Chapter Fourteen

"Roland, isn't that your father and your wife?"

He turned, confused. What were they doing here? He stood to go to them, but his wife turned and fled. He'd caught some of the pain in her face before she left, and it made his stomach tighten in dread.

"I'll talk to you when I get back," he told his father as he passed him.

He raced out of the building just in time to see the car hit her. A deep cry sprang from his throat as he raced to her and bent over her. "Oh, God, Love." He examined what he could without lifting her.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "An ambulance is on the way."

Roland didn't look to see who was talking. Every bit of his attention was on his wife, who lay hurting on the cold pavement. When he caught sight of the blood on the ground under her head, his fear spiked. He heard the siren, and someone was trying to push him to the side.

"Sir, let us get to her so we can help," one of the paramedics said.

Roland stood at her feet and out of the way, but he wasn't going to take his eyes off her.

The two men put her on a backboard, then on a gurney, and slid her into the ambulance. Roland started to climb in, but one of them stopped him.

"Sir, you can't…"

"I'm her husband, and you're not leaving without me. Don't waste time fighting me."

The man nodded and pointed to a seat close to her head. "Sit there and stay out of the way."

Roland nodded. He cupped the side of her head that wasn't bleeding and whispered to her. "I'm right here, Love. We'll get you taken care of. Just hang on."

The ride to the hospital seemed to take hours instead of just minutes. The back doors were thrown open, and several people slid the gurney out. He followed them into the ER.

A woman put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from going into the cubicle. "Sir, you must sit in the lounge. We'll come and get you when we know something."

"But…"

"You want us to make her better? You need to stay out of the way," the nurse said.

Roland nodded reluctantly and turned to move into the waiting area. He sat with his face in his hands, trying to hold back the fear that he could lose her.

He looked up when a hand patted him on the shoulder. It was Daniel Crawford, a friend, a doctor, and his brother from the Society. Daniel had already met Laila when she had first arrived at his house and had been there when they got married.

"I heard," Daniel said. He sat next to him.

"Can you find out what's happening?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes. But not right now. There's too much activity, and I don't want to get in the way. Tell me what happened."

"She was hit by a car," Roland said.

"No, tell me what happened to make her run."

"I finished a meeting and ran into Troy, and he asked me to come have a drink with him and a few others before I headed home. It was some kind of benefit, so there were a lot of people, and I hadn't seen a few of them in a long time. I wasn't going to stay long because I wanted to get home to Laila."

Roland tried to think of what happened. "Stacey was there, and we danced once. I was finishing my drink, and someone pointed over my shoulder, and that's when I saw Laila with my father."

"You didn't know she was going to be there?"

Roland shook his head. "I have no idea why she was there."

"Why would your father bring her to the benefit knowing you would be home soon?"

Roland set his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. "I have no fucking idea."

"I would guess, knowing your father, he was trying to start trouble," Daniel told him.

Roland had thought about that. "But why?"

Daniel shrugged. "You'll just have to ask him."

"Oh, I'll definitely will be doing that. I want to get her home first."

Daniel sat with him, not saying a word, which was comforting. His presence was all he needed now. He noticed his friend got some calls, and from what he heard, it was a few men from the Good Knight Society they were involved with. They had heard about the incident and asked if there was anything they could do.

The next hour was torture. Daniel was able to find out there were no broken bones, and the CAT scan showed no brain bleed, although she did have a slight concussion. The two were able to go to her room and wait there for the doctor and Laila.

Roland paced back and forth while Daniel sat in one of the chairs, staying quiet. Roland spun when the door opened to see them wheeling his wife in. It took several people to transfer her to the bed, make sure she was comfortable, and get her IVs set up.

The white bandage on her head was in stark contrast to her silky dark hair and made it stand out even more, making him grit his teeth. As far as he could see, there were no other injuries. It was painful to stand back until they were done when all he wanted was to touch her.

"The doctor will be in shortly," the nurse said as she walked out.

Roland stood by the bed and smoothed her hair from her face. He winced when he saw the bruises and scrapes on her delicate skin. He pulled a chair up, grasped one of her hands in his, and laid his other on her head, being careful of the bandage.

"God, Pet. What the hell were you doing running from me?" He stopped talking when the door opened, and a man in a white coat with a nurse followed him into the room.

The older man studied some papers before he looked up. His eyebrows rose when he saw his friend.

"Oh, Daniel, I didn't see you there. You know these people?"

"Yes, Franklin. They are good friends of mine," Daniel said.

"All right." He turned to Roland. "Mr. Stewart, your wife has a slight concussion. I'm not too worried about it, but I want to keep her in the hospital overnight or for a few days so we can monitor her. She had some bruising on her hip, thigh, and arm where she fell, and of course, the injury to her head. That needed seven staples. The best news is the baby is fine."

It took Roland a second to understand him. "Baby?"

The doctor's eyebrows rose. "Oh, you didn't know. She's about five weeks along. All we can tell is the baby has a strong heartbeat."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Roland asked.

"She might not have known. She might have felt more tired and maybe nauseous, but that happens at times. If she didn't monitor her menstrual cycle, she could have totally missed the signs."

Roland turned to Laila and smiled. "We're going to have a baby, Love." He smoothed her hair again and then bent and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. He took this time to get his emotions back in control. He blinked to dispel the tears that fought to slide down his face.

When he was more stable, he turned to the doctor. "Is there anything else?"

"No, Mr…"

"Call me Roland, please."

The doctor smiled. "Roland. That's it. We'll check on her frequently."

"Why is she sleeping?" Roland asked.

"We had to sedate her when she came in. She was upset about something. Would you happen to know what that is?" Franklin asked.

"Not yet, but I will."

The doctor nodded. "She should wake up in a few hours. When she does, call the nurse."

"I will. Thank you."

The doctor waved at Daniel and walked out of the room with the nurse following him.

"Do you trust him? Is he a good doctor?" Roland asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yes. He's one of the best. I would want my loved one in his hands."

Roland nodded and sat back down. "You should go, Daniel. I'll text you when I find out more."

Daniel patted him on the shoulder. "Call if you need me. I can be back within minutes."

"Thank you."

Roland heard the door click shut, and then there was nothing besides the sound of the monitors on the other side of the bed. The IV stand was close to the wall and held two bags. He would ask what they were when one of the medical people came in.

The needle was on the back of her hand, and fortunately, a piece of white tape covered it, so he didn't have to see the needle piercing her skin.

Another monitor was her heart and blood pressure. Small tubes were glued to her chest, and she had a pressure cup around her arm.

Everything about the night felt like a bad dream, and the only way he'd feel better was when she was home in their bed.