Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(32)

“Maggie?” I search, looking around the room.

“In here,” her voice faintly calls.

My eyes confirm the pained notion I believed to be the reason for Maggie’s call when I peer into the bathroom. My heart sinks full of sadness as I rush to her curled up body laying on the tiled floor. I do my best to be careful where I step to make sure I don’t slip.

“Emma!” Maggie expresses with tear stained cheeks, tousled hair and a shaking body, trying to sit up.

“I’m here,” I soothe lovingly as I move to wrap my arms around her.

“No!” she shouts. “You’ll get blood on you!”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I console, comforting her.

I sit, rocking her in my arms for a while, needing her to calm. Maggie’s hands huddle around her belly as she cries into the crook of my arm. Once I get her relaxed enough, I inform her that I’ll be right back. Cracking the bathroom door open, I call out to Joe. Within seconds, he and Sadie are inches away from me. Sadie whines to be let in, but I block the entrance with my leg.

“Is she alright?” Joe searches.

“She will be . . . at some point,” I suggest.

“Is that . . . blood?” Joe’s eyes widen as he inspects my shirt.


“Probably,” I confirm, not wanting to check and knowing most likely that it is.

“I need Ava . . .” I begin, stopping when Ava, one of Maggie’s maids, enters the room.

“What is it, Ms. Emma?” Ava promptly questions with uneasiness in her tone. Her mouth gapes when her gaze falls upon me after Joe shifts to the side.

“I need some fresh clothing for Maggie, please,” I direct as calmly as I can. “And, the bed will need to be tended to.”

“Right away, Ms. Emma.” Ava rushes to Maggie’s closet but stops at the foot of the bed. Her expression alters again slightly when the realization sets in.

“I’m going to need you to keep Jared out of here, at least for a little while when he gets here,” I brief Joe.

“Sure,” Joe agrees.

Jared’s protective, very protective of Maggie and me. Beyond being protective, Jared’s mood changes. His demeanor can become very large which would not work in a case like this — Maggie’s too fragile.

“He’ll push his way past you,” I reveal and the look on Joe’s face confirms his understanding. “You need to call Henry. Get him to come home. Maggie won’t be good until he’s here.”

My brain scrounges for anything else it can think of.

“And, I need my bag.”

“Anything else?” Joe checks.

“No . . . thank you,” I maintain.

The next thing I know, Joe’s lips are along mine and I surprisingly don’t pull away. He unwillingly lets go of me after a few long seconds of our embrace.

Back in the bathroom, alone with Maggie and with the door locked, I’m able to clean up most of the blood that is on the floor before Ava knocks. I let her in once Joe keeps Sadie at bay. Ava comes in and helps me finish cleaning the bathroom as I get the shower started for Maggie.

Ava brings in my bag and the fresh clothes for Maggie I requested, placing them on the counter. “Do you still need me, Ms. Emma?” Ava checks.

“No. Thank you,” I instruct. Just as Ava’s about to leave the room, I call to her, “Ava.”

“Yes, Ms. Emma?” she asks while sealing Maggie’s blood-soaked pajamas in a plastic bag.

I grab my phone and check something I found on the internet before continuing. “Do you know where Maggie keeps all of her special teas?”

“Yes, Ms. Emma.”

“Has she shown you how to use them?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll need you to make her some herbal tea,” I state calmly.

“Which ingredients, Ms. Emma?”

My eyes focus on the website I pulled up on my phone, forgetting what I read. “Red raspberry, nettles, red clove, oat straw and alfalfa. Any combination of those she may have. Also, add some mint too, please.”

“Yes, Ms. Emma. I’ll bring it up when it’s ready.”

“Thank you, Ava.”

“Should I call the family, Ms. Emma?”

“No. Not yet. Thank you,” I confirm.

“Yes, Ms. Emma.”

I remove my clothes and then Maggie’s before escorting her into the shower. She’s able to stand for a few minutes, but the weakness of her body, and probably the pain in her heart, cause her to find a seat. With a sea sponge in hand, I gently wash Maggie’s entire body. Neither of us talk, but at least Maggie’s whimpers have subsided.

“Do you think Henry will divorce me?” Maggie questions with a strange, somber tone that I’ve never heard from her before now.

“Why would you think such a thing?” I gasp.

“Because I lost the baby. He’ll probably hate me,” she states.

“Henry loves you and wanted to marry you before you got pregnant. He’ll be sad like you, but he will not leave you,” I assure.

“I hope so,” she mumbles.

As I get Maggie out of the shower, I hear Jared banging on the door. There’s a little commotion, but Maggie doesn’t seem to notice. I get her situated with a towel for a second before throwing on a robe and head out to the bedroom.