Chapter 72

“Your wife is pregnant, Mr. Olsen, about seven weeks along. We are monitoring her, but we don’t have any guess as to what her body will do. It’s possible she might miscarry.

“She managed to stay semi-conscious until the paramedics arrived and kept mumbling about ‘the baby’ so we did a test to confirm it. She is young and strong and that will go a long way.

“I can take you up to the surgical waiting area to wait if you like.”

Liam just nodded, and the group followed to the elevator and rode it to the fifth floor.

They settled in the waiting area and were told that a nurse would come by when Maggie was in recovery to give an update. They were hoping to be done in two hours.

Liam collapsed in a chair as he heard others around him talking in low voices. Nick called someone, presumably Hannah, and Liam heard Brett do the same with Sheila.

“Liam, are you okay?” he heard his dad ask.

“I can’t lose her, Dad! I can’t, it will kill me! Patrick can’t lose her! He doesn’t even know how amazing she is yet! And another baby? I can’t do this, Dad! I can’t!”

“Hey, Liam, relax. You heard the doctor, she is young and strong, and that doctor hasn’t ever seen her temper, so you know she will be back up and about in no time!” Charlie reassured him.

Niall chimed in, “That’s right, my boy! Remember when she broke her arm when you first met, that fire is going to keep her going! You just wait and see!”

The others came back and sat around him, trying to reassure him as well as themselves.

“It’s my fault,” Liam said to no one in particular.

“No, it’s not. It was an accident. The doctor said a deputy would be up to give us the details later,” Makayla gently replied.

“No, it really is my fault. She was in my office, we had a row, and she left, very upset. If she hadn’t left when she did, this wouldn’t have happened! And I would be celebrating the fact that my wife is pregnant again! But no, I am here in the bloody hospital, with overwhelming guilt because of Veronica!”

Brett snapped his head up angrily.

“What do you mean about Veronica, Olsen? What does she have to do with Maggie being upset?” Brett asked through gritted teeth. “What did you fight about?”

Liam cleared his throat and lowered his head. “Veronica showed up after everyone had left and came into my office when I was showering. When I came out, she was making herself comfortable on the couch. She wanted to start an affair…”

Everyone’s eyes went wide as Brett fumed.

“Maggie heard the last half of the conversation through the door and came in as Veronica had unbuttoned her blouse and was touching my chest. I wasn’t fully dressed after the shower.

“I didn’t answer her right away, and Maggie assumed that I was considering her offer. I guess since I didn’t have a shirt on, she thought we were going to start right there…”

Brett jumped up. “What the fuck, Liam? Are you serious?”

“About what? That I totally fucked up, or how badly I failed my wife? Which part, Brett?”

Mike put a hand on Brett’s arm as he took a threatening stance. Brett stepped back and glared at Liam.

“Liam, if she doesn’t come out of this fully recovered, or if she loses the baby, I will beat the shit out of you. Do you understand me, you limey bastard?”

“If she is not as perfect as she was when this is over, baby included, you can do whatever you want. It won’t feel any worse than I feel right now! Do you get it?

“Kill me if you want, because she is my life, and I will do anything to take away her pain and make this right! So your threats are meaningless Mitchell, so do your worst!”

Charlie stepped in. “Okay, I know emotions are high right now, let’s all calm down and think about how this isn’t helpful for Maggie.

“Liam you know what you did was very wrong, and you acted like a stupid prat! But we can discuss this once Maggie is safe and healing. Brett, I love you, but this is between Maggie and Liam.

“It’s something we have to stay out of. I personally would like to see Maggie kick the shit out of him, but we have to just wait and see, okay?”

Nick couldn’t help but let a little smile creep on his face at Charlie’s words. They all sat down as Liza, William, Bethany, and Henry came in with some food and drinks.

“Mom called and told us. We left Ellie with her and Patrick, then stopped for some snacks. How is she?” Henry asked.

Joan filled them in, but before anyone could get to the other part about Maggie being upset, a sheriff’s deputy came in to talk to them.

They explained that a large box truck had turned in the wrong lane against the light and hit Maggie and another vehicle.

Maggie took the worst of it, but an ambulance happened to be returning to their station right after it happened and got to her quickly.

“Mr. Olsen, she immediately started saying, ‘my baby, my baby’ to alert the paramedics of the pregnancy, so they watched her carefully. I hope everything goes smoothly.

“The doctors will get us the medical reports, but we will need to talk to Mrs. Olsen when she is well enough to get her version of events.”

Charlie thanked them and confirmed phone numbers and addresses with the deputy. Liza felt bad for her brother as he sat there in a daze. She got him to eat and drink as they waited for any news.

A nurse in surgical scrubs came into the room and called for Liam. He raised his hand, almost in defeat, bracing himself for bad news.

“Mr. Olsen, your wife is in recovery right now. We removed her spleen and stopped the bleeding. She had some serious bruising around her ribs, but none are broken.

“Her arm has been set in a cast. It goes almost to her shoulder as both bones were broken close to the elbow.

“The plastic surgeon stitched her up nicely. The scarring on her face, neck, and shoulder from the glass shards should be minimal.”

“What about the baby?” Liam asked weakly.

“So far, so good. There’s still a nice heartbeat. We will keep monitoring her.”

“Can I see her?” Liam asked hopefully.

“Someone will call you when we get her in a room in the ICU. She is still unconscious, which is good. She is letting her body heal, and her brain needs sleep.

“Only two visitors at a time, though. She is stable, so you all might as well go home until tomorrow.”

“I’m not leaving!” Liam immediately interjected.

“Me either!” Brett challenged.

Charlie sighed and nodded at the nurse. “Thank you for the news. My son will wait for someone to take him to the room when she is settled. Thank you again, we appreciate it.”

The nurse smiled at them and walked away. Slowly the group hugged each other and dispersed, with Liam promising to keep everyone updated.

Charlie and Niall were reluctant to leave the other two men alone.

“Charlie, I promise that I won’t do anything. I just want to see with my own eyes that she is in a room, and then I will leave. Sheila will want an update…”

Niall hugged both men, with Charlie following suit. He whispered to his son, “Keep praying! She is a strong woman. They both will be okay!”

The young men sat down and watched the older men leave the room. Liam looked up at the clock and was stunned to see it was almost midnight.

He was exhausted and slowly going insane from the wait, but he had to see her tonight. He started pacing again, unable to control his impatience.

“You okay, Liam?”

“No Brett, I’m not! How would you feel if it was Sheila?”

Brett flinched. “Point taken…”

After about fifteen more minutes, a nurse came back and took them to the ICU. They entered the quiet room and watched the machines monitoring her vitals, listening to the soft beeping.

Liam gasped as he finally took in her whole body.

Maggie was varying shades of black, blue, yellow, and green in the soft light, with a huge cast on her left arm. Several white gauze bandages were wrapped around her head and other cuts.

Liam took a deep breath in to calm his nerves. Brett’s ragged breathing reminded him that he wasn’t alone, and he put an arm on his best friend’s shoulder to remind him that they both loved her.

Brett went over and kissed her cheek, letting his lips touch the only small part that wasn’t bruised, cut, or swollen. He left, promising to be back first thing in the morning.

“Remember what I said, Liam! She is my sister.”

“You remember what I said, Brett. She is my life.”

Liam went and smoothed her hair back before gently kissing her lips.

“I’m so sorry, darling. I love you so much. Please keep fighting, okay? I am so excited about the baby. I love you, Patrick loves you, and we need you to be healthy. Rest tonight, I’ll be right here!”

He cried as he stood over her and watched her still body. He took a few deep breaths, pulled the reclining chair next to her bed, and grasped her non-injured hand in his.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him over. He awoke at about 3:30 a.m. when a nurse was in, checking vitals.

“Everything okay?” Liam asked.

“So far, so good,” she replied.

Liam nodded and reclined again. The nurse came back and put a blanket over the sleeping man, thinking about the beautiful couple and hoping that the baby would be okay.

Liam slept restlessly and hoped the next day would bring good news.