Another week and a half passed.
I began taking the proper vitamins and staying away from radiation at work. I still hadn't told anyone else, not even Jake. I just laid low, trying to decide what to do.
On Friday morning, the Chief called me into his office.
I went in, worried about his reasoning. Had I done something wrong?
When I walked in, he had me sit.
He looked at some papers, then at me. "You've cut time down in the lab."
I nodded.
"Why?"
I sighed. Time to tell him. "Sir, I'm about 7 weeks pregnant. I've just found out and I've been trying to stay away from the radiation."
He sat up. "Oh."
"I'm sorry, sir. I know it's bad timing."
"No, it's fine. Congratulations."
"I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, sir. I've not even had the chance to tell my husband."
"Oh. Do you need the afternoon off?"
I sighed, "I suppose it's now or never, right?"
He nodded.
"The other Dr. Hamilton is doing the treatment and monitoring what I can't do. While she does that, I could go back to working on surgery."
"Okay. Starting tomorrow, I'll put you into the surgical schedule."
I nodded.
When we were finished talking, I told Kelly I was going home. Then, I found Adam and had him take me home.
When we got home, Jake was nowhere to be found.
I went to the basement.
He was there, working at a desk. He was hard at work, typing away. He was also on the phone. "No, don't. Do it from behind. Right. It brings the an element of surprise that you need to your advantage. Yes. And men should be guarding you. Yes, you'll need backup."
I cleared my throat.
He looked up and smiled. He put a hand out.
I walked over and smiled at him.
He put my hand to his lips and kissed it, then he put it to his shoulder. He sighed, "Sgt. Daniels, no. Yes, of course." He was quiet a moment. "Commander, she--yes, sir. Okay, sir. Bye."
He hung up and began dialing another number. "Hey, honey. You're home early."
"I am. We need to talk."
"Can it wait? I'm kind of busy."
"It-"
"Hey, why did our commander have to tell me? Uh-huh. Yeah, right. Where are you? Okay. Yeah, I'll be right up. Bye."
He hung up and stood. "We have a visitor."
"Jake-"
He gave me a kiss. "I'm sorry, honey, but this is job related and it's important."
"Okay," I sighed.
He smiled and led me upstairs.
There was a knock on the door.
Diane got it. "Can I help you?"
"Is Sgt. Major Hamilton here?"
"Hawk?" Jake called.
She walked in, her arm missing.
He lifted her in his arms. "Why didn't you call me?"
"I can handle myself," she smiled. She pulled back. "You look good with a titanium leg."
He smiled, "Shut up and come in."
She walked.
He took her bag.
Vanessa came over. "Sgt. Major, can I take her bag?"
"Yes, Vanessa. Please, put it in the guest room."
She nodded and took it upstairs.
Hawk looked at me. "Hey, Bridget. How are you?"
"I'm well. Thanks. How are you?"
"I'm good, really good. I can't be on active duty anymore, but I'm still alive."
"Let's drink to that," Jake smiled. "Come in the living room. I'll pour us some drinks."
"I'll do it. Scotch?" I spoke.
He nodded.
I looked at Hawk.
"Make that two, please."
I nodded and led them into the living room. I poured their drinks and handed them to them, then I discreetly poured myself a glass of water.
"To being alive," Jake toasted.
We lifted our glasses and took drinks.
Jake smiled, "I'm so glad you got transferred up here."
"Me, too. I went back after I visited and it was terrible."
He frowned. "What happened?"
"Bomb. My arm was gone. I was lucky to keep my bicep. Consider yourself lucky, though. Phantom limb is terrible."
"Are you massaging it?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No one told me to."
"Did they amputate overseas?"
She nodded. "It hurts like a bitch."
"May I take a look?"
She nodded.
I moved beside her and lifted her sleeve.
Her arm was red and inflamed.
"Are you on any medicine for this?"
"No."
I got my phone out and called Dr. Walker.
He answered, "Dr. Hamilton, how are you this fine afternoon?"
"I'm great. How are you?"
"Doing well."
"Glad to hear it. Listen, I've got a question."
"Okay."
"A friend had an amputated limb. They did it overseas. It looks really red and inflamed."
"You think it's infected?"
"Yes."
"I'll have some free time in the morning. Why don't you bring your friend in then?"
"I will. Thank you."
"No problem. Just have me paged."
"I will. I'll see you then."
"Bye."
I hung up.
Hawk looked at me. "What's going on?"
"I'm going to have our orthopedic surgeon check you out in the morning. I think this may be infected."
"Really?"
I nodded.
She sighed, "Great. Thank you for that. You really didn't have to."
I shrugged, "It's my job."
She nodded.
I moved beside Jake.
"Why are you drinking water?" he asked.
"On call," I lied.
He nodded.
"How's your research going?" Hawk asked.
"Great. I'm working on liver cancer and my trial is going extremely well."
"That's great," she smiled. "Who would have thought Sgt. Major would've ended up with someone so smart?"
Jake smiled, "I certainly didn't."
I smiled and took a drink of water.
He looked at me. "Seriously? You won't even have one drink?"
Diane walked in as he asked. "No, she won't."
He rose a brow at her, then looked at me. "Why is Diane dictating what you can and can't drink?"
"If she goes in intoxicated, she could lose her license. I'm keeping an eye out."
"You haven't before," Jake spoke.
She shrugged. "I am now."
"Is your health okay?" Hawk asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Diane looked at me. "Dr. Hamilton, I need you a moment."
I followed her from the room.
She turned to me. "You need to tell him."
"It's too early."
"Bridget, he needs to know. He thinks you're unwell."
"I came home to tell him and he was busy. Now, Hawk is staying over. I just need the right time to tell him."
She sighed.
"I wonder if Vanessa would make me a grilled cheese."
Diane rose a brow. "Hungry?"
"It sounds good."
"I'll go tell her."
"Thank you," I smiled.
She smirked, shook her head, and went into the kitchen.
I went to the living room and picked my water up. I took a drink.
"Everything okay?" Jake asked.
I nodded and sat down.
A few minutes later, Diane came in. "Doctor, come to the kitchen."
I stood, excused myself, and went in.
Vanessa had made me a grilled cheese with multiple cheeses. She smiled, "I'm glad you're eating. You're never home to eat my food."
"I'm sorry. I'll try to be home more often," I spoke and took a bite of the sandwich. I moaned in appreciation. "This is really good."
"I'm glad you like it," she smiled and got back to making dinner. "Will you still eat dinner?"
I nodded.
She smiled and got back to work.
Diane sat with me. "Is there anything I can do?"
I shook my head.
"I'll get your water from the other room."
By the time she returned, I was finished with my sandwich. I took it to the sink and ran water in it. Then, I took my glass from Diane and took a drink. "Thank you."
"No problem."
I filled the glass up and put a cherry and lemon slice in it to give it a little flavor.
"Is Hawk staying for dinner?"
"Yes," I spoke. "I should head back in the living room."
They nodded.
I went in the living room and sat down.
Jake looked at me. "Seriously, is everything okay?"
I nodded.
"Why do you keep disappearing? And why is Diane worried about you?"
"Jake, you're the one who wanted to wait to talk, so we're waiting."
He sighed and looked at Hawk.
"How long are you staying, Hawk?" I asked.
"A couple of weeks. Or until I find my own place. I don't know."
I nodded.
Jake looked at me. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, it's not a problem. It'll be nice for you to have company while I'm at work."
He nodded.
Diane came in and handed me my phone. "Dr. Hamilton is on the phone."
I nodded and answered, "Kelly, is everything okay?"
"Yeah. How did he take it?"
"What?"
"James. You told him, right? I mean, you told your grandparents last week. Everyone knows except for James. I thought you'd tell him today since you went home early."
"He was busy."
"Oh, for the love of God. Give him the phone."
"Kelly, don't-"
"I won't tell him. Just give him the phone.
I handed him the phone.
He sighed, "Mom, I have company. I--She said it could wait. Yes, she did. If it were emergent, she'd let me know. She would. Fine. Yeah, okay."
He handed me the phone.
I looked at the screen and spoke, "Dare I ask?"
"No. Did you tell him it could wait?"
"Yes, and it can. It's early. He doesn't have to know, yet. I've got it under control."
"Bridget."
"I do and I'm okay. I just need to decide what to do about it. I need to figure out what I want before I tell him."
"Don't you want a baby?"
"I mean, some days it sounds amazing, but some days, I'm so tired, I don't know how I'll manage. Even with Vanessa and Diane, it's a lot."
She sighed, "Okay. Well, maybe James can help you determine what to do."
"Maybe."
"Okay. I'll be home for dinner. I let Diane know."
"Okay. We'll see you then."
"Bye."
I hung up.
Jake looked at me. "What do I not have to know yet?"
I sighed, "Jake-"
"No, you've been acting weird. Everyone's been acting weird around you. What's going on?"
"I don't want to talk about this now."
"I do."
"Well, what I have to show you is upstairs."
"Then, let's go. You need to change out of your scrubs anyway."
I looked at Hawk, then Jake. "We have company."
"I can go unpack," she spoke.
We all went upstairs.
Jake showed her to her room while I got my lab coat.
He came in and closed the door.
I sat on the bed.
He sat with me. "What's going on?"
I bit my lip, suddenly really nervous.
"Britt, honey, you can tell me. I won't get angry or upset. I'm trained not to have emotion. What is it?"
I got the ultrasound and handed it to him.
He was quiet a moment. Then, he spoke, "I don't understand. Is this before?"
"No, I told you, I didn't know about that one."
He pointed to the date. "This was nearly two weeks ago."
"Yep."
He was quiet. Then, he asked, "How long?"
"Nearly seven weeks."
He nodded.
"I didn't want to say anything. It's early and I could still lose it. I-I have bad luck with these and I don't want to get my hopes up. I don't know if I can go through this again."
He didn't say anything.
"I'm taking vitamins and staying away from radiation. I'm taking it easier at work and I gave my granddad power at the company, so I have less to worry about, less to do. I've not been drinking alcohol. I've-I've been doing well on my own, in case you want this. I'm scared. So scared. I have an appointment in a week and a half to either do an ultrasound or terminate, so we need to decide what to do by then."
He was still quiet, deadly quiet.
"I-I know you're a military guy and you don't have emotion, but I'm your wife and I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I'm a bottle of hormones and I'm nervous and I kind of want to cry. You not speaking makes me want to cry. I need you to say something. Please, say something."
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes."
"And you don't know if you want it?"
"No, I have no idea what to do."
"Do you want my opinion?"
"If you have one, I'd like to know it. I mean, it's your baby."
He nodded. "Bridget, it's your body. I want you to do what you want to do."
"If the baby were to make it through the pregnancy, I don't know what I'd do. I'm so busy and Vanessa and Diane aren't nannies."
"I could be Mr. Mom. I work from home. And we have money, we could always hire a nanny, if you wanted to do that. We have options."
I nodded. I looked at him. "I need you to tell me, do you want a baby? Or do you want to terminate the pregnancy?"
"It's your body."
"But I wouldn't want to do this alone."
He was quiet.
"Jake?"
He kissed my head and looked at the picture. "I think we can do this. I want to try, if you want to try."
I nodded. "Okay, let's try. Let's go through with the pregnancy."
He looked at the ultrasound and pointed to the little blip. "That's our baby. We're having a baby!" He gave me a sweet kiss and smiled, "Who knows?"
"Your mom, the Chief, Dr. Willis, Diane, and my grandparents."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Things kept coming up and I was afraid to tell you if it wasn't the right time."
He sighed.
"I'm so scared, Jake."
"Hey, no. Come here." He pulled me on his lap. "Bridget, don't be afraid, honey. We can do this. We can take extra precautions, okay?"
I nodded.
"I love you."
"I love you," I sighed.
He gave me a kiss and smiled, "We're having a baby."
I smiled. I was so relieved he was on board, that he wasn't angry.
"Can I come with you to your appointment?" he asked.
"I would love that," I spoke.
He smiled and gave me another kiss. "God, this is the best news. I was worried you had cancer or something. A baby! God, I can't believe it."
I smiled.
His smile slightly faded. "Wait. Does this mean no sex?"
"Sex is safe. You and I have been doing it for weeks and the baby is fine." I put a hand to my stomach. Suddenly, it seemed so unreal.
"If I bought a pregnancy test, would you take it?"
"Jake-"
"I know we have a picture, but I just need to see. Please?"
"If you go and buy it, I'll do it."
He put me on the bed. "Don't move."
"Wait. Now?"
He nodded.
I sighed, "Okay."
He kissed my head and left.
I laid back on the bed.
It felt like a weight had been lifted. He knew about the pregnancy and he was happy about it. He wanted a baby. He just wanted me to be happy.
When he returned, he cleared his throat.
I sat up.
He held the box up. "I got a lot of weird looks."
I smiled, "Of course you did."
"Now, c'mon. We had a deal."
I stood and took the test from him on my way into the restroom. "While I do this, will you find me comfy clothes to wear?"
"I will."
I did my thing.
When I was finished, I put it on the counter and washed my hands. Then, I went out and changed into what Jake found, which was a tank top and leggings. I slipped on a cardigan and went back in the restroom.
A small, pink '+' showed on the stick.
I took it to Jake.
He looked at the box, then at it. He smiled and shook his head. "We're having a baby." He put a hand to my stomach. "Our baby is in there right now. God, that's so cool."
I smiled.
He rubbed my stomach and shook his head. "I can't believe it. It doesn't seem real."
"Well, it is for now."
"Bridget," he warned.
"Sorry," I murmured.
"Come here," he spoke, pulling me into a hug. "We can do this. We will, okay?"
I nodded into his neck.
He kissed my shoulder. "I can't believe you've known for over a week and didn't tell me."
"You were busy."
"You said it wasn't important."
"It wasn't. We had time."
He nodded and pulled back. He got his phone out. "When is your appointment?"
"A week from Tuesday at 8 in the morning."
He typed it. "Okay. It's in my calendar, so I can schedule meetings and work stuff around it."
"You don't need to be there, Jake. If something comes up, it's okay to miss it."
"No way am I missing it. After your miscarriage, I felt terrible. I wasn't there for you. I wasn't the husband I should have been. A good husband goes to appointments and takes care of his wife, and that's what I'm going to do."
I sighed, resting into him. A load had been lifted.
He pulled back after a minute. "I'm so happy. Are you happy?"
"Relieved more than anything. I was so worried about telling you."
"You knew I wanted kids. Why were you nervous?"
I shrugged.
He gave me a kiss. "We're going to be parents. This is exciting."
I nodded.
"I need to read up on this. I have no idea what to expect."
"Jake-"
"No, I want to know. You're a surgeon. You deliver babies sometimes, but I don't. I don't know what to expect. I want to know."
"Okay."
"I need to run to a book store. Do you recommend anything?"
I shrugged. "Most books are pretty good, but you don't have to go now. I mean, we have time."
"I want to know sooner rather than later."
"I could still miscarry or I could have a stillborn."
"But what if you don't? I want to be prepared for that."
"Okay," I sighed.
He kissed my nose. "You should take a nap and relax."
"Jake-"
"Seriously. I'll be back in half an hour."
"Okay," I sighed.
He gave me a kiss and left.
I laid down and closed my eyes.
It took me a few minutes, but I finally fell asleep.
***
A couple days later, Kelly and I came home from work a bit early. We found Jake in the living room. He was reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
"Jake?" I spoke.
"Hang on. I'm almost done with the chapter," he spoke, not looking up.
Hawk looked up at us. "He's been reading it for nearly an hour and he won't put it down."
We nodded and walked in. We sat down on the couch.
After a few minutes, Jake looked up. He smiled, "Hi. How was work?"
Kelly sighed, "Intense. Britt worked with the trauma guy and-"
"Trauma guy?" Jake questioned.
"Dr. Thomas. You've met him before," I spoke. "Back before your deployment, remember?"
He thought a minute and nodded. "Right. Yeah, okay. Why were you working with him?"
"There was some fire downtown and we were treating the burn victims. It was terrible," I spoke.
He nodded. "You work in a very stressful line of work."
"I'm fine. I-"
My pager buzzed.
I looked at it and froze.
"What is it?" Kelly asked.
"The Chief wants to see me. I'm trying to remember if I did something wrong."
It flashed again. Chief 9-1-1.
"Crap. I gotta go."
"I'll take you," Kelly offered, standing up.
We left, rushing back to the hospital.
When we got there, I ran in and went to the Chief's office.
"Come in!"
I walked in.
"Dr. Hamilton, I called you in to give you this." He handed me an envelope.
"This was emergent?"
"You're being asked to speak here tomorrow. I thought you'd want a head's up."
"Oh. Um, why am I speaking?"
"Your trial is going well. I want you to tell the hospital about it. And by doing that, you won't be in the lab tomorrow. You'll give your speech and take a surgery day."
I nodded. "Okay. Sounds good. How long am I speaking for?"
"As long as you want."
I nodded. "Okay. No problem."
He nodded and dismissed me.
I went and rounded on the patients, then I went to the lab and told them what was going on, what I needed ready.
A researcher handed me a flash drive. "Everything you need for a presentation is on here."
I nodded. "Thank you."
He nodded and got back to work.
"Tomorrow will be a surgical day for me, so I'll try to check in midday and see how things are going, okay?"
"Okay."
I nodded and met Kelly at the car.
She looked at me. "What happened with the Chief?"
"I have to give a presentation tomorrow about the treatment and trial. Luckily, a researcher prepared for this and had it ready on a flash drive. I just have to go through and make sure it's okay to use."
She nodded.
We went home.
When we got there, Jake looked at me. "Everything okay? You look frazzled."
"Can j use your laptop? I'll be quick."
"Yeah, it's in the basement."
I went downstairs and sat at his desk. I turned the laptop on and put the flash drive in.
Slide by slide, I went through the presentation. I made notecards as I went, speaking as I went. I didn't want to miss a detail.
"Britt, time for dinner!" Kelly called.
"Be up in a minute. Start without me!" I absentmindedly called.
The door closed.
I went back and looked at some of my research and I put facts onto the notecards. I was just finishing the last slide when Jake came over.
"Hey, I'm almost finished."
"You missed dinner and you have to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"Bridget, you have to eat. Are you almost finished?"
I saved the work to the flash drive and put my notes in a spare folder, then I looked up. "Okay. I'm done."
He led me upstairs and into the kitchen.
I sat at the bar.
Vanessa put a plate of food in front of me and poured me a glass of lemonade.
I thanked her and took a couple bites of food.
Jake sat beside me. "You don't even act like it."
"Like what?"
"Like you're pregnant. I mean, you're not stressed, you're not eating more, you've not even had one craving. I don't get it."
"Just wait for it. When I was pregnant with Tyler, I couldn't even smell bacon. It was repulsive, so I had Nick throw it all away. Everything that had a strong smell was repulsive. By the time I got news of Tyler's condition, our house was nearly bare. There was barely any food anywhere."
He nodded.
"Trust me, I'm fine and you'll be happier while I'm barely effected."
He nodded.
I took a drink of lemonade.
He looked at me. "Hawk and I were going to go out and meet with our commander."
"This late?"
"He had time," Jake spoke with a shrug of his shoulders.
I nodded. "Okay, then you better get ready to go."
He nodded and stood. He left the room.
I finished eating and put my plate in the sink.
Arms wrapped around my waist.
I looked down.
Jake's wedding band shined.
I tilted my head back. "You leaving?"
"Yeah, I am." He kissed my shoulder and ran his hands up my shirt. "You live in scrubs."
I shrugged.
He kissed me again and sighed, "I'll see you later. Don't wait up."
"Okay. Drive safe."
He released me and walked off.
When I heard the door close, I went upstairs. I showered and dressed in a red tank top and black sweatpants. I brushed my hair and got under the covers of our bed.
It was quiet, insanely quiet.
I found the remote and turned on the television.
Reruns of "How I Met Your Mother" were on.
I smiled and got comfy.
A few episodes in, Diane came in. "Need anything?"
"Could you bring me something to snack on?"
"Sweet or salty?"
"Both?"
She nodded and stepped out.
I continued to watch the show.
Ted was being left by Stella on the day of their wedding.
Unable to help my emotions, tears came to my eyes. Before I could dab my eyes, they were cascading down my cheeks.
Ted was crushed, as was I, apparently. I'd seen it so many times before, but it still hurt. He was such a sweet guy and he didn't deserve her. He deserved better.
Diane stepped in. She handed me a mixing bowl full of milk duds, m&ms, and popcorn. She placed a bottle of water on bedside table.
"Oh, Dr. Hamilton, are you okay?"
I nodded, sniffling. I wiped my eyes. "Thank-Thank you."
"No problem."
She stepped out, closing the door behind her.
I watched another episode, munching away at the delightful mixture Diane got me. She and Vanessa knew me so well.
"How I Met Your Mother" went off and "Grey's Anatomy" came on. Great. An even bigger emotional roller coaster.
Meredith was standing in her house of candles, then her nightmare unwound.
I had just popped an m&m in my mouth when Jake walked in.
He looked stressed and a bit angry.
"You okay?" I asked.
He nodded, going to his dresser. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it to the floor. He took his pants off, too. Then, he threw on pair of sweatpants. He ran his hands through his hair.
"Jake?"
He didn't answer.
"Jake?"
"What?!" he snapped.
I moved back. Okay. He was really angry.
He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated."
I patted the bed beside me. "Come. Lay with me. I'm snacking and watching TV."
"You do that?"
I shrugged. "Not much, but I do it occasionally."
He smirked and walked over. He laid with me. "Okay. What's going on?"
"She built him a house of candles after their clinical trial was a success. You got here right on time."
He nodded.
I held out my bowl towards him.
He took a couple pieces of popcorn.
We watched a couple of episodes.
"Why did they do that?" he asked.
"Do what?"
"That technique thing they just did."
I explained it to him as best I could.
He nodded.
We went back to watching.
"After this episode, we should go to sleep. You've got a busy morning."
I nodded. "Okay."
We watched the rest of the episode.
Before the next one could start, Jake turned the television off. He moved our bowl to the dresser.
I got up and brushed my teeth, then I went back to bed.
He slipped into the bathroom as I laid down.
I got comfy and laid on my side.
A minute later, he got in beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist. He kissed the back of my neck. "Goodnight."
"'Night," I mumbled.
I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke early. I did my makeup and tied my hair in a bun. Then, I dressed in my scrubs. I slipped my lab coat on and put my hand sin the pockets.
The ultrasound was in it.
I smiled to myself and put it on the dresser. Then, I put on socks and my tennis shoes.
"Britt?" Jake asked.
I turned.
He was still laying down. He looked up at me. "Going to work?"
"Yeah, sorry I woke you."
"It's okay."
"I'm speaking this morning. I'm kind of nervous."
"You'll be amazing. Don't worry."
I walked over and gave him a kiss.
He smiled against my lips. "I love you."
"I love you. I'll see you later, okay?"
He nodded.
I left the room.
Downstairs, I took my vitamins and drank some coffee.
"Ready?" Kelly smiled.
I nodded.
Diane, Adam, Kelly, and I left for work.
The hospital was crazy. It was crowded. Apparently, doctors from all over the world wanted to hear me speak. It was exciting, yet nerve wracking.
I immediately went to the auditorium and began to get ready. After I sat everything up, I met Kelly in the lab.
She had coffee and a biscuit for me. "Eat."
I ate quickly.
"You're ready for this. I'll be in the front row, so if you need any help, I can help."
I nodded. "Okay."
The Chief came in. "We're ready for you."
I nodded.
Kelly went out before us and went to the auditorium.
I took a couple drinks of coffee and followed the Chief to the auditorium.
As we entered, I looked around.
The room was packed. There wasn't an extra seat anywhere and the doors were open, so people could hear in out of the auditorium.
The Chief made his way to the stage and introduced me.
I stepped on the stage. I clicked a button, starting the presentation.
"As many of you know, I began this research with pancreatic cancer. After witnessing that treatment's success, I began working on liver cancer. The treatment is promising so far and I'd like to take the time to tell you about it, to help you understand my mind and how this is so miraculous..."
I spoke for an hour.
I was beginning to talk about the past couple of months' findings when my pager buzzed. I ignored it, continuing to talk.
I spoke for a few more minutes when it buzzed again. Then, my phone rang with it.
"This is highly unusual. Excuse me a moment," I spoke, stepping back from the podium.
My pager read: Husband 9-1-1. It was from Dr. Thomas. There was another page from Dr. Walker.
I answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Dr. Hamilton, it's Dr. Walker. Your husband had a fall. He may have pulled his titanium rod out of place. I've taken him to a scan and it looks like the screws are at least loose if not out completely."
I froze. I turned from the crowd and put a hand to my head. "How did that happen? It's a titanium femur."
"He fell down a flight of stairs and he said his leg wrapped around a banister."
"Okay. I'm in the middle of my speech. It's almost over. How long until you know more?"
"I can wait half an hour."
"Okay. And where will you be?"
"The orthopedic surgery floor."
"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Okay. We'll give him medicine and keep him comfortable until you get here."
"Thank you. See you shortly."
"Bye."
I hung up. I took a breath. I needed to calm down. I couldn't afford to panic. I took another breath and turned to the podium. I walked back to it. "I'm sorry. Where was I?"
"The past month's results!" Kelly called.
I nodded. "Right..." I continued on, trying to stay focused.
When I finished, I went to the Chief. "Sir, I-"
"There are some people who want to meet you."
"Sir, my husband needs surgery. I need to go."
"Oh."
"Cans you arrange for me to meet them in an hour or so?"
He nodded. "Yes, of course."
I told Diane to clean stuff up, then I went to Kelly. I filled her in.
We rushed from the auditorium to the orthopedic floor.
Hawk speaking with Dr. Walker.
"Hey, I'm here. What's going on?" I asked.
"You need to sit down," Hawk spoke.
"I'm fine."
"The baby-"
Dr. Walker's eyes widened. "You're pregnant?"
I nodded, trying to catch my breath.
He sat me down.
A nurse got me ice chips.
I ate a couple, then spoke, "I'm okay. Now, talk to me about Jake."
"He pulled his screws and rod out of place. He'll need surgery."
I sighed, "Great. Is he conscious?"
"Yes, he is," Dr. Walker spoke.
I stood. "You've filled him in?"
"I have," Dr. Walker spoke.
"Great. What room is he in?"
"1223."
I nodded and went to the room.
Jake was laying down. He looked so exhausted. His forehead glistened with sweat. He'd been in a lot of pain.
"Jake?"
"Britt, hi," he panted. "Morphine is supposed to help, but I just-I want to cut my leg off, you know?"
"The moved screws are probably compressing the nerves."
"I tried to get him to wait till after your speech, but he wouldn't wait to tell you."
"I'm glad he didn't."
"How'd it go?"
"It was amazingly well. I have to meet with a few doctors in a bit. Doctors from around the globe came to hear me. Me, Jake. That's insane."
He took my hand. "You're amazing, Britt. It's not as surprising as you think."
I smiled.
"I didn't worry you, did I? I know that's-that's bad for the baby."
"Baby and I are fine. Worried, but fine. I ran up here and they gave me a chair and ice chips, so I'm set. I'm okay."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"We can talk about what exactly happened later, okay?"
"Okay."
He looked at me. "So surgery is the next step?"
Dr. Walker came in. He looked at me.
"Surgery is the next step," I nodded.
He nodded. "Okay. Can we-Can we do it soon? This really hurts."
I looked at Dr. Walker.
"There's an operating room available and I've got it waiting. The team is prepping as we speak."
I nodded.
I waited with Jake until the surgical team came in.
They helped him onto a stretcher. Then, they got him prepped and ready to go.
I gave him a quick kiss and went to Kelly.
"How does he look?"
"In pain," I spoke.
She nodded.
They wheeled Jake out.
We followed them until the cut off of the operating room wing. Then, we went to the waiting area and took a seat. There was no way we could work while Jake was in surgery, so we just sat and waited...