When You're Mine (MINE #3)(34)
She was alive.
Tabitha had regained consciousness about two hours ago. Long after they’d given her ten stitches and taken her for a CT scan and MRI. Her speech was slurred as if she’d been drinking, and she complained of blurry vision, which she attributed to her slip and fall in the shower. After speaking with the doctor in great detail about her previous medical history, he’d ordered additional tests. I sat next to the bed, unwilling to leave her side for even a second. With her eyes closed against the dim light of the room, she slept. Every now and then her eyes would flutter open, the magnificent green popping with life against the drab hospital room. She would smile weakly, whisper I love you, and leave me once more. It was agony.
The door opened with a gust and I immediately stood from my chair, the wooden legs scraping loudly across the linoleum floor. I could see the resemblance right away.
Looking down at Tabitha, she remained undisturbed, so I took the liberty of introducing myself. “Mr. Warren, Barrett Shaw.”
“Dr. Warren,” he corrected, his face hard and impassive.
He accepted my outreached hand and after a brief shake, he moved to the other side of the bed. I watched, fascinated as he swapped cold indifference with deep concern. Pulling a stethoscope from the breast pocket of his coat, he examined Tabitha as well as the machines surrounding her. Lifting her lids, he flashed a small light into her eyes. I took a step closer, my nerves settling for the first time since I found her.
“Dad?” Tabitha croaked as he pressed into her abdomen. “What are you doing here?”
I’d called her father shortly after we arrived. He was the only family she had and he had the right to know what was going on with his daughter. “How are you feeling?” he asked, deep concern etched in every line of his face.
“Like I have the worst headache ever,” Tabitha winced.
The doctor who’d been overseeing her care stepped inside the room. “Oh, hello. You must be Dr. Warren,” The other doctor extended his hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Brown.”
Dr. Warren shook the man’s hand, before turning his attention back to Tabitha. “Tell me what you know.”
“I would like to speak with Miss Warren in private first if that’s ok,” Dr. Brown requested.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Dr. Warren informed the room loudly, irritation thick in his deep voice.
“Neither am I,” I added, gripping Tabitha’s clammy hand.
Once Tabitha gave a resigned nod of approval, Dr. Brown began. “Miss Warren, after our detailed conversation regarding your medical history, and careful review of the MRI and CT scan, I ran some additional tests to ensure nothing was overlooked. First, were you aware that you are currently six weeks pregnant?”
Wait…
Did he just say…?
The room began to spin and I found it difficult to breathe. Dr. Brown moved swiftly, rounding the bed and pulling a chair forward to shove me down in it.
“Pregnant? But… I’m on birth control.” Tabitha explained, clearly as shocked as I was.
“With the list of medications you’ve been taking, there are at least two that would counteract with the birth control rendering the contraceptive completely useless. Surely, your doctor discussed these risks with you?”
“I think so.” Confused, she rubbed her forehead. “I can’t remember.”
I ran a hand down my face, completely floored by everything that had happened in the last several hours, the last few minutes. “Also, the MRI results revealed a small mass located in the right frontal lobe of your brain. I’ve sent my findings to a friend of mine, one of the top neurologists in the country, for further review, but I feel pretty confident it is a tumor that we are dealing with. I also contacted your doctor back in Boston. Dr. Moran stated that you were well aware of the mass, Miss Warren, and you missed your follow up appointment two months ago. He was quite relieved when I called.”
The doctor went on to explain what Tabitha could expect over the next few days, but I only half listened. I was too hung up on the fact that she knew about this already and didn’t tell me. When Dr. Brown finally left, promptly followed by Dr. Warren, it hit me like a slug to the chest.
Tears rolled down her red cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
It was all too much. I was too angry, too hurt and too worried out of my f*cking mind to speak to her right now. I fled from the room, storming past the two doctors conversing in the hall beyond the waiting room. The entrance doors slid open, welcoming me into the humid southern heat.
“Barrett, wait!” Madison shouted, halting my hasty steps. I perched my hands on my hips, looking to the sky for answers, and the patience to understand. “Are you ok?”
“No, I’m not ok,” I began to pace, the words bubbling up from somewhere deep down, tumbling from my mouth without permission. “Tabitha’s pregnant.”
“What?”
“And they found a small mass on her brain, the doctor thinks it’s a tumor.”
Madison’s hand flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. “Oh God… that’s how her mother died.”
“I know,” Realization slammed into me. “Shit, I should not have told you that. I just… I have no idea how to deal with any of this. I can’t lose her.” I clutched my aching chest. “I don’t think I could take it.”