Chapter 4 She Needs Me Right Now
Emma's POV
I sat there, momentarily stunned, before hastily pulling on my clothes. By the time I'd made myself presentable, the hallway was filled with concerned voices.
I stepped out of the guest room to find Eleanor in her silk robe, hurrying down the corridor with Jonathan close behind. Following their path, I arrived at the open door of Sophia's room, where a scene of chaos greeted me.
Sophia lay crumpled on the floor near the bathroom, her face contorted in pain. Gavin was already kneeling beside her, his hand supporting her back as she clutched her pregnant belly.
"I slipped," she whimpered, looking up at Gavin with tear-filled eyes. "I was dizzy and just... fell."
"Don't move," Gavin said, his voice steady but tense. "We need to get you to a hospital."
Eleanor gasped. "The baby—"
"I'll carry her to the car," Gavin decided, already sliding his arms beneath Sophia's slight frame. "Dad, can you call the hospital and tell them we're coming?"
Jonathan nodded grimly, phone already in hand. "I'll have Dr. Mitchell waiting."
I stood in the doorway, feeling oddly displaced as Gavin lifted Sophia with surprising gentleness. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, her face pressing against his chest.
"Emma," Eleanor touched my arm, startling me from my thoughts. "Would you help me grab her coat and purse? We should all go."
I nodded mechanically, collecting Sophia's things while trying to process the sudden shift in the evening. Twenty minutes ago, Gavin and I had been sharing our most intimate moment in years. Now he was carrying another woman, a pregnant widow, to the hospital with a tenderness I rarely received.
The drive to Boston Memorial was tense. Jonathan took the wheel of their Mercedes SUV with Eleanor beside him. Gavin sat in the back, still cradling Sophia, who occasionally winced and gripped his hand. I sat on the other side, staring out the window at the passing streetlights, feeling like an outsider in this family emergency.
"It's going to be okay," Gavin murmured to Sophia. "We're almost there."
I caught Eleanor watching them in the rearview mirror, her expression unreadable.
At the hospital, things moved quickly. Dr. Mitchell was waiting at the emergency entrance. Sophia was immediately placed in a wheelchair while Gavin provided details of the fall.
"She's six months pregnant," I heard him explain, his knowledge of her medical history surprising me. "She's been having dizzy spells lately."
We were directed to a private waiting area while Sophia was examined. Eleanor sat beside me, patting my hand absently.
"I'm sorry about your evening, dear," she said quietly. "I know this isn't how you planned to spend your night."
"It's fine," I replied automatically. "Sophia's health is more important."
"You're always so understanding," Eleanor smiled warmly. "That's why you'll make such a wonderful addition to our family."
I managed a smile in return, though my thoughts were elsewhere.
After what felt like hours but was probably only forty minutes, Dr. Mitchell appeared.
"She's going to be fine," he announced to our collective relief. "No harm to the baby. She has a mild sprain in her wrist from breaking her fall, and I'd like to keep her overnight for observation due to her pregnancy, but there's no serious concern."
"Thank God," Eleanor breathed.
"Can I see her?" Gavin asked immediately.
Dr. Mitchell nodded. "She's asking for you."
Gavin disappeared down the hallway without a backward glance at me. I felt Eleanor's eyes on me, watching my reaction.
"Sophia has become quite dependent on Gavin since Lucas passed," she explained gently. "He feels responsible for her, especially with the baby."
"I understand," I said, though I didn't, not really.
Gavin returned fifteen minutes later, looking tired but relieved.
"She's resting now," he reported. "But she's very shaken. I think someone should stay with her tonight."
"I'll do it," he added, before anyone could respond.
"Nonsense," Eleanor interjected firmly. "I'll stay with Sophia. You take Emma home. You two barely had any time together tonight."
Gavin looked like he wanted to argue, but Jonathan backed his wife. "Your mother's right, son. She'll call if anything changes."
After a moment's hesitation, Gavin nodded. "Alright. But call me immediately if anything happens."
The drive back to the mansion was painfully quiet. I stared out the passenger window, watching raindrops chase each other across the glass, each one a question I was afraid to ask.
Finally, Gavin broke the silence. "I'm sorry about tonight."
"It's fine," I said automatically. "She needed help."
"No, it's not fine," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know I overreacted. It's just—when a pregnant woman falls, it can be extremely dangerous. I promised Lucas I'd look after her and the baby."
I turned to study his profile in the dim light. "You seem to know a lot about her pregnancy."
"I've been taking her to appointments," he admitted. "She doesn't have anyone else."
"No family? No friends? Just you?"
Gavin's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Her parents are in Europe. She's alone, Emma."
"And you feel responsible," I concluded.
"Wouldn't you?" he challenged, glancing at me. "If someone you cared about died and left behind a vulnerable spouse?"
I thought about that. "I would help, yes. But I wouldn't let it come between me and the person I'm planning to marry."
His expression darkened. "That's not fair. It's not coming between us."
"Isn't it?" I asked quietly. "Tonight was the first time in years you've shown real passion toward me, Gavin. And at the first opportunity, you left me half-dressed in bed to run to another woman."
"It was an emergency!"
"I know," I conceded. "And I'm not blaming you for helping her tonight. But this isn't just about tonight, is it? It's about all the appointments, the late-night calls, the constant concern. You've been emotionally more available to Sophia than you have been to me."
Gavin fell silent as we pulled into the mansion's driveway. He parked but made no move to exit the car.
"I don't know what you want me to say," he finally admitted. "She needs me right now. The baby needs me."
"And what about what I need?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He turned to me then, his expression a mix of frustration and confusion. "You're strong, Emma. You've always been so independent, so capable. Sophia is broken. She can barely function without support."
His words hit me like a slap. So this was the truth. I was too strong, too independent to need his attention, while Sophia's vulnerability made her worthy of his care.
"I see," I said, reaching for the door handle. "Thank you for clarifying where I stand."
Without another word, I got out of the car and walked straight into the house. My footsteps echoed in the grand hallway as I made my way to the guest room.
Once inside, I closed the door and deliberately turned the lock with a satisfying click.
I changed into pajamas and slid under the cool sheets, staring at the ornate ceiling. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Gavin.
"I'm sorry about tonight. We'll talk in the morning. - G"