Thorneless (Rose of Thorne Series) (18 page)

8 Weeks Later

Lucas

I am not a patient man;
so to say how miserable I have been the past eight weeks is an understatement. Skylar doesn’t know it, but I have kept up with her through Kylie almost every week.  She is lucky I don’t call multiple times daily as desperate as I am to see her again.  In our last conversation, Kylie had informed me that Skylar was now doing some contract work again for the Japanese billionaire that she had worked for last year.  She is designing an addition on to his new L.A. resort that has apparently been a huge Hollywood hotspot.  

Then
I told Kylie that I would be coming to Los Angeles on business this week.  I had hated to lie to her, but I guess if you consider that I believe Skylar to be my business, then I am not lying at all.  She is just as important an investment as any of the wealthy people I work for.  

I watch the runway as w
e make our landing and smile.  How ironic that Los Angeles is the known as the City of Angels and it is true in my case. My angel is here.  I won’t lie. I don’t know how she is going to handle seeing me, especially after all of these weeks, but I can’t sit back waiting on her to return.

I switch on my phone as the plane stills on the tarmac and a message from Kylie instantly pops up.

KYLIE:  Just texting you to let you know my address is 622 Jackson Street.

KYLIE: I am not responsible for damages you will receive, but I am responsible for the damages that may occur to my place. So just remember that!

I laugh at her last comment.  She is possibly right, though I don’t know how Skylar is going to react to me just showing up on her doorstep.

ME:
 I just landed.  Need to rent a car and then I will be heading to your place.  Is she there?

KYLIE:
 She is home working today. She’s been sick for the past week with an awful cold.  Her stubborn ass won’t let me take her to the doctor. Try to talk some sense into her please!

ME: I’ll try!
 Thanks again!

I hurry and retrieve my only bag from the baggage claim and then sign for my rental car.
 I toss my bag into the back seat and enter in the address into the navigation system that Kylie had given me.  Even after hitting the freeway, it still takes me a good hour to make the short nine mile drive to her condo.   
I hate L.A.!

Once I arrive at the destination, I ease up and park the Audi on the side of the road and make my way up to the front door.
 A small brown puppy is attached to a long blue leash and is yelping happily at my approach. In the dogs excitement, it manages to turn the inside knob and open the door. I frown at the fact she had not had the door secured. After everything that has happened to her, you would think she would not be so careless especially living in a city like this.   I inch cautiously forward and can hear Skylar coughing inside.  

“Alright
, Bella. I’ll be there in just a…,” but then she breaks into another long coughing spell.  Immediately I become anxious, so I pick up the puppy and walk towards the door. The excited little pup begins playfully licking my face as I walk inside.  I look around the apartment for her but don’t see her. Not wanting to frighten her,  I stand here for minute or two because I am unsure of how to announce myself being here.  Carefully, I sit the eager puppy down and follow him into the adjoining room.  Instantly it runs to the couch and begins yelping loudly. I turn the corner and then spot Skylar’s hand hanging off the couch, almost touching the floor. The puppy begins playfully licking her hand and I watch as she weakly moves her arm.  Confused as to how the dog got in, she tries to sit up and then I see her fall back against the pillow.  

“
Bella, how did you?” She begins and then she spots me standing there in the room.  

She tries to sit up again, but I see then how weak that she truly is and I grow immediately concerned.

Her face is extremely pale and her beautiful eyes are sunken in her head trimmed with deep dark circles underneath.  Her nose is bright red and looks raw from her runny nose. When she throws back the covers, I nearly gasp at how much weight she has lost.  

“What are you doing her
e?” She tries to ask me, but then another coughing spell overtakes her, so I interject.

“Christ
, Skylar! Why haven’t you been to a doctor?  How much weight have you lost?” I throw question after question at her.

She sneezes and then blows her nose.
 The puppy jumps at the new tissue and excitedly begins shredding it on her lap.

“I’ll get Kylie to take me tomorrow, Lucas. I have been fighting this cold for a wh
ile now and haven’t slept or eaten that much.  I really haven’t lost that much, “ she says.  I know she is either lying or is just blind. She has lost a very obvious fifteen pounds or better.

“I’m here now so let me take you to the doctor,” I offer and move closer, but she holds up her hand in protest.
 

“No, don’t get too close. I don’t want you to catch it. I may have the flu or something,” she continues.

“Fuck, Skylar!  I couldn’t give a shit about getting sick. You need to see a doctor,” I insist.

“Lucas, I’m fine! See?” S
he says as begins to stand and then I watch her determined eyes glass over and her knees give way.  She falls before I can get to her and lands in between the couch and just barely misses the table.  

“Angel!
” I yell as I make my way past the barking little pup to get to her. “Skylar?” I call loudly and brush back her damp curls from her face.  Her forehead is burning up.  I don’t think I have ever felt skin this hot before.  She mumbles as she tries to open her eyes, but she is too weak and can’t.  Scooping her up and the blanket with her, I shove the dog out of the way with my foot and take her to my car.  

Once she is secure, I hit the emergency location button the GPS and it begins giving me directions to the nearest hospital.
 She is shivering from her fever and even though it is almost eighty degrees outside, I crank up the heat in the car and tuck the blanket around her.  Speeding through traffic, I take the next instructed exit while dialing Kylie. Thankfully she answers the phone.

“So how bad is my apartment or are you
calling because she hurt you?” She jokes and I cut her off.

“She collapsed on me Kylie. She is burning up with fever, so I am taking her to the emergency room closest to y
our place. I am almost there,” I instruct.

“Fuck! I knew I should have stayed home and made her go to the doctor!
 Keck Hospital is the nearest to my house. I am on my way right now!” She yells. I end the call and drop the phone in my lap.

“Skylar? Sweetheart
, we are almost there,” I softly say as I brush her cheek.

Damn it! She feels even hotter than before. How is that possible?

I pull straight up to the emergency entrance and ignore the waving guard that is coming my way. I lift her out of the car, just as he approaches.

“Sir! You will have to move your car or it will be towed and you will be heavily fined.
 SIR!  Did you hear me?” He screams. Angrily, I turn around with her in my arms and he stops.  

“You can fucking move it yourself or call and have it towed.
 I don’t fucking care.  Right now she is all that matters,” I say and then turn to go inside the automatic doors.  

A lady at the emergency desk sees me carrying Skylar in and yells for the nurse down the hall.
 A tall older nurse quickly approaches me and directs me to a small examining room, where I lay Skylar on the small table.

She looks so weak and even paler in this light.
 Nervously, I run my hands through my hair and ignore the buzzing in my pocket.  
No doubt it is Kylie calling me wondering about her best friend.  

“Is she going to be alright?” I anxiously ask the quiet nurse.

“Shhh. I’m checking her vitals right now.  Her blood pressure is low and so is her pulse.  Her breathing doesn’t sound good and I’m sure the doctor will want to run some tests and scans on her lungs.” I nod at her words and continue staring at Skylar as she lies there.

“I’m going to call the doctor on in here. Why don’t you go on back out to the front desk and fill out her paperwork so we can get her in the computer.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” I refuse as I grab for Skylar’s hand.  Her hand surprisingly feels so cold and clammy that I grow sick at my stomach with worry.

“I know you are worried, sir, but the hospital needs to have the information.”

“If it is a matter of payment, there is no concern.  I’ll donate a whole fucking wing on this place and name it after you.  Just go get the doctor for her please.”

The nurse shakes her head at me and leaves the room.
 

Skylar mumbles a few words that I can’t understand and then falls back asleep.

A few minutes later, the nurse returns with a clipboard and pen.  

“Here you go. Just fill these out the best you can.
 We need to know a medical history on her.  Do you know her well enough to know if she has any allergies?” she asks.

I nod and answer her. “She doesn’t have any that I am aware of.”

“Good.  Just fill those out and the doctor will be right in. “

I drag a chair near where she is laying and begin filling out the paperwork.
 It is amazing how much, yet how little I know about her.  I fill it out the best I can and it isn’t long before the doctor comes in.

After he examines her, he seems concerned about her breathing so he orders some scans of her chest and some other routine things he says.
 His first concern was getting her fever down below the 105 degrees that she had.  I watch as the hospital aid moves her onto a transport stretcher and I am forced against my will to the waiting room outside.

Kylie is already waiting there and runs to me when she sees me.

“How is she?” She asks anxiously and I tell her all I know.  

“I should have taken her to the doctor yesterday.
 She was sleeping when I left this morning and I didn’t want to bother her,” Kylie says as she continues blaming herself.

I hug her and pat her back.
 “She is stubborn, Kylie, you know that. Don’t worry, she is going to be fine.” I try to assure her and myself at the same time.

We wait for another hour before we are told that the doctor wanted to admit her.
 When she and I reached her room, we found Skylar peacefully sleeping while a nurse checked her vitals again.  

“Her fever is still up, and the doctor is waiting on a few more tests to come in.
 He should be by in a bit on his rounds and will talk to you then,” she explains.  

We both sit in the room for a while before Kylie breaks the silence.

“Someone needs to call Sophie,” she says and I nod in agreement.

“I’ll call her,” I reply remembering I still had her number in my phone.
 I kissed Skylar on the forehead and then made my way outside to call.  

“No cell phones are allowed on this floor sir. Please take it down to the lounge if you need to make a call,“ a bitchy nurse scolds me.
 I roll my eyes and take the elevator downstairs.  I just hope the doctor doesn’t come by before I make it back.

Skylar

I feel a soft hand stroking my hair and waken to my best friend’s smiling concerned face. At first I am confused as to where I am, but my coughing spell reminds me of how shitty I feel.  

“Hey
, there. How is my favorite bitch feeling?” Kylie asks me and I laugh, which turns into another coughing fit.

“How does she look like she is feeling?” I return.

“She looks like fucking hell, but that isn’t anything I can’t fix.” She says and winks.

“I don’t care how I look Kylie, so put away the makeover ideas in your head. I am hopeless.”

“What if you have a hot visitor or doctor walk in? Do you really want him to see you like this? Better yet, do I want him to see you like this?” She jokes and I shake my head at her and force a smile.

“I must be pretty sick. I even imagined Lucas was here.
 That tells you how high my fever must have gotten.”

“Um..nope. Actually, that isn’t your fever.
 He is here.”

“What? Why?”

“He said he was out here on business, but I suspect he just wants to see you.  You have been hiding away for long enough you know? It is time.”

“Kylie, you know I can’t. I’m not ready.”

“Look here, hussy, I...” Kylie begins as the door opens followed by a deep voice clearing his throat.

“Ms. Rose? I’m Dr. Wilson. It seems you gave everyone quite the
scare when they brought you in,” he says and smiles a warm genuine smile at me.  “Do we need to wait on your husband?” He asks and my eyes grow large as I gape at my best friend with the matching expression on her face.

“No, he isn’t my husband. He is just a friend from out of town,” I explain and he nods his head.

“Well, first of all Ms. Rose, you are extremely dehydrated and we are pushing fluids in you to help remedy you of that.  I’m afraid that your scans also indicated that you have a pretty nasty case of pneumonia so we will be adding some antibiotics to your IV.” He continues as he studies my chart closer and then looks back and me to remove his glasses. He tucks my chart under his arm and crosses his arms as he bites on the tip of his glasses. “I’m afraid this fever of yours is what is concerning me most right now. We need to keep it below 100 degrees if at all possible considering your condition.”  

“What do you mean
‘condition,’ doctor?  I thought having pneumonia is any reason to run a temperature,” Kylie chimes in.

“Ms. Rose, your blood work indicates that you are pregnant.”

“What?” I whisper softly in shock and feel Kylie grip my hand hard.  I close my eyes and lay my head back against the pillow to turn and look away from them. I don’t want them to see me cry. These should be happy tears, but they aren’t.  When I open my eyes, I lock gaze with a stunned Lucas standing in the doorway holding his phone for dear life.  

“Lucas,” I call softly but he doesn’t come to me.
 And for the first time in a year, I am left alone to deal with this mess I call my life.

Lucas

Pregnant? She can’t be pregnant. Not now!  It’s not the fact that she is actually carrying a child, it’s that it is his.  It should be mine.  Angrily, I storm out of the hospital and keep walking down the street.  As I walk, everything rages through my head. I feel drunk on the thoughts and memories flying around up there.  

I had forgiven her for sleeping with him. That part, believe it or not, had been very simple.
 This however destroys the meaning of simple; this is anything but that.  A baby with Sebastian means he will always have a tie into her life. I can’t deal with that.  I don’t need any reason for him to be a part of her life. I’m not heartless; of course, I know it sounds that way.  Every man should know about his child, but he doesn’t deserve her. I can’t watch him destroy her or this innocent baby’s life. For Skylar and I to be together, he has to be completely out of the picture.  No, this definitely isn’t fucking going to work.

The daylight soon turns to dusk and I hear the laughter of children as I approach a nearby neighborhood park.
 I look around and realize that I have walked so far that there is not even any indication that I am in the city anymore.  Tall trees surround me and the lush green park hides the tall skyscrapers in the distance.
Shit! How far did I walk
? I lean over the metal railing and watch as a young father pushes his little boy higher in the swing.  I remember when my parents used to do that to me.  I smile at the exchange and then I glance over to see a young couple chasing their daughter around the tall slide.  Her cheerful shrills make me laugh out loud and for a moment forget why I am even here.

I glance back over at the couple with the little girl and see the love in their eyes.
 I want that with Skylar. I want that more than anything.  There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.  I love her. It doesn’t matter if that baby is a part of Sebastian; it is also a part of her.  I will love it with everything in me just as I do its mom.   I think maybe part of me already does, believe it or not.  

What am I doing? She needs me right now and here I am sulking in a fucking park.

I know finding out she is pregnant is the last thing she expected after everything she has been through. I should be there facing this with her, but instead I tucked my tail in and ran.  I am a fucking idiot and the biggest son of a bitch on the planet.  Checking my watch, I notice I have been gone for over three hours.  I turn around and begin jogging toward the direction I had come from.  I have to make this right.

Skylar

It is a little uncomfortable when the technician slides the ultrasound wand inside me, but I forget about all of that when I hear it…that beautiful wonderful sound of hearing our child’s heartbeat for the first time.

 “Sounds perfect,” the technician says as she moves the wand around to check things out. I watch the monitor beside me and feel Kylie take a deep breath and hold it in.  

“There it is. Can you see it?” the technician asks as she points to tiny image on the screen.

“I see it! Look!!” Kylie shouts excitedly.

I watch as the tiny movement of a tiny heart beating on the screen.

My child…our child is growing inside me.

The technician takes measurements and then indicates that I am about eight weeks along.
 I hear the machine printing beside me, but I can’t take my eyes off the screen. Tears fill my eyes.

So beautiful.
 It’s ours.

Once the lady is done, she gently removes the wand and hands me some tissue to clean up. Already I miss seeing the little bean shape
d image on the screen.  Before she leaves, the technician hands me a long printout of pictures and wishes me luck. I force a smile back at her and then she exits, pushing the machine out with her.

Kylie still hasn’t spoken and I am glad.
 I just keep tracing the baby’s image with my finger and smile.  

I am already completely in love with you
.
There is nothing I won’t do to protect you.  

Kylie takes my hand back into hers.
 

“You know we’ve got this right? I’ll help you Sky. You a
ren’t alone. We don’t need them,” she says and I nod.

“I know Kyles. I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.
 Twenty four hours ago, I thought I had my life better planned, but I just got thrown the biggest damn curve ball in history.”

“You are keeping this baby, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I am keeping this baby! I don’t know what in the hell I am going to do, but there is no way I am getting rid of it!”

“I thought you were on birth control,” she adds and realization hits me.

“When I had gone back for my things, I never packed my bag with my medicine.  I was going to just start a new pack after my period came, but it never did.“ I explain before bursting into tears.

“Oh Kylie, what am I going to do?
 I can’t tell him. I don’t want him to know that this baby is his. “

“Then don’t tell him,“
Lucas’ voice interrupts us.  He stands there still in his clothes from yesterday holding a huge armful of beautiful daisies.  

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kylie steps away from me and charges toward a shy Lucas.

“I’m here to talk to Skylar.”

“Get the fuck out of here! She doesn’t need you.
 How could you fucking leave her in the middle of all of this? I thought you loved her! You are such a prick!

“I’m so sorry, Skylar.
 Please, I was just in shock. I should have never left you,” he begs over her shoulder.

“Damn straight you should have never left! Now GET OUT!” Kylie screams and Lucas shoots her a hard glare, but he remains in place.

“Give us a minute, Kylie,” I say weakly.  Lucas turns his glare to a soft look as he moves his eyes from hers to meet mine. He is pleading his bleeding soul to me through that look.  

“Fine! But I am fucking standing outside the door. You get her upset and you will need an emergency r
oom when I get done with you!” She says as she throws up her hands in the air and then walks out the door.

I love my best friend so damn much.
 She has always been my strength, but the man standing before me has done so much for me.  
Can I really let him go?  
I touch my hand to my stomach. Everything is so different now.  The choices I need to make are even more unbearable than before.  

Lucas grabs my hand and pulls me out of my thoughts.
 

“Everything is different now, but nothing for me has changed.
 I love you. I will always love you,” he says softly as he places his hand on my stomach and leans in to me. His warm soft hand gently caresses my stomach over my hospital gown.  The tender look of love in his eyes steals my breath.

“This is a part of you now and it can also be a part of us.
 He will never have to know, Skylar.  I will take care of you and love you both with everything in me.  Let me love you.  We can be a family.”

“I don’t know
, Lucas.  I…”

H
e interrupts me by lifting my hand to his lips and kissing my fingertips.  “You don’t have to know right now. No one is asking for a decision.  Right now you just need to concentrate on getting better.  I’m going to let you rest while I try to go make arrangements to stay in L.A. for a while.”