All Chapters of In His World : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Elena POVDay two and I still hadn't left his bedside, hadn't gone home or changed clothes or done anything except sit in this chair holding Adrian's hand and watching the machines tell me he was still alive.The nurses had brought me a blanket at some point during the night and I'd wrapped it around myself but I hadn't slept, just sat there listening to the steady beep of the heart monitor and the whoosh of the ventilator breathing for him."Good morning," I said to Adrian even though morning didn't mean anything in this room where the lights never changed and time moved differently. "It's Tuesday I think, or maybe Wednesday, I've lost track."His hand was warm in mine and I held it tighter because it was the only part of him I could reach, the only way I could touch him without disturbing the tubes and wires keeping him alive."The doctors say you can hear me," I continued. "I don't know if that's true but I'm here and I'm not going anywhere so if you can hear me then you know you'r

Elena POVTwo weeks had passed since Adrian was shot and the nausea hadn't stopped, it had actually gotten worse until I was throwing up every morning and sometimes in the afternoon too, but I ignored it because all that mattered was sitting by Adrian's bed and watching for any sign that he might wake up.Lily had noticed and kept asking if I was okay but I told her it was just stress and exhaustion and she seemed to accept that answer even though her eyes said she didn't quite believe me.I was sitting in my usual chair next to Adrian's bed holding his hand and reading to him from a book I'd brought from home when the room started spinning, and I tried to stand up because I thought maybe I just needed to walk around but my legs wouldn't hold me.The floor came up fast and then everything went black.When I opened my eyes I wasn't in Adrian's ICU room anymore and panic shot through me because I needed to get back to him, needed to make sure he was okay."Mrs. Blackwell, please lie sti

Elena POVThree weeks had passed since Adrian was shot and I was sitting in the ER again staring at test results that showed lines and numbers I didn't fully understand, but Dr. Chen's face told me everything I needed to know before she even opened her mouth."Your heart is showing increased strain," she said setting the tablet on the table between us. "The arrhythmia is getting worse and your blood pressure readings are consistently in the dangerous range.""I'm taking all the medications you gave me.""Medication can only do so much when you're spending eighteen hours a day in a hospital chair watching your husband in a coma." She folded her hands. "Your body is breaking down, Mrs. Blackwell, and if you don't change something immediately you're going to have a cardiac event."I wrapped my arms around my middle where the twins were growing invisible and silent. "What do you want me to do?""Stop living at the hospital, go home, rest properly, eat proper meals, let your body heal." He

Elena POVTwo months had passed since Adrian was shot and I was fourteen weeks pregnant now with a small bump that I couldn't hide anymore, and I wore loose clothes when I visited him so the nurses wouldn't see how much time was passing while he stayed frozen in place.I was sitting in my usual chair next to his bed holding his hand and looking at his face that hadn't changed in sixty days, and I needed him to see what was happening to our children even if he couldn't open his eyes."Adrian," I said. "I need to show you something."I stood up and lifted my shirt slightly so my stomach was visible, and there was the bump small but undeniable proof that the twins were growing inside me."Look," I said even though his eyes were closed. "See? That's our babies, they're growing and getting bigger every day and you're missing it."I placed his hand on the bump and held it there with both of mine."You're missing everything, the ultrasounds and the heartbeats and the way they move now when I

Elena POVThree months had passed since Adrian was shot and I was eighteen weeks pregnant now with a bump I couldn't hide anymore no matter how loose my clothes were, and I walked into his hospital room feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world on my swollen belly."Hi," I said, sitting down heavily in the chair beside his bed. "Look at me, I'm huge already and we're not even halfway there yet."Adrian looked exactly the same as he had yesterday and the day before and every day for the past twelve weeks, same tubes down his throat and same monitors beeping their steady rhythm, and I took his hand and placed it on my stomach."They're kicking now," I said. "Feel that? That's Baby A, strong kicks like you, and that's Baby B, gentler but still there."I felt movement under my skin and pressed his hand harder against the spot where one of the twins was pushing. "They're so active today, the doctor says that's a good sign that they're healthy and growing."His hand was warm but l