Page 29 of Reverie
Dr. Whitney pipes up. “While you were out, we checked the baby’s heart rate with the Doppler. Now that you’re up, let’s do an ultrasound. Here, watch.”
She taps the screen a few times, and in short order, she has an ultrasound wand pressed to my bare stomach. I hold my breath until my baby starts wiggling on the screen. The strongwlub-wlub-wlubof their heartbeat causes tears to well up. I cry harder, even though I don’t want to.
“I need Hunter,” I whisper through my tears. “Please.”
Dr. Whitney exhales and says, “Of course, Winter. First, you need more fluids. I’m also running IV antibiotics through your line because the last thing I need you fighting is an infection. So can we please restart your IV? That way, we can give you what you need.”
“No pain meds,” I grind out. Even though the initial flush of the sedative has leveled out, I still don’t want more. The smiley nurse heads to my IV stand and lays a new butterfly needle kit beside my hip.
“No pain meds,” Dr. Whitney agrees as the nurse begins to wipe down the bend of my other elbow with an alcohol wipe.
Dr. Whitney looks at a few more of my vitals before patting my hand and striding toward the exit.
“I have to check on our other patients. Veronica, thank you. You saved Rio’s life,” she says.
Veronica dips her chin but doesn’t say anything as Dr. Whitney leaves.
The room falls silent after my new IV is placed. As the other nurses busy themselves, I wait for what I know will come next.
Three.
Two.
One.
“Winter, if you pull some shit like that again, I will kill you myself, I promise,” Veronica says in that calm tone she useswhen she’s really, really angry. She shifts from side to side, rocking her baby.
She even smiles at me before she leans down to kiss Summer. The baby snorts and then settles back into sleep.
“I had to save August,” I say.
Has someone thoroughly evaluated him after he was drugged? I can only imagine so, but what if they missed something? Is he okay? Is he safe? How will this impact him?
…will he be all right after having killed someone?
My heart rate starts to kick up again at my worry for him.
“First question, sis,” Veronica says. “Are we staying or are we going? Because I go where you go.” Summer begins to fuss, and she pulls her out of the sling, bouncing her as she looks at me. After a few moments, Veronica huffs and does some kind of magic that allows her to nurse her baby without pulling her breast all the way out.
Not that I haven’t already seen Veronica fully naked on several occasions.
“What do you mean? I’m staying here,” I say.
Leaving Hunter isn’t even a question. Sure, I’m still mad at him. Really mad at him—and for so many things at this point.
But running away and leaving him behind to…what? No. Not an option.
“Winter,” Veronica says. When I take in her expression, I immediately want to glance away. Because she’s wearing the same tired, pitying look she wore the first time I told her I loved Hunter.
And that proved to be stupid because how much was he hiding?
“Winter, I mean this with love…but how much should we trust Hunter?”
I swallow, but my mouth feels coated with sand. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, this man has only brought hurt and devastation to you. Tous.So why are we still blindly following him?” Veronica’s voice is soft, but her delivery is strong.
“Hey! He’s not an idiot,” I say, heat flushing my cheeks.