Penelope (15 page)

“No bleeding?”

Penelope’s lips trembled. “No.”

She felt a wave ripple through her stomach again, though much different than before.

“Whoa,” the doctor grinned as it happened. “Alrighty. Looks like this little one is anxious to meet you.”

“No!” Penelope felt her heart rate quicken. “It’s too soon.”

The doctor patted her arm. “You’re right. We’re going to make sure you’re comfortable and so is the baby. These are called Braxton Hicks contractions. False labor. Here,” he said as he turned up the volume on the monitor. “The baby sounds healthy and looks good.”

Penelope fixed her stare on the monitor. She’d been nearly too preoccupied with the thought that something had gone wrong that she hadn’t noticed that the doctor had a perfect picture of the baby’s face on the screen.

She felt the warmth of the tears on her cheeks before she even realized she was crying.

Brock leaned down next to her. “That has to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered in her ear.

She wanted to comment, but she couldn’t. The tears kept rolling and Brock stayed right next to her as the doctor took a few more measurements and then printed out the picture.

“Here’s another one for the baby’s album.” He handed her the picture and wiped the gel from her stomach. “I’m going to order an IV and get you hydrated. I want you to relax and get comfortable for a few hours. I’ll be back in to check on you after the IV.”

Brock stood and held his hand out to the doctor. “Thank you, sir. Thank you for taking care of her.”

The doctor smiled as he shook his hand. “She’s doing great and it looks like she’s got a good support team,” he chuckled as he nodded toward the door where Vivian and Amelia’s faces were pressed to the window.

Brock rested his hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “She sure does.”

Penelope had never been a big fan of needles and when she saw the one coming toward her to insert the IV she thought she was going to be ill.

Brock leaned in close and turned her head toward him. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “I’ve never asked you. Do you have names picked out for the baby?”

“Not really. I don’t have any family names. I always like the name Shelby, you know like the girl in
Steel Magnolias
.”

He nodded. “Right. And if I remember they were going to use that name for the baby if it were a girl or a boy.”

Penelope nodded slightly with her head now pressed to Brock’s.

“What are your parent’s names?” she asked.

“My mom’s name is Gwen. Short for Gwendolyn.”

“Oh, I really like that.”

He brushed his hand over her head. “And my dad’s name is Gregory.”

Penelope let out a low hum. “I really like that too.”

“Okay, all done,” the nurse said as she adjusted the tubes that led to the IV.

Penelope looked at her arm. “I didn’t feel it.”

The nurse gave her a smile and a wink. “You have a good man there. He kept you occupied.” She patted Penelope’s leg. “Rest. If you need anything just push the button. But this should help you.”

As she walked out of the room Penelope turned toward Brock. “I didn’t feel that.”

“Good.”

“I don’t know why you’re so good to me.”

Brock sat on the edge of the bed and pressed his lips to her fingers, which were still folded with his.

“Remember all those pictures that I brought back to you? The ones you’d sent to Sergeant Monroe?” She nodded. “I had them with me for months.” He let out a long, deep sigh. “I still have one.”

She stared up at him. “You do?”

Brock nodded. “I’m not very proud of it, but I stole one—I guess you could say.” He bit down on his lip. “Sergeant Monroe died in my arms and that wore heavy in my heart. I was the last person to talk to this man. This man who saved my life.”

Brock wiped his forehead with the back of his other hand. “My blood was still on his hands when he died in my arms.”

“Brock…”

“He entrusted me with his final wish, his final words—with you.”

The tears were back and she let them fall.

Brock wiped them away. “I kept those pictures on me from the moment he gave them to me until I gave them to you. Your smile and your gaze got me through everything. After they did surgery on my arm it was your face I saw first.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing. I owe you. You got me through the past few months and you don’t even know it.”

She felt the cold from the IV course through her and a warmth that was brought on by anger at what he’d said.

“You owe me?”

“Yes. Without the thought of you I don’t know if I’d be—well—okay.”

She clenched her jaw. “So you’re here because you owe me?”

Brock’s eyes narrowed on her. “I’m here because I want to be. Why are you upset?”

“I’m upset because I want you to be here with me because of something else. You’re still here because you promised Adam you would be.”

“That’s not true.”

“Sure it is. You’re here because Adam asked you to be. You’re a good enough man to follow through on your word.”

“Okay, so I’m here because he asked me to come.”

“And you came back because you promised to help with the daycare.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you right here? Why are you going through this with me?”

“Penelope,” he cupped her face in his hands. “What do you want me to say?”

She shook her head and turned from him. “Never mind.”

Brock stood from the edge of the bed. “I’m going to let the others in. I’m just upsetting you and you don’t need to be upset.”

She’d have argued with him again if he hadn’t been so quick to open the door. The others were just on the other side and they were quickly asking Brock questions.

She took the moment to dry her eyes and try to regain some composure. The fact that she knew what she wanted him to say—and she knew how irrational it was to want him to say it—simply made her queasy.

How much longer could she blame hormones for making her act and feel like such an idiot? A man like Brock Romero would be by her side forever if he promised someone he would be. But she wanted more. And to be lying in a hospital bed connected to an IV because she was six months pregnant wasn’t very becoming. Add petty and stupid to the mix and she was becoming unattractive to even herself.

Vivian moved to her quickly. “Are you okay?”

Penelope nodded. “False labor.”

“I had that. You’re going to be okay.”

Amelia patted Penelope’s leg. “I guess Adam’s kids just can’t wait to get here.”

When Vivian laughed Penelope couldn’t help but laugh too. Then she looked around. Sam and the girls hadn’t come in, but Brock hadn’t come back in either.

Amelia sat down at the edge of the bed. “Everything else okay? You look upset and so did Brock.”

Penelope turned her head. “I’m just out of sorts. I keep forgetting I’m pregnant with another man’s baby and he’s fulfilling a promise. My body seems to want more and it isn’t fair to assume someone would want that.”

Vivian pulled the chair from against the wall over next to the bed. “Brock doesn’t want to be part of this?”

Penelope shrugged. “I don’t know what he wants. I don’t know what I want.”

“I think you need to just feel things out. He’s here isn’t he?”

Penelope gathered the sheet in her hands and twisted. “But why is he here? Because Adam asked him to be.”

Amelia let out a grunt. “Well maybe that in itself was the most decent thing Adam ever did. He sent you a nice man.”

She looked at Vivian waiting for her to snap at Amelia’s comment, but she hadn’t. Was that what Adam had done really?

“He told me he owed me. He said that I was the reason he made it through everything. He carried my pictures with him and without me…”

“He told us.”

Penelope tried to sit up, but her body didn’t like that. “He told you that?”

They both nodded. “He’s afraid he’s worked it up in his head that he loves you and you wouldn’t feel the same way.”

Penelope’s teeth began to chatter from the cold liquid that coursed through her.

Vivian pulled the blanket over her. “You need to not worry about this right now. You need to rest.”

She nodded and closed her eyes, but how could she possibly not worry about it? The man had been in her life for a week, but she’d been in his life for months. There was some unfair advantage there. And yet everything inside of her said to take a chance with him.

Gritting her teeth against the chatter that wanted to take over, she willed herself to calm. When he walked back through the door they’d talk. Yes, that’s what they’d do.

Vivian slapped Amelia on the shoulder to wake her as Penelope purposely looked away while the nurse removed the IV from her arm.

“You look much better and it looks like the baby has been quiet for hours.” The nurse set the IV on the tray and then unfastened the strap around Penelope’s stomach. “If they start up again don’t hesitate to get back in here, okay?”

Penelope nodded and sat up with Vivian’s help.

“I think you should go home with me tonight. I want to keep an eye on you,” Vivian offered as Penelope adjusted her clothes and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “The girls will be happy to have you there too.”

“Are you sure?”

Amelia stood up. “You don’t get a say. You’re going.”

Penelope nodded. “Where did Brock go? He never came back in.”

Amelia and Vivian exchanged looks. “He has some things to take care of. You’ll see him in a few days. Don’t worry about him.”

But she did worry. She didn’t want him away from her, perhaps she should have made that more clear.

When she was released, Vivian drove her and Amelia to her townhouse where Sam had taken the girls. They were all sitting on the couch watching Frozen. The girls were singing and Sam looked completely out of his element.

The moment she walked through the door he stood and walked to them. His eyes scanned over Penelope. “Everything is okay now?”

She nodded. “False labor. I have to take it easy for the next few months.”

“Why don’t we just consider you on maternity leave then?”

Penelope shook her head. “I can’t go without a job. The daycare isn’t ready yet.”

Sam smiled and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Listen, you have a whole family here who wants to see that baby. Taking care of you ensures that we’re going to get to. I’m not firing you or kicking you out. But if you need the time…”

“But your mother isn’t coming until December.”

Sam looked at Amelia and then back at Penelope with a plan brewing behind his eyes. She’d seen that look exchanged between them before.

“I hired a new assistant. One that can stay on permanently. You girls can get the daycare up and running and when you’re ready then you’ll already be in your element.”

Penelope let her shoulders drop. She’d been replaced, but that had been the plan. Maybe he was worried she’d eat too many candies.

“I’d be happy to come in and train her.”

Sam laughed. “This one is trained and comes with some experience. But you can come in if you want and make sure everything is done correctly, but in a couple of weeks. I want you to rest.”

She nodded. That was a term she could accept.

Vivian stepped past them toward the kitchen. “I’m starving. I have some deli meat. Anyone up for a sandwich?”

They all followed and the girls raced by them. Penelope wasn’t hungry, but she knew she was going to be fed. What she really wanted to know was where Brock had gone.

~*~

The home of Greg and Gwen Romero was buzzing when Brock pulled into the drive. The flatbed trailer his father used to move things was parked in the driveway. On it was the couch Brock’s parents had kept in the basement from as far back as he could remember. His bed had been disassembled and loaded on to the trailer along with his dresser and about ten boxes.

Family. He thought he’d be spending a lot more time with them, but things had changed.

Brock parked his truck in front of the house as his brother loaded another box onto the trailer.

“You’re the only guy I know who calls and says, ‘I’m moving, load me up’, and the work is done,” Mason scoffed.

“You driving back with me too then?”

“Hell no. I did most of this.”

Brock walked up the driveway to where his brother stood. He rested a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. I owe you.”

“Oh, yes you do.” Mason brushed Brock’s hand off his shoulder. “Mom’s been crying all night.”

Worry settled into Brock’s chest. “Why?”

“She was used to you being deployed. Now you’re making the choice to live somewhere else.”