My Best Friend's Sister

Chapter 16

Eldon's POV

The guys were sitting in the waiting room. They have been for hours. I told them all a while ago that they didn't need to stay, but they insisted. I know Hunter and West were protective over Riley like I was, they wanted to make sure she was okay. I also know that James blames me for this, seeing as Riley may not have gotten involved with Nathan if I hadn't made James ice her out. He doesn't want to leave her alone with me until he's positive she's okay. We've been at the hospital for 2 hours now. Riley had to get checked over, all her cuts had to be disinfected, her cut on her forehead had to be stitched, they'd tested her for a concussion, and now they were figuring out the cause of the internal bleeding. I would've thought they'd focus on that first, but after reading over her file the doctor seemed to have a pretty good idea of the cause, and opted to take care of her external injuries first. All that tells me is at least the internal bleeding isn't life or death. "Can we get you to lay back Miss Pells? We're going to do an ultrasound." The doctor said. Riley's eyes widened with fear as he said that. I didn't understand what was going on.
"Do you think everything's alright?" Riley asked, biting her bottom lip.
"I can't say until I take a look." The doctor replied. Riley lay back on the bed shakily, as the doctor rolled up her shirt and squirted on the gel. He moved the probe around Riley's abdomen, staring at the screen. Riley was watching the screen as well, looking for something. All the sudden I felt Riley's hand grab mine, squeezing tightly as she stared at the doctor and the screen, waiting to hear the outcome of whatever was happening. The doctor sighed, turning the ultrasound machine off and wiping the gel off of Riley's stomach. "I'm sorry, it was what I'd assumed." He told us, pulling off his gloves as Riley sat up.
"What? What is it?" She asked, holding onto hope of something I didn't understand. She had tears in her eyes as she watched the doctor lick his lips.
"I'm afraid you lost the baby." He announced. Riley let out a shaky exhale, releasing my hand. She looked as white as a ghost. She shakily brought her hands to her face, sobbing as she pulled her knees into her chest. I was in shock. She was pregnant?! Riley was hyperventilating as she cried into her knees. The doctor sent her a sympathetic look, before turning his head to me. "I'll leave you." He told us quietly, wheeling the machine out as he left. As I stared at Riley, I didn't know what to do. There was only one thing that crossed my mind. I ran to the waiting room, quickly spotting the guys.
"James." I said, gaining their attention. "This is important." Hunter and West looked confused as James stood, walking over to me. I led him to Riley's room, hurrying down the halls of the hospital. I didn't want her left alone for too long. When we arrived outside her room, I opened the door. The sound caused her to lift her head from her knees. She saw us standing there, and started sobbing harder. James walked over to her, pulling her against his chest.
"Riles what's wrong? What happened?" He asked her, combing his fingers through her hair as she sobbed in his shirt.
"I-I miscarried our b-baby. I'm s-sorry." She spoke quietly. James looked shocked, and I could tell he had no clue she'd been pregnant. He closed his eyes, exhaling as a tear rolled down his cheek, before he pressed his lips on the top of her head.
"It's okay Riles. It's gonna be okay." He whispered, rubbing her back and playing with her hair, trying to do everything he could think of that would calm her down. As I watched her cry, I could tell there had been more going on between them than sex. Riley really wanted this baby. She wouldn't want it if it had been the consequence of her sleeping around. I knew she had to really love the father for her to want the baby. I sighed, placing my hand on her back.
"I'm sorry Riley. This is all my fault." I told her gently. She turned her head to look at me, confused as to what I meant.
"W-what?" She sniffled, watching me through tear filled eyes.
"I told James to end things with you. I didn't realize you were together, I thought you were ju-" I started to explain.
"Get out." Riley stated, cutting me off. My brows furrowed in confusion.
"Sorry?" I asked, not sure what she meant.
"You're the reason my baby is dead! If it wasn't for you I never would have met Nathan and he wouldn't have killed my child! Get out of my room! I don't want to see you! Get out!" Riley exclaimed, pulling away from me. She buried her head in James's chest, shaking as sobs wracked her body. I opened my mouth to say something, to tell her how sorry I was, but James just shook his head. I decided to be smart enough to listen, so I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked out to the waiting room.