Wes couldn’t sit still a minute longer. He shoved from the hard chair and paced the hospital waiting room with hands fisted and anger bubbling to the surface. Anger at Mrs. Stein, sitting prim and proper in a chair with no emotion, anger at the doctors for not telling Kat to take it easy more, anger at himself for risking her life from the start.
“The baby’s going to be fine.” Trever offered his empty words, but he was no physician.
Jewels stalled Wes’s assault on the linoleum. “Kat’s strong. She’s going to beat this. Think about it. The woman is fearless.”
“Except when it comes to that woman.” Wes glanced at Mrs. Stein and couldn’t hold his words back any longer. He needed to fix this. “It was you. You upset her. I knew Kat said you were distant and uncaring and all business, but I thought she exaggerated. Now I know better. You’re as cold and sterile as this hospital.” His words flew from his mouth, unlike his normal cordial, controlled demeanor.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mrs. Stein didn’t even bother to look at him.
“I know you stressed her out, and now she might lose the baby or even worse.” He choked on his words and struggled to keep his temper from exploding, but in that moment, he realized one thing. Despite the bitterness toward fatherhood he’d clung to since he was a boy, he wanted his son or daughter now. He would do anything to protect his unborn child. “You should leave. I’ll be the one taking care of her.”
Mrs. Stein looked up through her faux lashes. “I won’t leave. I can’t.”
Wes wanted to show her the door and help her through it, but no matter what he thought of the woman, this was Kat’s mother. “You can leave.” He cleared his throat and forced a cordial tone. “I will care for Kat.”
“You can’t.”
“I can. I’ve been doing it this entire time. I’ve been to every doctor appointment, every sonogram. I’ve read all the books. I’ve cooked meals, done laundry, cleaned house. You weren’t here to help. Kat didn’t even want to tell you about the baby until next week when the shower invitations went out.”
“I’m here now.”
He fisted his hands and unfurled his fingers several times. His former-attorney experience kicked in, and he wanted to fight. He faced Kat’s mother, but there wasn’t a hint of intimidation in her expression. “She doesn’t need you upsetting her again.”
The woman stood, sliding her purse handle onto the crook of her arm. “I’ll go get us all some coffee, but I can’t leave. I’m the only family she has to make tough decisions if she needs them made.”
If he didn’t know better, he’d say there was a hint of pain in her eyes. Maybe he’d misjudged her. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was protecting Kat. “I’m her family now.”
“From what I understand, not legally. That means I’m the only one who can legally make the decisions.” She patted his shoulder in a patronizing way. “I thought as a former attorney, you’d know that.” She brushed past him and left the waiting room.
He collapsed, his face in his hands. “Dear Lord, she’s right.”
Trace plopped down next to him and gave him a strong, get-over-it tap to his back. “Listen. You’re the baby’s dad. You’ll have a say.”
“No, she’s right. I haven’t been a lawyer for a long time, but even I know that. I should’ve pushed Kat instead of giving her space, but every time we discussed the future, she would get upset. I didn’t want to risk her health. Maybe there’s a minister here in the hospital.” He shoved from the chair again, but Dr. Ryland entered before he could leave the waiting room. “How is she?”
Dr. Ryland offered a warm smile. “The labor has stopped.”
“Labor? But it’s too early.” He spun to look for reinforcements, to make the doctor see she was wrong, because no baby could survive being born this early, could it?
“Yes, it is, but we’ve stopped the contractions and she hasn’t dilated. Her waters didn’t break. I’m going to keep her here to monitor her for the night. Her blood pressure has gone up. Is she avoiding salt and getting plenty of rest? Any stress?”
They all looked to each other, but he was the one to spill the truth. “Yes, her mother arrived in town. They don’t have a great relationship. Can I keep her from seeing Kat? I mean, she’s the only legal family member.”
Dr. Ryland put her hands in the pockets of her white coat. “Kat will only be seeing who she wants to see. Right now, only one of you is allowed in her room at a time, and you can only stay a couple of minutes. If she gets agitated, please leave. Ms. Wendy Lively, Kat’s requested to speak with you first.”
Wes couldn’t help the feeling of rejection, but this wasn’t about him, so he stood aside and allowed Wind to pass.
Mrs. Stein arrived and cornered Dr. Ryland. “What’s my daughter’s status? I’m her mother, so I should be the one informed. I’ve already sent for a specialist who will be flying in tomorrow.”
Dr. Ryland straightened in an uncharacteristic domineering posture. “Mrs. Stein, I assure you she is receiving the best treatment possible and, more importantly, the treatment she’s requested. You need to cancel your specialist because Kat doesn’t want that, and since she is the patient and doesn’t have any mental deficiencies, what she says will go in this hospital.”
“We’ll see about that. I know the chief of medicine, and I won’t let anyone near my daughter who isn’t the best.” She spun in a fury of white hair and uppity attitude, but in that moment she wasn’t the one Wes watched.
He nodded at Dr. Ryland with new respect.
“You’re doing everything right, and you’ll make an amazing father. Trust me. I’ve seen many families go through similar situations. You need to take care of yourself, too. Kat can only lean on you as long as you don’t break. That’s why I sent Wind in first.”
“She didn’t ask for her first?” Wes couldn’t help the joy seeping into his voice.
“She asked for both of you. I chose to send in Wind first because if Kat saw you right now, she’d be as worried about you as she is about her unborn child.”
“Why? I’m not the one in the hospital fighting for my baby.”
She smiled knowingly. “Aren’t you, though? Sure, Mama’s in bed, but you have it worse. You’re forced to stand out here and wait. A man like you isn’t used to being helpless.”
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, realizing he hadn’t showered today and probably looked like a wreck. “I didn’t think I had a right to feel this way. It’s just that I want to do something, but I can’t do anything.”
“But you can. And you and Kat have amazing people to lean on. Use your support system. Let them lift you up when you can’t stand anymore.” She touched his bicep and offered him that soft-eyed gaze. “You’re allowed to feel what you’re feeling. Talk to your friends, and talk to Kat. She’s tougher than you think.”
A nurse called her away, leaving Wes reeling with worry.
With Kat’s mother gone from the room and with the news that Kat was okay and hadn’t lost the baby, his adrenaline faded and his muscles fatigued. He looked to his friends in the room and then collapsed into one of those darn waiting room chairs, allowing himself to crumble because he realized there were people around him who could support him without judging his weakness. And he needed all the support he could get right now.