Page 56 of Summer Affair

“Yes, I’ll meet you there,” Lea replied, her voice steady. “Is she breathing?”

“Yes, but she threw up yesterday and today. She said last night that she had bad cramps.” He relayed Andrea’s medical information as he focused on sailing back to the dock, his hands shaking as he tried to wake Andrea several times along the way. “Come on, Andrea. Stay with me,” he pleaded, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

It took too damn long to get back to the docks, precious time that he feared Andrea didn’t have.

When they finally approached the docks, he saw a group of people waiting—Lea, Brett, Zoey, and a few others, along with an ambulance. He docked the boat as quickly as possible, letting Damion take over and secure the catamaran as Lea rushed on board.

“Let’s get her on the stretcher,” Lea instructed, her tone professional but filled with concern.

Dean carried Andrea and gently placed her onto the stretcher then watched helplessly as Lea and the paramedics worked swiftly, their movements efficient and focused. He watched Andrea’s eyes lift open slightly when they put smelling salts under her nose. But then she went lax again almost immediately.

“I’ll ride with her,” Lea said, climbing into the back of the ambulance.

“I’ll drive you,” Brett said and they jumped into a waiting golf cart and followed the ambulance down the pathway until it hit the parking lot and shot off down the road. They jumped into Brett’s truck and took off after it.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. Dean’s mind raced with fear and confusion. He couldn’t lose Andrea. Not now, not before… Shit. He shouldn’t have put off that discussion. They needed to talk about them. About their future.

Minutes and hours crawled by in the hospital waiting room. Dean paced back and forth, his heart heavy with worry. Brett and Elle tried to offer words of comfort, but Dean could hardly hear them over the pounding of his own heart.

Elle had called Andrea’s mother and sister before they had even arrived at the hospital and yet neither of them had showed up yet. Was her health not that important to them?

Finally, Lea emerged, her face calm but serious. Dean rushed to her side. “How is she?” he demanded.

“She’s resting.” Lea said, taking his arm and leading him to a small private room. “She’s okayed me to talk to you about this and, since her family isn’t here yet, I’ll just fill you in. Andrea has struggled a few years with endometriosis.”

He nodded. “She mentioned it to me last night.” He remembered seeing her so sick and hurting. “Is that what’s wrong today?”

“Partly.” Lea sighed. “She also has and infection and had to undergo an endometrial ablation,” Lea explained gently, taking his hands, which somehow caused his worry doubled.

“What does that mean?” he asked, shaking his head.

“She’ll be fine, but this procedure…” Lea’s eyes met his, locked there for a moment. “Dean, it means that she can no longer have children.” He saw a tear slip down Lea’s cheek before she wiped it away.

He felt his heart sink into his gut.

“But she’ll be okay?”

Lea nodded. “Yes, she’ll be fine.”

A wave of relief hit him. Andrea would make it through this. The news about children, well, he knew life could throw curveballs sometimes. It hurt knowing that she would struggle with the news, but the joy of knowing she wasn’t going to die outweighed the rest.

“I just want her to be okay,” he said, almost whispering.

Lea nodded, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “She’s strong. She’ll need your support, our support, but she’ll get through this.”

He nodded and then hugged Lea. “Thanks.”

A few moments later, he entered Andrea’s private room quietly. She was lying in the bed looking very small and pale, but she was awake. When her eyes met his, he could instantly tell she was exhausted and in some pain.

“Hey,” he said softly, walking over to her bed and taking her hand in his.

“Hey,” she whispered back, her voice weak as she rested her head back. “You heard?”

He nodded. “Lea told me everything. How are you feeling?” he asked as he took her hand in his.

Andrea managed a small smile and closed her eyes. “Tired. Better now that you’re here.”

“Rest, I’ll be right here,” he said, but he could tell that she was already asleep.