Acquiring Hearts (18 page)

“Mom, he’s cheating again and I’m leaving him for good.”

“Finally, but what does this have to do with Gia.”

“Well… She caught him, but that’s not really it. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s between me and her.”

“Rachel, you’re forty years old. You need to get your shit together. Get rid of Vinnie, take your kids home and go on with your life. You’re a beautiful woman and you can do way better than him. You don’t need that kind of person in your life. There’s someone out there who’ll love you and treat you the way you should be treated.”

Brad chimed in, “Listen to your mom, Rachel. She’s right.”

“I just need to see Gia.” She got up and walked over to the window.

“It’s probably going to be a while. I’ll go check on her status.”

“Thanks Brad,” Carlotta replied. She was hurting for both of her daughters. She wished she could help them, but she wasn’t sure what was really going on.

Brad casually walked over to the nurse’s window. He didn’t want to be a pest, but he wanted to know what Gia’s status was.

The nurse was not the least bit upset and was actually very nice.

“I was about to update you. Her blood has been drawn and we have her hooked up to an IV machine.”

“Can I go back and see her?”

“I’ll ask the doctor. Have a seat and I’ll let you know what he says.”

Brad had billions of dollars. If he threw his money around, they would let him back. He could even call his mother. She was a powerful and well respected surgeon. He didn’t want to look like a pompous asshole and flaunt the fact that he had money. He decided to wait until the doctor said it was ok for him to see Gia. He also knew that Gia would probably be mad if he did something like that.

Brad hated hospitals. They reminded him of when his father passed away. He tried to avoid them at all costs. He never even visited his mother at work. He was trying to be strong for Gia and it was hard because crazy thoughts were running through his head, especially because he didn’t know what was wrong. He would be devastated if anything happened to her. He didn’t even want to go that route.

Brad was waiting impatiently for the nurse to come back with an answer. He noticed that Rachel and Carlotta were having an intense conversation by the window. Everyone seemed to be going through something.

What’s taking so damn long?

Mrs. Coppi approached Brad and asked if he had any information.

“She’s awake and resting, which I had already knew. They drew blood and hooked her up to an IV. I’m waiting for the nurse to come and say if it’s okay to see her. If you want to head back to the house to get some rest, I’ll call if I hear anything. I’ll stay. I know it’s been a long day for everyone.”

“It’s ok, Brad. We can wait here,” Rachel said rather absentmindedly.

They sat in silence until the nurse called Brad over.

“Mr. Roberts, can I see you for a moment?”

Brad rushed over to the window. All of a sudden he had a nervous feeling. “What’s going on?”

“Miss Coppi requested that you’re present when the doctor gives her the blood results.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I find out what’s happening,” Brad said to Rachel and Carlotta.

The nurse ushered Brad to Gia’s room. She looked drained and tired. “Hey honey,” she said weakly.

“Baby, how do you feel?”

“I’m tired, probably dying.”

“You’re not dying. Don’t talk like that! If you were dying, I’d drink the poison too.”

“Awwww, you’d drink poison for me. How sweet!”

“See, there’s the Gia I know and love.”

The doctor came through the sliding doors. He was fairly young with light brown hair. He looked like he was probably in his mid-thirties. It was kind of shocking because normally you expect an older doctor to walk through the door.

“Mr. Roberts, I’m assuming.”

“Yes”

“Hi, I’m Dr. Hill. I’m handling your fiancés care. It’s nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.

Bradley shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“Miss Coppi and I spoke briefly about recent events in her life as well as her medical history. Based on the information provided and her test results, I have a diagnosis.

“I hope it’s not serious,” Brad asked.

“The first thing I’m going to say is that Miss Coppi needs to take better care of herself. When she came in tonight, she was completely dehydrated. I believe the dehydration along with all the stress had caused her to pass out.”

“Oh, thank God. I thought I was dying.”

Dr. Hill continued, “Also, Miss Coppi is pregnant. She is approximately one month along.”

Brad and Gia both looked at each other in shock.

“Did you just say that she is pregnant?” Brad thought that was what he had heard.

“Yes I did.” Dr. Hill was use to this kind of reaction. “She’s very early on in her first trimester, so she needs to be very careful and take very good care of herself. I mean it. She’ll need plenty of rest and absolutely no stress.”

“I drank alcohol. Will that affect the baby?”

“You should be fine, just don’t drink anymore. You’d be surprised to see some of the things people do before they find out they’re pregnant. I’m going to leave you two alone now. I’ll be around if you have any questions.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Hill.” They both said in unison.

“This is amazing. I can’t believe I have a baby inside of me, our baby. I’m so happy.”

“I’m so happy too. This baby is going to be beautiful, just like his or her momma.”

“I love you, Brad, so much. We have so much to figure out and discuss.”

“I know I want to get married, ASAP.”

“I don’t want a shotgun wedding.”

“Don’t worry about that now.”

“Do you want to see your mom and sister?”

“No, I’m pissed off at Rachel. I’ll deal with her later.”

“She’s been out in the waiting room. She said she needs to see you. What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I don’t want to get upset again.”

“
No problem, Gia. We can talk about it another time. Just rest up.”

“Can we go home when I get discharged? I don’t feel like going back there tonight,” Gia asked, exhaustion visible in her face.

“Sure, anything you want. I’ll go talk to your mom and Rachel. I won’t tell them about the baby but I’ll mention the stress and dehydration. I’ll drive back to the house with them to pick up our bags, then I’ll drive your car back here.”

“Thanks, I appreciate everything you do for me,” Gia said relieved.

“I love you with my whole heart. I’d never let anything happen to you.”

“I love you too.”

“Do you need anything before I go?”

“No, I’m ok.”

Brad kissed her goodbye. He couldn’t believe he was going to be a father, but he was absolutely thrilled. He had to contain his happiness, so he did not give away the secret.

He approached the waiting room. Carlotta and Rachel both jumped up. “How is she?” They both asked.

“She is doing well. The doctor said she was dehydrated and stressed. She’s resting. She wants to go back home when she’s discharged.”

“She doesn’t want to see us?” Carlotta asked.

Brad was trying to make this painless for them. He didn’t want to upset them but his main concern was Gia and she didn’t need any added pressure right now. “The doctor thinks it’s best if she rests.”

“That’s understandable. Let’s go,” Rachel snapped.

Rachel just wanted to speak with Gia however she didn’t want to cause her more stress.

Everyone at the house had so many questions. Carlotta explained the diagnosis. She told Brad to hurry up back to Gia.

He drove as fast as he could without getting pulled over. That’s all he would need at the moment.

The nurse let him back right away. Gia was still being administered IV and she was sleeping. He didn’t want to wake her. He decided to go speak with her doctor.

“
Dr. Hill, can I speak with you for a minute?”

“Sure, Mr. Roberts, how can I help you?”

“Do you know when she’ll be discharged?”

“Probably in a few hours. I want to make sure that she has enough fluids in her first. It’s important for the baby.”

“Can she go back to work?”

“She can go back when she’s strong enough. I strongly suggest no stress.”

“Thanks a lot for your help. If you ever need anything, just ask.”

“Well… This is probably unprofessional of me but who was the younger woman in the waiting room earlier.”

“She’s Gia’s older sister. Rachel.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Rachel is a great person.” Brad was never one to play matchmaker, but he wanted to see Rachel happy.

“Here’s my card, Dr. Hill.”

“Please, call me Colin.”

“Colin, here is my card in case you need to get in touch with me or follow up on Gia. FYI, Rachel is my assistant manager.” Brad winked at Colin and he chuckled back, knowing where he was going with it.

“Thanks Brad. I wish you all the best.”

Brad peeked into Gia’s room. She was starting to stir. He sat by the end of the bed.

“Did you just get back?” Gia asked sleepily.

“No, I was talking to Dr. Hill while you were sleeping. Did you sleep ok?”

“Yeah, but I just want to be home in our bed.”

“We will be leaving in the next few hours.”

“Were my mom and Rachel mad about not seeing me?”

“Your mom was very understanding but I think Rachel wanted to talk to you.”

“I’ll deal with her later.”

“Are you going to tell them about the baby?”

“Not yet, I want to wait a little while until everything settles down.”

“I understand. You don’t have to go back to work yet either. You can wait until you feel better.”

“I have to go back. Maybe I’ll try for Thursday.”

“Don’t rush it, baby. I don’t want to see you back in the emergency room. You also need to start eating more. I know you have a busy schedule but you need to keep your strength up.”

“I know. Everything needs to change now that baby Roberts is on the way. I always worried so much about my career and nothing else mattered. My world completely changed when I met you. I knew you were the one for me. Now I know what people mean when they say you get this feeling when you meet the one. I can’t imagine my life without you in it and together we created another life. I love you so much.”