Page 82 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
“I’m fine,” I bit out. “I don’t have the time to chat right now.”
Whitney’s eyes flickered to the emergency doors and back to me. “Maybe we could get together later then? Get to know each other better?”
What the hell?“No, Whitney. I don’t want to get to know you better later.”
She glared at me.
I didn’t have time to deal with her. I was reasonably close to shoving my way past the man guarding the emergency room doors when they opened. The nurse that brought Harper back to be examined came through. She looked like an angel, and she was one if she could get me to Harper. “Lincoln, right?”
I nodded. Finally, someone who could help.
She motioned for me to follow her. “Harper is waiting for you. Her doctor just got here and is with her now.”
“Harper’s here?” Whitney asked, although it sounded more like an angry hiss.
“He’s not allowed—” the man at my side muttered.
“He’s the baby’s father, Jerry. Let him through.”
I gave the nurse a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She glanced behind me. “Let them through first, and we’ll get you to Harper right away.”
We both moved to the side to let the EMTs through, with two pregnant women laying on their backs on the stretchers, groaning. The moment they were through, nurses jumped in to help triage the situation.
My gaze flickered over to where Whitney had once stood. Relief settled in my chest when I noticed she was gone.
Once they’d moved the incoming patients to different examination spaces, the nurse guided me through the doors and past a command station. Curtained rooms filled my left side. I wondered how much farther we had to go when she pointed to a curtain-draped area a few feet in front of us. “Harper’s in there.”
“Thank you,” I said again, knowing it barely described the gratitude washing over me.
She called out to the doctor inside and verified Harper was okay with me entering. Once she agreed, I shifted the curtain enough to slip through and made my way to Harper’s side. My knees wobbled, and I sagged against the bed rails.
I clutched her hand and kissed her forehead. “You okay?”
She nodded. “You just missed the ultrasound tech. She said the baby looked great.” She nibbled her bottom lip. I could see in her eyes she wasn’t completely convinced our child was safe.
Harper’s doctor finished her exam and threw the gloves into the nearby trash can. The smile she gave us was kind, comforting even.
I squeezed Harper’s hand.
“I’m happy to tell you that there isn’t anything wrong with you or the baby,” Dr. Solano said. “A few early contractions, but that can happen. We’d like you to stay for the next few hours to monitor you and the contractions. If they go away on their own, we can release you.”
Harper bowed her head, her body shaking.
I drew in an unsteady breath as tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. Those words were the sweetest I’d ever heard. Our baby was all right. Thank God.
The doctor left us alone with instructions for Harper to take it easy over the next few weeks and said she would stay at the hospital today to oversee her care. Once she left, I grabbed hold of Harper and hugged her tight. Now that our worst fears were laid to rest, silence fell between us, the only sounds coming from beyond our curtain.
She let go of me, and her hands fell to her sides. For a moment, she avoided meeting my eyes. Was there something she wasn't telling me? What if the baby was all right, but she wasn’t? Harper picked at the thin hospital blanket before looking me in the eye. Fearing her next words, I abruptly sat in a nearby plastic chair.
Her chin trembled. “I’m sorry I attacked you like that earlier.”
This was not what I’d expected. I laid my hand over hers.
She turned her hand over, so our palms touched and interlaced our fingers. “When I heard you might leave, I got scared.”
After everything we’d been through in the last hour, being on the opposite side of a hospital door, unable to get to her when she was so close, there was no way I could move across the country and leave her.
