Page 46 of Penn

My hand presses against my stomach, and I stare down as tears fall and darken the fabric where they land. “Promise me that you’ll make sure he or she’s taken care of if something happens to me.”

“Dixie—”

“Promise me, Penn. If you aren’t willing to raise this baby, I understand, but I need to know you’ll make sure he or she is okay. That they go to a good family who loves them. I need to know my baby will be taken care of if something happens to me.”

Pulling me against him again, he kisses the top of my head. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“I can’t just go into this blindly,” I say into his shirt. “Penn, please. Please?”

“If anything happens to you—which it won’t—I will make sure your baby is taken care of. Nothing bad will ever happen to him or her. But you don’t need to worry about it because nothing’s going to happen to you, either.”

There’s comfort in his words, but not enough to squash the fear still taking up space in my chest. “Penn—”

“That entire room of people are your family, too,” he says. “You’re mine, which means you’re theirs. If anything happens to me, you will be taken care of by them. If something goes wrong when you go into labor, they will be here just like we are for Misty. You. Are. Not. Alone.”

That reality settles, and there’s finally relief. I sob, clinging to him, and he rubs my back, kissing the top of my head and just holding me. I don’t need words. I need comfort. A solid reminder that I have someone to lean on. Someone who owes me nothing in this world but has given more than anyone else ever has.

I wipe my eyes and pull back. “I’m okay.”

I do everything in my power to block out thoughts of bright hospital lights, blood-soaked sheets, and foster care. Positive thoughts. That’s what I need now.

We walk back toward the waiting room when we hear the shrill of the alarm. Pressed against the wall, we both stare in shock as Misty’s rushed past us through doors I know lead to the Operating Room.

“Surgical team to OR three, stat!” a nurse says into a phone at the desk across from us. “Get O-negative blood bags from the bank immediately.”

Zeppelin runs out after them, but he’s stopped at the doors. “That’s my girlfriend! Misty!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t be back there,” the nurse says as security walks up to stop him.

“Where’s the baby?” I ask Penn.

“I need to be with her,” Zep says, his voice frantic as he tries to push past the security guard.

Penn walks over to help pull him back. “There is nothing you can do for her, man. You need to let them do their job.”

Pushing Penn off him, Zep shakes his head. “Fuck you!”

“You’re not a doctor. You’ll be in the way, and you could make it worse.”

“That’s my girl!”

“And you have to put your faith in those trained to save her.”

“Penn—”

“She’s a fighter,” I say. “Don’t lose faith in her.”

His eyes land on my belly, and he falls to his knees. “I can’t lose her.”

“You won’t,” I whisper, praying I’m not lying as I walk over to him. “We have to believe she’ll pull through.”

He sobs against my belly, hugging me as I stroke his hair. “I love her.”

“She knows that. We all do. Don’t ever question that.”

“Zep, where’s the baby?” Penn asks.

“NICU,” he whispers. “Both of my girls are out of my reach.”