You Are My Air: Breathless Book 1 (26 page)

"I'll go with you," I told him firmly as I grabbed my shoes off the floor and began pulling them on.

"Natalie," David said in a pained voice. "You don't have to do this. I don't want you to feel obligated to..."

"Stop," I interrupted him gently. "I want to do this. You need me."

The relief on his face was immense and his eyes actually welled up enough that I think he was on the verge of actual tears, but he shook them off as he spoke again. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "I'll get my shoes." He disappeared swiftly down the hall to his room; I think as much to collect himself as to get his actual shoes.

I was standing by the front door with my purse and jacket when he came back out with my bag, his shoes, and a sweatshirt thrown on over his T-shirt and jeans. We hurried out to the car wordlessly, the tension bleeding off of David even though he looked calm. I wondered if I was the only one who could see through his calm facade to the maelstrom of emotion inside him. Once he was driving, I reached over and took his hand in mine. He gripped me tightly and didn't let go, but he didn't acknowledge it any more than that as we rode in silence all the way to the hospital.

David parked in the visitor's lot, and we jumped out of the car. He led me by the hand through the ER entrance. The woman at the registration desk immediately recognized David as we approached. "She's in room five, David," she told him before he could even speak.

"Thanks, Rachel," David said with a nod as we hurried past her into the emergency department. I guess there were perks to working at a hospital. He led us straight to the back of the ER and stopped in front of a closed door and knocked gently on it. The door cracked open and Tony peaked out with a haggard face and fearful eyes.

"David." His eyes were filled with relief. "She's changing into a gown. I'll let you in when she's done."

"Okay." David nodded as Tony closed the door again. I saw David's jaw clench and unclench as he stared unseeing around the bustling ER. I squeezed his hand tightly, trying to offer what little comfort I could. He lifted my hand up and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it and gave me a grateful look. I nodded and gave him a small reassuring smile. Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms and held me close to his body; the side of his head pressed to mine. I could feel him shaking as he took slow deep breaths with his face in my hair. "Thank you for coming with me," he whispered so quietly, only I could hear him. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Your welcome," I whispered back. We stood like that for several long minutes until Tony finally opened the door again and ushered us into the room. David rushed to his sister, who was lying on a hospital cart in a hideous gown with a blanket covering her from the waist down. She looked pale and scared, with wide eyes and wringing hands. Her eyes lit up with relief when she saw her brother. David sat on the edge of bed with his sister and began talking to her quietly, his calm facade in place once again as he cradled her face in his hand. I realized that he was the glue holding this family together, but I couldn't help wondering what David was sacrificing to fill this role, and deny the vulnerability that I only caught a glimpse of tonight. He thought he had to be the strong one, and it made me love him even more.

I looked at Tony with a wan smile that he tried to return, but it ended up looking more like a grimace. He looked small and frightened, which was quite a sight to see considering what a large man he was, and I felt bad for him. I couldn't even imagine what he was going through, so I said nothing and just stood next to him; offering my support the only way I knew how right now.

Diana finally noticed that I was in the room. She caught my eye and managed to smile at me sheepishly, probably remembering our encounter last weekend. I returned it and nodded, trying to reassure her that none of that mattered anymore, and that I was long over it. She looked at her brother then back at me with a brief knowing look on her face. She knew. She knew that I loved her brother. I could see it in her face, and I was fairly sure she knew that he loved me too. She nodded at me so subtly that even David didn't notice. He was too busy staring at his sister's belly with a fearful expression on his face.

"We're waiting for them to do a pelvic exam," Tony announced, his voice tremulous and weak. "And then an ultrasound after that when her bladder is full."

"That won't take long," Diana added flippantly. "I've been peeing what seems like every five minutes for weeks."

There was a sudden knock on the door, and we all looked up to see a tall slender man with angular features and sharp dark eyes entered the room. "Hi, Diana," he announced. "I'm Dr. Russell. I'm going to do your exam before the ultrasound tech gets here." He glanced over at David. "Hi, David, is this your girlfriend?"

"No, Doc," David smirked. "This is my sister. Natalie over there is my girlfriend." He gestured toward me with a smile. "And we'll be clearing out for this part." David stood and reached a hand to me, and led me out of the small room. I caught Diana's eyes again, and she nodded with a corner of her lips up in a half smile. "We'll be in the cafeteria, Tony. Text us when it's safe to come back." Tony nodded as David shut the door.

David led me through the maze of hallways until we reached the cafeteria. I looked fondly over at the table where I had seen him a few weeks ago, wondering about fate and chance encounters as we walked past it.

"Do you want some coffee, Natalie?" David asked me in a calm easy voice as we approached a counter with a pop machine and a large coffee dispenser.

"Yes, please," I answered, and bit the bullet and continued. "You don't have to do that for me, David."

He looked confused as he pulled his head back. "Don't have to do what?"

"You don't have to pretend that you're fine when you're with me," I answered him as I stepped in close and cradle his face in my right hand. "You're not, so just let it out. It's okay."

He let out a massive sigh, the tension in his body suddenly bleeding away. "I'm not okay, sweetheart," he confessed quietly as he looked intently at me, his eyes filling with fear. "Not at all."

"I know," I whispered and pulled him into my arms. He let me hold him for several long moments, his breathing beginning to slow down.

"
Ty moe povitrya
," he whispered softly, and I smiled. I was beginning to suspect that he really meant "I love you" when he said that to me. I had to stifle myself as I almost blurted out "I love you too" to him.

David finally straightened and released me. He seemed a bit calmer, and I don't think he was faking it now. He got a coffee for both of us; putting in the perfect combination of cream and sweetener in mine. It touched me that he paid enough attention to remember my preferences. He really was the perfect man, for me anyway.

I led him to the same table we had shared a few weeks ago and noticed the small smile that managed to pull out of him. We sat for a few minutes as he stared at his paper cup, and I sipped on mine slowly.

"What's going on with Diana?" I finally asked.

He sighed. "She's bleeding quite a bit, but no pain," he said without looking up at me. "They're probably worried about her having placenta previa."

"What's that?" I asked.

He looked up at me with pursed lips. "It's when the placenta shifts down low in the pelvis and partially or fully blocks the cervix."

"English please," I insisted.

"The placenta supplies blood to the fetus, and the cervix is the birth canal."

I grimaced. "That doesn't sound good."

"It's not, and she's not far enough along for them to just do a Cesarean section right now." He stared down at his coffee again, his eyes far away.

"When can they do that?" I asked.

"Thirty-six weeks, but I think she's only thirty-four or thirty-five right now," he explained as he looked at me again. "The baby's lungs and other organs may not be developed enough yet."

"Oh," I replied grimly. "What will they do if that's the case?"

"Best-case scenario," he told me. "They admit Diana for observation until the baby is developed enough for a C-section. Worse case, they have to take her out of the womb before that and hope she survives."

"It's a girl?" I asked. He nodded and finally took a sip of his coffee. "Will Diana be okay?" I asked him.

"They'll monitor her to make sure she doesn't become anemic," he said. I gave him another meaningful look, letting him know I didn't know what that meant either. "They want to make sure she doesn't lose too much blood."

"Oh," I whispered in understanding. There was a possibility that he could lose his new niece and his sister too. No wonder he wasn't doing very well right now. "I'm sorry," I told him, unsure what else to do or say.

He looked at me again with affection in his blue eyes and sighed. "Come here, sweetheart." I scooted my chair until it was right next to his. He put his arm around my shoulders, and held me against his side with a firm grip. We sat like that for what felt like an eternity, sipping on our coffees long after they were cold and didn't taste very good anymore.

We both jumped when his phone chirped in his pocket. David glanced at the screen and looked at me. "We can go back now." We rose and David silently led me to Diana's ER room. We entered to find Tony sitting on the bed holding his wife. They both looked haunted and distraught. David and I sat down in two folding chairs on the opposite side of the room to wait for the results of the exams that had been done.

A few minutes later, David's mother and Joe showed up. Baba was at Diana and Tony's house with their boys. David explained what was going on to them and then the six of us were left to wait. Aleta moved her chair next to her daughter and held her hand the whole time. I watched them and couldn't help wondering how my mother would have handled this situation. I imagined her having a complete breakdown while I sat there pregnant and miserable, trying to calm her down. It sounded like a nightmare.

David had moved his chair next to mine, and tucked me in close to his side with an arm around me. I was glad that I had come with him. I don't think he would have sought any comfort from his family while he tried to hold it together for all of them. I was also relieved that none of them acted like I didn't belong here. In fact, they didn't even seem surprised that I was here.

We all sat up as there was a knock on the door, and Dr. Russell came into the room. I could feel the tension rise as we all looked expectantly at the doctor.

"Well, Mrs. Cavallo," he said as he looked at Diana with a serious expression. "It's definitely placenta previa, but it's only partially over the cervix, and the bleeding isn't too severe right now. The baby is doing fine, and her heartbeat is strong. I want to admit you for a week for monitoring, and then we'll check to see if the baby is developed enough for a C-section. If the bleeding gets worse or if the baby is in distress we'll have to consider a C-section before that."

"So I'm stuck in here for a week?" Diana asked with a furrowed brow that bore a striking resemblance to her brother.

"It's the best thing for you and your baby." Dr. Russell nodded. "If it had just been some minor bleeding, I could have put you on bed rest at home, but this is very serious, Mrs. Cavallo. We need to make sure that you and the baby are okay while we wait for the thirty-six-week mark."

"You'll be okay, honey," Tony reassured his wife as he put his hand gently on her swollen belly. "It's only a week and then we'll have our little girl."

"Alright," she conceded grimly.

"We'll get everything squared away down here, and we'll get you up to OB in a bit. Does anybody have any questions?" the doctor asked as he scanned our face. Everyone shook their heads. Tony thanked the doctor and then he walked out with a nod.

An OB nurse finally came in twenty minutes later to take Diana and Tony upstairs. The rest of us decided to head home since sitting around at the hospital wasn't going to do any good tonight. David drove me home to my apartment in silence; lost in his own thoughts and worries. I felt helpless to do anything for him.

He walked me up to my apartment and followed me in. George greeted both of us enthusiastically since he'd been alone all weekend. David managed a small smile when George slammed into his legs to beg for attention. I bent down to pet my cat for a moment and stood to find David looking at me with pursed lips and a deep furrow between his brows.

"What's wrong, David?" I asked him with concern.

I watched as his eyes welled up with emotion, and one lone tear fell down his cheek and into his beard. It broke my heart. "I...I don't want to go home and be alone right now. Can...can I stay here with you tonight?"

"Of course, you can." I stepped closer to him, brushing the tear off of his chin. Embarrassment filled his face. "You don't have to pretend with me, remember?" I gave him a gentle smile.

He nodded, but said nothing. I took his hand and pulled him with me to my room. He undressed and crawled between the blankets while I washed my face and got ready for bed. I climbed in next to him, and he took me in his arms, pulling me in close. When his body started to shake with silent sobs, I said nothing. I snuggled in closer and couldn't help wondering if there was something more than just worry for his sister going through his head, but not even knowing how to ask, or if he was willing to tell me anyway. These thoughts occupied my mind until David stilled and fell asleep, and I wasn't to far behind as fatigue finally managed to pull me under.

**********

I sat at a table in the ritzy hotel restaurant, wondering how I had let my mother rope me into having lunch with her here. There was a string quartet playing in the dining room for God's sake. Even though I grew up around all this society nonsense, it had never impressed me. It was a good thing my father had been around to make sure I understood that you had to work hard to be successful, and no matter how much money you had, no one was beneath you. He had been born in a lower middle-class family that had sacrificed a lot to help him get through law school and be where he was now. To this day, I still didn't understand what had drawn him to my mother in the first place. They were absolutely nothing alike.