Only One (Ward Sisters Book 2) (36 page)

“What do we do now?” Liam whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks in streams.

He couldn't lose her now. Not after all they'd been through, not when they were finally going to be together permanently, be a family. To even consider it was unfathomable.

Rob cleared his throat. “I have to sign the paperwork and then they want us to wait in the maternity unit.”

Liam nodded. “We'll wait for you.”

“No, just...go on ahead. I'll...I'll be there in a few minutes.”

“I'm waiting,” Rick said. “That's non-negotiable.”

“Okay. Em, can you go with Liam?”

“Of course. Come on, sweetie. Let's go. I know where it is. My doctor's office is here.” She took Liam's hand and held it as they walked away toward the bank of elevators.

Liam followed Emily, but he saw Rick and Rob glance toward them as they headed to the elevators, the brothers Deacon in a heated discussion, heads close together.

Inside the elevator, Liam said, “Something is fishy.”

“I don't disagree with you, but now isn't the time. We'll deal with it later, okay? Don't think about it now. Let's just get up there and wait for news.”

**********

It felt like hours, but it probably wasn't more than an hour or so later when an intern with an Indian accent came to the waiting room of the maternity ward.

“Mr. Deacon?”

Rob looked at Liam and they both approached the doctor. “That's me. Do you have news? Is she okay?”

“Uh, well, perhaps we should discuss this in private?” the doctor replied.

“No. He's...this is Liam Neely. He's her fiancé and the baby's father. Whatever you have to say to me, he needs to hear it, too.”

The intern pulled them aside and talked quietly. “I'm Dr. Singh. Jenna is going to be okay, but her uterus ruptured and we had to perform a hysterectomy to save her life and stop the blood loss. She's in recovery right now. You can see her as soon as she wakes up.”

“What does that mean?” Liam asked.

The doctor looked at Rob, who nodded. “It means we had to remove her uterus. She will no longer be able to carry a child. I'm sorry.”

Liam's breathing stuttered. He was almost afraid to ask the next question. “And the baby? Is he okay?”

“They're both fine. They made a rather abrupt entrance into the world, but they're actually considered full term and their stats are all excellent.”

“What do you mean, 'they'?” Liam asked, confused.

“Your fiancée delivered twins. You didn't know?”

He was in shock. Rob shook his head – apparently he had no idea. Twins?

“No. She didn't know, either.”

“Well, you've got a son and a daughter. Both very healthy and strong for twins. It's lucky that you were so close to the hospital when this happened. I'm surprised her doctor let her travel so late in her pregnancy with twins.”

“I don't think they ever knew she was carrying twins. The ultrasound never showed two babies,” Rob said. Liam looked at him oddly. How did Rob know that?

“Well, you got two for the price of one, then. Would you like to meet them?” the doctor asked, looking at Rob and then Liam.

“Can I?” Liam replied, his focus back where it should be.

The doctor looked to Rob for confirmation, and then said, “Of course. The rest of the family can come back later, but I can take you to the nursery now.”

Rob nodded and smiled, relief etched on his face.

“Can you let everyone know?” Liam asked Rob.

“Of course. We'll contact her parents and when Mary Cate arrives, I'll have her call your family.”

“Thanks.”

The doctor led Liam through the maternity unit to the nursery. They had him don a gown and sat him in a rocker, then wheeled two bassinets over to him.

“Have you held a baby?” the nurse asked.

“Yeah. I have six nieces.”

“Would you like to hold them both at the same time?”

“Can I do that?”

“If you're comfortable with it, yes. Hold each arm like you're going to cradle them and I'll set them in your arms. Have you thought about names?” she asked as she went to lift the first baby out. The tag on the bassinet was blue, so he assumed it was the boy.

Holy shit. He had a son
and
a daughter.

“Um, we didn't know we were having twins, so we only picked a name for him.”

She placed the baby in his left arm. Liam almost couldn't catch his breath. The baby was sleeping, but he yawned and his perfect little mouth reminded him of Jenna. The rest of the baby, though, looked identical to Lila Beth at birth, which meant he looked just like Liam – his niece had been the spitting image of his own baby pictures.

“Hi there, Cam. I'm your daddy.” The baby sighed.

The nurse lifted the bundle from the other bassinet. She placed the baby in his right arm. Tears sprang to Liam's eyes. She looked like Jenna.

“You, little one, were a
big
surprise. I think you're gonna be trouble, little lady.”

“Would you like me to take a picture?”

“Uh, yeah. My phone is in my pocket,” Liam noted.

She extracted his iPhone, snapped a photo and set the phone beside him.

“I'll give you some time with them. We still have to do some tests. Nothing to worry about, just standard newborn tests. Your fiancée should wake up soon and you can go see her while the babies have their tests done.”

Liam nodded and thanked her. Two babies! Holy shit. In a way, it was a blessing, since now they couldn't have any more babies together. Thank God the babies came when they did, and not while they were on their way back to LA.

“Are you two going to be trouble like me and Mary Cate were? I'm thinking yes, since you came into this world scaring the crap out of me. Odds are good that this won't be the end of it. You're gonna like being twins. You've got a built-in best friend from the beginning. Someone who'll always be there for you, no matter what. Your auntie and I can tell you all the ins and outs of being twins. I'm sure your mom is going to be really surprised when she finds out there are two of you. It explains why she was getting kicked all the time. Bet you were taking turns, weren't you? My Ma, your gramma, she said we used to do that to her, too.”

The nurse was back. “Mr. Neely? Your fiancée is awake and asking for you. We'll bring the babies down to the room so she can see they're okay and then we'll give you two some time alone while they have their tests. Is that all right?”

Liam nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great.”

The nurse took each baby from him, one at a time, and placed them in the bassinets. He recalled from when his nieces were born that they didn't let babies travel outside the nursery or the mom's room unless they were in the bassinet. Liam followed the nurse down the hall to a big, comfortable room that was about the same size as his bedroom at home.

“Hey, you,” Jenna croaked when she saw him. “Did I scare you?” she asked. Looking at her, pale, with an oxygen tube still in her nose and an IV in her hand, not to mention the blood pressure cuff, Liam was reminded how dangerously close he had come to losing her.

“Don't ever do that again,” he commanded as he kissed her lips, which were a little dry.

“I promise, I won't. Why are there two bassinets?” she asked.

“Funny story. Seems you had two of them in there.”

“What? I was carrying twins? How did they not figure that out before? And how is that even possible? I know you're a twin, Liam, but the father has no influence on whether or not twins happen. It's not like I was taking fertility drugs.”

He shook his head. He hadn't even thought about that part. She was too smart. “No idea.”

The nurse spoke up as she handed Cam to Liam, who placed his son on his shoulder. “Would you like to hold your daughter?”

Jenna's eyes filled with tears. “I have a daughter?” The nurse nodded. “Yes. Please.”

As the nurse took the baby out of the bassinet, she said, “You're not ready to hold them both at the same time yet. Once the doctor checks your incision later, he'll give you the okay to hold them both if things look good.”

She placed the baby in Jenna's arms, and Jenna began to cry.

“Oh, she's so beautiful!”

“Looks just like her mother,” Liam noted, smiling. Jenna looked at him, so much love in her eyes, it made his own eyes fill with tears. He shuffled Cam so that he was cradling him in his arms and he turned his son toward her.

“You're good at that,” she said.

“Had lots of practice, remember. I've got six nieces and I met five of them at birth. Cam looks just like Lila Beth did when she was born. Which means he looks like me. She was the spitting image of my baby picture. Except, I think Cam has your mouth.”

“They'll both have brown eyes. I'm sure if you could see them now, they'd look blue, but I bet they're dark. And look at those lashes. They both got your lashes. I love your eyelashes. Did I ever tell you that?” Liam shook his head. “That was the first thing I noticed about you. I love you.”

“I love you. You had me worried there for a minute. I thought maybe you were sick of me already and going for the til death do us part portion of the vows before we even had a chance to say them.”

“You can't get rid of me that easily.”

“Good. Because I can't live without you. Want to hold Cam? I'll help you switch. And we're going to have to pick a name for her.” Liam put Cam in his bassinet and took their daughter from her mother. Then he switched the babies and handed Cam to Jenna.

“I think we should name her Eleanor Catherine,” she said as he handed her Cam. She sighed as she looked at their son. It made Liam chuckle, since she always sighed at him, too.

As he lifted his daughter, he asked, “Any special reason?”

“My grandmother's name was Eleanor. It's also my mother's middle name. And Catherine for Catie, of course.”

That brought tears to Liam's eyes. He was turning into a crybaby. His voice was thick. “She'd love that. What do you want to call her?”

“Ellie. That was my Gran's nickname. She passed away when I was a little girl. I look like her.”

“I think that's perfect, then. So, Miss Ellie, will you be a troublemaker? Because I already know I'm going to have to teach your brother to fight off the boys with sticks. You're sure to be as beautiful as your mother, and she's the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Nah, you don't have to worry about her. She'll get my brains, too. It takes a special man to handle a woman smarter than him.”

“I like that you're smarter than me.”

“I told you, it takes a special man.”

They were gazing at each other lovingly and stealing glances at their babies, when the nurse returned and said it was time to take the babies for the rest of their tests. She'd give them some time alone and when Jenna was up for it, their visitors could come down to her room, though she recommended they limit it to a few at a time.

When the nurse left, she closed the door. Liam pulled the chair next to the bed and held Jenna's hand. He saw that they'd removed her engagement ring.

“We need to talk,” he said. He hated having to break this news to her.

“What's wrong? Are the babies really okay?”

“Yeah, they're great. The doctor said they were full term for twins and their stats are good. But they'll be our only kids.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your uterus ruptured. They couldn't save it. They had to do a hysterectomy. You can't carry any more children. Cam and Ellie, they're the only kids we'll be able to have.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“Even if we'd only had Cam, I'd be okay with that. I'm just glad they saved you and the babies. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost any of you.”

She started to cry. “Now you'll never get to experience a pregnancy. I took that from you, Liam!”

He kissed her and touched her cheek. “Shhh. No, baby. Don't say that. Don't put that on yourself. We were both at fault for not talking all those months. And we have two beautiful babies. We don't need more than that. I'm just sorry I didn't talk to you sooner because you'd have known about the chances for twins. Maybe your doctor wouldn't have let you travel or would have put you on bed rest or something. Maybe you wouldn't have lost your uterus if I'd bothered to talk to you.”

“I told you that you being a twin doesn't affect the genetics. If I can't take the sole blame, neither can you. We share this. From here on, we share everything. Deal?”

“Deal. Get some rest and I'll go talk to everybody. Okay?”

She nodded and sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I'm so glad you're still here.”

He kissed her, squeezed her hand and headed out to share the news, the good and bad.

Chapter 33

Liam opened the door to the waiting area. Heads popped up everywhere, people awaiting news of their loved ones. He met Mary Cate's eyes first. They'd shared everything, and he knew that if the news was bad, she'd be aware that he was hurting before he'd told her. Tears sprang to her eyes.

“They're okay,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.

Liam nodded, tears in his voice. “Yeah. Did Rob tell you?”

“Twins, huh?”

“One of each, just like us.”

“They look like you or her?”

“Cam looks like Lila Beth did. Ellie looks like Jenna.”

“That's their names?”

Liam looked at her and smiled. “Robert Cameron, like I told you before. And Eleanor Catherine.”

Mary Cate started to cry. “You named her after me?”

“That was Jenna's idea. I thought it was a pretty good one.”

“I love you, little brother.”

“Love you, too. Why don't you go back to see her first and then you can call everyone.”

“You're not coming?”

“I'll be back in a minute. I need to talk to those guys.”

Mary Cate nodded and the guard buzzed her into the unit.

Emily smiled and hugged him. “I hear you got a twofer.”

“We did. He tell you that it's probably a good thing?”

Her eyes got misty. “Yeah. I'm sorry.”

“Me too.” He stepped out of her arms and looked at Rob and Rick. “We'll need to make some adjustments to the team for the short term. She's going to need a lot of help.”

“Of course,” Rick said. “I'll stay behind for now and we'll get Alan out here.”

“I'm thinking maybe we should worry more about L.A. The photographers don't bother us much up here.”

Rick looked at Rob and whispered. “Uh, yeah. But Rob left his house in an ambulance on his wedding day with a pregnant woman who isn't his wife. I doubt that'll stay quiet for long.”

“Well, then get Amy to make a statement. You know how this shit works,” Liam said quietly. “That's your job, right? To protect him and make these things disappear?”

“Actually, that's usually Jenna's job,” Rob replied, quietly. “Rick is the muscle, just like you.”

“Thanks,” Rick said, giving Rob a look that indicated he was unimpressed with his brother's assessment.

“You know what I mean. But Liam is right. We should have Amy make a statement. Are you okay with that, Em?”

“Do what you must,” she said. “I'm along for the ride.”

Rob hugged her. “No, you're part of the team. You get a say.”

Liam said, “I'm part of the team, too. I say get Amy to make a damn statement and sort out the guard situation. I'm certainly not going to L.A. for the premiere. I imagine we'll be able to travel once it's time for awards season, but not in the next few weeks.”

Rob nodded and Rick said, “I'm on it.” He took out his phone and walked away.

When Rick was out of earshot, Liam asked so that only Rob and Em could hear, “Are you going to explain to me why it is that
you
have medical Power of Attorney for my fiancée?”

Rob glanced, briefly, at Em. “Now isn't the time.”

“If she's part of the team, now
is
the time,” Liam replied.

“Well, this isn't the place. We can talk about it later.”

“And we
will
talk about it later. Make no mistake. You're hiding something from me. Don't think I haven't figured that out.”

**********

Jenna heard the soft knock and saw Catie at the door. She smiled. It had been too long.

“You grew your hair out again,” she said.

“I haven't seen you in years, you just gave birth – early, I might add – to my niece and nephew, and all you can say is 'you grew out your hair'?” Catie started to cry and hugged Jenna. “Damn you. I was supposed to get a chance to be pissed off at you in person.”

“You'll have to save that for later.”

“How are you doing?”

“I feel like I got run over by a truck, but I'm just glad that the babies are okay.”

“Did they tell you?”

“About the hysterectomy? Liam told me. He says he's okay with only having two babies, but I don't know if I believe it. You had a huge family.”

“Which he hated. Honestly, he'll be happier about it as time passes. And he loves you. What really matters is that you're okay and the babies are okay.”

The nurse knocked then and returned with the bassinets. “They're a little upset because they had to have blood drawn, but if you hold them, they'll probably calm down straight away.”

“Is something wrong with them?” Jenna asked, afraid all of a sudden. “Why did they need blood drawn?”

“Standard newborn tests, hon,” Catie said. “PKU, right?”

The nurse nodded. “That's one of the tests. Hopefully, they won't need any more blood drawn. As long as their bilirubin is okay, they're done with blood work.”

Jenna was still confused. “What does that mean?”

“Liver function tests. Sometimes, first babies have issues getting rid of old blood cells. It's not uncommon. Don't worry. It's nothing to be concerned about. Dr. Singh will be in soon to check your incision. Let us know if you need anything.”

The nurse left and she was alone with Catie again.

“How is Liam doing, really?” Jenna asked as Catie handed her Ellie and then picked up Cam. Both babies calmed as soon as they were held.

“He seems okay, for the most part. It scared him.”

“I hear a but in there.”

“Something is off. I don't know what. When I called him, he wasn't with you. He was with Emily. Why is that?”

“Uh, Rob rode with me in the ambulance.”

“And why is that?” Catie asked, eyebrows raised.

Jenna cleared her throat. “Um, well, he has medical Power of Attorney, so he needed to sign the paperwork.”

“Seems a little strange, that your boss would have Power of Attorney, Jen.”

Jenna bowed her head. “He's not just my boss, Catie.”

“Hmm.”

Jenna looked at her best friend. “What does that mean?”

“It means you're not telling me something.”

“Yes, well, it's not only my story to tell. And as much as I might like to share it with you, your brother should know before you do. I'm just not sure that he's going to be told.”

“It's not good to start a marriage with secrets.”

“You mean like the fact that you're in love with someone other than your husband?”

“We're talking about you, not me. Right?”

“Yes. I'm in love with your brother.”

“One of these days, you're going to fill in the missing pieces.”

Jenna sighed. “Maybe. Not now.”

Catie narrowed her eyes. “You owe me. You kept the fact that you were in love with my twin brother from me for years.”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Fine. But not now.”

Satisfied for the moment, Catie looked down at Cam and said, “He really does look like Lila Beth did at birth.” She touched his little fingers. “You know that means he's probably going to be just like his father, right?”

Jenna laughed. “Should I be scared?”

“Be prepared. Liam was...a handful and then some.”

“He still is,” Jenna said. “That's one of the things I love about him. He keeps me on my toes.”

“He loves you. I can see in his eyes that he's madly in love with you.”

“Good,” she said with a smile.
Because when he finds out about me and Rob, that might be what saves us
.

**********

Mary Cate returned and said, “Jenna asked if I could send Robbie back. Alone. She said to give them a few minutes, then you and Emily could come join them after.”

Liam looked at Rob, eyebrows raised. “Looks like she wants to talk to you. Wonder what that's about?”

Rob shook his head, in denial or at Liam's attitude, he wasn't sure which. He kissed Emily and disappeared into the maternity unit.

“What the hell is going on?” Liam asked Mary Cate.

“I have no idea,” she said. “She didn't tell me anything. But you're not wrong that there's something strange in all this.”

He scoffed, “Well, at least I don't have to wonder if the babies are really mine.”

Emily looked stunned that he'd even imply it, but his gut told him that such thoughts were not far off the mark, whatever it was Jenna and Rob were hiding.

“No, you were right. Cam looks just like Lila Beth did as a newborn. Look, whatever it is, she loves you,” Mary Cate said.

Liam nodded. He did believe that.

“I'm going to step outside and make some calls to the family. I'll call her mom again, too. I'll come back tomorrow. Give them a few more minutes, and then go see your fiancée and your babies.” She kissed his cheek, hugged him and left.

Emily looked at Liam and he could see the confusion in her eyes. “Why would you say that?” she asked.

“A gut feeling, Em. I shouldn't have been so insensitive. You just got married and you had a rough six months or so. I know he loves you. Doesn't change the fact that I also know something isn't right about this whole thing. It makes no sense that Jenna's boss has Power of Attorney for her. I know they're friends, but I didn't think they were that close.”

“Do you think...”

“No, Em,” Liam said, rubbing her back and completing the thought. “I don't think they were having an affair. Not now. But I have a feeling there's some piece of the puzzle that's missing. And I'm a little pissed because I think I'm the only one in the dark.”

“I'm in the dark,” Em whispered, her eyes watery.

Liam squeezed her hands. “But you weren't part of Rob's inner circle before. I was. You will be, now that you're his wife.”

“But I wasn't important enough before.”

“It's not meant to make you feel bad. You were important, but you weren't
trusted
before. You've seen firsthand how easily things get distorted in a hurry. We limit the number of people who know things to curb the spread of information. I just thought that I was in the know. Apparently, not about everything.”

“Do you think it's been long enough?” Emily asked, wiping her tears. “I'd really like to meet your babies.”

“Then let's go do that. I want you to meet them, too. You've become really important to me, Em.”

“Right back at ya, Liam.”

**********

Like Catie had done before, Rob knocked softly and then poked his head around the door.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he whispered, tears in his eyes. His breath shuddered. “You scared me. Don't ever do that again.”

He leaned in to kiss Jenna, then picked up Ellie from her bassinet. She settled into Rob's arms with a little sigh. She already loved him as much as her mother did.

“I'm sorry, honey. I'd say now you know what I felt when I couldn't get in touch with you both times you took your pills with whiskey, but it's not really the same. You weren't hemorrhaging in front of me.”

“If you felt half the terror I did, I can't begin to apologize enough since I put you through that twice.”

“No need, honey. You always hurt most when someone you love is in pain or in danger. I'd never have been anywhere else. You know that. I remember you telling Liam that you didn't care about the paparazzi coming for you. Thanks for putting me first.”

“As if I'd have done anything else. I don't think he realized just how serious it was before that. Why didn't you tell anyone you were in labor?”

“I didn't think that's what it was. I wasn't due until the end of October.”

“I knew those pains weren't nothing. I thought it seemed odd that you'd grown so much bigger this last month. I didn't recall your belly being that big when I left.”

“It wasn't. I don't know why that wasn't a red flag for my doctor.” Jenna smiled, looking at her beautiful surprise of a daughter. “She loves you. I think she knows your voice. I bet it was her kicking me whenever she heard you. You're going to be her Godfather, aren't you?”

“I would be devastated if you didn't ask me. She's as beautiful as her mother.” His face suddenly grew solemn. “Liam and Em know something is off, Jen.”

“What do you mean?”

“He flat out asked me, in front of Em. They're both suspicious that they've been kept in the dark about something.”

“They're not wrong, are they?”

Rob sighed. “No. I know we said that we'd keep it quiet...”

“You said. I just let you decide.”

“Okay, well, either way, we weren't going to tell them. I'm not so sure we'll have much choice after this.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out. “No, probably not. How are we going to handle this?”