"I'll call you guys when I know anything, okay?"
Inside, the hallway is clean and smells fresh. Everything is modern and organized. The nurse who buzzed me in is at a desk. "So you're the fiancé," she says with a wink. "Our resident celebrity already has more of an entourage than we usually allow." Nodding her head to the corner, I can see exactly what he means. Two bodyguards stand like sentries at the foot of a cubicle surrounded by curtains. "Where are the rest of them?" I ask.
The nurse smirks, her brown eyes widening with amusement. "We sent them down to the coffee shop. This is a secure ward, and it's intrusive to the other patients. She also has another visitor. A woman."
I nod, expecting to find Angelica inside the curtains, and I'm bracing myself for her wrath. If she wanted us to come, she would have told us the hospital.
"You can go on over. I'm taking it that the two bodyguards know who you are."
"They do," I say.
As I near the cubicle, the bodyguards step forward. "You're not supposed to be here," one of them says.
"We've had orders not to let anyone in," the other growls.
"I don't give a shit what you've been told. I'm going in to see Luna."
"Let him in." Luna sounds furious and frustrated, but all I care about is that she's awake and speaking. The bodyguards look at each other, then the biggest one shrugs.
"Her majesty has spoken," he mutters, and for a flash, I get the urge to punch this asshole in the face. Then I remember where I am and how important it is that I don't get thrown out of this hospital for violent behavior, so I cut him a narrow-eyed look as I walk past.
I find Luna tucked into a hospital bed inside the cubicle, still covered in her performance makeup. Angelica closes her eyes and grits her teeth when she notices me, but I guess she feels that making a scene wouldn't be appropriate under the circumstances. "I'm going to go get a coffee," she says to Luna. "Do you want anything from downstairs?"
Luna reaches out to touch Angelica's hand. "It's okay," she says. "You can go home. Get some sleep. I'll call you if anything changes."
Angelica nods curtly. "Just remember what you've been told, Luna. There won't be more second chances. Don't throw away what you've worked for."
Luna's lips twitch as though she's swallowing down something she really wants to say. It's not like my girl to hold back when she doesn't agree with someone. Seeing her like this hurts my heart.
As soon as Angelica has left, I move her chair closer to the bed and take a seat.
"Did you draw straws?" Luna asks.
"No, but that would have been a good idea if someone was in the habit of carrying seven straws." I reach out and take her hand. "What happened, honey? How are you feeling? What did the doctors say?"
"I fainted," she says. "They don't know why. They've done some blood tests, and we’re waiting on the results."
"Have you been eating properly and drinking enough?"
Luna shrugs her shoulders, rustling her white and blue patterned hospital gown.
"Have you been sleeping?"
She shrugs again, and I shake my head, knowing that it’s all our fault. If we'd just kept to the professional arrangement, we'd have been there to ensure that nothing like this happened.
The curtain is pulled back roughly, and a man in scrubs steps into the cubicle. His gaze drifts from Luna to me, then back to Luna. "I have your blood test results. Would you like to hear them now or in private?"
"It's okay. You can tell me with Hudson here," she says.
"You're healthy. We couldn't find anything that would cause you to faint, so it must have been to do with the pregnancy."
Pregnancy?
Luna's hand slides out of mine, and she rests it over her heart.
"Sorry, doctor. Could you say that again?" I say.
"Ms. Evans is pregnant." He takes a step around to the other side of the bed, focusing on Luna. "Didn't you know?"
She shakes her head, her throat making a gulping sound as she swallows. "I was late on my period, but I thought it was all the stress and exertion from the tour." When her eyes meet mine, they're wide and glassy. Resting my hand over her blanket-covered leg, I try to get my scrambled mind to focus on what the doctor is saying, but all I can think about is telling my boys that Luna's having a baby. How will we find out whose baby it is? None of us even thought about using protection. A full medical is part of our contract and we assumed Luna would be on some kind of birth control. I mean, she’s a popstar at the height of her career. Why would she risk all that with risky sex? Will she even want to keep the baby? What would that mean for her touring schedule? What will it mean for us?
But I don’t get any answers to my questions, just a quizzical look from the doctor who must have noticed my confusion.
"You'll need to make sure that you're eating, drinking, and getting enough rest. These first few months can be tough. Are you getting morning sickness?" The doctor looks at me as though I should know how she's been feeling. I'm the fake fiancé, after all. Knowing nothing about any of this makes me feel sick.
"I've felt a few waves of nausea, but I haven't thrown up."
"Well, not all women do. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who get through the first trimester without any trouble. Anyway, we want to keep you for a few more hours. We'll get you something to eat and drink, and once you're feeling better, you'll be free to go home." Turning to me, he says, "You'll need to stay with her. Keep a close eye on her for the next forty-eight hours."
"Of course," I say. It doesn't matter how difficult that might be, I'm going to make it happen.
Nodding curtly, he leaves the cubicle, tugging the curtain briskly.
And then we're alone.
"Pregnant," Luna whispers, her hand drifting until it's resting over her belly. She stares down at her body as though it's suddenly a strange and unfamiliar thing. I guess it must feel like that to find out that you're growing another human being inside you, especially when it wasn't something that you planned to happen.
"Whatever you need, whatever you decide to do, we'll be by your side," I say softly. I know I'm making promises on behalf of six other men who haven't even heard the news, but I feel okay to commit to this. Luna has to come first.
I expect her to breathe a sigh of relief and maybe reach out for a reassuring hug. I don't anticipate that she will begin to sob, clutching her hands over her distraught face. "I'm so sorry," she says. "All of this is my fault. I've ruined everything."
"Luna," I whisper, rising to sit on the bed next to her and pulling her against my chest. "You haven't ruined a thing. Don't you know that we'd do it all over again just to have that time to love you? None of us would change a thing."
"But I'm having a baby and I don't even know which of you is the father."
"It doesn't matter which of us is the father. We'll all treat the child as our own." As soon as I’ve spoken the words, I know them to be true. This baby might not have been planned but it will be loved. Of that I am certain.