“Here’s your purse,” the nurse said. “We’ll let your fiancé know you’re okay. He’s out there pacing like a tiger in a cage.” The nurse fluffed her pillows and settled the blanket around her. “And your son is so adorable. You’d better hold onto those handsome men of yours. The doctor will be in to speak with you. He’s reviewing your scans, so it should only be a couple minutes.”
Megan held back a snort. A couple minutes in doctor time meant a half hour.
Wait a minute. Megan furrowed her brows at something the nurse said. Fiancé? “I don’t have…” She shrugged. She didn’t have the strength to correct yet another person. The real culprit was the oaf hovering near her door. She had caught sight of Ryan holding her baby and had had to resist the urge to snatch Cooper out of his arms.
The nurse departed the room as swiftly as she had entered.
Megan willed herself to be patient. She had already been taken through a battery of exams and was now hooked up to an IV, a heart monitor, and an EKG. Megan wanted two things: to hold her son and to go home.
The curtain swayed, and she saw Cooper’s pudgy legs. At least one of her wishes was about to be granted. Megan’s heart lifted and tears filled her eyes.
He kicked and giggled. “Mama!”
Megan held out her arms.
“He’s been asking for you,” Ryan said. He handed over Cooper and reached down as if he wanted to kiss her cheek.
Megan gave him a light push. She couldn’t believe his nerve. The stats on the machine began to beep furiously. Megan’s heart was beating fast. This made the nurse rush back inside her room. She asked Ryan to wait outside.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Sir, please wait outside.”
Ryan looked as if he wanted to argue, but the nurse wasn’t having it. Ryan took Cooper and went on the other side of the curtain while she checked Megan’s vitals.
“Your vitals look good,” the nurse said, reading the heart monitor and shaking her head. “I don’t understand what’s causing you such distress.”
Megan took deep breaths, but her heart continued to race. She wondered what was wrong with her. Would she need surgery, and if so, what would happen to Cooper? She hadn’t been to church much since Jackson’s death and didn’t feel comfortable calling on the church sisters now.
Ryan peeked inside. “Is she okay?”
As soon as Megan saw him, the monitors began beeping. The nurse’s eyes narrowed. She gave Megan a pointed look. “Is he upsetting you?”
Ryan took a tentative step backward.
Megan wanted to yell that Ryan Oakes had been upsetting her from the day she met him, but she shook her head. He had her son. She had no one else to call. The monitors continued clanging, which would surely give her a headache. The nurse adjusted something and the beeping ceased.
The nurse gently patted Megan’s back. “Take deep breaths.”
Megan complied, allowing the soothing voice to calm her nerves.
Ryan moved closer. He rested Cooper on the edge of the bed. “Yes, honey, you have to calm down. I’m here.”
Megan began to cry. “You’re here and he’s not. He should be here.” She broke into a sob. “I can’t do this alone. I miss Jackson.”
“Try to relax,” the nurse said.
Megan covered her face. “I need Jackson.” Her shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. “Lord, it’s too much. I can’t do this. I can’t…”
The nurse asked. “Who’s Jackson, dear?” Her loving tone was Megan’s undoing. The nurse’s cheery disposition reminded her of Megan’s grandmother. Her Nana—Megan’s only relative—had been Megan’s rock. Sadly, Gloria had died a few months before Megan met Jackson.
Megan wiped her face. “My husband,” she sobbed.
The nurse rested a hand on her hips and tilted her head toward Ryan. “But, isn’t he your fiancé?”
Ryan opened his mouth but the nurse raised a hand and arched her eyebrow. She looked like a mama bear, and Ryan must have thought better than to argue.
“Answer my question, love,” the nurse said.
Megan shook her head. “He’s not my husband.”
The nurse eyed Ryan with suspicion and then gave Megan a pointed look. “Do you need me to call someone?”
“Ma’am, she’s confused,” Ryan said, speaking up in a firm tone. “Megan’s with me. Her husband died some time ago.”
Megan gritted her teeth because he was laying on the charm.
“I love this woman and hope to make her my wife. Believe me when I tell you that’s the truth.”
Megan felt her eyes widen. Ryan sounded so convincing she almost believed him. She opened her mouth to expose him as a snaggle-toothed liar when someone entered. Her shoulders slumped when she saw it wasn’t the doctor. What was taking so long?
“Excuse me,” the young lady said, smiling. “I’m with billing.”
Dread lined Megan’s stomach like scum around a bathtub. “My insurance lapsed.” She closed her eyes. “I need to get out of here. How am I supposed to pay for all of this?” She broke down and cried again. This time Cooper began to cry along with her.
Ryan placed Cooper next to her, cleared his throat and said, “May I speak to you outside?” Ryan and the lady from billing moved out of the room.
Megan was too distraught to tell him to mind his own business. She felt a little hand on her leg and reached for her son. Megan wrapped her arms around him and inhaled Cooper’s scent, trying to draw strength from his little arms.
“Hush, Mama,” he said. His hands slapped her face as he tried to wipe her tears. Megan kissed Cooper on the cheek.
She whispered, “Lord, I need You.”
She felt strong hands massaging her shoulders and tensed. For a minute, she welcomed Ryan’s presence. Megan rested her head on his stomach.
“I’ll take care of everything, Ryan said, rubbing her back. “Go ahead and let it out.” His gentle words made anger surface.
Megan shoved him away. “It’s your fault Jackson’s gone,” she raged. “You think you can take his place? You’ll never be the man he was. And where do you get off telling people we’re engaged? I wouldn’t want you if you were the last man on this earth.”
Ryan’s harsh intake of breath was the only response. He gave her space but kept a firm hand on Cooper who was now bouncing on the bed and chewing on the sheet.
“Thank you for watching Cooper, but right now I need you to leave. I need you out of my life. I don’t know why you keep coming around. You’re all up in my business, and I’m sick of it.”
“You need me,” he said in a way that made Megan think he meant the opposite; that he needed her. “Cooper needs a daddy.”
“Daddy!” Cooper yelled. He looked up at Ryan and stretched out his hands.
It was too much. “He’s not your daddy,” Megan said.
But Cooper called out to Ryan again.
Ryan picked up Cooper. “Dada’s got you,” he said, cuddling him close.
Megan’s mouth dropped open. Ryan had a steel heart. He had killed her husband and now wanted to claim her son. “Get out,” she said. “Leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I belong here. With you.”
A thousand comebacks were about to hit her tongue when she looked down and noticed Ryan was wearing two different shoes. She squinted to make sure. Yep. They were definitely not the same. Expensive, but as different as night and day.
And that was the funniest thing she had ever seen. Megan chuckled and pointed, “You’re wearing two different shoes.”
Ryan looked down. “I—um—I was getting dressed when you—”
Megan cut him off with a snicker. “They’re also different colors. One’s black and the other is brown.” Her shoulders shook with mirth. She realized that her laughter held a touch of hysteria, which scared her, but she couldn’t control herself. She cupped her mouth and tried to stop laughing. Her body shuddered and tears ran down her face.
Ryan’s eyes were wide. He looked scared.
And that only made her crack up even more.
“I think I’m losing my mind,” she giggled. “I can’t stop laughing.”
“Megan, control yourself,” he said. His face paled and his eyes narrowed.
Is that concern? Or is it pity? Megan didn’t know, but the thought of the indomitable Ryan looking so frightened was funny enough to dissolve her into another fit of laughter.
“I can’t help it.” She hiccupped. “I must be losing my mind.” She held her stomach and laughed…until she cried. Megan felt her mind disintegrate. Her heart raced. She bit her lip and sniffled. Maybe she was going insane, because at the moment, her emotions were out of control. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as the tears fell.
Ryan rested a hand on her shoulder. “Holy Father, You are the Great Physician and Healer Divine. I come to You on Megan’s behalf. I believe You have the power to keep her stable. I ask You, Lord, to cover her under Your wings. I rebuke the plan of the adversary. Dispatch an angel to thwart the plans of the enemy. Soothe her, comfort her, and let her feel Your presence.”
Megan felt God in the room. She whispered, “Hallelujah.” Her heart calmed.
Ryan touched her head. “Satan is like a roaring lion, but You are the Lion of Judah. Take the shrapnel of her mind and piece it back together again. Right now, in the name of Jesus. No weapon formed against her will prosper. I declare it so in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.”
Megan’s reason returned. She opened her eyes and looked at Ryan as if she had never seen him before. Cooper had fallen asleep in Ryan’s arms. Her brows furrowed. Who was this man? One minute he was an egotistical beast, and the next he was her prayer champion. It made no sense. She tapped her chin. The devil knew how to pray…
“Megan? Are you all right?” Ryan placed Cooper on the bed and bent over to peer into her face.
She nodded. “God is good.”
His shoulders relaxed and he wiped his face. “Whew. I’ve never prayed like that in my life. Thank God for healing.” His eyes seemed filled with wonder. “What are you doing to me, woman?”
Megan shook her head, eyeing him suspiciously. He is a murderer…but he prayed for her with authority, like he was Moses or the prophet Elijah. What a contradiction. She didn’t get it. Her brows furrowed. Why would God…?
The doctor entered, interrupting Megan’s internal battle. He introduced himself and then asked about Ryan.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ryan said.
She wasn’t about to argue, especially after the prayer he had made on her behalf. Megan gestured to the doctor to speak.
“Your scans all came back fine,” he said. “You had a panic attack and possibly a mild case of vertigo. There is some fluid in your ear which might have contributed to the wooziness.”
“A panic attack?” She sighed. “But it felt like it was something more…serious. I thought I was having a heart attack.”
“A panic attack is a physiological representation of a mental state,” he said. “When you feel the attack coming on, my advice is that you need to breathe, relax, and remain calm. And, no driving for the next two weeks.”
If only it were that easy.
“I’ll make sure she does that,” Ryan said. “I’ll hire you a driver.”
“I’ll use a cab if I have to.”
He folded his arms. “Then I’ll cancel all my plans and drive you myself.”
Megan gritted her teeth. And the beast was back.
The doctor looked at them and smiled before looking at Ryan. “She’s lucky to have you.”
“No, I’m the lucky one,” he said. “My life hasn’t been the same since I met her.”
Megan rolled her eyes. Her life hadn’t been the same, either. She was pretty sure Ryan was the cause of her panic attack. In less than 48 hours, he had upended her stable existence. Even now, he was a force and commanded the room. Megan’s shoulders slumped. She experienced a minute of doubt. How could she fight such a powerful man? She needed Ryan out of her life.
He seemed to read her mind. “Now that I’ve found her, I’m never letting her go.”
His words made her straighten. Her chin rose. Those sounded like fighting words, and Megan had never backed away from a fight in her life.
She didn’t intend to start now.