tw: mention of physical assault/battery (not sexual)
JARROD
Julia did not look good. Her pallid face was the first thing I noticed when James and I entered her hospital suite two hours ago.
She hadn't stirred from her nap even once since we arrived, and the only things assuring me that she was alive were her steady breaths and the pulse monitor.
James cleared his throat and stood up. "Going to get some coffee and return a work call. I'll be right back."
I waved him on, not taking my eyes off our sister.
Our parents had taken a break once we got here. They'd been dealing with Julia all day, which was inevitably an exhausting task. She was rebellious to any form of authority—worst of all, her very own parents.
I could only imagine my mother's horror at discovering her youngest child was pregnant. It didn't make it any better that we didn't know who the father was.
From what they had told us, Julia refused to say who he was. We were all assuming it was because he was a bad guy or someone inappropriate for her to be with.
Why else would she be so withholding? What did she have to lose at this point?
We might have been a fucked up family but she wouldn't be left to raise this baby on her own. James would certainly be involved in this child's life. He didn't like kids—or anyone really—but he adored Julia. He would help her in every way he could.
I just hoped I'd be the cool uncle that the kids would get all excited to visit and do fun things together.
Even if he wasn't a good or decent guy, I still wanted to know who the fucker was. Someone put her in this position and was half responsible for this life growing inside my sister.
Who knew what her journey had been like up to this point? She could have been alone and struggling for months now.
The only reason we knew she was pregnant was because she experienced some bleeding and rushed to the hospital. I was just grateful that she was in a healthy enough mindset to come here in the first place.
My sister had been a pothead since high school and while none of us particularly cared about her pastime, it did concern me regarding her parenting skills.
The fact that she was here though . . . That meant she cared.
I sat back in my chair and rubbed my tired eyes.
After working a full day and then flying down here, I was exhausted. I wouldn't return home until Sunday, so I would not be resting well in my comfortable, orthopedic bed for the next few days.
My hand slipped into my pocket as I thought about the other reason I would not be getting much sleep. As I checked my messages, I realized Leah texted me back.
There were no words to describe the elation I felt when she first responded to me earlier.
I'd never given up hope that she was going to talk to me again. I didn't understand her. We had the best sex of my life and then she ran out.
What about me put her off? I ached to know so I could fix it.
Whether she realized it or not, Leah needed me as much as I needed her. She needed someone to watch over and guide her, while I needed someone steady to anchor me.
This was the first time I felt ready to invest in another woman after Tiffany and I couldn't let her get away so easily.
Wetting my lips, I read her text from about thirty minutes ago.
LEAH: Pshhh. No. I'm definitely at home on my couch with my devil cat
I frowned. Her text did not reassure me on any level.
Although she could have been telling the truth, something told me she wasn't. Pinching my eyes shut, I breathed forcefully through my nostrils.
"Jesus Christ," James muttered behind me. "Who shit in your whitey-tighties?"
Ignoring him, I stood up from my chair. He had a cardboard cup of black coffee in his hand. His eyes raked over me in that analyzing way of his that made me irrationally angry.
"I'm stepping out," I told him, "and don't fucking eavesdrop."
He raised his hands in surrender as he sat down, but I heard him mimic me whinily as I stepped out—"Don't fucking eavesdrop. Meh meh meh."
I dialed Leah's number while I walked leisurely down the ICU floor. Her phone rang several times before going to voicemail.
"Hey, it's Leah," it said in her sweet voice. "I'm probably busy tripping over something invisible right now, so just leave me a message or text me."
I smiled a little and hung up. How could I miss her so much already? I didn't want to bother her, though.
I tapped my phone impatiently against the palm of my hand. An idea came to mind.
Opening Facebook on my phone, I typed in her name and watched the results load. The first recommended profile had a photo of a cute little blonde holding a glass of wine, a gorgeous smile on her lips.
I clicked on her profile but frowned at seeing it was set to private. There was a link to her Instagram embedded in her bio, though. So I clicked on that.
This time, her entire page appeared. I scrolled through the rows of photos and posts but there weren't that many. She posted sporadically.
I clicked on her tagged photos and saw one from today. Brows furrowing, I clicked on the selfie.
I recognized Leah's face and she was with a brunette. Their eyes were glossy. The brunette appeared to be laughing and Leah seemed taken off-guard.
The background of the selfie was all neon lights and a sea of nameless faces.
I immediately exited the app and called Leah's phone again. It rang several times before finally picking up.
"Shmello?"
My brows furrowed at the unfamiliar voice. "Hello?" I said.
"Hey, who is this?" the female voice shot back. Her words were unclear at the end like her voice wasn't steady.
"My name is Jarrod. I'm trying to get a hold of Leah?"
"Hmmm. She didn't mention a Jarrod. This bitch. Hey!" she yelled, clearly at someone near her. "Jarrod is trying to speak to you, missy. Tell Adam to stop flirting with you and get back to work."
My blood pressure spiked. Flirting? Who the fuck was Adam?
"Jarrod?" answered a breathless Leah.
"Leah," I greeted her gruffly. "I called to check on you."
By now, I had reached the emergency exit stairwell and I was completely alone.
She laughed. "Check on me?"
"Yes. Are you drinking?"
"Um . . . Are you the police?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Leah, you promised me you would behave."
"I am behaving! I'm allowed to have a few drinks, sir." Her sass clawed across me, making me more irate. I was going to enjoy spanking that gorgeous round ass as soon as I got back.
"Who is Adam?" I asked.
"Adam? Oh, he's the lead singer for the band playing. He's bought me a drink. Or two. The first one was because he spilled my other drink down my dress, so that doesn't count."
My vision colored red. What in the hell was this woman doing? The image of a man being close enough to her to spill alcohol down her dress made me twitch.
"Don't accept any more drinks from him," I growled.
"Why? It's free alcohol, mister."
"Because I said so. That's why, Leah. You made me a promise and I expect you to honor it."
"I remember promising that I would not get drunk and take a shower. Nothing about going out with my friends."
Gritting my teeth, I tried to regain some composure. "How about you make me a new promise then?"
"I don't know . . ."
"It's not hard. I just want you to say, 'I will not let any more guys buy me drinks.'"
"But what if Adam offers to buy me another? I would be rude to tell him no."
"You never have to feel rude for saying no, baby."
She sucked in a sharp gasp. "Are you—am I . . . your baby?"
Only then did I realize just how intoxicated she was. Fucking hell. I left the state for a few hours and she was already acting out like a little brat.
"Yes," I told her firmly. "You are mine. I expect you to act as such. Now, don't try to change the subject."
She giggled. "Wait! Oh my god. You really like me then?"
Some of the tension melted away from my body. She sounded so adorable. I would've given anything to be there with her.
"Yes, Leah. I really like you."
"Okay. Well . . . I promise."
Relaxing a bit, I allowed myself to smile. "You promise what?"
"I promise not to accept drinks from other guys."
"Good girl," I said proudly.
She made a low humming noise. "Jarrod?"
"Yes, baby?"
"I have to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"I'm, um . . . I'm scared."
There was some ruffling in the background and then I heard the woman from earlier shout, "Is that guy making you cry?"
"No!" Leah protested and then the phone was replaced with the other woman.
"Listen, you Jarrod asshole person. I don't know who you think you are, but I'm tired of you pissheads making my best friend cry. I'm done! You SUCK. Good-fucking-bye."
The line clicked off and I glared at my phone to make sure I just hadn't lost reception. Nope. She hung up on me.
What the hell?
I called her back three times but the calls stopped going through. My anger and anxiety dueled in my mind for priority.
Why was Leah scared? Was she in danger? Did it have something to do with her friend or that guy Adam?
The exit door opened and James poked his head into the stairwell. His brows were lifted.
"Brother," he spoke calmly said, "I can hear your ragged breathing from outside. Are you dying?"
I glowered at him as I tucked my phone back into my pocket. "I told you not to eavesdrop, asshole."
"I didn't hear a word," he said. "I came to tell you that our dearest sister is now awake and is demanding to speak with you."
Running a hand through my hair, I tried to focus. Right, my sister. The whole reason I was here and not where I should have been protecting Leah.
I pushed past James towards Julia's suite.
"You know," James said, jogging to catch up with me, "I don't worry about anyone because I frankly don't give a damn about anyone. But you're worrying me."
"It's fine," I growled.
"I know fine and it is not whatever this is. What happened?"
"I don't want to talk to you."
"Too bad. I'm your brother and I am demanding an answer."
I just rolled my eyes. He was being a fucking nuisance.
"Does this have something to do with the One Who Got Away?" he persisted.
It took everything in me to not stop walking and punch him.
"Yes," I hissed. "It's about her. She's disobeying me but now I'm worried about her. She told me that she's scared but she didn't tell me what about."
"Of you?" he asked.
"Well, no." I stopped outside Julia's door and took a long, deep breath. "At least, I hope not. She has no reason to be afraid of me."
"Women are complicated, Jarrod. I wouldn't assume anything until you've discussed it."
"I'd like to discuss it but she's not answering her phone."
James clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Then don't worry about it right this second. We have other things on our plate." He pointed into the suite. "Such as baby sister."
He was right. Although protecting Leah had abruptly become a top priority for me, I had to be present for Julia. She needed me. I knew that because I was a doctor, she would trust me more than the rest of our family. If that's what it took to get her to open up, I wouldn't pass the opportunity down.
Nodding, I rolled my shoulders back and walked into Julia's temporary room. She was sitting up in the bed and both lamps in the room were on now. Her eyes were glossy, probably from the medication she was on.
"Hey, Jules," I greeted her softly.
She smiled at me. "Jarrod. Hi."
As I reached her bed, I bent over to hug her. She grunted a little at the effort it took her to move. I kissed her cheek and then settled back into my chair.
"Thank you for coming," she told me.
"I am here as well," James grumbled as he joined her side, hugging her.
"Thank you both." She rolled her eyes. "Where's Mom and Dad?"
"They went to the hotel to get some rest," James said. "They'll be back in the morning."
She nodded glumly.
"So, what's going on?" I asked. "Tell me about this massive ass baby bump I see."
For a fleeting moment, a genuine smile stretched across her face. Some color rushed back into her cheeks and she looked her age again, young and lively. The smile vanished just as quickly, though.
"Her name is Jamison," she said, rubbing a hand affectionately over the bump.
"Like the whiskey?" James asked.
She gave him a stern look. "No. Like James and Addison mixed." The room turned emotional suddenly. "Like my brother and my mother's names combined."
James brewed over this intently and I realized he was speechless—a truly rare thing in this world.
"I'm only a little jealous," I said, grabbing her hand with a reassuring squeeze.
Her eyes glimmered with tears as she smiled at me. "Well, I want more someday, you know. There's hope."
I shook my head. "It's probably for the best you don't name a child after me. That's just begging for trouble you don't want."
"Oh, whatever," she said with a chuckle.
Glancing at James, I noticed he was still in some kind of mental fog. I cleared my throat and he snapped out of it. He swallowed, looking at Julia.
"Mom said something was wrong?" he asked her.
She sighed. "I started bleeding. You always hear about miscarriages like that, so I came to the hospital. I don't know what I'm going to do if something happens to her."
I squeezed her hand again. "What have the obstetricians determined?"
"They ran some tests earlier and took some of my blood," she said with a shrug. "They haven't told me anything yet."
"And you haven't experienced any trauma lately, right?"
She hesitated before shaking her head. An alarm bell rang through my head.
"Julia," I said more firmly. "Have you? You can tell us."
Tears sprang into her eyes. My heart clenched as I felt her tremble into my hand.
"I-I got pushed into a wall," she whimpered.
"By who?" James snarled.
I shot him a terse look. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied Julia carefully.
"It doesn't even matter now." She sighed, closing her eyes tiredly. "I haven't seen him for a few days."
"Is he your baby daddy?" I asked gently.
She swallowed and nodded reluctantly. "Please, don't do anything crazy. It was an accident. I got mad at him and he nudged me. I lost my balance and fell into the wall."
James turned away, swearing under his breath. I knew he was feeling just as homicidal as I was right now.
"Please?" Julia pleaded. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid. Guys?"
"We won't do anything stupid," I promised her, remembering another promise that lingered in the forefront of my mind. This wasn't the time to be thinking about Leah, though.
A knock interrupted us. James and I turned to acknowledge the nurse entering.
"Sorry to barge in," he told us, "but I'm afraid visitation hours are over."
Julia gripped my hand fiercely. When I glanced at her, her eyes were wide. I knew she'd probably never stayed the night in a hospital before.
"We'll be right out," James told him.
As the nurse left, I stood up and kissed Julia on the forehead. She sucked in several sputtering breaths.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," I assured her. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
"I don't want to be alone," she whined.
"I know, Jules. I know. They won't let us stay, though."
James grabbed the television remote and brought it to her. "Will this help?"
She shrugged, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. It killed me to see her like this. Julia was always brazenly unafraid to the point that she worried me.
Now, it was like someone had stripped away all of her pseudo-armor. I knew it was probably the baby. She wasn't scared for herself—she was scared to lose the one thing that mattered most to her now.
"We'll be back first thing in the morning," I reminded her. "You need to rest, anyway. Can I get you any more pillows?"
Shaking her head, she nestled down into the sheets. "No. I'll be fine."
James patted her leg. "That's my girl. You're going to be fine. No one is going to hurt you and if something happens, there are nurses all over this floor. Just press the red button. Got it?"
She nodded mutely. We both kissed her on the head before leaving. As we took the elevator down to the garage where our rental car waited, I looked over at James. He looked as tired as I felt.
"This fucking blows," I said.
"Yup." He nodded.