Free The Rocker That Holds Her (The Rocker...) by Terri Anne Browning Page B

that I was walking. Drake moved aside and I dropped carefully down on the edge of her hospital bed. Her arms and hands were cold as they wrapped around me and she pulled my head to her chest. “I’m okay,” she whispered in my ear, and I couldn’t keep from shuddering. I needed her reassurance and soothing touch. “I’m here.”
    A sob escaped me before I could call it back, and I held onto her tight. “I’m sorry, Emmie,” I told her, silently begging her to forgive me. “I’m so sorry.”
     

Chapter 9
    What. The. FUCK!
    Sleeping in a chair beside of Emmie’s bed in her private room wasn’t the worst place I had ever fallen asleep. Still, it wasn’t anywhere close to being comfortable, and I woke with a stiff neck and a desperate need for coffee.
    The night before flashed through my mind like a bad dream, and I opened my eyes to find Emmie holding Jesse’s hand. I refused to let my jealousy get the better of me today, so I offered to get coffee. Standing, I let myself have the small comfort of kissing her on the forehead and asked if she needed anything. When she asked for a lemon-lime soft drink, I promised her I would find her one and gave in to my need for just one more touch of my lips to the soft skin on her forehead.
    The nurse that had practically been salivating at the sight of Shane the night before showed me where the vending machines were before her shift ended. Somehow I carried the four cups of coffee and the soft drink back down to Emmie’s room without burning myself. Drake and Shane were up and moving around by the time I got back.
    Despite the four bags of fluids that had been pushed into Emmie through the IV in her arm, she was beyond thirsty. No sooner had I handed over her drink she had gulped it down. After years of spending time with nasty rockers she was a pro at belching and didn’t bother to keep one in after swallowing half her drink.
    We were still laughing and teasing her when a nurse with short hair walked in. She took charge for about five minutes. Emmie’s vitals were taken and Shane made a run for it before the nurse started on Emmie’s IV. After explaining the doctor’s orders to Emmie, the nurse handed her a prescription for vitamins.
    Really? Vitamins? As sick as Em had been, all she needed was vitamins? That really didn’t make sense to me. Apparently I wasn’t the only one confused because Jesse and Drake started to question the woman.
    “ Guys …” Emmie tried to intervene and I wasn’t completely blind to the nervous look on her face.
    When the nurse laughed I got a bad feeling. “A baby doesn’t qualify as a serious illness, honey.”
    I was sure my head had actually exploded. The word baby kept bouncing around in my head until I was sure I was going to lose my mind. No. I had misheard. That had to be the answer. A misunderstanding. I was still half asleep and exhausted from work and the emotional night before.
    “ What?” I heard Jesse’s strangled question.
    “… the …” Drake was saying something but I couldn’t really focus on it.
    Running my fingers through my hair, I didn’t even try to stop the curse from exploding from my mouth. “FUCK!”
    Jesse looked wild as he charged over to Emmie’s bed. “What the fuck is she talking about? A baby?”
    Emmie’s nervousness seemed to intensify and she seemed to struggle for a moment before she sighed. “I’m pregnant.”
    The nurse excused herself. She could no doubt see that a war was about to break out in the room and wanted to be out of the line of fire. Smart woman. Because I was a fucking bomb about to explode.
    “ How is that possible?” Drake demanded and Emmie actually laughed.
    “ You mean you don’t know the how, Drake?”
    “ Don’t try to be cute, Em. You know exactly what the fuck I mean.”
    When Shane entered the room and the others filled him in on the reasons for our yelling. I was shaking. Emmie was pregnant. Someone had touched her. Oh fuck. I had been okay when I had