Saturday, July 2, 2016
Royals Private Hospital21 weeks...
Trey paced up and down the corridor, occasionally apologizing when he found himself blocking the path for other patients or doctors. He couldn't bring himself to sit—he'd tried, and had ended up wringing his hands and bouncing his legs.
"Trey," came Andrew's stern voice. He stopped pacing long enough to look at him, but that didn't stop him from tapping his foot impatiently. "I know you're worried, but can you stop pacing? It's getting annoying."
Trey glared at him and went to stand against the wall. The possible scenarios his brain was painting for him in his idle state weren't things he wanted to dwell on. So he resumed pacing a second later. "What's taking so long?" he grumbled.
"Trey," Andrew said again, but right then, Dr. Morris appeared around the bend. He turned so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, but it was the least of his problems.
His heart heavy, he stopped in front of the doctor, asking, "Are they okay?"
Roberta's lips were pressed into a thin line. "Would you like me to speak to you alone or here in front of them?"
Trey stood, mulling over that. "Alone," he decided in the end, not looking at them for their reactions to that. "I'll update them if I deem it necessary."
Roberta nodded once. "Come with me."
Trey followed silently as they walked through hallways, and though he wondered where she was taking him, he kept his mouth shut. Roberta, who was usually always smiling, had a serious expression today. If that didn't tell him enough, he didn't know what else could.
Roberta took a sharp left, and he followed, almost slamming into a petite nurse. He muttered his apologies and went ahead, completely missing the way her jaw dropped when she realized who he was.
Roberta pushed open a door, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized she'd brought him to Alexandra's room. "We moved her from the emergency room. I hope you don't mind."
He shook his head, his steps faltering when he saw the wires connected to her, but managed to move when she smiled at him—albeit tiredly. He went in all the way, closing the door behind him.
Roberta allowed him a moment to take it all in. "What are all these that are hooked to her?" he asked quietly, going to his wife's side.
Roberta sighed, her straight expression falling off. "A blood pressure cuff—which I will take off in a bit," she began, "a heart monitor for her and a monitor for each of the babies, a pulse checker, and an IV drip."
Alexandra lowered her head, avoiding Trey's gaze. He tipped her chin up then bent to kiss her softly, forgetting the doctor was present. "I'm glad you're okay," he whispered, his eyes expressive.
She caught his gaze, seeing the fear she was sure was present in hers. But otherwise, he looked composed. "You almost sent me into cardiac arrest." She smiled a little.
He kissed her once more then straightened to his full height, never once letting go of her hand. "What's wrong this time?" he asked, bracing himself for what was to come.
"It's getting bad," Roberta said, hitting the nail on the head. When she finished pulling off the blood pressure cuff, she stood back to look at them. "Her blood pressure is at 130/63 Mr. Robinson. The babies aren't mature enough to be out by now. Any more rises in her blood pressure and you might lose your babies."
That knocked the breath out of him. Just when they'd thought they were so close to finally having children, life just had to throw more obstacles at them. "What do you suggest?" he asked, proud when his voice came out strong.
Roberta shook her head. "This isn't an option. She'll have to go on bed rest Mr. Robinson. We're not taking chances," she said in a tone that exuded finality.
"Bed rest? Here?" Lexi repeated, looking to Trey for help. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it if that was what had to be done to keep her and his children alive and healthy.
Trey remembered how close Nicolysse had been to harming her, and suddenly, he also didn't think it was a good idea. He looked back at Roberta who looked like she was awaiting his decision.
"I know you want the best for her like we all do," he began cautiously, "but my wife isn't really safe anymore and she has been receiving threats. Any way we can do the bed rest at home?"
Roberta looked at the heart monitor for Lexi. Of what good was it if being in the hospital made her stress levels climb even more? "And you're sure being here makes her an easy target?" she asked slowly. "There's hospital security."
Trey nodded once. "I know that, but if she'd been able to slip out of a hospital once without being noticed, then I'd say it would be just as simple for anyone to reach her."
He paused, then added, "If you need machines attached to her, tell me what those are and how I can get them so we set them up in her room for you... That is if you're okay with coming to visit for checkups?"
"We do need machines to monitor the babies' heart rates and overall growth," she said slowly, and Trey could see her adjusting to the idea. He didn't say anything as she thought it over, probably weighing the pros and cons of the situation.
Then, she sighed. "Fine. Her safety and those of the babies are all that matter. So, can you assure me she'll stay off her feet?"
"I'm willing to get her a wheelchair if that's what it takes," Trey said seriously, completely missing Lexi's eye roll.
"And please, don't stress her out." Trey nodded, and Roberta finally smiled, making Lexi feel at ease. "Once you get all the necessary machines in place, I'll start visiting. Is that okay?"
"More than okay," Trey replied readily.
"Thank you for understanding," Alexandra said, smiling at her doctor while Trey kissed the top of her head.
"You're welcome," her doctor replied with a stunning smile. "I'll have to prescribe stronger medications for your heightened blood pressure till... let's just hope it comes back to normal. I'll be right back," she mumbled, excusing herself.
Trey rounded on Alexandra, brows raised as he waited for her to say what he wanted to hear. Instead, all she asked was, "What?" The fact that she looked genuinely confused undid him.
He frowned. "Are you seriously asking me that?" He ran a hand through his hair, taking a few steps back. "You said you were fine—"
"I was," she cut in.
"You lied to me about your health, and then you sat there, saying nothing about anything being wrong with you till I saw how terribly pale you were," he said, ignoring what she'd cut in with.
"My sister was the one who told me to look out for any changes, not my wife. I thought we were working on trust?"
""I just didn't feel the need to say anything."
He bent forward to look her in the eye. "Trust and communication, Lexi. If you want us to work things out, do your part."
"I'm sorry, okay?"
He huffed out a laugh. "You're sorry?" He pulled away from her, walking backwards. "Fine. I forgive you. But what if it had been worse? What if I'd lost you because you refused to tell me something as important as this? What would've happened then?"
When she remained silent, looking down at her hands, he went on. "I've told you that this isn't about just you anymore. You're responsible for two other lives aside yours and I can't help if you don't help me. Please," he approached her again, "I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I don't want to know either."
"I'm sorry," she whispered with a sniffle, and a lift of her chin confirmed his suspicions—she was crying. "I didn't think it'd be this bad. I just wanted to actually feel it in my body that something was wrong so I could point it out. I love you too much to intentionally cause you such pain. I'm truly sorry."
He closed his eyes, nodding. "I understand. It's alright." He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing her palm, and that's when what she'd said registered. 'I love you.' He opened his eyes to find her smiling through her tears. "What did you say?" he asked in a low voice.
She sniffled, laughing a little. "I said I love you."
His heart picked up pace, beating frantically against his chest. He cupped both sides of her face, wanting to know if it was real and not just a dream. Then he seated himself on the bed next to her, looking her straight in the eye.
It didn't even offend him when he saw amused eyes staring back at him. "Say it again," he whispered, wiping the tears off her cheeks, afraid the moment would shatter.
"I love you." She leaned forward, adding, "I'm not going anywhere."
He closed the remaining distance, capturing her cherry lips in a hot kiss which she returned. He pulled away long enough to ask, "Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear that again?" Before she could think of an answer, he was kissing her again, drowning in her love.
"Here are the—oh." He pulled away at the sound of the doctor's voice, rubbing Alexandra's swollen lips while she blushed. "Would you like me to give you a few minutes? I can come back later."
"Yes," "No," they both replied at the same time, having Trey lift a brow. What was the point in lying? He definitely needed a few minutes to fix himself up.
"Oh-kay," Roberta muttered in a sing-song voice, not believing Lexi's no for a second. "You certainly need more time. I'll step out for a moment."
The humor in her voice had been clear, and the fact that she could make his wife blush easily made him like her more. Melissa had chosen well. He stood, and walked into the bathroom to fix himself.
When he got out, Roberta was back, and he half expected she would be taking out the wires connecting Lexi to the machines. "I thought she was doing the bed rest at home," he said, moving to stand next to the headrest.
Alexandra outstretched a hand and he placed his in it, overturning their intertwined hands to kiss the back of hers. Roberta swooned, momentarily forgetting the question... or statement.
"She will," she murmured when she shook herself out of her daze. "I just need to keep her overnight so I can monitor her. If all is good, she'll be discharged tomorrow morning." Trey nodded, and she added—quite quickly, "You're welcome to stay with her, of course."
"Thank you," Trey told her, giving her a genuine smile.
"As I was saying before, here is the list of the necessary machines you need to have in place. As soon as they're ready, give me a call and I will make myself available." She handed him a sheet, and he accepted it, scanning it.
"Thank you for everything," Alexandra muttered, leaning into Trey. Trey nodded, agreeing with his wife.
"No problem." She picked up the things she'd brought with her moving to the door. "Would you like me to call in the others?"
"Yes, please," Lexi replied immediately, hoping she hadn't worried them too much. "If it's not a problem."
Roberta waved it off with a smile, exiting the room. When she closed the door behind her, Trey sat next to her and made himself comfortable. "Now we can finish what we started."
"What if they see us?" she hissed with eyes wide, referring to their family and friends.
He cupped the nape of her neck, and when she didn't resist, he pulled her closer. "They've seen it all before. This isn't new to them," he told her, smiling so close to her lips.
"Still..." Her lips brushed his with that single word, and he felt like a teenager all over again.
He kissed her softly, whispering, "I love you so damn much. Don't give me a heart attack of this sort again, please."
She smiled sweetly. "I'll try," she whispered back slyly. When he groaned, she kissed the base of his throat, adding, "And I love you too."
They locked lips again, everything around them fading to the point where it was just them... well, till someone groaned. "Aw come on," Jason growled.
Trey got off the bed. "I need to call Billy so he can start getting the equipment in place," he told Alexandra, and when she nodded, he winked at her, stepping back. "I'll be right back."
He left to make the call, and with the phone to his ear, he turned around to find his father leaning against the wall. He'd shown concern for his wife out of nowhere and Trey was suspicious.
He'd helped Trey get Alexandra into the jeep, and finding out the stone-cold wall of a man had feelings had been a shocker. Or had he recently found them? That, or he just wanted to have a chance at seeing his grandchildren.
"Want to go in? She's awake," Trey invited. "And she's okay."
Andrew pushed off the wall. "Then my work here is done. See you around kid."