Page 74 of Fame And Secrets
“He’d have told you himself, but he was stuck at the airport.” Immediately his face paled.
“I thought you said he was on his way hours ago?”
“I did. What I meant was that he couldn’t…” He palmed the back of his neck. “He couldn’t talk because they were about to take off.”
Lies.
“I still feel like there’s something you’re not telling me,” I prodded.
“Nope. Nothing.” He held firm to his story.
“I guess I have no choice but to believe you.”
“Guess you don’t.”
***
Three hours later, Ryker wiped the exhaustion off my forehead with a damp washcloth. “Why don’t you get one of those epidermis things?”
My lips curled slightly as I continued to breathe heavily. “Epidural, Ry.”
“Whatever. Doesn’t it make it stop hurting?”
“Yeah, but it also makes me not know what’s coming. I’ve never wanted to do this thing naturally, but I can’t not know what’s happening until he gets here.”
Dropping the washcloth, he glanced at me with uncertain eyes. “Are you going be okay for a few minutes?”
My face scrunched as my voice grew tired and hoarse. “I guess so. Where are you going?”
“I’m hungry. I’m going to hit the vending machine. I won’t be long, all right?”
Lies. Again.
I simply nodded and stared at him.
Hungry, my ass.
The minute he closed my door, he’d call Julian—wherever the hell he was right now. There had to be a reason behind his silence. He forced a convincing smile as he slipped out the door and down the hallway.
***
“You must obtain a long-distance code from a patient services representative before placing this call.”
I didn’t realize I held my breath until the high-pitched automated tone of the voice sent my heart into a free-fall through my chest.
“Shit!”
Long distance code. Of course I’d need one. Julian never changed his New York cell number. I breathed a long, drawn out sigh and hung up the hospital phone that sat next to my bed.
I needed Julian. I needed something real.
Soon, the realness grabbed ahold of me again, this time pushing downward as if a pair of hands reached inside of me and gave a strong, hard shove. I squeaked out two words. “Ry, help!”
As if on cue, the metal door opened. “Shit, what’s happening?”
“Get someone!” My own body had betrayed me for hours, and it apparently had no intentions of stopping.
I blinked, and he’d burst back in with the doctor and two young nurses in tow. He furrowed his brow and scanned the fetal monitor printout. Snapping on a glove, he placed a hand on my knee.