Mess Me Up
Page 42

She just made me better.
“Did he tell you the news?” I asked.
“What news?” she murmured sleepily.
“That he got his job back,” I murmured. “Desk duty, but he’s back. Until they’re sure about his leg, they’re not going to give him anything more. He’s pissed.”
“Rightfully so,” she agreed. “And his wife—I can’t believe they’re still married—is doing okay, too. She finally got control of her hand again, I saw her flipping Wade off with that hand today.”
We both had a chuckle at that.
“Do you think that they’re going to get back together?” she whispered hopefully.
I doubted it.
“Those two fight like cats and dogs.” I yawned. “I highly doubt they’ll ever get back to what they used to be.”
And I hated that for Wade, because despite the tough guy act he put on, he really was in love with his wife.
“I also saw Linc today,” she continued. “He said that they’re done for the season. He seemed really bummed about it.”
I snorted. “Linc made twenty-five million dollars on a two-year contract just a few days ago. Trust me when I say he’s not sad. Though, it sucks that they didn’t go all the way this time. I was really hoping they would earn another Super Bowl ring.”
 “Means more pick-up games since they don’t have to worry about getting hurt.”
I felt something deep in my chest take off at that.
She got me.
She knew what I loved and encouraged me every day to continue to do the things that made me happy. Like hanging out with my MC brothers, playing pick-up games with my football family, or working even though I didn’t have to. If it made me happy, and those things did, Izzy was all for it and the first one pushing me out the door to do it.
Though all of those things paled in comparison to spending my days being lazy with her.
“When are you going to marry me, anyway?” I teased, brushing my lips against her brow.
She snorted. “When I’m not hugely pregnant and can walk down the aisle without waddling.”
And I was okay with that.
As long as she promised me forever, I didn’t care when we got there, as long as she was at my side.
Epilogue
Today, I’m going to give it my some.
-Coffee Cup
Rome
“Ma’am,” the doctor tried to interrupt Izzy’s screaming. “Are you allergic to anything?”
When Izzy did nothing but grunt and scream, I turned and said, “She’s allergic to Penicillin.”
“And penises!” Izzy screamed. “Penicillin and penises!”
The doctor’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say a word.
“You are not allergic to penises, you big cooter face,” Reagan snapped. “You’re such a lying slutbag.”
Izzy flipped her off. “Look where the last one got me!” She turned her head so that she could glare at me. “This is all your fault.”
I bit my lip, unsure what to say to that. Or if anything said at this point in time would come out as soothing, or just annoying.
The doctor was not Izzy’s normal doctor. Izzy’s normal doctor had a heart attack two days ago, leaving both Izzy and I scrambling to find a suitable replacement.
In the end, we hadn’t found anyone.
Not because we hadn’t wanted to, but because our child had decided that three weeks before his or her due date was a perfect time to come, making us both lose control.
Me, because Izzy was slightly freaking out, and Izzy because she was so damn scared that something bad was going to happen to this baby, too.
Though she hadn’t voiced those words.
She was putting on a strong front, but it was more than obvious that she was scared to death, even if she smiled through the fear.
The doctor gestured for me to move toward the hallway. I stepped out of the room to join him.
“We’re going to have to take her in for an emergency cesarean,” the doctor explained quickly and quietly. “The baby’s heartbeat isn’t good. The decelerations are very concerning. We need your consent, though.”
I felt tears, the stupid traitorous bastards, sting my eyes.
“Anything,” I said. “Anything you need, do it. Make sure that they’re okay.”
The doctor slapped me on the shoulder.
“We’ll make sure they’re safe, Rome,” he promised. “I know this is stressful, but you need to be on your game. You need to be the strong one…because she’s already freaking out.”
I was glad that this particular doctor was there today.
We’d met with him twice, but not because we were looking for him as a doctor, but because we’d gone in twice over Izzy being alarmed that the baby hadn’t moved in a few hours, and the particular doctor was the on-call one that was there to see any patients that showed unexpectedly.
“I’m good,” I told him, lying through my teeth.
I wasn’t good. In fact, I was freaking out right along with my wife.
And yes, I do mean wife.
Last week, Izzy had surprised me.
She’d shown up, dressed so cutely, demanding to be married before she had my baby, that I hadn’t been able to refuse.
Which led us to getting married at the courthouse with her brother on FaceTime to give her away.
Now, I was more than glad that I got to be her person. To be the person that she leaned on in times of need.
I looked over at my wife, who was staring at me with such a horrified, lost expression on her face that I felt everything inside of me still.
I was scared.
So goddamn scared.
I didn’t want to lose another baby.
I’d just come to terms with having him or her. I wasn’t sure I would make it, and I knew without a doubt that Izzy would break.
There was no way I could lose her.
I loved them both with all my heart.
“I’m here,” I assured the doctor. “And I have my shit together.”
I didn’t at all…but I could at least act like I did.
“Yo,” Liner said, interrupting us, coming out of the labor room. “Your wife is freakin’ the fuck out, and she wants me to bring you to her.”
I wasn’t sure why Liner was in the labor room. Honestly, he’d been there since the beginning, and I had a feeling that he was there to make sure I didn’t lose my shit and go postal on everyone just in case something went wrong.
Like right now.
I winced and turned back to the doctor. “Can I go in the delivery room with her? She’s going to lose it. You’re right.”
The doctor pursed his lips. “Normally all the preparation is done at the same time, but if you hurry and get your clothes on.” He gestured to the gown that was on the countertop. “And are ready to go in thirty seconds, you can come.”
The nurses were bustling around Izzy, unhooking her from monitors, and unplugging her from God knows what. All the while, my sweet little Iz was watching me with silent tears running down her face.
I didn’t waste time.
I also didn’t complain that the stupid pants were eight inches too long, and the booties they gave me to wear only fit over half of my shoe.
The shirt was even worse.
It was uncomfortable and on the verge of ripping.
Yet, I put it on and didn’t complain.
***
Izzy
“It’ll be okay, sweetheart.” Was the last thing I heard before I couldn’t remember a single thing.
Now, I felt like I’d been sucking on cotton balls for what felt like hours on end, and I felt something missing.
It took me a while, but eventually I was able to crack my eyes open and blink at the shining white lights above my head.
“I’m sorry I didn’t want you,” I heard whispered.
And for some reason, I knew that Rome’s words, my beautiful Rome with his great big heart, wasn’t talking to me.
He was talking to our child.
Our child that, only hours ago, had been in distress and had nearly died in my womb.
“She knew you wanted her, man,” I heard someone whisper.
I turned my head and found the room full of people.