Page 76 of Taming Hawke

I lean forward resting the cup between my knees. I take a sip of coffee, it tastes like shit. “Okay, I guess.” I sit back, running my free hand through my hair. “I fucked up, Tess.”

“What? Why?” she asks.

“I should have protected her. We weren’t in a good place.”

“Oh, Hawke, you can’t blame yourself. It was crazy, you did what you had to do.”

I sigh and rest my head back on the chair. “Maybe you’re right, Tess. I still don’t feel good about it.”

Another hour passes and I’m starting to get irritated. What the fuck is going on?Why won’t anyone come out?

I’m just about to ask the nurse at the desk, when I see a doctor exiting the doors from the surgical area. He removes his mask and runs the back of his hand over his forehead. When he walks over and stops in front of me, I look intently into his eyes, trying to gauge if it’s bad or good news he’s about to deliver. I swallow hard. “Is Luisa alive?”

“She is, and who are you?”

“I’m her….” I stop myself. “Her fiancé, I’m her fiancé,” I lie. There’s no fucking way I’m telling him I’m her boyfriend, he needs to know that I’m family or he won’t tell me shit.

“Well, then.” My brothers all get up from their chairs and step up behind me, along with Hailey and Tess. The doctor’s eyes widen when he takes in the other members of the club. Luckily I have a shirt on now, Trigger rode back to the club to get me one… well, what’s left of the club.

“Sir, I think it might be wise if we spoke alone.”

I look over at my brothers. “I’ll just be a minute. I’ll come and give you the news once I’m done.”

They sit back in their seats, and the doctor and I move over to a quieter area.

“Sir….”

“Reece,” I say, confirming my name to him.

“Okay, Reece. I’m Dr. Salvator, and I’m the one who operated on your fiancée.”

“How is she, doctor?”

“Your fiancée has lost a lot of blood. We were able to remove the bullet from her stomach, but it hit a major artery somewhere along the way.”

“But she’s going to be okay, isn’t she, doc?” My palms are sweating now.

“She’s in a coma right now, so only time will tell. The next twenty-four hours are crucial, and with her being pregnant, it’s very important she rests as much as she can, in order for the baby to survive. We’re monitoring the baby, and as far as we can tell its heartbeat is nice and strong.

The doctor keeps talking but I can’t hear anything he’s saying, just a loud buzz screaming in my ears. My mouth dries out, and my stomach dips. I finally find words. “You said baby? Are you sure?”

The doctor smiles. “Why yes, I am sure. You didn’t know she’s pregnant.”

Air, I need fucking air. I can’t breathe. My eyes blur and I feel like I’m going to faint. Baby? Luisa is pregnant? Fuck!

“Sir, are you okay?” I shake my head, trying to focus on him. He gets up and walks away, then returns with a plastic cup of water. “Here, drink this.”

I shakily take the cup out of his hand and swallow the cold liquid.

Snapping my head up to look at Dr. Salvator, I ask again, “She’s pregnant? She’s carrying my baby?”

He smiles at me. “That’s right, Reece, so it’s imperative she rests. The coma is probably good for her right now.”

“Fuck! I’m going to be a father. I’m going to have a child.” I laugh.

The doctor looks at me, concerned now. “Yes, Reece, you are going to be a father,” he confirms, and puts out his hand to shake mine.

I shake it and thump his back. “Thank you, doc.”

---