Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) (6 page)

So why did she feel so nervous?

Was it some kind of premonition?

Some kind of sixth sense that something might go wrong?

Charity lay in bed going over notes she had made for tomorrow surgery when she heard the familiar sound of the garage door opening and Elijah’s car pulling in. She smiled, humored by the fact that she had grown accustomed to the weirdest noises. A minute later the garage door closed and he came in through the side entrance by the kitchen.

She checked her watch. Nearly eleven o’clock. She promised herself she would be settled down, lights out by midnight. Six AM would come too soon otherwise and her alarm would be annoying her ears, reminding her it was time to get going again. She had rounds at seven, the surgery at eight, her doctor’s appointment at ten… She forced herself to stop thinking about all the things going on tomorrow and just focus on rereading her notes from the last coronary artery bypass grafting she had done. This wouldn’t be the first time participating in one, but if Julie proved correct in her information about Dr. Fulton, Charity wanted to be prepared to fly solo if he asked her. It was a relatively standard procedure, and of all the rotations thus far she had done, cardiac surgeries seemed the most challenging and enjoyable.

“You’re still awake.” Elijah came into the room carrying a bottle of beer and a sandwich he must’ve thrown together. “Everything alright?”

She smiled and tossed the binder on the bedside stand next to her. “Couldn’t be better.” The sight of her beautiful husband made her want to throw him on the bed and ravish him.
Where did that come from?
She shrugged, unable to answer herself or understand why her inner needs suddenly shot up a couple of notches. She decided to just go with it and crawled on all fours when Elijah sat at the foot of the bed. She rubbed her lips gently against the back of his neck and then softly kissed his ear. He smelled of aftershave, deodorant and faintly of the hospital.
Mouth-watering.
“Did you shower before you left?” She thought she could smell soap mixed in with the other desirable scents.

“I did.” He leaned his head away from her so she could have better access to his neck.

Charity rested her hands on his shoulders and ran butterfly kisses toward his ear. She licked her lips and teasingly nibbled on his earlobe. When he groaned, she sat back, cross-legged on the bed.

He twisted his neck trying to see where she went.

She spoke when his eyebrows went up in question, “Eat your sandwich and finish your beer.” She pulled her shirt off revealing a black lace tank top she had found in her drawer today. It was starting to get tight near the bottom but thankfully the stretchy material and sexy floral lace pattern hid the tightness perfectly. “I’ll wait.”

Elijah’s eyes traveled hungrily over her, then to his sandwich and then back to her again. “I’m not so hungry for food anymore.” He guzzled the beer and set the empty bottle and sandwich plate on the dresser by the TV. He pulled his shirt off as he walked back to the bed.

Charity enjoyed the view of his strong, lean chest and muscular six-pack as his arms worked to get his head out. “You keeping your pants on?” She giggled and stretched out her legs as she leaned back against the soft duvet. Her belly dropped and seemed to disappear when she lay on her back. She was up for no bump tonight or just for the next hour. She giggled. She couldn’t picture herself as sexy pregnant mama-to-be. The two words, sexy and pregnant, didn’t seem to belong in a sentence together. The only problem, because of their busy schedule, they hardly had time alone together. It might also be the onslaught of hormones… or whatever excuse she could blame it on, she wanted Elijah all the time, kissing her, touching her, inside of her. All of it.

Elijah crawled across the bed like a prowling lion and hovered over top of Charity. The hunger in his eyes matched how she felt. He crushed his lips against hers and forced his tongue into her mouth.

It didn’t take much coercing. She met his fever, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his short hair. She wanted his hips pressing and rotating against hers. She didn’t like the space between them so she ran her hands down that hot skin of his back and pulled his hips toward her. He wouldn’t budge, keeping them high above her. She groaned in protest as his lips left hers and ravaged kisses along her jawline and neck creating a trail of desire as he moved toward her breasts.

She arched her hips and neck in animal response. “What are you trying to do to me?”

Elijah let out a low laugh.

His laugh was more intoxicating than any drink. She curled her hands into light fists against his chest and pushed him off her. Elijah fell beside her on his back in surprise. “What that—?”

She straddled him and ground her hips against him, taking pleasure in the reaction she got from inside his jeans. “You scared to lie on me?” She kept her hands on his chest even though he didn’t struggle or resist against her. “I’m pregnant, not fragile.”

“I know.” Elijah grinned, clearly enjoying himself. He trailed his fingers along the outside of her thighs and rested them on her hips, encouraging her to continue pressing against him. “I’m not going to hurt the baby.”

“You won’t.”

Elijah moved his hands and rested his arms behind his head. “Can’t we just fool around this way?”

“Sure, we can.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips, gently tugging on his lower one before sitting back up. “When you tell me why you’re scared to be on top.”

Elijah grinned. “Why did I know you were going to say that? You want the medical reason, Doctor Thompson-Bennet?” He winked. “Here it is, and please don’t tell me we aren’t going to have sex after I tell you why I’m uncomfortable. Your uterus is growing and it places pressure on your major blood vessels.”

“The vene cana.”

“Yes. It can become compressed. It supplies the blood from your body to your heart. I’m not going to constrict blood flow to you or the peanut inside of you. It can stress the fetus.”

“I thought that wasn’t a concern till the third trimester.”

Elijah shrugged. “Is it worth the risk?”

He was right. She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he had a good point. She decided to play the female wanting sex ticket. No guy would say no to that. Charity giggled. “Am I allowed on all fours?”

Elijah was licking his lips but paused when Charity spoke. “Pardon?” he said.

She grinned slyly. “Am I allowed on all fours?”

He swallowed. “Sure.”

“Good.” She crawled off him and stood up beside the bed, pulling her panties down as she waited for him. “You need to get your clothes off if you want to have sex.”

Elijah scrambled off the bed, ripping his shirt off in the process and then reaching for his pants.

Charity smiled. “Wasting no time, eh?”

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard. He drew his head back to grab a breath and at the same time said, “I don’t like to keep my woman waiting.”

She could feel his erection against her growing belly. It made her want him inside of her with such an intense desire she didn’t think she could wait. She moved to be closer to him. The edge of the mattress hit against the back of Elijah’s knees, dropping him into a sitting position on the bed.  Charity went down with him, in slow, controlled motion so she had time to envelop him with her legs.
Cowgirl position it is then
. She grinned wickedly.

The touch of his skin on her inner thighs made her shiver. She pulled her head away from his and stared into his bright blue eyes as she lowered herself onto him. She rubbed against the head of his erection, teasing and tormenting him with her wetness. It took every bit of her restraint, not to slide him fully inside of her.

When he moaned and closed his eyes, Charity stopped her movement.

“Look at me,” she ordered in a husky whisper. Her whole body trembled with desire. She was sure she had never been this horny before in her life.

Elijah’s eyes flickered open. They burned with intensity as he met her gaze. He pressed his lips together and spread his hands over her derrière. “You are killin’ me, woman.” He let out a shaky breath. “Please. Stop. Tormenting. Me.”

The pleading in his voice was her undoing. Her favorite part of sex was always the first stroke of Elijah’s penis entering her. It felt like the pinnacle before she was sent soaring.

She brought her weight forward onto her knees tucked tightly on each side of him and circled her hips down. In one luscious thrust, his penis slid hard and smoothly inside of her. Her eyes shut tightly as she let exotic sensations wash over her.

She lifted slightly, teasing Elijah with a few shallow thrusts so he only entered her an inch or two. It was too much for either of them. She enveloped him completely, rotating her hips hard against his. He responded accordingly. Matching her movement, lifting his hips off the bed, his abs tight, as he struggled to control himself.

Slower… Harder… Deeper… Faster… They varied their motion until neither could stop the rhythm and it built to a firework climax. Charity cried out and ground herself tighter against him, trying to get every inch of him inside of her. Elijah shuddered and pulled out slightly before one last hard thrust as he came. He bit lightly into her shoulder as he fought to stop himself from crying out.

They lay against each other, wet from sweat and both of them panting.

“So I guess me being on all fours was a no?” she teased.

Elijah fell back, cradling Charity so she lay on her side on top of him. “Give me ten minutes and you can have it your way.”

She giggled and yawned. “How ‘bout we just chill here a bit?”

He kissed the top of her head. “I’m good with that too.” He pulled the duvet from the side of the bed and folded them inside of it like a taco. Charity thought of a funny comment to make about it and when Elijah didn’t laugh, she realized she hadn’t said the thought out loud. The moment had passed and she was perfectly sated and too tired to even make the effort to talk.

I love you, and your incredible body, to the moon and back.

Charity knew she was dreaming but it didn’t stop the delusion from continuing. She had just given birth to quintuplets and Dr. Govender stood at the end of the birthing table with a needle as long and thick as an arm sewing her up. He was trying to tell her that there were more fertilized embryos and they would be ready in about two months. She needed to rest in the meantime to prepare to give birth again.

She had no idea if she would sleep again with quintuplets. How could she manage to feed, burp, change their diapers, do laundry, entertain them and still finish her residence? Her father refused to help her, saying he had important manly stuff to do with Elijah, and her mother-in-law came from New Zealand with little birds. She set their nests up in Charity’s house to let hundreds of eggs hatch. She even suggested Charity carry a few to help the birds out. Margaret came into the birthing room carrying eggs and asking Dr. Govender to hold off sewing Charity all the way, she just wanted to add them in too.

Charity woke in a cold sweat. She sat up and pulled the elastic band off her wrist she always kept handy and stuck her damp hair into a pony to keep it off her neck. Dr. Govender had mentioned last time that she might start having some zany dreams and not to worry, it was normal to feel a little anxious.

Little anxious? My ass!

She grabbed a long drink from the water bottle on her nightstand and curved around Elijah’s warm, naked body. She debated about waking him up but decided against it. They both needed whatever sleep they could get, wacky dreams or not.

She went over tomorrow’s procedure in her head and it didn’t take long before she drifted off to sleep again.

Charity stirred when she felt the bed weight shift as Elijah got up. She inhaled and exhaled long and slowly through her nose and then squinted as she glanced at the indiglo from her wristwatch. Five thirty. She rolled over to Elijah’s warm spot and snuggled deeper under the duvet.
Five more minutes, that’s all I need.
  As she drifted off again, she heard Elijah turn the shower on.
I’ll get up as soon as he’s done.

It felt like only a second later when Elijah’s warm breath teased her ear. “Hey sexy, did you want me to make you some breakfast before I go?”

She turned her head to kiss his soft lips and sighed. “What time do you have to be in? Maybe we can drive in together.”

“I want to be there before six-thirty.”

Charity rolled onto her back and leaned up on her elbows. “I have to be in for seven. It won’t hurt if I’m a bit early. It’s going to be a crazy, busy day. I have Dr. Govender’s appointment, your mom’s arriving and my dad is planning on coming over for dinner. Maybe we should just do dinner at his place. Order take-out?”

Elijah slapped his forehead. “I completely forgot!”

Charity swung her legs over the side of the bed. “About your mother arriving?”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “She wouldn’t let me forget that. I cleared my afternoon and rotated all my surgeries to the morning so I won’t be late picking her up. I meant I forgot about Dr. Govender’s appointment.”

“You’re going to pick your mother up?”

“Of course.” Elijah stared at her, his eyebrows pressed together as he tilted his head. “Were you planning on it?”

She shook her head. “I wish. We could go together then. But no, my dad offered to pick her up so I sent him all the flight details.”

Elijah shrugged. “That’s even better.”

“Then you can make dinner for tonight if you’re not working.”

He laughed. “Let’s go with take-out. Maybe Thai, again?” He pointed to her tummy. “The peanut seems to like it.”

“So do my hips.” She shook them and pretended to dance like a genie just out of a bottle.

Elijah watched, clearly enjoying it. “What time is Dr. Govender’s appointment?”

“Ten.”

“I have back to back surgeries all morning. If I finish one early, I can make it.” He chewed his lip. “It’s going to be tight. My first surgery is the big one and then I booked two quick ones that’ll take about an hour each.”

Charity waved her hand. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I missed my eighteen weeks appointment last week so I don’t want to change this one. I’m midway through the second trimester. It’s nothing to get excited over.”

“It’s all exciting!”

She saluted him, still in her lace tank top and black panties. “I promise to give you a full report. I can set my cell to record and hide it to tape the entire appointment – if you want.”

“I’m sure we’ll be looking for a new OB if Dr. Govender finds out. He’s the best in the city. I don’t want to piss him off.” He walked over to his dresser and stepped into a pair of jeans. “If I finish on time and can swing it, I’ll come by.”

Charity didn’t reply, she was too busy enjoying watching him dress.

“Are you still feeling nauseated? If you are, you should mention it to Govender. He can subscribe some diclectin if you need it.”

“It’s pretty much gone. I’ve had it once or twice this month when I forget to eat. Baby’s just reminding me it needs fuel. Other than that it disappeared when I started taking the B-six vitamins with my prenatal. Touch wood it stays away.”

“If it doesn’t, let Govender know.”

“I will.” She turned and headed for the shower. “By the way, I forgot to tell you this last night,” she said and grinned slyly. “Someone distracted me.” She winked at him. “I think I’ve been feeling the baby.”

Elijah looked up, his hand stuck into the armholes of his shirt, he held it there not putting it on. “Really?”

“I’m pretty sure. At first I thought it was just bubbles or something from eating. It’s hard to tell because I’m not really ever sitting still long enough.”

He slipped his shirt on and came over, placing his warm hand on her belly. “What’s it feel like?”

“Little swirls and twirls inside my stomach.” She joked, “He’s dancing and spinning inside me. Like a teeny tiny little gymnast.”

“He?” Elijah’s eyebrows rose.

“Or she. I keep thinking of him as he.”

He stared at her. “You haven’t found out the baby’s sex have you?”

She playfully slapped his hand away. “Of course not! You were at the last appointment. I think it’s my twenty week where we can find out the sex if we want to.”

“You missed last week’s appointment?”

She nodded.

“Have you set up your eighteen-week ultrasound?”

She shook her head. “No. I was going to book it last week. Everything is going well, just been so busy.” She didn’t want him to worry or think she didn’t care. She double-checked everything with Dr. Govender and he was pretty straight forward if she needed to come in. If the doctor wasn’t worried, they didn’t need to be either.

“Book the ultrasound today. We can find out the gender then.”

“Oh! Right. I forgot.” She had her head in too many medical books and journals. She needed a turn on the prenatal floor. It might help. “Do you want to find out?”

Elijah shrugged. “If you want to…”

She laughed and tossed a towel at him. “I’m game. I don’t mind either way. If you want to know, so do I. It might be fun to find out while your mom is here.”

He grinned and came over to kiss her. “Then we’ll do it for my mother.”

“For your mother.” She checked her watch. “Now I gotta jump in the shower or I’ll make you late.” She gently pushed him toward the kitchen. “I’m feeling like some bacon and toast. Think you can do that for me?”

“For you? Anything!” He let her go.

She showered quickly and towel dried her hair before stuffing it into a bun. She could blow dry it later if she had time. She hurried into the bedroom after putting some mascara on. “Thank goodness for stretchy hospital pants,” she murmured to herself. She hadn’t had to buy maternity clothes yet because the elastic and baggy style of uniform. She needed to find some time to go shopping, or maybe order online. She didn’t plan on going out to dinner with her dad, mother-in-law and Elijah wearing hospital clothes. She’d have to go through her closet later and see if there was anything practical.

Elijah came in carrying a deliciously smelling BLT. “What’s up?”

“My ever-expanding waist and widening hips. I need to buy some clothes while your mom’s here.”

“That’s fine, but your body hasn’t changed.”

She shot him a look.

“Okay,
barely
changed. Nobody at the hospital knows you are pregnant. I can’t see anything except for this tiny bump forming in the front. No one can tell from the back, or directly from the front. Maybe they might think something if you’re wearing a tight fitting dress and you turn sideways. You look fabulous. Pregnancy looks good on you. Exquisite.” He handed her the plate. “Now eat so we can go.” He winked at her again. “Duty calls.”

She bit into the sandwich, grabbed her backpack and followed him into the living room. “This is the best sandwich I’ve ever had!”

The early morning flew at the hospital as Charity did rounds with Dr. Fulton and then prepped for surgery. She rushed to make her ten o’clock appointment, knowing she was already five minutes late. Elijah had sent a text to say he was still in surgery so he wouldn’t be able to make it.

Slightly out of breath from taking the stairs, she stepped into Dr. Govender’s office and smiled at the receptionist. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“No problem. Have a seat.” The receptionist pulled Charity’s chart from the file. “Actually you can go on into room three. It’s open.” She handed Charity her file. “Just put it on the outside door sleeve before you go in.”

Charity nodded and headed down the small hall to the last room on the right. She glanced back to see the receptionist with her back to Charity as she picked up the phone and worked on her computer. Charity opened her file and read over the notes Dr. Govender had made. Her weight was slightly under the norm, but everything appeared entirely normal. She closed it and quickly hung it into the plastic holder on the door before stepping inside.

She settled on the patient table and swung her legs as she waited. The surgery this morning had gone well. She went over everything they had done and tried to embed it into her memory.

The door opened and the tall, heavyset South African-born doctor stepped in. “Good morning, Charity! How are my two patients doing today?”

“Good!”

He glanced at her chart. “So you are about nineteen weeks now? Still on the honeymoon.”

“Pardon?” Charity and Elijah had arrived back from New Zealand months and months ago. Did he know that?

“The span of week thirteen to twenty-seven is known as the ‘honeymoon period’. Typically the nausea subsides, your emotions begin to smooth out, even your sex drive returns.” He chuckled. “Some women say even more so. Don’t be surprised if that happens. During the fourth or fifth month, your body starts manufacturing estrogen in overdrive. The ovaries produce as much in a single day as a non-pregnant woman’s ovaries do in three years! Now that the nausea and fatigue tapers off, you’ll notice it more.” He carried on like it was no big deal. “Have you started to feel the baby’s first movements?”

“I think so.”

“You probably have but haven’t really noticed it. We refer to it as quickening. You were here just at twelve weeks and missed your sixteen-week appointment, and then rescheduled for last week, which you missed again.” He smiled at her. “It’s a good thing I know your husband and your father.”

Charity swallowed. “You haven’t said anything to my father have you?”

Dr. Govender blinked in surprise. “Is the baby a secret?”

“No, we are just waiting for Elijah’s mother to arrive from New Zealand, today actually, and then we are planning on telling them together.”

He patted her knee. “Let’s get your blood pressure, then weigh you and then we can measure your stomach.”

Charity held out her left arm for the cuff. Then jumped off the table and stepped onto the scale.

Dr. Govender recorded her blood pressure and weight. “Let’s get you back against the raised part of the table here and get your measurements and baby’s heart rate. I have not said anything to your father. Your secret is safe for now.” He poured some gel on her belly when she lifted her shirt. “However, that belly of yours isn’t going to be able to keep a secret much longer. It’s going to start popping out.”

A wush-wish sound that filled the room was magic to Charity’s ear. She grinned and felt the smile widen.

Dr. Govender showed her the little screen to show her the baby’s heartbeat. “Healthy and stable. The little babe is doing fantastic.” He handed her some paper towel to wipe her belly. “We’re finished here. Everything is great. When you see Sarah, you need to book a twenty-week ultrasound since we missed last week. We’ll rule out any issues and go over everything we need to.” He went over a list of things that the ultrasound technician would measure and check. Charity understood most of it and didn’t need to ask any questions. She and Elijah had decided to not run any extra tests to confirm anything else. If something showed up on the ultrasound, they would deal with it then.