“Out of whack? Is that a technical term, Doctor?” AJ asked, slightly annoyed.
“AJ, be nice,” Kat hissed.
He didn’t want to be nice. He wanted to protect Kat with everything he had. She was pregnant with his child. And while he hadn’t much time to really absorb and process that information, he knew that he was going to be the best damn father ever.
“We gave you fluid through your IV and your lab work is stabilizing,” the doctor continued, ignoring AJ’s comment. “However, we’d like you to stay the night here for observation.”
“Overnight?” AJ asked. It felt like ice water was thrown directly on his head. If she were staying the night at the hospital, then that meant something was seriously wrong.
“Yes, just as a precautionary measure,” the doctor explained. “We want to make sure this isn’t going to happen again.”
“Is it really necessary?” Kat asked. “I would really rather go home.”
“No, you should stay here,” AJ interjected. “It’s what the doctor says and he went to Harvard.”
Kat gave him a withering glance and the doctor chuckled.
“I’d recommend it,” the doctor told her. “We have stronger medications here and we want to keep a close eye on the two of you.”
“But, it’s just a little morning sickness,” Kat told him. “All pregnant women get it.”
“Not like this,” the doctor corrected her. “Morning sickness is normal. Going to the hospital and being treated for dehydration is not.”
Kat pouted, but she nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay here overnight.”
“I’ll go write the orders and have you transferred upstairs.” The doctor looked at the two of them. “Do you have any questions for me?”
AJ had a million questions. What was the chance of this happening again? Would she stay in the hospital longer than over night? What floor were they putting her on? Did they have an executive suite that he could rent out for her?
“Not just now, thank you,” Kat replied for him. AJ glared at her this time.
“Okay. If you need anything just use your call button. I’ll be back to check on you once you’re settled upstairs,” he told them. He washed his hands and left the room. The sound of the crowd outside intensified as the doctor left. AJ could even see several camera flashes.
Kat sighed. “I hope he doesn’t have very many other patients.”
“You should be his only concern,” AJ agreed.
“No, I mean with the press out there,” Kat said. “I hope he doesn’t have any other patients because he has to deal with that.”
“Oh. Right.” AJ sighed and did his best to relax his shoulders. For a moment, he had almost managed to forget about the media parked outside in the waiting room. He’d even heard that several reporters had faked injuries and illnesses in order to try and get closer to snap a picture of him and the mysterious employee he’d rushed to the hospital.
AJ closed his eyes for a moment. He needed a swim. He needed to clear his mind. Everything had just changed so fast in the last hour and he was struggling to keep up. He was still reeling from finding out that Kat was pregnant. He was going to be a father.
He hoped he could be a good one.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It hadn’t stopped vibrating for the past half-hour and AJ was fairly certain he was going to have to charge it just so that it could last another thirty minutes. He pulled it out to see half a dozen missed calls from his secretary and Charles, along with more text messages than he cared to read. The most recent was from Charles.
You need to make a statement. The board is getting anxious.
AJ sighed and put his phone away without reading anymore. He knew Charles was right, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to do it. He didn’t mind the cameras or public speaking, it was what he was going to say that bothered him. In all likelihood, he would either have to confirm or deny his relationship with Kat to the public, and he wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. Especially after a day like today.
Yet he knew it had to get done. With all the sex scandal press going on with his company, this needed to be addressed right away. The narrative needed to be controlled.
“Kat, I’m going to have to make a statement to the press,” he told her, sitting down in the chair next to her gurney.
“Okay.” She smiled. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
AJ wanted to kiss her. She wasn’t asking anything of him. She was sitting on a hospital gurney asking him if he needed anything. She really was amazing.
“No,” he replied. “But, I just want you to know that I really do care about you. No matter what you see on the news, I love you.”