The Wrong Way Around

6. Teddy

My eyes cracked open as I felt better than I had in the past week, beeping sound all around me.  The last thing I remembered was the break-in and Aleksandr's outlandish marriage proposal. It seemed like my nausea was worse after that. I don't know if it was the stress or the pregnancy, but I couldn't even keep water down. Bless Millie for taking care of Ollie the past couple of days. 

My eyes opened wider as I looked around a clean, bright hospital room. I was dressed in a pink hospital gown, the sheets were cool and soft, and it was full of high-tech medical equipment. An IV was in my hand, with an IV bag attached to it. Whining slightly, I tried to sit up to find out what the fuck was going on, how I got there, and where my kids were. "Teddy." 

My eyes went to Aleksandr's dark blue ones as he jumped out of the cushioned armchair that was propped up next to me. "Where am I?" 

"St. Francis Medical. I came to see if you decided on my proposal when I found you covered in two days worth of sweat and vomit. You were barely conscious. If we waited any longer, you would've been a lot worse...And the baby." 

I sucked in a breath, my hands on my flat belly. "The baby?! Is it okay?" 

"As far as we know. They did some lab work and your HCG levels were still high. They wanted to get some fluids in your body first." 

"How long have I been here?"

"Five hours." 

"Only five hours? It seems longer than that. Where are my kids?" 

"I sent Ollie and Millie home to get some rest. Despite the hospital being clean, I didn't want to risk Millie's health. And Ollie was off in his routine." 

"Aleksandr...I need to tell you-"

"That you're pregnant?" he asked, eyebrow arched. "Is it mine?" 

"Of course it's yours..." I growled, my hand on my belly protectively. 

He let out a soft curse in Russian stood up and walked around. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Well for the past month, I didn't know if you remembered me or was coming after me." 

"I was always coming after you, Temnota."

"And then there's the fact that you're..." I dropped my voice in a whisper. "Brawtva." 

"Bravta," he corrected. "You should've told me. I would've helped you." 

"How?" 

"Teddy, believe it or not, you're not alone anymore. I'm here. I want to be here." 

Before I could say anything, there was a knock on the door. A pretty woman came in with a big smile and big glasses over her green eyes. "Hi, Teddy. I'm Dr. Lana Emelin. How are you feeling?" 

"Better," I sighed. 

"The power of good meds and fluids," she chuckled. "When Mr. Novikov brought you in, you told us you were pregnant. And that you were on meds?" 

"Yeah. My friend took me to the doctor earlier this week and they prescribed me some nausea pills and prentals. I was told to follow up with my OB-GYN but haven't gotten around to it yet. I could barely keep them down, let alone alone." 

"You poor thing. I believe you're experiencing hyperemesis gravidum. I believe this isn't your first pregnancy?" 

"No...I was sick with my son, but not this sick." 

"Well, with your severity of dehydration, I would like to do an ultrasound. But first I need to get some baseline information from you. When was your last menstrual cycle?"