Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Can we not do this in her room? Can I see her first?” My voice is pleading.
“I’m sorry, the doctor should fill you in on her condition. He’ll be right in,” she says, dismissing me. I stand here for a few heartbeats while she places the phone next to her ear and tells the doctor I’m here. “He’s on his way,” she says again with a kind smile. I don’t offer her one of my own. I can’t. Not yet. Not until I see Winnie and know that she’s okay.
Making my way down the hall, I peer into every room to see if I can spot her, but without any luck. Pushing the door open on consultation room three, I barely have my ass in the seat when the door opens, and an older gentleman in a white coat walks in.
“Mr. Drake?” he asks.
“Yes, Harrison.” I reach out and take his hand. “How’s my wife?” I have no intention of telling him we’re divorced. Not until they let me see her. It’s just a piece of paper anyway, a minor technicality in the grand scheme of things.
“I’m Doctor Frazier, Gwendolyn is very lucky. She was involved in an car accident earlier this evening.” He looks down at the tablet in his hands and begins swiping the screen. “Some bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Some minor burns from the airbag, but otherwise, your wife and baby are just fine.”
Slumping back in my chair, relief washes over me as his words play on repeat in my head. “Your wife and baby are just fine.” What? I grip the edge of the chair as I open my mouth, but no words come out. Trying again, I swallow hard then speak. “D-Did you, did you say baby?” I ask, my voice disbelieving.
“You didn’t know?” From the look on his face, he’s worried he might have spoiled the surprise.
“N-No.” I didn’t know, and suddenly, I’m angry. Pissed off that she’s already moved on, how could she forget what we had so fast? Then there’s the thought of her and another man, his hands on her, the two of them… I shake my head, not wanting to go there. I need to keep my cool. I need to see her.
“You okay?” He averts his eyes to my tight grip on the chair.
Looking down, I see the W tattoo and my wedding ring. A million things are flowing through my mind, but one stands out among the others. The day of our divorce. The last time I made love to her, just a few short weeks ago.
“H-How far?” I clear my throat. “How far along is she? I mean, the baby.” I stammer over my words. I would have known that day, right? I would have been able to see the difference in her body? It would have felt… different if she were pregnant then, right?
He looks down at the tablet and swipes the screen. “A few weeks, according to her bloodwork.” He keeps swiping at the screen, unaware of my mental breakdown.
A few weeks.
It’s mine. This baby is mine. How could I have ever jumped to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be? That’s not my Winnie, divorce or not. That’s not who she is, and I love her even more for it. Thank fuck I had time to process this before seeing her.
I’m going to be a father.
“Can I see her?”
“Of course.” He stands from the chair. “We’re going to move her to a room and keep her overnight just as a precaution with the pregnancy. The ultrasound tech should be in there with her now.” He glances at his watch. “If we hurry, you might be able to catch the end of it.” He turns and opens the door, and I’m hot on his heels.
I follow him down a busy hallway, with curtains pulled giving what privacy they can to the patients behind them. “There.” He points to the last curtain at the end of the hall. “Go on in. I’m going to work on getting her moved to an inpatient room.” With that, he turns and walks away. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath preparing myself for what’s going to be behind this curtain. She’s okay, I mentally remind myself.
I hear a female voice that’s not my wife. Carefully, I pull back the curtain and stand just inside the threshold, taking in the sight before me. Winnie has her legs in stirrups while the ultrasound tech has her hand between her legs. Their eyes are riveted to the small screen on a rolling cart. I take advantage of being unnoticed and look her over. Her arms are bandaged, she has a butterfly over one eyebrow. Other than that, I can’t see much from where I’m standing. Regardless of her injuries, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and it’s been too damn long since I’ve set my eyes on her.