Grace Under Pressure

Chapter Fourteen

"Grace, your patient in room seven is requesting an increase in her morphine drip." Carla got my attention away from the computer in the nurse's station where I was pricing out flights to England. She handed me a med order to sign.

My patient in room seven was an eighty-two-year-old woman who was dying of stage four liver cancer. I signed the form without hesitation. "Carla, when you've finished with that order can you call the insurance company and see if Mrs. Dahlia has been approved to go home on hospice care? That poor woman shouldn't have die in the ICU ward."

"Sure," Carla nodded. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked in concern. "I heard through the grapevine that you and Dr. Cox have both put in for personal time and now I've found you pricing flights to London with a pissed off look on your face."

"You want to go out to lunch with me? I could use someone to talk to who isn't Perry or Jordan." One was overprotective and the other, while also overprotective even if she would never admit it, always seemed to offer solutions that were downright evil.

"Of course." Carla smiled warmly.

***

We went to a small café that was a few blocks away from the hospital. I had wanted to avoid the cafeteria.

"Alright, Gracie, spill, chica." Carla leaned back in her chair. It was a nice day and we had decided to eat outside at the wicker tables on the sidewalk.

"I just found out that I have a five-year-old little brother back home that my mum lost her parental rights to. Perry and I are flying to England while Jordan keeps the kids to take custody of him...permanently."

"And Dr. Cox's is upset about the new addition," Carla guessed.

"Oh, no," I shook my head. "Perry's been great about it all. He rearranged Jack's room and changed out the bed for a bunk bed. That's not at all why I'm stressed out."

"What is it? You can trust me," Carla gently pressed.

I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant. I just found out this morning. Perry doesn't know yet."

Carly whistled. "Yeah, sweetie, that's a lot," she agreed.

"What am I going to do?" I groaned.

"You're going to tell the man who loves you that you're carrying his child," Carla gently ordered. "He'll be happy about it, I know it. If not, I'll kick his ass and Jordan and Elliot will join me," she shrugged.

"What if he's not happy? He's already been so understanding about my brother. I mean, he's already got two kids. How do I know if he wants anymore? We've never spoken about it before." In hindsight, that had been an epic fail on our part.

Carla chuckled and shook her head. "Dr. Cox is head over heels in love with you. You're literally his dream woman. He'll be happy about the baby. I promise. Do you have Jack and Jennifer tonight?"

"No," I shook my head. "We have them Friday through Monday morning. It's only Thursday."

"Well, before the niños come home, take a night to yourselves and talk to your man," Carla advised. "The two of you have way too much on your plates to be keeping secrets."

True that.