of concern behind them that I didn't like.
"Have you still been experiencing the contractions?" he asked, immediately causing me to listen harder.
Contractions? She was only coming up on her sixth month …
Brynn shook her head. "Not nearly as bad as I was a little while ago," she answered. "Only one in the last half hour."
The doctor nodded and then came over to check the monitor, scanning the paper printout that hung beneath it.
"Well, the baby has a very strong heartbeat, so that's excellent," he began, "but I'm a little concerned with your blood pressure spike. I can see that it's come down significantly based on the nurse's notes, but there's no doubt in my mind that's what brought on the Braxton Hicks contractions."
I felt so lost. "What's that?"
The doctor turned toward me to answer. "False labor pains," he explained. "They're usually not as intense as Ms. Palmer experienced today, but, like I said, the blood pressure spike is likely what caused them to be so severe."
Brynn lowered her head, wiggling her foot beneath the blanket as she thought.
"Everything's okay, though, right?" I had to ask.
The doctor nodded. "Yes. The bloodwork and urinalysis came back perfect; her cervix hasn't dilated at all. I'd like to keep her a few more hours for observations, but I think you'll be getting out of here today. Of course, follow up with your doctor as soon as possible, but other than that, my only orders are for you to take it easy for the rest of the day and avoid any and all stress."
Stress.
The first thing that came to mind was Brynn not working. That had to be weighing on her and, if I had to guess, was the cause of this episode. My conversation with Turner days ago came to mind again and, if he knew what was good for him, he'd be giving me a call by the date we discussed. It didn't make sense that, in Brynn's condition, she should have to worry about this.
"Thank you, Doctor. I'll make sure she rests," I promised as he left the room. Next, I immediately glanced over at Brynn, but she wouldn't look at me. I'd only known about her losing her job for a week, but she'd been out of work for three. I doubted there was a coincidence between her bills coming up due again and this. She said she had money in her savings, but I didn't know a dollar amount, nor did I think she was fully comfortable depleting it to live off of.
"You have to let me help you," I stated plainly. "You heard the doctor say this was stress-related. It's not good for you. It's not good for the baby," I reasoned. She still didn't respond, so I went on, wanting her to hear me. "All I've kept telling you from the beginning is that you're not in this by yourself. I know you don't like the idea of me carrying you, but … dammit, Brynn … you're the one person I am supposed to carry."
When I raised my voice, I saw her cringe and I paused. Not wanting to add to the day's problem, I took a breath and changed my tone. "I just want you to be able to relax and be comfortable. That's it. You've got a few months left and I want you to be happy-not out here looking for work or worrying about how you're gonna pay your bills. Just … " I paused, hesitating for only a moment before lightly resting my hand on her stomach. "Just focus on her," I added, realizing I was damn-near pleading.
The thought of something happening to either one of them because of something as petty as money was inconceivable to me, especially when I was in a position to do something about it. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her about Turner, but in the event that he wasn't able to pull through, I didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing.
Brynn's hand came down on top of mine where it rested on her stomach and I stared at it.
"Marco, I … " she stopped midsentence, but I waited anxiously to hear her response; anxious to hear if she'd finally give in and accept what I'd been trying to offer. The words, "That wasn't it," came in a soft voice and I stared up at her now, not understanding. "My bills are all taken care of; it wasn't about money," she clarified.
I racked my brain, trying to figure out what else could have possibly gotten her upset. My eyes scanned the floor while I thought. That's when something hit me. I recalled who was sitting in the room when I walked in.
That damn Naseem. He had to have something to do with it.
I still hadn't gotten an explanation as to why he was even here, but he had to be connected to the problem somehow. It made sense.
"Your friend?" I asked in a clipped tone. "What the hell did he do?"
Her eyes followed me as I stood, remembering the waiting room I passed on my way in, the one where he currently sat. Depending on what she said, I might be paying him a visit.
Brynn took a breath. "Marco … calm down," she said in an even-keel voice. "He didn't do anything," she explained.
Feeling her fingers encircle my wrist, I stared down on her, still not sitting until I knew for certain he didn't deserve for me to lay hands on him.
"We were talking," she went on, "and things just got … heated, but I already wasn't feeling the greatest to begin with, so this really isn't his fault. I just let the conversation upset me more than I should have."
What had this dude said that bothered her so much?
"Sit. Please?" Brynn said sweetly, bringing my blood down from a boil to a simmer. Not wanting to get her pressure high again, I sat like she asked. She still had a gentle grip on my wrist, but I eased out of it slowly so I could take her hand.
"We had words," she explained. "When I felt myself getting angry, I should've hung up, but I was mad and wanted to get my point across. I just-" There was a pause and I watched her, wondering if she was trying to sugarcoat this so I wouldn't go out there and handle this guy.
"I'm still trying to figure out what the argument was about," I cut in, hoping she would be honest with me.
At first, she was just quiet, which I assumed meant she wasn't going to answer, but then she did, saying words I didn't expect to hear. "It was about us. The argument was about you and I."
My eyebrow quirked.
"Lately, he's been asking questions about where you and I stand."
The look he gave, the tension I felt, all made more sense now. If Brynn had told him how things were evolving, he probably didn't like that. "So, what happened? He started yelling at you because he didn't like what you had to say?"
Again, I had to remember to lower my voice.
Brynn let out a breath. "I didn't even get to respond. Right after he fired off at me, the contractions started and … then I ended up here."
Damn, was he really that soft? She hadn't even gotten to tell him what was up and he was already throwing a fit?
This is why I can't stand pussy-actin' dudes. Always in their damn feelings …
Brynn looked away and I wanted to know what she was thinking. She sighed, zoning out when she spoke again. "Part of me wishes I could've just said it, you know? I wish I could've just told him the truth to end all the confusion."
My ears perked up at her words, mostly because, whatever she might've confessed to Naseem, was even a mystery to me. Yes, we kissed. Yes, I could tell she was feeling me just as much as I was feeling her, but we hadn't discussed any of it. So, now that she brought it up, I was curious, too.
"The truth," I started, noticing how the anger that possessed me only a moment ago had now given way to something else, something softer, which was always the case with her. "I'd be interested in hearing it myself?"
I smiled a little and she mirrored it with a shy one as she fidgeted with the device the doctors clipped to her finger. Another heavy breath left her lips and I leaned back in my seat.