“
But that’s just it. I didn’t—”
“
I don’t give a shit about your change of heart, asshole!”
Abel pushed the door into the waiting room before he got kicked out of the ICU
, because he was done staying calm. If this conversation were taking place in person, Sam would already be on the ground. His friends all looked up at him as he stormed through the waiting room and out the exit.
“
And I don’t give a
fuck
what kind of connection you think you had with her. She’s with me now. You hear that? You blew whatever chance you might’ve had with her, and now it’s me you’re gonna have to go through if you want to so have so much as a conversation with her. It’s not happening.”
“
I know I blew it,” Sam said, exhaling loudly as if Abel could even for a second feel any sympathy for the guy. “I just want to apologize to her because—”
“
Did you hear what I just said,” Abel demanded loudly. Then through his teeth he reiterated,” It’s. Not. Happening.”
“
Okay.” To Abel’s surprise that was Sam’s only defeated response. But even more surprising was what followed. “Then let me apologize to
you
. It was a shitty thing to do, and at first, I genuinely agreed with my brother and his publicist that this all came with the territory and was part of the game. I was all for it. In hindsight and after the way things went down, I won’t ever be a part of anything like that again. I truly am sorry.”
Abel took a breath and brought his hand to his forehead. He didn
’t want to hate Sam, and he knew all about overzealous publicists with only one thing in mind. But knowing Sam and his brothers may very well be responsible for Nellie being in the ICU right now, it was all he felt for him—he loathed them all. But he didn’t want to be a total dick about it since the guy was apologizing and did sound sincere. Now that he’d made only thing that mattered clear to this guy, he just wanted to get off the phone and get back to Nellie.
“
As long as neither of us
ever
hears from you again, we’re straight.”
Sam agreed without further argument
, and Abel cut the call there. He rushed back to Nellie’s room only to find everything exactly as it was. The waiting was torture. Roni had already walked out once to update everyone again that they still knew nothing.
Finally
, an older balding doctor walked in and gave them the grim prognosis. “The good news is she wasn’t alone when she went into respiratory arrest. The attendant at the hotel she was checking in at called the paramedics immediately. There’s a tiny window of five to six minutes in which the brain can be without oxygen before damage begins. The medics arrived in less than four and started administrating rescue procedures.”
Looking down at his chart
, the doctor paused for a moment before continuing. Abel was already choked up just from hearing the words respiratory arrest and brain damage. Roni was sniffing and wiping tears away again.
“
Are you the father?” the doctor glanced up from his chart.
Abel stared at him
, confused. “Whose father?”
The doctor pressed his lips together
, frowning since both Roni and Abel were staring at him, dumbfounded. “Perhaps she hadn’t told anyone yet. She’s a few weeks along in her pregnancy.”
Exchanging glances
, both Abel and Roni shook their heads. “No,” Roni brought her hand to her mouth and glanced back at Nellie’s lifeless body. “We didn’t know, but, yes, he would be the father.”
Speechless
, Abel was utterly speechless. He knew he should be happy, but this only terrified him more.
“
The bad news is that she had to be put into a medically induced coma to force air into the lungs. How long her body will require the tubes to flow oxygen into her lungs is not something we can predict, and they won’t be removed until she comes out of it—
if
she comes out.”
The doctor looked up at them
, and Abel had to sit down before he passed out. Those last four words had made him dizzy.
“
Now I say
if
only because I have to make you aware that there is that possibility. She could come out of this in a few hours, a few days, or weeks maybe, but there is that small possibility that she may not
ever
. If she does, it won’t be until she’s further along that we can do tests to see if the baby suffered any damage from this or not.”
Leaning over his legs with his elbows on his knees
, Abel dropped his face into his hands, unable to hold it in anymore and cried. Instantly, Roni was at his side, rubbing his back. “She’s gonna be okay, Abel,” Roni cried. “She
has
to be.”
That bad feeling he
’d felt was back again, and for as much as he tried to stay positive like his mom had urged, he felt completely broken now. Something else his mom had been known to say on more than one occasion came to him. “You can’t have it all.”
His mother
had insisted that no one had it all.
You might have a lot more of something in your life than others, but there is always something you have a lot less of. God never gives everyone everything.
He knew it was too much to ask for. He was being greedy, but Abel now felt the overwhelming need to have both Nellie and his baby make it. Already, he was bargaining with God. He’d gladly trade all his fame and money—his title—everything if Nellie would just get better and they’d both come out of this unharmed. Then that other saying his mother also said often slammed into him once again.
The most important things in life can’t be bought.
The only choice he had now was to pray
, so he did, harder than he’d ever prayed in his life.
C
hapter 21
“
Have you decided?”
Nellie still couldn
’t see who was asking, but she’d gotten used to it. “I think I have.”
There were parts of her life in that other world that were blur
ry. Some were very clear: she had no children, she was no longer married, and she lived alone. But there were other things equally as clear: her parents, Roni, Gus. They all loved her, but none of them needed her to come back. Her parents had each other. Roni had Noah and Jack now. Gus had his grandparents and Courtney. Yet there was a nagging feeling in her gut. As peaceful and wonderful as it was here, something told her she needed to go back. She’d begun to once already, but the pain in her chest was like fire in that other world, so she’d quickly run back to the peaceful painless world she’d been strolling in for who knew how long.
“
I think . . . I’m going to . . . stay here.”
“
But your baby.”
“
I don’t have a baby.”
The voice changed again. She
’d heard it before. It sounded so pained that it hurt her heart.
“
You’re having my baby, our baby, Nellie. Please come back.”
Suddenly recognizing the voice
, her heart ached even more profoundly, awakening the memory of the only other time when her heart had felt this kind of unbearable pain: Not when she’d found out about Rick and Courtney’s betrayal. Not when both her grandparents were killed in a car accident a few years ago. Not even the fire she’d felt in her chest when she’d almost gone back to that other world. A visual came to her out of nowhere, a visual of a man hitting the floor so devastatingly hard that his head bounced. It hurt more than any pain she’d ever experienced in her life because it was her fault he’d gone down, and she needed to get to him now. He was hurting too, and only she could help him.
In
the next instant, the pain in her heart was drowned out by the burning in her chest, a burning that got worse with every breath she took as her entire body now bathed in the torturous pain. She couldn’t go back to that peaceful place anymore. She had to come back, and now she knew why. There was no question in her mind that this pain was worth it, even if it was spreading. The pain was in her head now too. It was in her throat like scorching lava and seared through every vein in her body. If she had the strength to scream, she’d do it until her voice ran out.
C
hapter 22
“
Come back to me, baby,” Abel begged, squeezing Nellie’s hand.
Nellie had only been out for two days
, but it felt like a lifetime to Abel. The doctors had warned him that the longer she stayed comatose the chances of her coming out of it and the baby’s chance of survival, even if Nellie did come out of it, decreased dramatically. She’d given him hope yesterday when she’d begun to react to Abel begging her to come back, but then she gasped and fell right back into it. Ever since then, Abel had refused to leave her side for longer than a few minutes at a time.
Hector had even flown
their mom out to be by his side yesterday, because he’d been so concerned. It’d been one of the few times Abel had stepped out of the room since he’d seen some life in her. “You need to eat something, Abel.”
“
I’m not hungry, Mom.”
“
Hector says you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. He’s very worried about you. Worried about what you’ll do if she . . .”
The very suggestion
, even if unsaid, had pissed him off. He didn’t even want to think it. He wasn’t giving up hope, especially seeing that she’d made an effort to come back. Convinced now that even she didn’t know she was pregnant or she would’ve said something to him, he was certain that the effort she’d made to come back was for him and their baby because he’d been whispering it in her ear nonstop.
Her parents and Roni had all sat with her for hours
, and none had gotten even the slightest reaction from her. Abel had now become a permanent fixture by her side and would stay there until she opened her eyes.
With his head down as he held her hand, he prayed hard
, forcing himself to not do it angrily—bitterly.
“
Abel?”
His heart nearly stopped and he jerked his head up. Her voice was hoarse and frail
, and her face scrunched, looking as agonized as he’d felt this whole time. “Don’t talk, baby.”
G
lancing up at a stunned-faced Hector who was on his feet suddenly, Abel stood now too. “Get the nurse!”
Hector rushed out of the room as
Abel soothed Nellie’s hair, completely choked up. “You came back to me,” he whispered, the tears already running down his face as he kissed her hand over and over. “You came back to me.”
~
*~
Roni told Nellie
that she’d never look at Abel the same way again. Days after coming back to him, as Abel liked to say she did, they were in her hospital room, packing up Nellie’s things, and Roni was talking about it again.
“
Noah said he’d
never
seen this side of Abel. I don’t think even Hector had seen this side of his brother. My God, Nellie, as terrified as I was that you might not make it, I was more scared for him than myself. For someone who’s so damn reserved, he held nothing back. Even before we knew you were in the hospital, we all saw the desperation in his eyes, and once we found out, he just fell apart.”
It almost hurt Nellie to imagine what he must
’ve gone through. The last thing she remembered before passing out at the hotel was thinking he’d been seriously injured, and that had nearly ripped her heart out. She couldn’t even imagine being told he might not make it.
F
inding out where she was and why was a big enough shocker, but finding out she was pregnant was a surprise that she still had mixed feelings about. The baby seemed to be doing well as far as the doctors could tell, but it’d be weeks until they found out if it’d suffered any damage. Abel, on the other hand, was ecstatic and very optimistic that the baby would be just fine.
Before
Nellie could respond to Roni, Abel was at the door with a big smile. “You ready to go home?”
“
Yes,” she smiled back. God was she ever.
Roni gave Nellie a quick side look
, and Nellie knew what she was thinking: Thank God he hadn’t heard her. The nurse had already given her all her take home instructions for the rest of her recovery. One of the biggest things they harped on was rest and no stress. Abel was already making sure of it. The doctor had suggested maybe hiring some in-home care for the first week so that she could stay in bed as much as possible.
Abel wouldn
’t hear of it. He said he’d wait on her hand and foot himself. Already, he wasn’t letting her lift a thing. He reached for the small duffle bag that she was holding.
“
Abel, I think I got this.”
He gave her a look lifting an eyebrow
, and she grudgingly handed it over.
Roni laughed.
“Oh, she’s a stubborn one, Abel. I think you’re gonna have your hands full all week.”
“
It’s what I’m most looking forward to.” He winked, moving out of the way so they could exit first.
~*~
Hector, who’d flown back to Los Angeles the day Nellie had woken up, was waiting for them at the airport. No one had heard from Abel since the fight. Even Andy didn’t know where he was. Abel wasn’t over being irritated with Andy just yet. Noah had told Andy the only thing Abel had allowed him to: that he was taking time off and to reschedule any appearances or interviews he had for the next few weeks. As far as he knew, no one but the immediate family had a clue where he and Nellie were or that Nellie had even been in the hospital. He was planning on keeping it that way for a while. The only other person he’d told was Felix when he called to check on Abel. Felix immediately offered his private jet so they wouldn’t have to fly commercial and deal with the pain-in-the-ass paparazzi at the bigger airports.
Now that the
pool house was fully remodeled, Abel brought Nellie home with him. She’d be recovering there since he lived in a gated community and his home was far more private and secluded than hers. With the scandal still going strong, he was certain the paparazzi were already camped out on her street. He wasn’t having it.
They reached his house
, and Hector pulled all the way to the back so Nellie wouldn’t have to walk far.
“
So I never got the story,” Hector said to Nellie as he and Abel began unloading the trunk. “What were you doing in Henderson?”
Abel already knew. She
’d told him she’d gone there to get away from the media, but they hadn’t discussed why she hadn’t trusted that he wouldn’t be upset with her. He hadn’t wanted to go there with her yet. He did have every intention of asking her later, because this media crap wasn’t going to go away, especially now that he’d won. He didn’t want any more issues arising because of the media attention, so he needed to get a few things straight with her. And once word got out that she was pregnant, they’d be all over it—the disrespectful vultures—no doubt raising the question of whether the baby was his or Sam’s.
Even with the photos of her entering Sam
’s hotel room and of them kissing that night, he never even considered the possibility. He had blind faith in Nellie now. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea that this baby was anyone else’s but his. The very thought that anyone might suggest so had him grinding his teeth already.
Nellie glanced at Abel for a moment before addressing Hector
’s question. “I needed to get away. Andy said I’d be mobbed.” She turned to Abel, her expression a bit worried. “But even then I was willing to deal with the press, until Andy told me how disgusted you were with me and that you really didn’t want me there—”
“
He told you that?” Hector and Abel spoke at the same time, and they each sounded equally revolted.
Nellie glanced back and forth from them
, looking confused. “Well, yeah, with the scandal being out of control, he said it was best if I stayed away from you.”
Feeling his insides go straight to a boiling point
, Abel saw red. “That son of a—”
“
So all this,” Hector asked, pulling out his phone, “might’ve been avoided—you ending up in the hospital and my brother nearly losing his mind—because this fucker told you to stay away and he said Abel didn’t want to see you?”
Nellie stared at Hector
, her eyes widening, and Abel remembered the doctor’s orders—no stress. “It’s cool, babe.” He slipped his hand into hers in an attempt to appear calm. “I never said I didn’t want to see you, but everything’s fine now.”
“
Andy, where you at?” Hector spoke into his phone a bit deliberately, though Abel could tell he was making an effort to mask his anger. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. He’s just taking a break. But he wanted me to go over some things with you. Can you meet me at 5th Street right now?” He paused for a second.” Cool, see you there in a few.”
Hector glanced down at the bags on the floor.
“You got this, Abel?”
“
Yeah, I got it,” Abel said.
Hector kissed Nellie on the cheek.
“I’m glad you’re better.” Then he turned to Abel. “Don’t worry about Andy,” he said, waving his phone at him, already walking away. “I’ll take care of him. You wanted his ass fired anyway, right?”
Abel nodded
, a little worried about what exactly his hothead brother had in mind. “Yeah, but hey . . .” Hector turned around to look at him, still walking backwards. “Don’t get arrested.”
Hector smirked.
“I gotta fly out to Maryland with Charlee tomorrow. She’d kill me if I got locked up.” He wiggled his fingers in the air. “Might have a few bruised knuckles on our trip, but I won’t get arrested.”
Nellie turned to Abel.
“He’s not really gonna fight Andy, is he?”
Despite his insides still being lit
, Abel had to laugh. “Are you kidding me? Hector will be lucky if he gets two jabs at Andy before the guy goes down. You
have
seen my brother’s left hook, haven’t you?” Her beautiful eyes opened wider, and Abel smiled, kissing her. He didn’t mean to upset her. “Don’t worry, babe. That’s why he asked him to meet him at 5th Street. There’s an onsite first response guy at all times and a ton of first aid kits. They’ll ice Andy and clean him up a little before throwing him out on his ass.”
He wouldn
’t mention that it was a good thing Hector was taking care of this and not him. If it were Abel, Andy’s life would be in serious risk. He didn’t need to worry her about what he might do to the guy if he ever saw him again.
Once in the house, Abel led her straight to the bedroom where she
’d remain for the rest of the week. He fluffed up her pillows and pulled up the comforter. “There you go, princess. That’s your place for the rest of the week.”
“
I can rest on the sofa, too, you know. I don’t have to stay in bed all week.” Abel lifted a brow, his smile dissolving. “Okay, okay,” she said, slipping off her shoes and climbed in. “Mmm,” she said as she lay down. “If I’d known how comfortable your bed was, I wouldn’t have argued.”
Abel covered her and then
lay down next to her. “Speaking of my bed,” he said, taking her hand, “with a baby on the way now, we need to discuss our living arrangements. I don’t want you and the baby living away from me. This place is a good size for a bachelor, but I don’t think it’s gonna cut it for a family.”
“
You can move in with me,” she offered with a smile.
It amazed Abel that just a week ago he
’d been afraid to mention wanting to be exclusive and now they were talking about moving in together—being a family.
“
I wouldn’t mind your place, but it’s way too accessible to the public.” He played with her fingers. “It’s one thing for them to follow us around and try to get photos. Even that I don’t have much patience for. But this is my kid we’re talking about now. “He touched her belly softly, feeling a knot in his throat already, and he hoped this emotional wussy shit would pass soon, because it was getting ridiculous. “My ass would end up in jail so fast if they messed with this little guy or girl.”
There was a knock at the front door
, and Abel already knew who it was. He was surprised it took her this long. “That,” he laughed, pointing toward the door as he got up, “is another reason why we can’t live here.” He shook his head. “I love my mom, but she can be a little on the overbearing side. And soon,” he lowered his voice, “there will be another one just like her living in that front house. My aunt’s moving in next month.”
Abel saw her try to smile without reaction
, but he didn’t miss the way her eyes widened. He’d get his mom in and out ASAP because now that he knew Nellie didn’t object to moving in with him, he could really talk to her about his other plans.
~*~
Of course, Abel had been right. It was his mom and she came bearing gifts. Freshly made
sopa de fideo
was the first
.
She said it was easy on the stomach in case her appetite wasn’t one-hundred percent yet and she used the pasta shaped as letters. “It was Abel and Hector’s favorite when they were kids.” She smiled as she set the tray with the bowl of
sopa
in front of Nellie. “But even now Hector still asks for his
sopa
all the time. Charlee even asked me to show her how to make it. It’s very easy.” She lifted her brows at Nellie.