Chapter 74 Part 74
Maggie
“Asher! Asher!”
The sirens of the ambulance were loud as it parked right behind the chairs. People had formed a circle around Asher, where he lay on the wooden platform of the gazebo, his blood running through Blair’s fingers.
“You need to move, ma’am.”
Maggie was picked up, and for a moment, she wanted to fight, but then Colt was talking to her, whispering in her ear. The paramedics asked questions, and somehow, Blair kept it together long enough to tell them what had happened.
Maggie kept staring at Sean’s body before looking at Dakota, where he was now sitting next to Joel, who had Melody on his lap. Worry was etched on everyone’s faces, and the next moment, Asher was wheeled past her on a gurney.
His skin was paler than his normal complexion, and his eyes were closed. They had an IV in one arm and an oxygen mask over his face.
“Don’t get in the ambulance, Maggie. I’ll take you to the hospital,” Colt said.
His words sounded far away, but Maggie walked with him, and then they were driving. Four trucks drove in a convoy to the hospital, but Maggie couldn’t remember it.
They were all sitting in the waiting room, including Pastor Mitchells, who looked shaken to the core. Someone had remembered to grab Melody’s diaper bag. Maggie tried to think.
Sheriff Connely arrived, but the family closed ranks around Maggie. Colt stepped forward, angrily. “No, you won’t talk to Maggie now. She barely saw what happened. We’re waiting to hear how Asher is. You can ask your questions later. Call our lawyer, Sheriff; we ain’t talking to you right now.”
“Sheriff Connely, the man who sent Malcolm Walters to kidnap Maggie, arrived at the wedding, and aimed his gun at Asher. The dog killed the man, and he shot my brother. End of story. Now leave us be.”
Blair stalked away from the sheriff, and sat down next to his father. He lowered his head into his hands, and his shoulders shook. Maggie could feel everything, see their anguish. Guilt gnawed on her insides, and a sob finally broke free.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she said, as she sobbed.
“It’s not your fault, Maggie,” Thomas said, placing his arm around her shoulders.
“It is. He came looking for me. Asher can’t die, please, he can’t die,” she said, her voice taking on a hysterical note.
“Maggie, you need to calm down. This isn’t good for the baby,” Colt said.
“The baby? What baby?” Blair asked.
“She only found out yesterday. She doesn’t even know how far along she is,” Colt answered him.
“He should’ve shot me, not Asher,” Maggie sobbed.
Dylan nodded his head at the look Colt gave him, and a few moments later, Maggie was taken to a private room. Thomas held her hand as the doctor examined her.
“Maggie, you need to breathe deeply and evenly for me. You need to calm down. I can’t give you anything to relax you while you’re pregnant. Do you know how far along you are?”
Maggie shook her head, and tried to inhale through her nose. Thomas was talking quietly to her, breathing with her. After a while, it seemed to work, and she felt herself calm down.
“If you like, I can do an ultrasound, take some measurements. It might give us an idea on the timeframe,” the doctor said.
“Yes, please,” Maggie said.
The doctor left a pair of scrubs for her to change into, and Thomas stepped out of the room after unbuttoning her dress for her. She peeled her dress off and changed into the scrubs. When she opened the door, Thomas and the doctor turned to look at her.
“I’m ready,” she said.
Thomas followed the doctor into the room. “I’m her father, son, I ain’t going anywhere.”
He nodded his head and switched the ultrasound machine on. He squirted gel onto her stomach, and Thomas took her hand in his. “He’ll be okay, Maggie.”
She could only nod her head as the image flickered onto the screen. The doctor pressed another button, and they listened to the heartbeat. “It’s a healthy heartbeat, Maggie.”
He did his measurements, but Maggie couldn’t look away from the screen. It kept her transfixed, the image of her and Asher’s baby. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she thought of Asher fighting for his life.
“I’d say you’re about 12 weeks pregnant,” he said.
“Is everything okay?”
“You’ll need to gain some weight. I’ll have a nurse bring you some pamphlets on how to get the baby’s weight up as well. You’ll find that you’ll start to show almost immediately now that your mind’s aware of the pregnancy.”
“Thank you, we’ll alter her diet immediately,” Thomas said.
The doctor left the room, and Thomas gently wiped the gel from her stomach, and pulled the shirt down. He sat down on the bed in front of her, clasping her hands in his. “It’s good news, Maggie. Maybe I should take you home.”
“No! I’m not leaving until I know Asher’s fine,” she said, fiercely.
Maggie walked out of the room, and her heart sank as she looked at the boys. They had been crying, and they both looked lost. She knelt down on one knee in front of them, placing a hand on each of their knees. “Asher is strong, and he’s healthy. He’ll fight to survive. He’ll make it, I know he will.”
“We got our own two heroes in this waiting room, as well,” Eden said, as she knelt next to Maggie. “These two flung themselves over me and Melody the moment they heard those shots; I didn’t even see what happened because Joel was blocking my view.”
“It was instinct. I saw Melody’s eyes widen when Asher yelled, and then I just acted,” Joel said.
“Thank you,” Maggie said, as more tears ran down her cheeks.
“She’s my little sister, I won’t let anything happen to her,” he said.
Maggie could only nod because the lump in her throat was too big. She’d always wanted a big family, and she couldn’t have asked for better people to be in her life.