Chapter 21

The moment Lexi stepped inside the room she nearly lost what was left of her composure. The sight of Roman laying on the exam table, dried blood in his long hair and a glazed look in his eyes had her reeling. She moved next to the table, and stroked a soft hand through his hair. "Hi," she whispered.

He blinked and stared at her or moment before lifting a hand to touch her face. "I'm sorry."

It pained her that his first thought after such a scary event was to apologize to her. As far as she was concerned, at this point he had nothing to apologize for. A sob ripped from her, powerful and shocking. "Me too. God I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

Using his thumb, he wiped the tear from her cheek. "No baby. This was an accident."

"But if I'd apologized-"

"It probably would have happened anyway," Roman cut her off.

She sighed at his statement, looked him over. "I was so scared."

He gave her a slight grin. "Now you know how I felt last week when you collapsed right in front of me."

Through her tears she managed to smirk at his statement. "I suppose I do."

"Excuse me, Lexi," Doctor Amman called from the doorway. "We're ready to move him."

"No." Roman gave a slight shake of his head. "Doc, I already told you that I'm not going to any damn hospital." Before the words were completely out of Roman's mouth he was pushing himself up. She placed a hand on his chest and he paused.

"Oh yes you are," she challenged.

"Lexi," his sigh was heavy.

She shook her head. "Nope. Don't you dare Lexi me. If that was me laying on that table, you'd have my ass hauled off to the hospital despite my objections."

"True," Roman mumbled.

"And if that was Seth or Dean laying there you'd make sure they went for assessment, right?"

"Right," Roman replied.

"So just because you think you're Superman doesn't mean you are and you're damn well going to get checked out."

His brow arched at her statement. "Superman?"

She grinned now and leaned forward, brushed a soft kiss to his lips. "Well...maybe you are my Superman, but remember, this isn't just about you anymore either. I need you healthy, Roman. I need you healthy for me and the baby, so yes you are going."

His hand snaked through her hair, holding her in place. "If I agree to go, when I get out, will you be my nurse and take care of me?"

She giggled now. "I'm not wearing Nikki's naughty nurse outfit if that's what you're asking," she said remembering how Nikki had told her all about how she'd dressed up for John after his surgery. Lexi was glad to see the Bellas had found loves of their own. They'd become so much easier to get along with now that each of them were in love.

Roman stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. 'Why not?" he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Because-" She grinned. "With this belly, it wouldn't fit."

He lowered his hand to her belly, held it there. His glassy eyes took on a soft look. "Everything okay with little one?"

"Everything is fine," Lexi replied. "And it will be a lot better for both of us when we know for sure that Daddy is one hundred percent."

Lexi pushed open the bedroom door with her hip, careful not to spill the bowl of soup she balanced on the tray. They'd been home for three days and she knew Roman was slowly going stir crazy. Doctor's orders kept him from working out, driving, playing video games or watching television. He wasn't do to any activity that could stimulate his brain for at least a few days. Much to his disappointment that also meant sex was off limits.

Getting him to stay in the darkened bedroom hadn't been easy either and she'd been thankful when his family came to help. However, they weren't there now and she knew Roman was feeling as cranky as a petulant child. "I have your lunch," she whispered into the dimly lit room.

Roman pushed up and rested his back against the padded headboard. "Good. I'm starving."

She set the tray on his lap, gave him a quick kiss then turned to leave. "Stay." His single word sounded more like a plea than a command yet still caused Lexi pause.

She turned back to him. "You're supposed to rest."

He spooned up a spoonful of the soup. "I'm sick of resting. I want some company." With his free hand he patted the spot on the bed next to him. "Come, sit. Stay awhile and talk to me."

Unable to resist his request, she crawled onto the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts a little," he replied then slurped down some more of the soup. "It's not as bad as yesterday though, so I'm pretty sure I'm getting better."

"Are you still getting dizzy or having any nausea?" She watched him, studying his actions with an eagle eye.

"No." He paused and looked over at her. "That constant nausea is a bitch. I don't know how you managed to still wrestle when you felt like you were going to puke all the time." There was a respect to his voice that had her grinning. It wasn't too often that a man could truly understand even an inkling of what a woman when through when she was pregnant.

"You know," she said, deciding to change the subject. "Stephanie called this morning."

"Oh?" he paused over his soup and cut a quick glance in her direction.

"She wanted to know how you were feeling." Lexi continued. "She also wanted to tell me the latest news."

"Which is?" He arched a brow.

"We are trending."

"We're what?" He frowned, as his still injured brain apparently struggled to understand.

"Apparently damn near from the moment I appeared on camera Monday night the WWE Universe has been talking about us. Stephanie said the Twitter and Facebook pages have been blowing up with fans talking about our situation." She shot him a small smile. "With the exception of a small group of detractors, apparently the WWE Universe is giddy over the news of our pregnancy. And," she continued. "Because of the way Dean and Seth handled me Monday night, fans are now in love with The Shield. Stephanie said the event added a new layer of depth to you guys and the fans are eating it up. They've decided not to break you guys up right now, after all."

"Really?" Roman grinned and set his empty bowl back on the tray, then set the tray aside. "Well that's some good news."

Lexi nodded in agreement as relief flowed through her. "It is."

"So," he asked. "What are the fans saying?"

Lexi shrugged. "There's a lot of well wishes for you getting better, but then quite a few fans want to know when we're getting married. Some are asking if we know if we're having a boy or girl and where they can mail gifts to."

Roman's brow winged up in surprise. "No shit!"

Lexi nodded. "Yeah. I told Stephanie that we needed to make a statement about that, thanking the fans for their support and if they want to buy the baby something, to instead make a donation to one of the WWE sponsored charities in the baby's name."

Roman slid down the bed, turned and rested his head in her lap, a position she'd come to realize was his favorite because it put him closer to their baby. "And what name should the WWE Universe use?" he asked. "Especially since we don't know if it's a boy or girl and haven't even discussed names."

Lexi shrugged. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess for the fans it could be as simple as Baby Reigns."

Roman took her hand, toyed with her fingers. "But what about for us? What are you thinking for names?"

Unable to resist running her free hand through his hair, Lexi, laced her finger through his curls. "I'm not sure. Whatever it is we need to both agree."

"Speaking of agreeing," he started. "I'm sorry about our fight the other day."

Well wasn't that a smooth segue? "Me too," she replied as she stared down at him. He was so freaking handsome with his olive skin and deep piercing eyes. She loved the way the hard angles of his face were softened by his goatee and framed by his hair. How in the world had she gotten so damn lucky that he'd falling in love with her she'd never know.

Gently he lifted her shirt to expose her baby bump, then rubbed a gentle hand over her flesh. "You were right, you know," he said idly, as if the conversation they were having was no big deal. "I should have talked to you first or at least told you about it after the fact. I promise not to do that again, okay."

She grinned and wasn't sure if it was from his admission or the way he caressed her belly. "Okay, and I promise not to get angry when you try to protect me."

He smiled. "I have a hard time believing you'll be able to pull that off."

She giggled. "Me too, but I'm definitely going to try. I don't ever want you to feel as if I'm stifling your alpha instincts."

"Alpha instincts?" His brow winged up. "I like that description."

"I knew you would." She paused as a sudden, nearly overwhelming wave of emotion broke over her. "I love you, so much," she whispered.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

She toyed with his hair for a moment. "I've been thinking. You know how we couldn't keep the wedding date because of the pay per view?"

"Yeah," he replied, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Well I was talking to your mom yesterday and she thinks she can pull off putting the wedding together by the end of May. So if you're okay with it it, I'd like to get married Memorial weekend."

In an instant his eyes danced with joy as an easy grin slid across his face. "I think Memorial day is perfect."

She nodded. "Good. I've given your mom instructions for the only things I truly care about."

"Which would be?" he asked.

"Colors, I want my colors to be black and white. I want a red velvet wedding cake and I want a real band instead of a DJ and I don't want fish as my dinner Oh and I'll pick out my dress, but the rest is up to them."

He smirked. "You're pretty much giving my mother and sister free reign over our wedding. I hope you're prepared for what you might get."

Lexi started to reply that she wasn't worried when a sudden movement from her belly had her gasping in shock. Roman's eyes widened nearly as fast as his grin. He lifted off her lap, and stared down at her belly. "Was that what I think it was?"

The look of astonishment on his face had joy flowing through her. "It was."

His awe'd expression morphed into one of absolute happiness as his eyes met hers. "I finally felt the baby kick."