Page 31 of Mine to Keep

“I would guess, knowing your father, he was trying to start trouble,” Daniel told him.

Roland had thought about that. “But why?”

Daniel shrugged. “You’ll just have to ask him.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely will be doing that. I want to get her home first.”

Daniel sat with him, not saying a word, which was comforting. His presence was all he needed now. He noticed his friend got some calls, and from what he heard, it was a few men from the Good Knight Society they were involved with. They had heard about the incident and asked if there was anything they could do.

The next hour was torture. Daniel was able to find out there were no broken bones, and the CAT scan showed no brain bleed, although she did have a slight concussion. The two were able to go to her room and wait there for the doctor and Laila.

Roland paced back and forth while Daniel sat in one of the chairs, staying quiet. Roland spun when the door opened to see them wheeling his wife in. It took several people to transfer her to the bed, make sure she was comfortable, and get her IVs set up.

The white bandage on her head was in stark contrast to her silky dark hair and made it stand out even more, making him grit his teeth. As far as he could see, there were no other injuries. It was painful to stand back until they were done when all hewanted was to touch her.

“The doctor will be in shortly,” the nurse said as she walked out.

Roland stood by the bed and smoothed her hair from her face. He winced when he saw the bruises and scrapes on her delicate skin. He pulled a chair up, grasped one of her hands in his, and laid his other on her head, being careful of the bandage.

“God, Pet. What the hell were you doing running from me?” He stopped talking when the door opened, and a man in a white coat with a nurse followed him into the room.

The older man studied some papers before he looked up. His eyebrows rose when he saw his friend.

“Oh, Daniel, I didn’t see you there. You know these people?”

“Yes, Franklin. They are good friends of mine,” Daniel said.

“All right.” He turned to Roland. “Mr. Stewart, your wife has a slight concussion. I’m not too worried about it, but I want to keep her in the hospital overnight or for a few days so we can monitor her. She had some bruising on her hip, thigh, and arm where she fell, and of course, the injury to her head. That needed seven staples. The best news is the baby is fine.”

It took Roland a second to understand him. “Baby?”

The doctor’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, you didn’t know. She’s about five weeks along. All we can tell is the baby has a strong heartbeat.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Roland asked.

“She might not have known. She might have felt more tired and maybe nauseous, but that happens at times. If she didn’t monitor her menstrual cycle, she could have totally missed the signs.”

Roland turned to Laila and smiled. “We’re going to have a baby, Love.” He smoothed her hair again and then bent andpressed a soft kiss on her forehead. He took this time to get his emotions back in control. He blinked to dispel the tears that fought to slide down his face.

When he was more stable, he turned to the doctor. “Is there anything else?”

“No, Mr…”

“Call me Roland, please.”

The doctor smiled. “Roland. That’s it. We’ll check on her frequently.”

“Why is she sleeping?” Roland asked.

“We had to sedate her when she came in. She was upset about something. Would you happen to know what that is?” Franklin asked.

“Not yet, but I will.”

The doctor nodded. “She should wake up in a few hours. When she does, call the nurse.”

“I will. Thank you.”

The doctor waved at Daniel and walked out of the room with the nurse following him.

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