Page 119 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“No, it’s fine. It’s just…she’s in the city. She was with me, actually. I’m taking her to St. Luke’s. We’re headed there now in a cab.”

Launching myself over the back of the couch, I jammed my feet into my shoes sans socks, scooped my wallet and keys from the table by the door, and pulled it closed behind me before breaking into a jog toward the stairs.

“I’m on my way.”

“We’ll see you there,” she said in a rush and ended the call.

I’d be calm once I got there and they did too, but this was my sister and my soon-to-be niece or nephew I was talking about. The more moving I did until then to keep me occupied, the better.

Down the stairs and through the lobby, I didn’t even pause until the heavy glass door to the outside made me.

Forcing it open as quickly as I could, I maneuvered my way through the small crowd in front of my building and broke into a jog. The hospital was ten blocks away, but completely unwilling to wait for a cab or the subway, I ran every single one.

“Gigi!” I yelled as soon as I spotted her in the waiting room at St. Luke’s. They’d gotten her into a chair and Melody was with her, but I didn’t understand why the fuck she wasn’t back in a room yet.

“Oh, Will!” my sister sighed. “Thank God.”

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” I asked rapid fire, brushing her little blond ponytail off of her shoulder. “Is Kline on his way?”

Melody did her best to comfort me and take some of the pressure off of Georgia simultaneously. “She’s okay. I tried to call Kline on the way, but it went to voice mail, so I left a message,” she explained and glanced down at my sister. “But she wouldn’t let them take her back to a room until you got here.”

That was weird. Why the hell not? “Georgia?”

“I just panicked, Will.” She shrugged but kept her hands tightly clutched to her belly. “I guess I just wanted you here first.”

“Of course,” I told her with a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder.

I met the eyes of the nurse on call, Gina, and signaled that I was going to take her back to a room. She nodded and picked up her phone as it rang.

Moving around Georgia’s wheelchair, I took the handles at the back and started pushing her down the hall.

Gina covered the mouthpiece on her phone as we passed. “Room sixteen is open,” she advised.

“Thanks.”

Down the hall and into room sixteen in no time at all, I wheeled Georgia to a stop, locked the wheels, and then lifted her up and out of the chair and onto the bed.

“Will!” she yelled. “You don’t have to carry me.”

“Too late,” I told her as she settled.

I moved to the corner to grab the fetal monitor, but Melody was already there, bringing it over. I smiled my sad smile of thanks, and her answering expression looked just as unhappy.

“Pull up your shirt, Gigi,” I instructed. She paused, glancing to Melody behind me and then back again before complying.

“It’s okay,” I comforted. “I’m going to take care of you. Both of you.”

She smiled a sweet but weird smile and finally lifted her shirt up to uncover her swollen belly.

I started hooking up the monitor, and Melody didn’t hesitate to jump in and assist. I didn’t even have to direct her, such was the flow of us working together.

Have I mentioned that I fucking miss her?

“Will,” Georgia called, and I had to physically force my eyes away from Melody to look at her.

“Yeah?”

“You know I love you, right?”