Holly sat on Michelle's bed, still dressed in her wedding attire, brushing a hand over Michelle's hair as she fell asleep. She envied the little girl's ability to calm herself and go to sleep. While she was exhausted, she knew that sleep would continue to allude her until she knew about Roger, and Ed came home. Though she wasn't quite sure how she would handle the later. Suddenly she heard noise coming from the kitchen. She bolted off of Michelle's bed and closed the door quietly behind her.
She stopped at the top of the stairs, convinced she had imagined whatever it was she heard. Tiptoeing down the steps she walked to the small hall connecting the living room and kitchen. Suddenly she wished she had a baseball bat, or equally heavy object in her hand.
"Hello" She called out, trying to keep her voice steady. There was no answer. She made her way to the kitchen and threw on the light. There in the chair that she had occupied just an hour before was Ed. His head lulled back as if the weight of it were too much for his neck to handle.
"Oh Ed, thank God" Holly cried out.
Ed's head bobbled forward. "Holly." he uttered.
Holly fell to her knees and took his hand in hers. "Oh Ed, I am so sorry. This is all my fault."
Ed pulled his hand out of hers. "I'm starting to sober up. Don't think you can take me to bed and convince me we had sex tomorrow morning."
Holly winced. "I would never do that to you, not again" She took his hand in hers and kissed it gently. "Where have you been?" She asked.
"The hospital." He answered.
"You saw Roger then?"
He exhaled and shook his head. "What are you talking about Holly? The cops picked me up and took me there under the pretense of keeping me safe from myself" He mocked. His eyes were glassy and rimmed in red.
"You don't remember do you?" She asked him. "Ed, Roger was run down by a car tonight."
"And you think I did it?" He asked surprisingly lucidly. "Holly, just how did you get home? Did you walk? I can see the headline now, Drunk Doctor Allows Pregnant Wife and Daughter to Walk Home in Snow Storm"
"I took your car." She pointed with her thumb to the garage "But Ed, Roger was involved in a hit and run tonight."
"Is he dead?" Ed asked somberly.
"I don't know, I haven't heard from anyone."
"Well, I'm home now. You can rush over to Cedars and check on your lover if you want."
So, he had heard. She laid her hands on his knee and laid her chin on them. "Ed, what did you hear?"
"What do you mean what did I hear? What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything. I watched you as Roger took you outside. I watched him pull you into him and kiss you. It's exactly what happened with me and Lillian last year."
Holly fell back onto her heels. "Then you didn't hear what Roger and I were talking about then?"
"Of course not. I wasn't eaves dropping. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. So, I came to the back patio and saw him with his hands on you." Ed laid his head on the table. "I think I'm going to be sick. I need to lie down"
Against her better judgement Holly stood, placing her shoulder under his arm. "Come on, we'll get you to bed"
Ed allowed her to help him stand, but then pulled away. "Where is my daughter? Where is Michelle? He asked, becoming more sober by the minutes."
"She is upstairs sleeping. Let's keep our voices down so she remains that way. We can talk about this as a family in the morning."
Ed wobbled; Holly went to stabilize him. His hand brushed along the circumference of her belly. "I don't want him anywhere near my children, do you understand me? I don't care if you are screwing him but he won't be near my children, is that clear?"
Holly's mouth was dry but she swallowed. "It's clear. Come on, let's get you to bed."
Once again Ed pulled away. I'll do it myself. I'll sleep in the guest room. Holly watched with abject horror as Ed began to strip what remained of his tuxedo, leaving pieces of it along the floor as he went. She followed after, bending to pick up the shirt when she was overcome with a sharp pain in her abdomen.
"Oh my God" She cried out.
Ed turned around. "Stub your toe?" He asked cockily.
Holly inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Something she remembered from being in labor with Blake.
"Ed" she cried. "I need to go to Cedars."
Ed sobered up quickly, though the hangover had begun. "What's wrong?" He asked, still holding on to the railing dressed only in his socks and boxer shorts.
"I'm having some cramping" She relayed, dropping his shirt, and groping her way to the couch. She continued to breath rhythmically.
"I'm in no shape to drive Holly!" He bellowed.
"Oh no, come on, not now" Holly said loudly, talking to her hardened belly more so than Ed.
Suddenly Michelle appeared. "Holly are you ok?" She asked, pushing past her father.
"Michelle honey, go back to bed, I'll be fine" Holly urged.
"No, you're not. You look white as a ghost" Michelle noted turning on the lamp by the couch. "What's wrong?"
Holly tried to hold back her emotion, but it came flooding out. "I think I'm losing the baby."
"I'm calling an ambulance for you." Michelle advised. She picked up the phone from the table behind the couch. Immediately noting that Holly winced in pain. She dialed 9-1-1
"9-1-1 what's you're emergency?"
"My step mother is having a baby and her stomach hurts" Michelle relayed. She waited for the questions from the operator to begin.
"Holly, are you bleeding?" Holly didn't know.
"Holly, how far along are you?"
It was Ed who answered "Twenty-three weeks and three days"
Michelle glared at him from the living room but gave the operator the information she requested. After giving the address and hanging up Michelle ran to the front door. She pulled it open and turned on the porch light.
"The ambulance will be here as soon as they can Holly. I'm going to go get dressed so I can go with you." She ran upstairs, kicking her father on the way.
Holly leaned her head back into the softness of the couch and rubbed her stomach. "You've got to be alright." She spoke to her belly. "I've lost everything that matters to me tonight, I can't lose you too"
Ed stood, and replaced his pants and shirt. "I'm coming with you" he said.
Holly looked at him. "No, you're not. You need to wait for someone to pick up Michelle. She needs an adult to be with her not some frat boy who smells like a distillery." Her stomach clenched again.
"I'm going with you, Holly, I am your husband and that child's father." He pointed at her.
"Yes, you are my husband, but I don't want you anywhere near me right now."
Michelle came bounding down the stairs and looked out the door. "Where are they?" She wondered.
"Come here sweet heart" Holly beckoned. "They will be here, and they will take good care of me. Now, I know you want to go with me, but you've had a long night. I want you to go back upstairs to and pack a bag. Put a few days' worth of clothes in there. When you come down stairs, I want you to call Vanessa. Tell her your father has been drinking and that I'm at the hospital. Tell her we don't want to impose but we really need for her to keep you with her for just a few days."
Michelle began to protest.
Holly laid a hand on her shoulder. "You are always telling me not to treat you like a child, so please don't act like one. Call Vanessa. I will call you there as soon as we know what's going on. I promise. Now go on."
Michelle turned towards Ed and yelled "I hate you! First you drive Mom away and now you're driving Holly away. I hate you; I hope I never see you again!" She ran past him on the stairs. His attempts to grab her hand failed.
Holly could hear the ambulance pull in front of the house. The same crew that transported Roger to the hospital came bursting through the door. They looked at Ed who was now leaning on the railing. "Are there two patients? We only got a call for one, a pregnant woman."
Ed pointed towards Holly. "It's her. Take good care of them."
The EMT checked Holly's vitals and took some information. One used a special instrument to check for fetal heart tones. To Holly's relief they found them quickly. "Alright, let's get you transported ma'am. Can you walk?"
Holly nodded. By then Michelle had made her way down the stairs. "Miss. Chamberlain is on her way" She choked back a tear. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you"
The EMT backed off for a moment. Holly gave Michelle a hug. "I love you, but you need to go be with Vanessa"
"I'm sorry Holly, I love you, and I love my little brother. I don't want yor or him to die. I don't know why I said what I did earlier."
Holly kissed the crown of her head. "You were upset, but that isn't why this is happening, and believe me, I'm not going to die. You be good for Vanessa. I will call you soon."
"Ma'am, if you're ready"
Holly nodded her head. One took her vital signs while the other wrote them down on her chart. Before leaving the driveway the one checking her vitals pulled out a special device to locate the baby's heartbeat. Holly held her breath as he moved the probe over her lower stomach. Just as she was becoming worried he broke out into a broad smile. "Got it. 160 beats per minute" He relayed. Holly exhaled.
The drove with urgency, but not recklessly to Cedars.
Ross, and Blake who had fallen asleep in the waiting room chairs, leaning on each other woke when the gurney Holly was on clattered loudly. Blake stretched and watched as the EMT pushed Holly through the second set of doors.
"That's Mom!" She exclaimed.
