Page 67 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

"She's bleeding," I said, helping her into the car. "She shifted, and she's bleeding."

The guys fell silent. There was a reason women were supposed to shift when pregnant. It was hard on the child and for an early pregnancy. Well, it was easy to lose it. It caused stress on the body, stress that was supposed to be used to contain the pregnancy.

I was pretty sure I was speeding the entire way to the hospital, ready to murder someone. I paced as we were given a room, waiting for the doctor to come.

Gina lay on the bed, her eyes on me. We had been silent this entire time, and she sniffled softly, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry."

I turned to her. "What are you sorry for?"

She placed her hands on her stomach. "Because… if I hadn't shifted…"

I didn't even let her finish. "Gina, you did what you had to do."

I would never blame her for protecting herself. If she lost the child, I'd be heartbroken, but I would never point a finger. This was on that guy. Gina did what she had to do to protect herself.

She took a shaky breath in and closed her eyes as she leaned back on the pillow. Her hands shook on her stomach, and she chewed on her lower lip. "I'm sorry I yelled. I… I didn't mean to."

I stopped pacing and watched her. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. Her eyes remained closed as she lay there, looking peaceful.

"I know you care…and I'm trying. It's…. It's just hard."

I walked over and took the seat next to her. I took her hand, and her eyes opened. I squeezed her hand, hating she had been the first to cave. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have given you an ultimatum like that. I just...I was scared if I didn't, you'd leave."

I'd let my anger get the better of me. I knew it was going to take longer than a couple of months to erase the past. I knew it would take her time to accept me and to really know I cared.

"I shouldn't have yelled either," I said, pulling her hand up and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. "And I clearly shouldnever listen to Cayden. The flowers and candles were his idea. They were too much."

She smiled. "They were lovely. I think that's why it scared me. I'm not used to people trying to care for me. I've… I've never been given flowers, let alone had someone put an entire display out like that."

The door opened, and Brandon, the doctor, walked in with a nurse behind him. Gina sat up, her fingers tightening on mine as he looked at her chart before looking back at her.

"Gina, let's get you checked out. Do you want Lucas to step out so we can check you?"

She shook her head, her fingers still tightly clutching mine. "No, he's staying. He's the father."

The doctor nodded as the nurse stepped around him. Gina leaned back, her eyes remaining on me.

"Okay, let's talk. What happened? What's bringing you into the ER?"

I glanced and watched Gina pull her legs in the stir-ups. The doctor grabbed the speculum off the cart. I looked back at Gina.

"I shifted," she said simply. "And I'm only a couple months pregnant, not even."

Brandon scowled. "Gina, you know that…"

"She had no choice," I said, not letting him talk down on her. Everyone was aware of the risk, but it wasn't impossible. It just was a risk.

The doctor nodded and looked back at Gina.

"You're going to feel a little pressure."

Gina's body tensed up, and her nails dug into his skin. The entire world seemed to be still, and no one breathed.

I made a prayer—I never had before—begging that she was okay, that our baby was OK. I never was sure if I wanted to be a dad, and suddenly, I couldn't imagine not being a father. All my future could be swiped away so quickly with it even starting.

"Good news. Everything looks intact. But you need to rest in bed for a couple of days. This could have been worse, and we could be talking about a miscarriage."

Gina cried, a deep, shrill cry as tears burst free. It was what we wanted to hear.

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