Page 47 of Deceit

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brynn

BEING ON BED rest sucksass. I hate not being able to get out of bed other than to go to the bathroom. The last week has proven to me that I’m one of the worst patients there is on the planet. I’m whining because I can’t take a shower, I can’t cook or get something to eat or drink on my own, and that Kingston has to help me do every little thing. I’m snapping at him and anyone else who comes up to see me. I’ve gotten into a fight with my family because I was being a bitch about everything they said. Willow even got to see my horrible side and she’s the sweetest girl I’ve ever met in my life. I hung up before I could make her cry knowing I’d live with that guilt forever. No one deserves the wrath I’m giving them. Honestly, I will do anything to protect my baby and ensure I don’t lose him or her. If that means being on bed rest until the baby is born, then that’s what I’ll do.

Thankfully I’m no longer bleeding and the pain in my stomach has vanished completely. I don’t know what the hell is going on or why it happened to begin with, but Dr. Craven still won’t take me off of bed rest just yet. She wants to be completely sure that nothing like this is going to happen again before I’m allowed to get up and move around. Kingston won’t allow me to go to the bathroom on my own anymore. He’s worried something will happen if he leaves me on my own for a few seconds. This is something I give him because he needs it. No, I don’t like going to the bathroom in front of him, but he’s given me so much that I’ve needed and this is something small I can give him in return.

“Kitten, is it safe to enter?” Kingston asks me, opening the door little more than a crack as he looks through the opening at me.

“You can come in. I’m sorry, Kingston. I just hate being in bed for this long and knowing I can’t do anything for myself,” I apologize to him as I watch him walk over to me with a tray in his hands.

“I’ve got your lunch. Today it’s chicken noodle soup, a grilled cheese, and some Ginger ale,” he informs me as I move around just enough for the tray to sit steady over my legs.

Looking down, I see two of everything on the tray and know my man is going to eat with me once again. Kingston has been in this bedroom with me every single day and has only left once to go to church while Hope and Savannah sat with me. The only other time he leaves me is to get us something to eat or drink or to take a quick shower. He’s brought his laptop in the bedroom so he can work while in bed next to me. I’ve been re-reading through my story while I’ve been sitting here. Dr. Craven says I can work for an hour a day and it’s slowing the process down a lot. Still, I’ll deal with it to protect our little one.

After climbing into bed with me, Kingston puts on a show we’ve been binge watching on one of the streaming channels. It plays as we eat our lunch and enjoy the silence of our home. There’s not a ton of people in and out at all hours of the day and night. First thing in the morning Hope and Jinx come over to check on us and make sure we don’t need anything. Hope usually brings me books or magazines to try and keep me busy so I forget about being on bed rest. Savannah and Valor typically stop over midday to bring us lunch and check in. In the early evening, it’s a tossup as to who’s going to show up at our door. The guys and the rest of the ol’ ladies have been taking turns coming to visit for a little bit before returning home or to the clubhouse. No one stays for long periods of time and it sucks while relaxes me at the same time. It's nice to know we have all these people here to help us when it’s needed but they don’t push to stay longer than I’m comfortable with having them here.

Yesterday and today Hope and Kingston have been talking in hushed tones together but won’t tell me what’s going on. Whenever I ask them, both of them give me a large smile and then step just outside the door so Kingston can still see me and be close while they continue talking. I will eventually figure out what’s going on with them.

Kim has called me at least once a day to check in and update me on how the cover is coming. We try to keep our conversation light and away from anything to do with the baby or being on bed rest. It doesn’t always work, but it does help to hear her and know she is trying to help in her own way even so far away. Fox and her plan on coming down to visit us soon. She wants to cook us a bunch of meals Kingston can just throw in the oven to reheat so he doesn’t have to spend more time in the kitchen cooking. Honestly, he hasn’t had to cook a single meal since I got discharged from the hospital. The ol’ ladies had already brought us up a bunch and they prepare more every single day. Each time one of them comes up during a meal, we always have something they’ve recently cooked so it’s hot and fresh. Dinner is the time we typically have to figure out what we want from the freezer.

The author friend of Kim’s has gotten in touch with me through a private message on social media. We first started talking only through messages and moved to talking on the phone. She’s walked me through everything I have to do now that my book is finished. It’s a lot, but with nothing more to do than rest in bed, I have the time. I just have to choose what part of my career I work on each day since I only have an hour a day. Kingston is helping me get things set up. He’s started a website for me and will add all new books and links I need to give the readers. Kingston has also helped me set up a separate social media account for my author name instead of my personal account. I don’t want to combine the two since this is my main way to share things with my family and now Kingston’s.

Kingston and I talked about it a few days ago and came to the conclusion that I need to keep my two worlds separate. My personal page won’t change and will still be a way to share anything going on with our family members. Especially after the baby is born. My author accounts will be nothing more than posting anything regarding my career. This includes sharing my books, other author’s releases that I connect with, photos from photographers, and everything else that goes along with this. I’ve also set up a reader group on social media where readers can get excerpts of my work before it’s released, see the covers before I share them anywhere else, and we can talk about each story as it comes out. I get exhausted just thinking about everything and all I’ve been doing is sleeping these days.

“Kitten, I have to goto the clubhouse for a while today. Valor needs some help on a job and promised not to keep me at the clubhouse for too long. Hope is gonna come hang out with you so you’re not alone,” Kingston tells me as he walks back in the room we’re using and slides his phone back in his pocket.

“Okay. You know, I feel horrible that you’re not working the way you have been right now. The club needs you and you’re here with me,” I tell him, letting my eyes lower as the guilt sits on my shoulders.

“Brynn, I told you that I’m here for everythin’. Not just the good parts of this pregnancy. I will be here by your side when you’re gettin’ sick, covered in sweat, in a horrible mood, or anythin’ else that happens until our little one is here,” he tells me, lowering his head after pulling the blankets out of the way to press his lips against my stomach.

I’m starting to get a small bump now. I started to freak out when it first started making an appearance and Kingston called Dr. Craven to make sure it was normal. After a lengthy conversation with her, I was able to relax. Kingston has been paying attention to it on a daily basis to see if it gets bigger or changes in any way each day. There isn’t a day that passes when he’s not pressing a kiss there and at night when we know we won’t have any more visitors, he talks to my stomach telling the baby everything they’re going to do once he or she is here. It’s adorable and if I weren’t already completely in love with the man, it would have gotten me there in a heartbeat.

“It still doesn’t change the fact that I feel bad because you’ve been here with me and not hanging out with your friends as you did before,” I tell him, closing my eyes as he leans down for a kiss.

“It won’t always be this way, Brynn. For now this is what you need and it’s what we’ll work with. When you’re allowed to get off of bed rest, things will change. I still won’t be spendin’ all my time at the clubhouse, but we’ll go there when we have to,” he promises me before Hope walks in our room with a large smile on her face.

“Kingston, get the hell outta here. You’re encroaching on girl time,” Hope states, pretending to be mad at her cousin as he starts laughing before giving me one more kiss and leaving.

When he passes by Hope, Kingston ruffles her hair that’s been thrown up in a messy bun. She threatens him with bodily harm before laughing and walking over to the bed where I’m resting.

“You’re in an awfully good mood today,” I tell her, watching the large smile on her face get bigger.

“I had a good night. There was a party at the clubhouse. Kat wasn’t working last night so she sat with all the kids. You know she doesn’t like to participate in the parties most nights the club has them,” she returns as a blush covers her cheeks.

---