Chapter 64
"Ryan. Can I talk to you?" Caleb asked peeking his head around his best friend's office door. "Uhh, yeah. What's up?" Ryan asked leaving the emails he was reading and focusing on his friend. Caleb paced up and down in the office walking to the door and to the window numerous times. "Caleb? What's going on?" Ryan got up and walked to the front of his desk motioning with his hand that the blonde should take a seat. "I fucked up man." Caleb said looking Ryan in the eye. "What did you do?" Ryan questioned not understanding his weird behavior. "I got Shelby pregnant. We haven't been married that long. We had plans on doing things together as a couple first before starting a family. We wanted to buy a house and revamp it and then get pregnant, and now it's the other way around." Caleb rambled hands flying all over the place. "Can you calm down for a moment. First of all, congratulations. And secondly, you're married that is kind of what happens in married life, that you start a family with your spouse." Ryan explained trying to calm Caleb down. "I know. And I overreacted last night when she told me about it, Ryan. What if I messed everything up?" He looked up for help from his friend. "Tell me what happened." Ryan proposed taking a seat next to his friend on the second chair in his office. "Last night, she said she wanted to tell me something. That whole drama of when she locked herself in the bathroom, she took three tests then and all there were positive. She didn't know how to tell me so she just blurted it out. And long story short, I didn't say anything. I walked out of the room and slept on the couch. This morning when I woke up to try and talk to her she was gone. I went into the office but she's avoiding me." He concluded looking at Ryan who sat there listening to the whole drama.
"What the hell man?" Ryan hit him on the shoulder. "Why would you do that? It takes two people to make a baby you can't blame her for this." Ryan said. "I'm not blaming her I was just shocked. I still am. How am I gonna make this up to her? Ryan I don't know how to be a father. That's what I'm actually scared of." Caleb said softly looking at his hands. "Hey man, I don't think anyone is ever ready to be a parent. Just the thought that you are responsible for a little life from the moment it's born is frightening." Ryan explained and Caleb looked up at him. "But you learn every day. And trust me Shelby is just as scared as you are, but together you two are going to figure this out. And you're not alone we're all here to help out." Ryan concluded and Caleb gave a small smile. "Speaking like a real father here. Thanks for the advice dad." Caleb joked and go up from the chair slowly walking to the door. "And Caleb, stop being a douche and go apologize to your wife." Ryan pointed a finger at him and Caleb nodded.
"It'll work better if you turn it on." Nimah said looking at Shelby who stared at the blank computer screen. Shelby didn't say anything she just turned her computer on and stared at the screen again. "Is everything okay? You're not yourself." Nimah looked at her friend. "I'm fine." Shelby dismissed. "No you're not. You want to talk about it?" Nimah asked but was interrupted by Alex coming in with four cups of steaming coffee. "Talk about what?" Alex asked taking a seat. Nimah didn't say anything but motioned with her eyes that something's up with Shelby. "I told Caleb last night about the pregnancy." Shelby started. "And what did he say? Is he excited?" Natalie smiled but the look on Shelby's face made her smile disappear. "Nope." Shelby laughed dryly. "He didn't say anything. He walked out of the bedroom and slept on the couch. I left the apartment early this morning while he was still sleeping." She said softly. "That little brat." Nimah murmured. As if on cue Caleb walked into the office and saw the death stares he received from the three women, assuming Shelby had informed them about what happened. "Shelby can I talk to you please?" He asked trying to ignore the glances. "Can you stop behaving like a moron, please?" Natalie whispered quietly to him but she knew he heard her rhetorical question. "You gonna be okay?" Alex asked as she got up, and she nodded her head as she and Caleb walked outside.
They walked silently to one of the interrogation rooms where they'll be out of sight and can try to move past what happened. "Babe, I'm sorry about my behavior last night." Caleb started. "It's not that I'm not happy or thrilled about us expecting a baby I'm just…I'm scared. I don't know what to expect. I don't even know if I'll be a good father, damn it because I have a shitty one and I don't want to be like him." He answered. "Don't you think I'm scared to? And sad. I've always expected to share this moment with my husband and have him be happy about it, but last night when you walked away my heart sank, Caleb." Tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I imagined calling my mom and have her be just as happy as I am that they're going to be grandparents. Our baby won't even have any from my side and it kills me to think that." She cried. "Hey, come here. We're gonna work this out, and my mom is there to help. And your friends who gave me the evil eye a few minutes ago." He laughed as he held her tightly. "Let's go out tonight. I feel really bad for what happened and I want to make it up to you." Caleb suggested as Shelby dried her tears, hugging him one last time before going back into the office. "It's fine, you guys don't have to kill him anymore, but thank you for being willing to do it if it came to that." Shelby said smiling up at them slightly.
Ryan's cellphone rang and it was a number he didn't recognize but he answered anyway. "Ryan, I didn't know if I should call you." Marci explained as soon as he answered the phone. "What's wrong with her?" He asked heart racing just hearing what the care giver said. "She has a temperature and a bad cough. I didn't want to freak Alex out so I thought calling you would be safer." Marci said. "That's fine. I'll be there in ten minutes." Ryan said already making his way out the office and out the back door in order to avoid Alex.
He knew it was wrong of him to do that and that he probably should've informed her on what's going on. But he figured since they were still busy wrapping up the Thompson case and finishing the paperwork before the case was closed, he won't bother her with this now. If it something worse he'll let her know but for now his only concern was to get his daughter and see for himself hoe she's doing.
"I'm not allowed to give her medication without your permission." Marci explained when Ryan entered the room and saw Phoebe on Marci's lap coughing. "It's okay, I'll go by the pharmacy and ask them for help." Ryan said shocked when he took her and felt how warm she was. He signed the departure form and once they got in the car he took off her pants leaving setting her in the car seat with only her diaper and t shirt, driving to the pharmacy in town.
Ryan entered the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist for help with the baby. The pharmacist told him her illness might be more than just a cold and that he wouldn't recommend giving her antibiotics since she doesn't have much of an immune system yet and that her pediatrician would have to decide on that. The pharmacist took her temperature and she started coughing again. A kind that made both the father and the pharmacist grown because it sounder painful. After they took her temperature the pharmacist suggested Ryan get her to her pediatrician.
When they arrived at the hospital they sat down in the waiting area and waited for about five minutes before the Phoebe's pediatrician came out to help them. Dr Willis asked some questions on how long this has been going on and Ryan explained what the day care had said. He laid her on the bed and he listened to her chest. "Her chest is quite tight." Dr Willis observed and she started coughing again, he held her up when she started vomiting and Phoebe cried again. Ryan jumped up but the doctor assured him it would be fine. Dr Willis took her t shirt off and she laid on the bed in her diaper while he took her temperature again. It didn't drop much since they came from the pharmacy. With a single injection Dr Willis gave her of a small dosage medicine the coughing subsided about half an hour later and her temperature came down. "We're going to have to do some tests just to make sure we know what causes her temperature and narrow down her diagnosis." Dr Wills explained to Ryan. Phoebe dosed off and the doctor said he'll return in a few minutes to get some tests done. Ryan got his phone out to call Alex but it went to voicemail. He left a message and send her some texts but she still didn't respond. He decided to call Maranda and give the message to Alex since he couldn't reach her. "I need you to get better Pheebs." Ryan whispered running his hands through her curls. Her chest rising and falling as she lays sleeping head turned to the side, her mouth half open.
"Alex, Ryan just called." Maranda said poking her head into the office, motioning for the agent to come see her outside. "What's going on?" Alex asked concerned. "Phoebe is in hospital. Go over there. I can drive you." Maranda suggested but Alex shook her head. Going back into the office to grab her things she ran out the doors. Checking her phone to see it had been on silent that's why she didn't hear it ring when Ryan called.
Alex drove like a maniac trying to skid through yellow traffic lights and picking up speed to rush through the green ones. She didn't even care about her horrible parking when she came to a stop and rushed inside to the reception desk. "I'm looking for Phoebe Booth." She explained quickly handing over her ID and answering a few security questions before they showed her to the doctor's office.
Alex busted through the door and saw Phoebe on the bed, Ryan sitting on the chair close to her. She was just about to ask him what happened when Dr Willis returned to get her for some of the tests they ordered. "What happened?" Alex asked the doctor. "She had a temperature and a bad cough. The cough subsided and is much less than it was an hour ago. But her temperature still worries me. We're about to start some tests so we can narrow down the diagnosis." Dr Willis explained. He was about to continue but was disrupted when Phoebe coughed again and vomited for a second time. Alex's eyes grew wide when she saw her child crying like that. She wanted to walk over to the bed but she froze silent tears rolling down her face. "You can come with us if you'd like." Dr Willis suggested and Alex nodded her head, picking Phoebe up walking. Leaving her bag and cellphone in the room not making eye contact with Ryan as she and the doctor walked down the hall.
A nurse came to get Ryan and told him that they're being admitted for the night. She led him up three floors to the children's ward and said the doctor and Alex will come back into the hospital room once all their tests was done. Upon their return Phoebe was awake and laid her head down on her mother's shoulder. The doctor explained to both parents that the results they found showed that it wasn't pneumonia or croup which was a good thing. But that she had a chest congestion. And that they want to keep her overnight for observation just to make sure she's okay. The doctor ordered Alex to lay her back down on the bed they put on a clean shirt that was in her diaper bag still leaving her in her diaper. He took her temperature again which dropped significantly and gave her a small dose of antibiotics for the night. Before leaving them alone, informing them that a nurse will check up on her regularly.
They sat there in silence watching Phoebe kicking her little legs on the bed, sucking her pink pacifier. "I don't understand, she was fine this morning." Alex said pacing up and down the room. "If I wasn't so busy concentrating on work maybe I would've noticed something was wrong." She countered. "I'm sorry I should've brought her straight here instead of going to the pharmacist first." Ryan said standing up walking towards her. "And you should've called me the minute you found out she was sick." Alex told him turning around to face him. "If you want to take full responsibility for this I am not going to stand in your way, Ryan!" Alex answered trying to keep her voice down. "Alex that's not what I meant." Ryan tried but Alex didn't listen to him. "No Ryan. Nothing you say or do is going to make Phoebe better right now." Alex answered. "Alex just listen to me. " Ryan tried but she walked out the room not bothering to let him finish.
She stood outside the door and sank down in one of the chairs outside in the hall holding her head and waiting for her breathing to even out. She was relieved that her baby was going to be all right. She was angry and frustrated with herself for not noticing that something was wrong this morning or last night. She was still mad at Ryan for not telling her about it when Marci called him. Alex needed some fresh air. She still had the car keys in her back pocket and made the trip home to get fresh clothes for Phoebe and some more diapers. In the kitchen she packed some snacks into the bag and couldn't think of anything else to add. She locked and went back to the hospital.
She took a few deep breaths outside the room before entering. Ryan was sitting on a two seater couch against the wall eyes glued on his daughter. He looked up slightly when Alex came into the room but his eyes drifted back to his little girl. "There's some food in there." Alex said placing the bag on the floor. "Okay." Ryan nodded trying to avoid eye contact with her. She took a seat next to him and they sat there in awkward silence before she decided to start talking. "I'm really sorry." Alex took his left hand in hers twisting is wedding band around his finger, absentmindedly. "I was scared when I saw he like that. And while they were doing the tests she kept on crying and I felt so helpless not knowing what to do to make her feel better. It made me feel incompetent of being a good parent to my child." She whispered staring at the white tiled floor.
Ryan still didn't say anything. He pulled her closer and she laid her head on his shoulder. "I need you to say something, because you're scaring me right now." Alex said looking up to make eye contact with him, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I never want to see her like that again." Ryan thought back to how she was crying and coughing. "And you're not a bad parent for being concerned about her wellbeing." He said looking at her tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. She smiled at him slightly as they settled on the couch. Neither of them wanting to close their eyes. They spent most of the night sitting there holding hands and watching little Phoebe's chest rise and fall as she sleeps peacefully.
Thanks for the read guys. I figured we didn't have drama in some time so I added a little spice. Thanks for the follows. Hope you're not too mad at me for having Phoebe in the hospital. Thanks for reading. Lovies-S.