His Inspiration (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty

Okay, so I had edited this Chapter the first time before I posted it, but Wattpad still posted the unedited version. So hopefully this is the right version, sorry about that guys! 🤦🏽‍♀️

Chapter Twenty

"How is he?" Natalie asked quietly as she rounded the corner to see Dane sitting alone in the family waiting room, his head settled in between his hands. This was Thomas's fifth day at the hospital. She, Dane, and Sara, had practically lived at the hospital the first three days, never leaving, even if it just meant going home to take a break...well, that was until the rest of Dane's band mates were informed on what had happened. They immediately stepped in, forcing Dane, Sara, and Natalie to go home and get some rest, and not overwork themselves too much trying to look over Thomas. Sara was at the bakery today. She didn't think she could spend another day up at the hospital again without breaking down, she needed something to take her mind off of her friend's condition. Natalie wished she could do the same, but staying at the quiet bakery would only make what happened seem all the more real.

Dane lifted his head over to Natalie, heavy bags hanging under his dark brown eyes. He sighed tiredly. "He still hasn't woken up yet, but they still have hope. He twitched one of his fingers today, so they know that he's at least tying to come back to us."

Natalie nodded her head, guilt filling her. Dane noticed the look on her face and frowned.

"It's not your fault, Natalie." He told her. But that didn't make her feel any better. Everyone had been saying, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong - but it was her fault. If she had been more stern in the beginning and had never accepted Thomas and Sara at her bakery, then they wouldn't even be in this mess right now. Thomas wouldn't have been drawn into her problems, and he most certainly wouldn't be in a coma right now, fighting for his life.

A tear rolled down the side of her cheek. She furiously swiped it away, and the others that followed after it. "I should've just stayed away from him in the beginning." She sniffled, wiping her nose.

"Natalie, none of this is your fault, so please, stop beating yourself up for something that was out of your control." Dane said, "Thomas has always been one to take on everyone else's problems. That's just how he his. He finds a way to embed himself in other people's lives, whether they agree to it or not. He cares for people, a little too much at times, but that's just who his is, and always has been, and always will be." He let out a small chuckle as he shook his head, "Even if you had tried to distance yourself from him in the beginning, it wouldn't have worked. Thomas wouldn't have let it happen." He admitted. "That guy knew from the very first day that he met you at that bakery that you were who he wanted, even though he knew absolutely nothing about you."

Natalie watched Dane through her tear rimmed eyes. "and how do you know that?" She questioned, not entirely believing him.

Dane shook his head, almost as if he were remembering something funny. "I know because he called me the first night that he met you at the bakery, and talked my ears off for an hour and I had to threaten to hang up on him if he didn't shut up about you," he smiled, "Trust me, I tried to convince him not to go after you on several occasions, but he never listened to me, not once." He said softly, "but i'm kind of glad he didn't listen to me. You seem to make him happy, and you've finally given him something to stand up for, someone to stand up for. I've never seen Thomas actually act like an adult a day in my life, until a few days ago. I guess what i'm trying to say is that I'm glad he decided to man up and finally find something worth fighting for." He finished, pushing himself up from the lounge chair. He turned to Kaitlyn, "Well, i'm going to go and tell the guys bye and head back to my hotel to get some rest and come back tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" He offered.

She shook her head. "No, i-i'll meet you up there in a few minutes. I think I just need a moment to gather my thoughts." She replied.

Dane nodded. "Okay, see you later."

"Later." She said quietly, lost in her own thoughts.

Thomas had genuinely liked her ever since the beginning and she had been too obviously to see that. She figured that even after he had confessed his feelings for her, that he would eventually change his mind, but now after everything Dane said, she was certain that Thomas had actually meant what he said. He truly liked her. That simple thought made her heart flutter in her chest.

She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, determination in her veins. Thomas would come out of that coma, she was certain of it, and when he did, she would tell him exactly how she felt about him.

She grinned to herself as she turned the corner, before bumping into an older man dressed in a white lab coat.

"I'm so sorry," She rambled, taking a step back.

The man rearranged his stethoscope around his neck and smiled." It's quite alright, miss." He said with a smile, before recognition crossed through his eyes. "You came in here a few days ago with the young man named, Thomas, right?" He questioned a little worriedly, "Is everything alright?"

Natalie figured that he must have been the doctor that Thomas had taken her to see when she had passed out at the restaurant. She sent him a tentative smile. "Yes, everything's fine." She replied, "I'm just here checking on a friend." She didn't elaborate.

Relief washed over the doctor's face. "Good, for a second there, I thought that something might have been wrong with the baby." He said, not noticing the frown that settled upon Natalie's face.

"Baby?" She almost laughed at the notion, "You must have me confused with someone else, I'm not pregnant." She confirmed.

He frowned. "You are the same Ms. Natalie that came in with the man named, Thomas, right?" He asked again, slightly confused.

"Yes, but-" She started, before he cut her off.

"Well, I don't know why he didn't tell you already, but you're pregnant. You're around twenty one weeks. I was telling Thomas that it was common for a woman to carry a baby without knowing, due to stress or other factors, and that not everyone gets sick during the beginning of their pregnancy, and that some women still have their menstrual cycle, so that's probably why you weren't able to tell that you were pregnant." He continued, "But I assumed that he had told you already. My apologies."

Natalie shook her head. "No..it's fine." She said absentmindedly, just as one of the nurses on the floor rushed over to them, instantly pulling the doctor into a deep conversation. He looked over at Natalie, "I have to go. My apologies again." He shouted over his shoulder as he and the nurse darted into one of the patient's rooms across the hall.

Natalie laid a hand against her stomach, still not believing him. She was in the process of divorcing her husband, starting a new chapter in her life, and now she was Pregnant? And Thomas had known?

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to channel her emotions. Her mind wanted her to be angry, wanted her to feel betrayed, and hurt, but she couldn't. How could she be? Thomas was too good of a man for her to be angry with him. Even after finding out that she was divorcing her husband, he had still stuck around, and hadn't even tried pressuring her into starting a relationship with him, he was just honest and understanding. Even when he had found out that she was pregnant before she even knew, he didn't go running for the hills. He came and checked on her at her apartment and got hurt in the process. Another tear fell from her face as she stood in the empty hallway.

Even though everyone kept saying that it wasn't her fault that Thomas had gotten hurt, she knew it was. The moment she had latched onto Thomas's arm as Derrick had thrown him in the direction of the stairs was the moment that she knew that she was going to fall down them too. Thomas had known that either way it went, he was going to fall too, but even then he wasn't worried about himself. He could only think about her. Just as he had fallen backwards, he had pushed Natalie off of him, sending her in the opposite direction, saving her from the same fate that he had endured.

Thomas really was a good man.

She just hoped that she would be good enough for him.