Kiyah
I woke and immediately felt the weight of exhaustion, trying to pull me back to sleep. My body felt sore in that all-over waythat reminded me that I wasn’t a superhero, but somehow, I managed to survive.
My eyes trailed to the monitor before landing on Grant. He sat in the chair beside the bed with his elbows balanced on his knees and his hands clasped together like he was holding himself together. He looked… hollow—like a shell of his former self.
“Grant,” I whispered.
His head snapped up and the intensity of his bloodshot eyes stole my breath. “You’re awake,” he said roughly.
I swallowed. “What happened? What did you do?”
He didn’t answer right away and gathered my hand in his.
“Todd is gone.”
The beeping on the vital signs monitor rose for a few seconds before returning to baseline.
“He’s gone?”
“He’ll never bother you again,” Grant continued. “Or Pete, or anyone else in this family.”
Dizzying relief washed through me, and I closed my eyes for a second to let it sink in. Grant was still watching me when I opened them again.
“There’s something else,” he said.
My heart stuttered. “Okay.”
He inhaled slowly, like he was choosing each word with care. “Did you know that you’re pregnant?”
That caught my attention.
“I’m what?”
“Ten weeks,” he said softly. “The surgeon told me. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t know if you already knew, or if—”
“I didn’t. I didn’t know. I mean, I guess I should’ve with the nausea, but I didn’t know,” I whispered.
Holy shit. I was pregnant… again.
“I’m pregnant,” I repeated, more to myself than to him. Grant nodded, tightening his hand around mine. I laughed—half disbelief and half awe. “I can’t believe it.”
“I know,” he said, voice cracking just slightly. “I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Is the baby healthy?”
“As far as they can tell. We’ll need to follow up with the OB/GYN as soon as you’re released.”
“C-can I see the baby?”
“I’ll call the nurse and see what we can do,” he said, bringing my hand to his lips. Tears spilled down our conjoined hands. “I’m so fucking sorry, Kiyah. I believed those messages, and I didn’t come for you when it mattered,” he apologized.
“It’s fine, Grant.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not.”
“You showed up when it mattered, and because of you, we won’t have to look over our shoulders anymore.”
A sudden thought came to me. “Where’s Pete?”