Page 86 of Parker
The man nearest signals toward the building. I look across and see Boyd sitting on a small wall with his arm around Nicky. She’s wrapped in a blanket, the doctor is already kneeling in front of her, talking.
Suddenly, I’m unsure what to do. I should be running. But what if she turns away? What if our baby didn’t make it? Part of me wants to run over there and envelop her in my arms; the other part is terrified of being rejected.
I stand frozen to the spot, watching the proceedings. My mother comes to my side and takes my arm, pulling me toward them. We walk over together; my heart lodged in my throat.
Nicky’s eyes are trained firmly between her feet. She can’t even look at me. Boyd glances up at our arrival.
“Boss,” he says, and Nicky looks up. Her face is streaked with tears. She pulls the blanket around herself protectively.
“It’s over, Nicky,” Boyd assures her. “Drayton’s dead, and his mob are on the run. You’re safe.”
“Mrs. Parker, are you all right to come with me now?” the doctor says. She looks at him warily. “We’ll go into the ambulance, just over there. I’ll check you and your baby over to make sure you are both well.” He speaks slowly and deliberately.
She nods, then stands, wobbling on her feet. Boyd holds her arm to support her. My gaze moves over her, our child firmly snuggled in her swollen belly.
How did she keep this hidden for so long?
When we kissed at the garden party, she must have known she was pregnant. Anger surfaces for the first time since I found out. Was she ever planning to tell me?
We move as a group to the ambulance?its doors are set wide, waiting for a patient. The doctor, Boyd, and Nicky are up front, and my mother and I follow behind. The whole group stands at the back of the vehicle, then the doctor climbs in. I move to Nicky’s side, taking her arm to steady her. Boyd and I then help her into the treatment area and get her settled on the bed.
Standing beside her, she takes my hand in hers and closes her eyes.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “Thank you for coming to save us. I thought we were going to die. You always save me, Joel.” Her eyes flutter open once more. “This is probably a good time to tell you, you’re going to be a daddy.”
“Really? I never noticed,” I whisper as I sit down on the chair next to her.
She chuckles.
The sound makes my heart swell; it’s the most beautiful noise in the world. I rest my forehead against our entwined hands. She’s still here.
“My world almost ended today,” I tell her. “You not being on this earth would be the death of me. It would kill me, Nicky.”
The doctor clears his throat behind me. “Excuse me, Mr. Parker, may I check over Mrs. Parker now?” I stand and move out of his way, hating our bodies being separated. I listen intently as he assesses her.
“Nicky, I know the past few days have been horrific for you, but I need to ask you some questions. Is that okay?” she murmurs in assent. “Thank you. Some of these questions may be uncomfortable, but they’re necessary,” he explains kindly. “When you were imprisoned, how did you obtain the bruises on your face and body?”
She glances at me, then back to the doctor. Her face stills as she obviously recollects the events.
“I tried to escape at the shop, then again when they took me out of the van. They beat me,” she says.
My anger simmers under the surface, rising with every detail she gives.
“Drayton threw me across the room, and my back hit the wall. I thought it would trigger a miscarriage again.” Her tear-filled eyes lift to mine. “I had pains in my back for a while, but they went away, and I felt him moving again.”
“That’s good news that he’s moving. You’ve miscarried a child before?” he asks.
“Three,” I interject, keen to move this topic along. It’s painful to go over. “We’ve had three miscarriages over the years. Always before twelve weeks.”
My mother gasps, shocked, no doubt, to learn what Nicky’s been through in our quest to have a child. Perhaps, now, she’ll be a bit more sympathetic in situations where she doesn’t have the full picture.
“Nicky, I’m sorry to ask this, but did anyone force you to have sexual relations with them?”
Please say no. Please say no. If anyone touched her, I swear, I’ll gut the bastards, slowly and painfully, with my bare hands.
She shakes her head, and air rushes from my lungs.
“That’s good, Nicky. Now lie back, relax, and I’ll examine you,” the doctor says.
