Page 33 of Only ever you-Ana & Byron (Blindsided #2)
A fter the surgery
That day, after the surgery, they waited.
The neurosurgeon finally came out, still in scrubs, her hair tied back with a cool dinosaur scrub cap that her son had got her for her birthday. She looked exhausted but was smiling.
"It went well," she said, addressing Byron, Cadi and Ana's mother, who had flown in the night before. "Though because it was long-standing and there was quite a bit of scarring, it took longer than we anticipated. But there was no breach into the spinal canal, no leak of cerebrospinal fluid."
"Always a good sign," she added, giving Cadi a small smile.
Cadi's shoulders sagged with relief. She whispered to Byron that she would explain .
"She's just coming out of GA. Understandably, a bit drowsy. There may be some weakness, maybe some tingling, but I don't expect any focal neurological deficit."
She turned to Byron and said, "I mean paralysis or long-term issues. She's in the ITU for the night, just for observation. We'll move her to her room in the morning."
Byron nodded once, jaw clenched, but said nothing. He was pale beneath the stubble, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets.
When Ana was finally moved to the private room, she looked like herself again, albeit pale, bandaged, and with precisely zero patience.
The first thing out of her mouth was a croaky "Byron, go get me them pancakes."
He blinked. "What?"
"Fluffy, syrup-soaked, double-stack, with blueberries. Chop-chop."
He crossed his arms. "You just had spine surgery. You're not getting pancakes. You're getting clear fluids with a straw."
Ana groaned dramatically and rolled her head toward Cadi. "He's trying to starve me to death. Cadi, please. He's being cruel and abusive. I need pancakes."
Cadi laughed despite herself.
"You've got some numbness, but the surgeon said it's nothing alarming. It will resolve before you know it," Cadi explained to Ana.
Byron arched a brow. "Which, in my speak, means stop whinging like a baby and man up."
Ana grumbled, "I will just have to be satisfied, imagining your head explode like a watermelon. Wait until I am up and running. "
***
Four weeks later, Ana was up and about. Stubbornly, defiantly mobile .
And Byron, being Byron, had insisted on hiring a nurse and a private chef and then promptly ignored them both and did everything himself.
He fussed, hovered, and glared at anyone who dared suggest she so much as lift a mug.
“I will have you know I am not a complete nutter. I have investments, ya know. We can retire anytime.”, he replied casually when Ana worried about the cost.
And on the day after the surgery, when she was still hoarse, groggy, and loopy on meds and telling him how sexy he was, he'd knelt by the bed and slid a massive solitaire onto her ring finger.
Ana squinted at it, dazed. "What the fuck is this doing here?"
"I have rights. These were the conditions you agreed to," Byron said simply.
She wiggled her fingers. "Can I get two more? You know, it would make a cool knuckle duster."
"You're a difficult patient and impossible to please," he muttered.
"Still want to be married to me, don't you?"
***
The barbecue had been postponed twice-first because of Ana's surgery, and then again when Gray pulled a hamstring during a friendly game with the other consultants and insisted on grilling while on crutches.
But now it was finally happening. The sun was out, the beers were cold, and the air smelled of grilled meat and citronella candles.
Ana stood near the patio with Cadi, sipping lemonade that she insisted had no bloody personality without a splash of something stronger.
She was glaring daggers across the yard at Byron, who was manning the grill alongside Gray and James' dad .
"Oh, don't act all innocent, you absolute tosser," Ana shouted, arms crossed. "I saw that little rugby groupie bunny grab your arse on live television."
Byron groaned, flipping a sausage with exaggerated care. "Ana, for the last time, I was mid-interview. I didn't even see her coming."
"Oh, but the whole world did! Congratulations, you're now officially on the STD express, you bloody wanker."
Gray snorted. "You're not going to win, mate. Just take the loss."
"I don't even know how I ended up in this mess," Byron muttered.
"You never do," Ana replied sweetly, always needing to have the last word.
Eventually, the conversation turned to kids.
"I swear," Ana said, squinting at a toddler biting a paper plate, "Every child I see these days is born looking like a tax auditor. All serious and judge-y."
"I blame the tablets," Byron called. "And kale."
"No, you're just boring," Ana shot back. "Let them climb trees, eat dirt, and beat the hell out of each other like we did. Builds character."
“So," she turned back to Cadi, "any plans for more?"
Cadi hesitated a breath too long. Just a flicker, but Ana caught it like a hawk.
"Oh my God," she said lowly, eyes narrowing. "You're pregnant."
Cadi nearly choked on her lemonade. "Ana-"
Ana's grin was slow and wicked. "I bloody knew it. You've got that look."
"What look?" Cadi demanded, exasperated and a little pink.
"That slightly panicked, slightly glow-y look. And I've known you long enough to know when you're hiding something."
"Not a word," Cadi hissed, eyes darting toward Gray. "I haven't even told him yet. "
Ana's hands flew to her mouth. "This is delicious."
"Shut up."
"I'm so proud."
"Shut up, Ana."
"Glorious, fertile Cadi-"
"Ana!"
Later, as twilight set in and fairy lights blinked on across the garden, Byron came up behind Ana and wrapped an arm around her.
"You good?" he asked, low against her ear.
She nodded. But her hand drifted to her belly, her expression giving away the tension which was like a living thing within her.
"The scan's next week," she said. "I've just got this bad feeling, Byron. The anaesthetic took so long. I'm scared."
He kissed the top of her head. "It will be fine. And we'll deal with it if it is not. Whatever it is."
She didn't speak for a long time.
Then, "You're not allowed to let any more women touch your arse."
"I'll get it insured," he deadpanned, "Ya know, you are back to the possessive, foul-mouthed harridan I used to know in school. I am finding it hot."
"Oooh, such big words, B. And this 'harridan' will key your car if you don't announce our relationship status soon."
To which, Byron picked up his phone with a smile and announced it to the whole world without even a by-your-leave to his long-suffering agent.
They had agreed to wait. No blood tests or poking or prodding until after the surgery was done and Ana had recovered a little. They knew the surgery might impact the pregnancy, and the 20 week anomaly scan would be their first proper look.
It started well.
The sonologist smiled and said, "There's the heartbeat."
Byron couldn't resist a proud, "Kicking like a winger"
Ana laughed, but her eyes were bright and intent on the screen.
But then the sonologist's expression sobered suddenly, and she grew quiet. Then she reached for more gel and adjusted the probe. And then she said softly, "Excuse me, just a moment. I'm going to call the consultant in."
Ana's laughter stilled.
Byron, who had been holding her hand, felt her fingers tighten around his.
The consultant came in briskly. He introduced himself as Dr.Darcy, nodded at the machine, and took over. Ana watched his face, trying to read the shadows shifting behind his neutral expression.
Byron's thumb traced slow, soothing circles against her palm.
When the scan ended, they were asked to step into a separate room.
***