Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

D ean adjusted the sails and felt completely free while the cool breeze whipped across his face and the catamaran glided smoothly through the bay. The sun was bright overhead and the water sparkled like a thousand diamonds. Andrea's laughter mingled with the gentle slapping of waves against the hull and the distant calls of seabirds, mixing together to create a serene symphony. At that very moment, with the pair of them out on the water, everything seemed perfect.

He watched as Andrea leaned back and closed her eyes while she soaked up the sun. She looked completely relaxed. Her weariness from the past few days seemed to melt away under the warm embrace of the sun and the salty breeze.

"Isn't this perfect?" Andrea murmured, her voice dreamy.

"Yeah, it really is," Dean agreed, reaching out to squeeze her hand. They had found a little pocket of paradise, a temporary escape from the complexities of their lives. The tension about their relationship that had been simmering between them seemed to dissolve in the face of such tranquility.

He kept stealing glances in her direction, he couldn't help himself. She was so beautiful with her face relaxed, eyes closed, a soft smile playing on her lips and her hair blowing in the wind. He loved seeing her like this, carefree and happy.

The conversation they'd had about their ambiguous relationship still lingered in his mind. They needed to talk, and soon, but for now, he wanted to focus on enjoying this time together.

She still looked a little tired and slightly pale from being sick the day before, but the smile on her lips had him relaxing.

He watched as a pair of dolphins surfaced nearby, playfully leaping out of the water.

"Look, dolphins," he said, nudging Andrea gently. She opened her eyes and sat up, and he saw her wince slightly before smiling and cheering.

"Wow, they're so close to us!" She pulled out her phone to video them when they surfaced.

They spent the next few minutes watching the dolphins, laughing as the sleek creatures danced in the water around them. It was one of those magical moments that seemed almost too good to be true.

When the dolphins disappeared behind them, Andrea settled back with a slight groan. "This is exactly what I needed."

"Me too. Just you, me, and the open water."

For the next few moments, she seemed unable to find a comfortable spot. She shifted uncomfortably a few times before gasping and doubling over in pain. Her face contorted in agony, her hands clutching her abdomen. Dean's heart skipped a beat, and panic surged through him.

He heard a strange sound from her as she slumped in the seat.

"Andrea?" His heart pounded as he rushed to her side. "What's wrong?"

Andrea's eyes fluttered and tried to focus on him.

"Dean, something's…" Her eyes closed again, then she leaned forward and threw up. Her body went limp in his arms.

Panic surged through him as he held her and shifted to make sure she was secure on the boat. Then he rushed over and secured the sails and turned the boat back to the camp. He grabbed his phone and punched in Dr. Lea Val's number.

"Lea, it's Dean. Something's wrong with Andrea. We're out on the catamaran in the bay. She was sick yesterday. She threw up and now she's unconscious. I'm heading back to camp. Can you meet us at the docks?" he asked quickly.

"Yes, I'll meet you there," Lea replied, her voice steady. "Is she breathing?"

"Yes, but she threw up yesterday and today. She said last night that she had bad cramps." He relayed Andrea's medical information as he focused on sailing back to the dock, his hands shaking as he tried to wake Andrea several times along the way. "Come on, Andrea. Stay with me," he pleaded, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

It took too damn long to get back to the docks, precious time that he feared Andrea didn't have.

When they finally approached the docks, he saw a group of people waiting—Lea, Brett, Zoey, and a few others, along with an ambulance. He docked the boat as quickly as possible, letting Damion take over and secure the catamaran as Lea rushed on board.

"Let's get her on the stretcher," Lea instructed, her tone professional but filled with concern.

Dean carried Andrea and gently placed her onto the stretcher then watched helplessly as Lea and the paramedics worked swiftly, their movements efficient and focused. He watched Andrea's eyes lift open slightly when they put smelling salts under her nose. But then she went lax again almost immediately.

"I'll ride with her," Lea said, climbing into the back of the ambulance.

"I'll drive you," Brett said and they jumped into a waiting golf cart and followed the ambulance down the pathway until it hit the parking lot and shot off down the road. They jumped into Brett's truck and took off after it.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. Dean's mind raced with fear and confusion. He couldn't lose Andrea. Not now, not before… Shit. He shouldn't have put off that discussion. They needed to talk about them. About their future.

Minutes and hours crawled by in the hospital waiting room. Dean paced back and forth, his heart heavy with worry. Brett and Elle tried to offer words of comfort, but Dean could hardly hear them over the pounding of his own heart.

Elle had called Andrea's mother and sister before they had even arrived at the hospital and yet neither of them had showed up yet. Was her health not that important to them?

Finally, Lea emerged, her face calm but serious. Dean rushed to her side. "How is she?" he demanded.

"She's resting." Lea said, taking his arm and leading him to a small private room. "She's okayed me to talk to you about this and, since her family isn't here yet, I'll just fill you in. Andrea has struggled a few years with endometriosis."

He nodded. "She mentioned it to me last night." He remembered seeing her so sick and hurting. "Is that what's wrong today?"

"Partly." Lea sighed. "She also has and infection and had to undergo an endometrial ablation," Lea explained gently, taking his hands, which somehow caused his worry doubled.

"What does that mean?" he asked, shaking his head.

"She'll be fine, but this procedure…" Lea's eyes met his, locked there for a moment. "Dean, it means that she can no longer have children." He saw a tear slip down Lea's cheek before she wiped it away.

He felt his heart sink into his gut.

"But she'll be okay?"

Lea nodded. "Yes, she'll be fine."

A wave of relief hit him. Andrea would make it through this. The news about children, well, he knew life could throw curveballs sometimes. It hurt knowing that she would struggle with the news, but the joy of knowing she wasn't going to die outweighed the rest.

"I just want her to be okay," he said, almost whispering.

Lea nodded, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She's strong. She'll need your support, our support, but she'll get through this."

He nodded and then hugged Lea. "Thanks."

A few moments later, he entered Andrea's private room quietly. She was lying in the bed looking very small and pale, but she was awake. When her eyes met his, he could instantly tell she was exhausted and in some pain.

"Hey," he said softly, walking over to her bed and taking her hand in his.

"Hey," she whispered back, her voice weak as she rested her head back. "You heard?"

He nodded. "Lea told me everything. How are you feeling?" he asked as he took her hand in his.

Andrea managed a small smile and closed her eyes. "Tired. Better now that you're here."

"Rest, I'll be right here," he said, but he could tell that she was already asleep.

Dean sat by her side, holding her hand while she slept, determined to be there for her in every way possible.

A few hours later, Andrea's mother finally showed up. She waltzed into the room as if she hadn't been in any hurry. She was dressed in a very expensive evening gown and had a look on her face as if she was annoyed that her evening had been interrupted. She glanced around the sterile room, clearly unimpressed at it or that her daughter wasn't dying on the table.

Andrea was awake and sitting up, sipping some hot tea and trying to eat the soup and Jell-O the nurse had brought her a few moments before.

"What's all this drama over?" Alicia asked.

"Hello, Mother," Andrea said as she set down her drink.

Her mother's eyes narrowed as she glanced at him. He felt his entire body vibrate with anger at the apparent distaste the woman showed her daughter.

"I had to miss an important dinner event for this," she announced, as if Andrea had personally inconvenienced her. "Honestly, there's nothing wrong with you, is there?" She arched her brow. "You look perfectly fine."

Andrea took a deep breath. She reached over and took his hand, her grip tightening to stop him from standing up.

"I'm feeling much better now. The doctor assures me that I just need some rest now."

Her mother huffed and crossed her arms in response.

"Well, I hope you realize the trouble you've caused me. Missing out on tonight's event is a big deal for me, a potential financial catastrophe, Andrea," she added. "Who's this?" She motioned with her chin.

"Dean Wallis," Andrea said. "He's…"

"I don't care," Alicia interrupted. "One of your many toys that will no doubt be gone soon enough." She waved her hand.

Alicia Berman was one of the top real estate agents in the Destin area. She only took clients who had multi-million dollar homes or properties, which meant that she wasn't always busy, but she made more money during one sale than most did in a year.

He clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his composure. He wanted to tell her mother the truth, to make her understand the gravity of what Andrea had just gone through, but Andrea squeezed his hand again, a silent plea for him to stay quiet.

"Sorry, Mom, I didn't mean for anyone to worry you," Andrea said, her voice calm and controlled. "I'll be fine. You can go back to your event."

With a final disapproving look aimed at him, her mother left the room. Dean let out a frustrated sigh as he glanced to Andrea. "Why didn't you tell her? She needs to know what you're going through."

Andrea shook her head, her eyes weary. "It's none of her business. I'll handle it on my own." She pushed the tray away and shifted with a groan. "I'm too tired to eat anything more."

Dean's heart ached for her, but he nodded, respecting her decision. "All right. But you don't have to handle it alone, okay? I'm here for you."

Andrea managed a small smile. "I know," she said before closing her eyes again.

He was kicked out of her room shortly after dark. He didn't get much sleep after returning home and was back at the hospital just as the sun was rising. He sat next to her and ate a breakfast sandwich that he'd gotten in the lobby cafeteria and sipped his coffee while he waited for Andrea to wake up.

Just as Andrea's breakfast was arriving, Amy burst into the room.

"Morning," Amy said cheerfully. "I can't believe you're still here." She sat on Andrea's bed like her sister was just having a sleepover.

"Yup, they'll let me go home later today," Andrea said, glancing at him. He instantly understood she didn't want her sister to know what had happened either.

It was strange that neither of her family members asked or even seemed to care.

Then Amy's face lit up with excitement.

"Guess what? Brad and I are back together for real this time!" Amy clapped her hands and bounced slightly on the bed. He saw Andrea wince at the motion.

"That's…good." She sighed.

"I know that this time it's forever. He's promised to stop—"Amy glanced briefly at him, before finishing. "To stop working so much. Because"—she took a deep breath—"I'm pregnant!" She practically shouted it.

Dean's heart clenched at the news, and he wanted to stand up, yank Amy's arm, and pull her out of the room to berate her. Instead, he clenched his jaw and glared at the back of her head.

Andrea forced a smile. "That's great, Amy. I'm happy for you two."

Amy continued to gush about her reconciliation with her husband and the baby, oblivious to the pain Andrea was hiding. Dean watched her closely, his concern deepening while her sister rattled on about her happy life.

After Amy left, he turned to her. "Are you sure you don't want to tell them?"

She shook her head, her eyes filling with unshed tears and weariness. "No, trust me, it's better this way. I'll deal with it. I just need some time."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I'm here for you," he said and felt her stiffen.

A few hours later, he drove her home. She made some excuse about being tired and disappeared into her bedroom, so he left for work.

He wanted to take a few days off to be with her while she recovered, but she convinced him to go in for the dinner rush.

The moment he stepped into work, he felt stupid for letting her talk him into going in.

"Hey," Zoey said as she passed by. Seeing his face, she stopped and pulled him into the kitchen. "I can't imagine what Andrea is going through right now."

He instantly remembered that Zoey had had a miscarriage the year before.

"She told me to come in and work," he said, feeling stupid.

"Good, then work. Respect Andrea's wishes. She'll get through this, even if she needs time alone." She touched his arm. "Just don't give her too much time alone." She smiled. "A few days should be fine. She'll need you after. When the reality of what has happened hits her. Until then, I've hired another massage therapist to fill in temporarily so she can have as much time as she needs."

He nodded. "Good." He glanced back towards the dining room.

"You, on the other hand." She shoved him towards the doors. "Work. It will help take your mind off things."

Zoey was right. An hour later he was so busy he couldn't stop to think about anything. By the time he got off work, it was too late to call or text Andrea. He hoped she was fast asleep. After showering, he fell face first into bed and dropped off with plans to call her first thing in the morning.