Page 10 of Summer With You

4

Pregnancy Scares

Celine

Something was wrong. The whole way to the lake house, my stomach was churning, and I barely made it to the bathroom in time before spewing my guts all over the public restroom earlier.

Fear and panic crept down my spine, an icy chill taking residence in my bones as I thought over every possible reason for the pain in my stomach. This was my third pregnancy. I hadn’t done anything different from the first two.

I was past the first trimester, no longer at risk for a common miscarriage, but anything was possible. The thought of losing this baby felt like an iron fist squeezing my heart. I wasn’t prepared to deal with such a loss, especially not when I was so excited to have another baby with Ace.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I tried to remain calm. Stress was never good for the baby. I just needed to sleep and keep up the calm façade before Ace sensed that something was wrong and caused a scene, which would only scare the kids.

Rest and a cup of green tea could fix any stomachache, and I prayed the rest of the ride to the lake house that this pain was just an unsettled stomach rather than something wrong with my baby.

We arrived at the house late in the afternoon, pulling up on the gravel road. The tires crunched against the tiny pebbles, waking both of the kids who had previously fallen asleep. Their excited squeals filled the car as we came to a stop right in front of the wooden, garage door.

My parents had bought this place years ago with the insurance money from the beach house where Ace and I had been trapped by hurricane Dorian. What had first appeared to be a small run-down home from many years of neglect, with broken windows, missing appliances, no air conditioning, and infested with bugs, was now a big lake-front cottage that overlooked one of the biggest private lakes in Orlando.

Ace and I had gotten married here with our small families. A long walkway was made with flower petals, and we rented a golden archway to stand under where we exchanged our vows.

The memory of that day would always live in my mind but being here again reminded me of the smell on that spring day, the look on Ace’s face when he first saw me in my dress, my father’s strong steady arm, my mother’s cries of joy, and Ryan’s overprotective brother threats. It was easily one of the best days of my life.

“We’re finally here!” Charlie screamed, unbuckling his seat belt and flying out of the stopped car.

“Be careful. Stay away from the water, son.” Ace turned the ignition off and got out of the car stretching his arms above his head and then twisting his torso side to side, popping his back as he did so.

Summer unclicked her seatbelt with a deep sigh, zipped up her backpack with another, and exited the car with all the melodramatics of a wannabe teenager. I rolled my eyes and went to follow as another wave of intense cramps seized my stomach. Putting a hand on my swollen belly, I gasped in pain. Looking out the window, I couldn’t see Ace and panicked.

What if I was losing the baby?

Quickly reaching for my phone in the center console, I hit Amber’s contact in my favorites and waited for a few tense seconds.

“Miss me already?” Her teasing voice filtered through the line as I gasped in another pained breath. “What’s wrong, Celine?” Her worried tone did little to ease my fears, only heightening them.

“I think I’m losing the baby, Ames,” I cried, a tear rolling down my cheek.

Where was Ace?

“Okay, where are you?”

“In the car, and Ace is . . . is, oh, God, Ames. I’m failing our child,” I wailed, losing control as another cramp stole my breath away.

“Shh, just breathe,” she coaxed. “You are going to be okay. Stress isn’t good for the baby, remember that. Now, what are you feeling?”

“I’m losing the baby, Ames!” I sucked in a breath, fighting the sobs from tearing from my throat.

“Call Ace now,” she mumbled distantly from the phone. I squeezed my eyes shut and bit back a scream as another cramp grasped my stomach. “Cece, listen to my voice. Take a deep breath. Inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth. You need to calm down.”

I couldn’t listen to her voice, not with the pounding of my heart beating loudly in my ears.

“Tell me what you’re feeling. Where does it hurt?” she asked again, her voice so calm while I was unhinged, grasping for control.

“My stomach . . . it’s cramping.” I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat. “It has been all day.”

“Inhale with me, Cece, and exhale,” she coaxed. I kept my eyes closed, losing myself to the uncontrollable sobs wracking through my body.

“He’ll never forgive me,” I whimpered, picturing Ace’s disappointed face, remembering the day he told me that losing a child would break him. After the loss of his brother, he didn’t believe he could be a father, and I promised him we wouldn’t lose a baby, and here I was, the biggest liar.

---