Page 184 of Vegas Duology

“Mr.Mendez?”

I moved so quickly, I almost knocked her over in my haste.“Is she okay?What’s happening?”

Connie smiled.“I can take you back now.”

“Is she okay?”I asked again.“The baby?Is the baby okay?”

“Come with me, Mr.Mendez.”She turned and I followed, trying not to step on her heels as I went.“She’s still in the ER, so you’ll have to calm down and try to be quiet.”She turned to look at me.“I’m actually bending the rules a little bit in this case, so please don’t make me regret it.”

I nodded and swallowed hard.I would be strong.I had to be strong for Lexi.She was the one who needed me.She’d be hurting and I knew just how to handle it.

I followed her through two big double doors, and instantly the atmosphere changed.The eerie quiet of the hallway and waiting room morphed into a frenzied charge, filling the air around us.Myriad voices, beeping, and sounds I couldn’t quite identify filled the air.If they’d been worried about me causing any kind of disturbance with my presence, I couldn’t figure out how it would have made any difference.

“She’s just in here.”Connie pulled back a curtain to reveal Lexi tucked into a hospital bed.She had an IV in one hand and a monitor on a finger of the opposite hand.She looked impossibly tiny.Even with her swollen belly, which I swore had practically doubled in size in the few days we’d been in Las Vegas.“You can go to her,” Connie said, snapping me out of the trance I was in.

Lexi turned at the sound of the nurse’s voice.“Leo.”Her eyes filled with tears, jarring me into action.I rushed to her bedside, cupped her cheeks in my hands and planted a small flurry of kisses all over her face.If I could, I’d kiss away her pain.I’d kiss away all the hurt and take her out of here and we’d go home where we could heal.Together.

“I’m so sorry, baby.”I could feel her warm tears against my skin as I pressed my face to hers.I needed to feel her, have her close to me.“It’s okay,” I murmured.“It will all be okay.”I pulled back just enough so I could see her eyes.Tears flowed freely from their beautiful green depths.My chest ached to see the pain my love was going through.I moved my hands down to hers and held them tight, never taking my eyes off hers.“Lex, we’ll get through this and we’ll be okay.Stronger.And I don’t want to try anymore.Not if it means this.We have Ben.He’s healthy and perfect and the two of you are all I’ll ever need.”She shook her head slightly and opened her mouth to speak, but I kissed her softly before I continued.I needed to say everything I’d been thinking while I waited in that room.“And we’re not staying here,” I said.“This isn’t home.The lake is home.The lake, the cabin, and the inn.As soon as I can, I’m taking you home, Lex.”

“Lexi?”I swung my head around to see a young blonde nurse I hadn’t noticed before.She smiled as if our whole world hadn’t just shattered.Again.I narrowed my eyes and would have left Lexi’s side to physically remove her from the room if it hadn’t been for her next words.“You should probably tell him, Lexi.”

I looked back to my wife, her face an unreadable mix of emotion.“Lexi?”I said her name slowly.“Tell me what?”

~Lexi~

I almost laughed at the look on Leo’s face, but not because it was funny.But more because I couldn’t process what had just transpired in the last few minutes.I was still processing everything the doctor had told me when Leo came in and I was just so happy to see him and have him near me, holding me, kissing me.Having him there made everything better and oh, so real.

“Lexi?”He said my name again.“Tell me what?”It was the second time he’d asked.I swallowed hard and struggled to find the words.He looked behind him again to Jenni.“What’s going on?”he demanded of her.“Someone better tell me.And soon.”

“Leo.”I reached for him and pulled his gaze back to me.“It’s okay.”

“What’s okay?”He shook his head.I could see where his mind was at.That much was obvious, even if he hadn’t just given me a super sweet speech about how everything was going to be okay.

I couldn’t help it; fresh tears slipped down my cheeks.“Leo,” I managed.“We didn’t lose the baby.”

“Lexi, I said that—wait.What?”I could see the questions cross his face rapidly as he tried to process what I’d just said.“We didn’t lose the baby?”

“No.”I smiled, and quickly added, “Either of them.”

“We didn’t...”He looked from me, to the nurse, back to me.His eyes were wide, questioning, but it took a moment for the other part of what I’d said to sink in.“What did you...did you just say...”

I nodded.Fresh tears filled my eyes.It was impossible to think I could still cry, but these tears were born purely of joy.“Twins.”

“What?”Leo put his hands on my stomach, moving the sheet out of the way so he could touch bare skin.His hands were gentle, only featherlight as they skimmed the surface of my stomach.“Twins?”He looked up into my eyes and I nodded.“And they’re...they’re okay?”

I nodded again, remembering what the doctor had said.

“Hmm...”Dr.Turner had clucked his tongue and moved the wand over my belly and I’d wanted to jump up, grab him by the coat and demand to know what was going on.Instead, I’d settled back into the bed and he’d continued to move the wand, typing things into his computer and finally, after what had felt like forever, he said, “Do you know there were two in there?”

“Pardon?”Two?I propped myself up on my elbows and stared at him.

“Twins, Mrs.Mendez.”He smiled.“Congratulations, you’re expecting twins.”

“And are they...”I didn’t want to finish the question, but the bleeding and the cramping was still fresh in my mind.I hadn’t made it up; I knew it was bad...I had to know.“Are they okay?”

Doctor Turner’s smile said it all.“They look fine.Two strong heartbeats and their legs are kicking like crazy.”

“But the bleeding.The cramping.”