Lovestruck Forever (30 page)

I
said a quick prayer of thanks that Laura lived so close to the
hospital as we pulled into the emergency entrance. “You go help
her in, Sam,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. “I’ll
park the car.”

“Take
my phone,” Maria said, slipping it into my hand. “I’ll
text you where we are so you can find us.”

I
climbed into the driver’s seat as Sam moved around to help
Laura out. An orderly joined him and together they helped my sister
into a waiting wheelchair. As Maria passed my open window, I reached
for her arm. “Is this bad?”

She
met my eyes and I could see the fear there—but there was
something else, as well. A strength. A quiet confidence. Something I
could only describe as faith.

“She’s
going to be just fine.”

***

Placental
abruption, the doctor said. In other words, a small portion of the
placenta was separating from the uterus, causing the pain and
bleeding. A serious condition, but a manageable one, now that they
caught it. The bleeding had, mercifully, stopped. They did, however,
want the baby delivered immediately.

I
sat in the waiting room along with my parents, my brothers, and
Sofie. Maria had gone into the labor room with Laura and her doctor.
I was grateful that she was there—I couldn’t think of
anyone that would help Laura feel more in control of things than
Maria, particularly with Frank absent. I was even more grateful that
we were at the local hospital, not the one at which my mom had been
treated. I wasn’t sure I could deal with that.

I
felt the weight of the day piling up on me. Sofie arriving at the
shower with her news. The horrible phone call with Heidi. And then
the sheer panic of realizing something was wrong with Laura. I wasn’t
sure how much more I could take.

“Are
you okay, Lizzie?” my mom asked, coming to sit next to me.

I
held my breath for a moment, scared that if I didn’t, I would
let out the torrent of fear and doubt that was weighing on me. “I’m
fine, Mom,” I finally said.

“Everything
is going to be okay, you know,” she soothed. “Your sister
and the baby will make it through perfectly, I know it.”

“I’m
sure you’re right, Mama.”

She
paused. “And things will be fine with Thomas, too. I think you
were right, Lizzie—it must all be a misunderstanding. That’s
the only explanation.”

I
felt tears prick my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to let her hug
me, to assure me that it would all be okay, that he loved me as much
as I had always thought, that stupid rumors and lies could never take
us down—

“Lizzie?”
I looked up to see Maria standing in the doorway. She looked calm and
steady, just like always.

“Is
she okay?” I asked, standing.

“She’s
doing great. But she’d like you to come in, if you don’t
mind.” She smiled a little. “Said she wants her girls.”

The
relief I felt at her words was mingled with a measure of fear. I’d
never been around childbirth before. “You may as well,”
Sofie said cheerily from my other side. “You need practice for
when you do it with me.”

“You,
too, Mama,” Maria added, and I took Mom’s hand to follow
her down the hall to Laura’s room.

She
was sitting up in bed, her hair plastered to her face. She looked
exhausted already, and she had barely started.

“Mama,”
she said, tears filling her eyes, and we both went to her. I held her
hand while my mom brushed the damp hair from her forehead. “Do
you guys mind?” Laura asked, her voice pleading. “I just
don’t think I can do this alone.”

I
met Maria’s eyes on the other side of the bed. She was nodding
encouragingly at me. “Of course, Laura.”

“Thank
you.” She relaxed back into her pillows. “Mama, I don’t
know how you did this five times. And with twins!”

“You’ll
do it, too,” my mom said, kissing her head. “You’ll
do wonderfully. We Medinas are strong woman.” She turned to
look at me, as if wanting to make sure I heard her words as well. I
nodded at her, a lump in my throat.

Then
Laura whimpered again, her body tensing up, and I tightened my hand
in hers. She needed me right now. She was about to bring a new member
of our family into the world—it was an honor that she wanted me
here for this. There was no room in my head or my heart to worry
about anything else, not even Thomas.

My
sister needed me, and this was exactly where I was meant to be.

***

“She’s
so gorgeous,” Sofie whispered, reaching out a finger to gently
rub over the baby’s soft cheek. “I can’t believe
how small she is.”

“Right?
Look at her fingernails.”

“They’re
like little slivers!”

“I
know!”

“Can
you guys stop gushing?” Laura asked, but I could hear the pride
in her voice. “You’re going to wake her up.

“Sorry,”
I said, lowering my voice. It was pretty hard not to gush—Maia
was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Well, as beautiful as my
other niece and nephew, of course. But I felt slightly more
proprietary over this one, considering I had watched her come into
the world.

Laura
had labored for only three hours before pushing. Another hour later
and little Maia was born—right into her daddy’s waiting
hands. Frank had arrived just before the pushing had started, but
Laura convinced the doctor to let all of us stay in the room for the
delivery. It had been messy and kind of disgusting, if I’m
honest. It had also been the most beautiful thing I’d ever
seen.

“You
think I’m going to be able to do it?” Sofie asked
quietly.

“Of
course you will,” I assured her, but she shook her head.

“I
don’t know. What if I’m not cut out for this, Lizzie?
What if I’m not strong enough?”

“There
were lots of times when Laura didn’t think she could do it,
either,” I pointed out. “But look at this gorgeous little
girl.”

“Laura
wasn’t alone though,” Sofie said, and the sadness in her
voice made my heart clench.

“You
won’t be, either. I’ll be right next to you the entire
time. I’m like an expert labor coach now.”

She
stared down at the baby for a long while before she nodded.

“You
should practice, Sof,” Laura called from the bed.

I
held the baby out. “You wanna hold her?”

Sofie
nodded. “Gimmee.” She took Maia from my arms and walked
slowly around the room, whispering and cooing at the baby. I moved to
Laura’s side and sat on the edge of the bed. “How you
feeling, Mama?”

“Pretty
good.” She certainly looked better than she had back at the
house. She was clearly tired, having stayed up most of the night in
labor, but she was also glowing in that way of someone whose every
dream has come true at the same time.

I
was about to comment on the baby’s surprising light hair when
there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Laura called,
and my Aunt and Uncle entered the room.

Shit.
Sofie hadn’t said more than ten words to her mother since
leaving the house all those months ago, and most of those had
occurred today at the shower. And now here they were, face to face.
The last thing Laura needed was an emotional confrontation and, based
on her reaction at the shower, Sofie’s mother was definitely
liable to break down at the slightest provocation.

“Oh,
Sofie,” her father breathed. “That’s going to be
you soon. You look perfect.” And he promptly burst into tears.

I
looked from Laura to Sofie’s dad, having no idea how to
respond. I had expected tears from my Tia, but Uncle Tomas rarely
cried. Sofie surprised me further by reaching her free hand out to
her father.

“Come
meet your new grandniece, Daddy.”

He
went to her side, wrapping an arm around her as he gazed down at the
baby. “I’m so sorry, Sofie. So sorry. We should have—”

“It’s
fine, Daddy,” she interrupted. “It’s all going to
be fine.”

“But
we—”

“Let’s
just enjoy the baby,” Sofie said. “We can work out all
the other stuff later.”

As
my Tia joined them, I had a feeling they would, too. There was just
something about seeing a new life come into the world that put things
into perspective. There were some things in this world that were just
more important than our silly arguments and hurt feelings. And
meeting a new member of your family for the very first time was one
of them.

By
the time I left the hospital, I was ready to sleep on my feet. My
father had insisted my brother Samuel drive me home. He’d been
able to nap in the waiting room while we girls stayed up with Laura
through her labor and was therefore much more rested than the rest of
us. I kissed the baby and my sister, promising them both I’d be
back as soon as I got a little sleep.

“You
should sleep, too,” I urged Laura, who was staring contentedly
at Maia’s little sleeping face. “Don’t they always
say that you should sleep while the baby sleeps?”

She
smiled up at me, her face the picture of serenity. “I’ve
waited a long time for this moment, little sister. I couldn’t
sleep now if I wanted to.”

Samuel
let me doze off in the car, for which I was grateful. I was far too
tired for conversation. I didn’t wake up until we pulled up in
front of the house. “We’re here, Lizzie,” he said,
shaking my shoulder gently.

“Thanks
for the ride, Sammy,” I mumbled, struggling to undo my seatbelt
with sleep clumsy fingers.

“We’ll
bring your car over later, okay?”

“Thomas
left his car here while he’s in London.” As soon as the
words were out of my mouth, I realized that it was the first time I
had mentioned him—the first time I’d really thought much
about him at all—since the previous evening.

“You
okay?” Sam asked quietly. “I don’t care if he’s
a rich and famous actor, I will still totally kick his ass if he
screws with you.”

I
patted his arm. “You’re a good brother, Sammy. I’ll
talk to you soon.”

I
climbed out of the car and fumbled with the alarm code on the garage,
my only way of getting into the house. My keys were with my phone,
back in my purse at Laura’s house. I probably should have asked
Sam to stop there first, but I was way too tired for the extra trip.
It took me three times to get it right, but I finally managed to get
the door open. I turned back to wave to my brother before heading
into the garage and in through the kitchen.

“Lizzie?”

I
screamed out loud and literally jumped into the air at the sound of
the voice in my supposedly empty house. “Thomas! You scared the
hell out of me!”

I
put my hand over my heart, feeling it thud hard in my chest.

“I’m
sorry,” he said, coming over to take my arm and lead me to a
barstool. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Take deep
breaths.”

I
realized that his voice was wary, his eyes darting around my face as
if trying to read me. I took a few deep breaths until my shock had
subsided. “What are you doing here?” I finally asked,
looking up at him. I felt like maybe I was still dreaming—it
was an odd sensation, to wake up in the car and then to come into the
house to see someone that was supposed to be on the other side of the
ocean.

“I
came as soon as I could,” he told me, his eyes still doing that
weird searching thing.

I
furrowed my brow. “For Laura? Thomas you didn’t need to
rush all the way here. The baby’s fine.”

“The
baby?” He looked as confused as I felt. On closer inspection,
his eyes were red and small, almost as if he had been crying.

“Are
you okay?” I asked, reaching for his face. His eyes widened in
shock, as if me touching him was the most unexpected thing I could
have done.

“Of
course I’m not okay,” he said, speaking slowly, like I
was missing something obvious. “I’ve been a wreck since
yesterday. Lizzie, you have to believe me, nothing happened. Franny
is a liar, I swear to God—”

“I
know that,” I said, shaking my head. I was missing something
here. Why had he come all the way home if it wasn’t because of
Laura?

“You
know?” he whispered. “Wait, you
believe
me?”

I
blinked, wondering what part of this we were misunderstanding. “Of
course I believe you. Why wouldn’t I believe you?”

Suddenly
he was crying, practically sobbing, his shoulders shaking. He buried
his face in his hands, leaving me to stare at him in shock and fear.
“What’s wrong?” I cried, reaching for him. “Thomas,
you’re scaring me.”

Then
he was taking me by the arms and pulling me close, burying his face
in my hair. “God, Lizzie, I’ve been a mess. When you
didn’t answer your phone…and then Heidi told me about
your conversation. And then I talked to Charlie, to see if Callie had
heard from you, and he said you were really upset—”

“Wait,”
I said, still struggling to get a handle on the situation. “Did
you come home because you thought I was mad?”

“Of
course I did! God, Lizzie, I thought you were leaving me.” He
tightened his arms around me. “I’m so sorry you had to
find out the way you did. I could kill Heidi for not calling you
straight away; it’s her job. And then to attack you like that—I
fired her, Lizzie, right away. And I’ll quit the movie and move
back here and—”

“Hang
on a second.” I disentangled his arms from my waist so I could
look at him. He appeared almost hysterical, tears still bright in his
eyes, his breathing ragged. “First of all, you are not quitting
the movie or moving back here. And you’re not firing Heidi—she
may have pissed me off, but she’s been a good agent for years.”

His
face tightened. “Lizzie—”

I
went on, ignoring him. “But we can talk about all of those
details later. First, let’s get something straight. Did you
honestly think I was leaving you because some bitch used you to get
some attention?”