*drops update then tip toes away*. Please don't hate me lol

We rode in silence throughout the return boat ride.  At the dock, Luca loaded our luggage without a word.  He opened the door for me to enter.  Before I slid in, I cupped his cheek and pecked his lips.  He sighed through his nose, the corner of his lips twitching upward.  At least he knew he had my support. 

Luca was tense the entire trip back home.  Shoulders tense, jaw clenched, fingers gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.  Now in the car, he guided the car with his left hand and entwined his right fingers with mine.  He held them tightly as if using me for a lifeline.  I would let him.  That was part of my role now.  Officially.

Stopped at a red light, Luca leaned his head back on the head rest.  He briefly closed his eyes and left out a sigh.

"I'm sorry for having to cut our trip short, Gattina."

"Don't be."  I turned my face toward him, offering a small smile when I saw he was looking at me.  "There will be plenty of trips.  We have the rest of our lives to lock ourselves away in bed."

He gifted me with a knee melting grin.  "I plan on doing just that as soon as this problem is taken care of."

The light turned green and Luca returned his eyes forward, sending the car forward.  Bright white headlights soaring toward us slammed me with deja vu.

"LUCA!"

Crash!

The car jerked to the right, spinning several times before slamming into a pole.  Thank God our seatbelts kept us in the car's seats.  A loud blaring sound faded in, steadily growing louder and louder along with a high pitched ringing.  Slowly I raised up my head to see Luca slumped forward, facing me with blood dripping several crimson rivers down his face.

"Luca?" I called, my voice sounding strained, weak.  "Luca!"  I reached to shake him from the arm but a shooting pain tore through my body from the middle.  My head swarm, everything spun then faded to black.

Blaring sirens cut through my unconsciousness along with several male voices.

"Yeah, take him to General! He's stable!"

"That airbag saved his life.  We need to get her in the next ambulance. "

"Careful! Careful! Good."

"Wh-where's Luca?"

"She's awake!"  A face settled into my field of vision, a man smiling tensely at me.  "Hi ma'am, can you tell us your name?"

"Where is Luca?" I voiced again, blinking as the chaos around me cleared.

The man hovering above me flicked his eyes to the side.  "Is that the drivers name?"

"M-my husband," I tried sitting up.  "Ow!"

"Shit, she's bleeding again!  Let's go!"

Then it faded to black again.

****

A steady high pitched beeping added to the pounding in my head.  The weight on my stomach seemed familiar but the bed wasn't soft and welcoming. The air was cold and the smell was awful,medicinal even.

My eyes fluttered open to meet tousled dark hair atop a beautifully sleeping face.  Luca.  He was safe.  I lifted my arm, the hand determined to rake through those thick locks.  The needle suck in my arm attached to a tube gave me pause.

What the?  Then it came back.  We were hit by a car, spun then crashed.  Luca was unconscious.  Now he was here, sleeping on my chest, arms tight around me as they should have been all weekend.  I blinked a few times to clear my vision and looked around.  I was in a typical hospital room surrounded by monitors.  At least we were safe and both alive.

My fingers continued their journey to rake through Luca's hair.  After a few trips through, he inhaled sharply through his nose then lifted his head.  Hooded eyes heavy with sleep blinked slowly a few times then widened.

"Madison?"  his gruff, sexy voice questioned.  "Y-you're awake?"

"Yeah," I relied.  "I'm so glad you're OK."

"I can same the same for you.  I was so worried, piccola."  He leaned forward, placing a kiss on my forehead.  "I'll go tell the nurse you're awake."

He slipped off the bed, leaving me frowning at his retreating frame.  He was worried?  One of the last things I saw was his unconscious body yet Luca was worried?

"She's calling the Doctor," he explained.  Without needing an invitation, he took a seat on the edge of the tiny bed.

"Why were you worried about me?"  I laid my hand out, palm up.  Luca took it, leaned forward then kissed the palm but held my hand after.  With my free hand, I reached up and traced the large, square shaped bandage on his forehead.  "You were unconscious when they put you in the ambulance."

"Madison, I have a bad bump and a few stitches," he murmured.  Emerald orbs that captured me effortlessly, cast down to watch our fingers wrapped around each other.  "You had glass embedded in your belly.  When I came to, they told me you were in surgery."

When his eyes met mine, they shimmered with moisture.  I had never seen Luca Luciano even close to tears.  Until now.  Hearing I had been in surgery didn't affect me nearly as much as seeing Luca in this condition.  He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to my stomach.  His shoulders shook slightly, intermittent with soft sniffles.  I stroked his hair lightly, tears brimming and falling from my eyes as well. 

"Hey, hey," I coaxed, trying to cup his cheek to lift his head to look at me.  "I'm here, safe.  You are here, safe.  Everything will be alright now."

"I was so scared I would lose you."

"I know.  I felt the same seeing you unconscious on the steering wheel.  But we are here and safe now." Luca nodded, lowering forward to kiss my hands again.  "I need to pee."

Again, his shoulders shook but this time in laughter.  Luca lifted his face, lips curled into a smile.  He rose from the bed, offering me a hand to assist in standing.  Another quick kiss and I walked very cautiously toward the small bathroom.   Luca's fear laced tone stopped me.

"Madison.

I rolled my eyes before turning to face him because I really had to pee and my panties already felt wet.  Not in a good or fun way.  When I pivoted, Luca was stared wide eyed at a huge red stain on the bed.  Approximately where my rear had been.  Well, that certainly explained the sticky wetness.

"I probably started my period while unconscious, Luca.  Would you ask the nurse for a change of underwear, please?"

"Sure," he agreed then went toward the door while I continued to the bathroom.

Well, that was another boundary crossed early on.  I had peed with him in the room, he had seen my period blood.  Now all I had to do was fart in front of him and the trifecta of privacy would be breached.

I did my best to clean up with the hospital grade sandpaper.  I mean toilet paper.  A slight cramping began in my abdomen and I knew it was  menstrual cramps.  Luca better hurry up so the nurse could being me some ibuprofen or something.  When I rose to stand, the mild cramping turned to stabbing pains.  I doubled over, gripping my belly.

"Luca!" I groaned.  This was not typical period cramps.

Running feet alerted he was coming.  "Madison?"  Luca appeared in the doorway, eyes wide but he was only there for a moment.  Shortly after he disappeared again, I heard his dominating mafia tone.  "Nurse!  We need help in here!"

Tears streamed down my cheeks, the pain continued.  Luca held me, assisting as best he could with redressing me.  The gown I had been wearing was also stained with blood.  Two nurses quickly changed  the bedding then helped me get in it.  The doctor arrived soon after pain medication had dulled the pain.

He checked my incision to rule out it wasn't the source then called for an ultrasound machine.  Luca stood beside the bed, clinging to my had.  The doctor slid the special camera acros my gel doused belly staring at the grayscale monitor.  I could hardly breathe while awaiting his diagnosis.

"Well, unfortunately it is as I feared," the doctor sighed,handing me several paper towels to wipe my belly.

"What is it?"  Luca asked, beating me to it.

The Doctor pivoted toward us, white,bushy brows tilted with sadness.  "Several pieces of glass went quite deep, Madison.  I did my best to take them out without damaging your uterus or harming the fetus."

"Wait, fetus?"  My fingers tightened around Luca's.

"Oh.  Y-you didn't know you were pregnant?"  The doctor's eyes flicked back and forth between Luca and I.  The room swirled around me.  So many things made sense. Numbly, I shook my head.  Luca's lips pressed to my temple.  "A routine blood draw for females showed the hormone markers for pregnancy.  Very strongly.  Judging by the ultrasound you would be around eight weeks."

"B-but you said something about damage?"  Luca's voice sounded dim, far away and echoey, dulled by the sharp ringing.

"It would seem your body, Madison,"  a warm hand on my arm drew my attention back to the doctor.  "Is beginning to miscarry.  The accident and surgery were too much trauma."

"Oh God,"  sobs tore from my lips.  I buried my face in my hands.

I was pregnant.

My body had trauma.

I was likely going to miscarry.

My baby, our baby would not live.

"...options?  Is there anything you can do?"  Luca was asking.  His voice was thick with emotion , too.

"She has a few options," the doctor continued.  "Madison?"

"Huh?"  I blinked away the tears.

"I need you to listen and tell me you understand your options, alright?"  I nodded, tightening my fingers around Luca's.  "We can do an abortion procedure, give you medicine to speed things along or you can let it take it's natural course."

Luca parted his lips to say something but my eyes met his, stern with my decision.  My body, my choice.  I could only hope that as the father, he would support me.  That would made this experience much easier.

"I want it to take its course," I told Luca.  "At home, in your arms."

His smile and nod warmed me from the inside out.  "I would support whichever decision you made but I'm glad it is this one."

"If that is your final decision," the doctor prompted.

I turned to him.  "Yes, it is."

*peeks. Drops tissue box*

I didn't forget to post today.  I took munchkin to the state fair 😊. So tired, so sweaty but it was fun watching her face light up and hear her screams of joy 😜

Poor Madison.

I've been exposed from my hiding spot for too long!

Happy Friday!  *runs*

Enjoy, vote, comment and share!

❤️