Chapter 32

32

W here am I?

My eyes open, and it's bright, too bright. My hands come up to shield myself from the overbearing light.

"Aelina, are you all right?"

"Hunter? Is that you?" The pain in my head forces me to close my eyes.

"Yes, it's me." Warm lips press against my forehead, and my body jerks a little.

"Are we in a car?" I whisper.

"We're in an ambulance. You hit your head when Landon pushed you out of the way."

I peek through my eyelashes. Hunter only wears his white shirt and suit pants, a torn expression on his face.

"Where's Landon? Is he all right?"

His hand rubs nervously against his chest, his eyes meet mine, and I know something is wrong. "He was shot. He took the bullet that was meant for you. He's in critical condition, but we're heading to the same hospital as him, so we'll know more soon."

One of my arms drops to my stomach. Landon took a bullet for me. My face screws up, and the burning behind my eyelids is too much. Tears well, then slide down my face, pooling into my hair. "Hunter—"

"Miss," someone interrupts. "Do you have any medical conditions we should know about? Are you allergic to any medication?"

I shake my head. "No."

"Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" the paramedic asks.

I bite my bottom lip, frightened to give my response. "I am pregnant," I finally answer.

"What?" Hunter roars, and my stomach twists itself into a million knots.

Finally, the brightness doesn't hurt my eyes, and I look up at Hunter. A wild expression is on his face as he runs his hand through his hair.

"Do you know how far along you are?" the paramedic asks.

I shake my head. "No. I found out a couple of days ago. I think it's early, maybe five or so weeks?" My voice shakes as I speak.

I want Hunter to comfort me. To hold my hand, assure me that everything is going to be all right, and there is nothing wrong with our baby.

What if the fall I took...

I stop myself from that train of thought. I don't want to think that our baby may be gone already.

I place a hand over my scrunched eyes, and a warm hand wraps around the one I have placed on my stomach. Hunter's forehead presses against mine.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispers.

"Because you wouldn't have let me come tonight. I needed to save my mother. I don't have much family left." My voice cracks.

"You're right about that. There's no way you would have stepped foot in the door to that place tonight. I would have found a way to get your mother out." His lips press against my cheek. "I was worried I'd lost you. It was like Landon had a sixth sense and stepped in. I owe him my life."

I pull my hand away, Hunter's face hovering over mine. Tears shine on his cheeks. "Landon knew about my pregnancy," I say softly.

Hunter snaps upright. "You told him but not me?" he questions accusingly.

"He found out the night he followed me into the city. He saw me purchase the test. I'm so sorry, Hunter. I was going to tell you earlier, but everything was happening so fast."

Hunter opens his mouth to respond when the paramedic interrupts us. "Excuse me, we're about to pull into the emergency entrance. We'll get you booked in and checked out with the doctor." His soft eyes hold my gaze.

I nod, and Hunter sits upright, not looking at me. My chest aches. I need him.

"Can you tell me how the guy is who was shot?" Hunter asks before the back doors swing open.

"I'm not sure. I heard he was critical. He might be in surgery right now." The paramedic jumps out of the ambulance and starts rattling off my stats to the doctors who have come to meet the ambulance.

The bed is pulled out, and I look around, panic slowly creeping through my veins. Hunter, where are you?

"I'm right here." Hunter's low words come from behind me. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment.

He's here.

Everything will be all right.

He's most likely processing the news.

I'm put into a bay, and the doctors attach me to new machines, showing my heart rate is elevated. I have to calm down.

A female doctor comes toward me. "Good evening, Miss Redmont. Your chart says you're pregnant. Do you know how far along?" She places my folder on the bedside table, taking her stethoscope from around her neck. She presses it against the red satin of the dress, which now has a broken strap.

"Um...I'm only about five or six weeks, I think. I only did the test a couple of days ago." I glance at Hunter, and his haunting stare frightens me. What is he thinking?

"Lean forward, please."

I do as I'm asked. My body doesn't ache. I feel good, given that I knocked myself out on a wooden floor.

The doctor steps back. "All right, your chest sounds good. We're going to take some blood, and we won't do an ultrasound just yet. When you're five weeks, things are still really early. If you're not bleeding, that's a good sign. I'll give you the name of an OBGYN you can call to get one done in about two weeks."

I nod as she speaks, noting I haven't felt any dampness in my underwear, so I guess that's a good sign.

"Thank you, doctor. Can you tell me about a patient who came in with a bullet wound?" Hunter asks.

Her eyes narrow at Hunter, then drop to me. "Your friend is in surgery at the moment. I'm sorry I don't have any more news. You should know the police are on their way here. It's policy to report all gunshot wounds." She picks up my chart and scribbles something on it. Then she reaches into her coat, produces a card, and hands it to me. "This is the doctor. She is lovely and will assist you with your pregnancy."

"Thank you so much," I say with a weak smile.

"The nurse will be here shortly to take your blood."

"Okay," I say.

Silence falls between Hunter and me. I clear my throat. "How are my mother and father? What happened when I blacked out? I remember gunshots." I hope no one else was injured.

Hunter clears his throat. "So your father went and shot mine."

"I remember that."

"Well, after that, Ezra lost his mind and went straight for you. He shot, but then Landon intervened, pushing you out of the way. Levi shot Ezra, and Thomas got away."

"Got away? Even after being shot?" Is the man invincible?

"Yes. His henchman came and took him away. He's got friends who are doctors who will help him. But he's out. He won't be running things from now on. I can see why my mother left him all those years ago, but he'd made her stick around for show. To keep the face of the family appear secure."

"What do you mean? You've not mentioned your mother before."

"I didn't want to include her. I told her to stay away last night, and I'm so glad she did, or she would have been forced to go with my father."

What horrible man does that to his wife?

"Don't worry. She's safe and will be kept in a safe house from now on."

"Oh, that's good." He's never mentioned his mother before. Given the situation, perhaps he feels he needs to give me all the details now. "I hope to meet her one day." I'm met with silence once again, and I don't know how much more I can take. Taking a deep breath, I say, "It's okay if you don't want to be a part of this baby's life. I know that ruling the families of the underworld is going to be your job. May and my mother can help me." My hands twist together in my lap.

Hunter's hands ball into fists, then release. He finally sits down beside me and takes my hand. "Stop. Just because I'm upset with how I found out, with how you kept this from me and put yourself and our baby in danger, doesn't mean you and this baby aren't more important to me than anything. I love you so much." He leans over and presses his lips to mine.

My body warms and a wave of relief washes over me. "I love you too," I breathe out against his lips.