But with who? And when had she had the time? None of that really mattered, though, did it? A baby changed everything. It was over between them. But if that were true, why was he still pacing the waiting area of the hospital? Why hadn’t he left yet?
Because this woman held power over him. Maybe he wanted to hear it from her lips that the child she carried wasn’t his. That had to be what it was.
So when too much time passed and he discovered she was being admitted to the hospital overnight, he tried to tell himself it wasn’t worry that he was feeling; it was simply a case of loose ends.
He waited longer.
Picking up his phone a few times, he almost dialed his brothers. Almost asked for their advice. But he didn’t want them to know about this, didn’t want them to see what this woman had done to him. They already knew what she’d done to him, knew that he’d been obsessed with her ever since he first met her in that bar.
To add this as icing on the cake was unacceptable — they’d never let him forget it.
Nothing lasted forever. Hadn’t he learned that at a young age? His parents had been worthless, had screwed up his brothers for years. He’d only escaped that fate because he’d been too young to understand at the time what was happening.
Yes, Bill and Vivian had stepped in and offered a great example to the three boys of what good people were about, but one couple didn’t change what a person saw all around them.
Dammit! If only a Magic 8 Ball really worked and he could just find one, shake it, and have all the answers he needed. Hell, he’d probably get “Better not tell you now.”
Finally, Elena had a room number. He immediately sought her out.
“Are you okay?” He stopped at the side of her bed.
“I’m fine. You should have left. There was no reason for you to wait for over an hour.”
“You ran into me in the hallway, and you were hurt, Elena. I wasn’t leaving.” His tone was filled with exasperation.
“You’re not helping my blood pressure by snapping at me,” she said, glaring.
“Are you going to tell me about this baby?”
Her skin tone grew even more pale, though he hadn’t thought that to be possible. He almost wanted to take the words back. She was obviously injured, or the physician wouldn’t have checked her in for an overnight stay. Maybe he should give her some space.
“I was going to tell you about the baby tonight, Tyler. I’ve known a couple weeks but it wasn’t yet confirmed.”
“What exactly were you planning to tell me tonight?”
He couldn’t seem to back off. There were so many emotions running through him, and rage was the one closest to the surface. Why had she ruined this thing, whatever it was, that they’d had between them?
She looked away from him, and that rage somehow managed to intensify. How in the hell could he read her expression if she wouldn’t even make eye contact?
Showing a gentleness he didn’t think possible at that moment, he placed his hand beneath her chin and raised her face so she had no choice but to look at him.
“I’m owed an explanation, Elena.”
“I don’t owe you anything, Tyler,” she said, a hitch in her voice.
“So did you go straight from lying beneath me, from screaming out my name, to fucking another man?”
That question made her eyes blaze with anger. She thrust his hand away from her.
“You’re disgusting, Tyler. I want you out of this room,” she snarled. The monitors at the side of her bed began beeping. “And out of my life.”
He leaned down on the bed, his own temper high. He waited until he knew he had her full attention.
“I will get answers, Elena. Don’t doubt it for a second. I’m neither weak nor pathetic, and I don’t like anyone making me into a fool.”
“Sir, you need to get out of the way. I have to check on this patient.”
A very irritated nurse stepped into the room and moved to his side, pushing him back. He could have easily resisted, but Tyler wasn’t in the mood to fight with the hospital staff.
“I’ll be back.”
With that, he stormed out of the room. He really needed a strong drink. Or three.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Crying herself to sleep hadn’t been a good idea, because when morning came, she woke up to a marching band in her head, and it was breaking every noise regulation in Seattle. Pain radiated off her in waves, and she couldn’t prevent the whimper from escaping.
There was no way she was opening her eyes. She felt around for the call button to the nurse. Medicine. She needed painkillers stat.
“What do you need, Elena?”
Her pain ratcheted up another notch at the sound of Tyler’s voice. He was the reason her head was pounding and her ankle throbbing. So his voice was definitely not the first thing she wanted to hear this morning.
Though up until yesterday, she’d quite enjoyed his voice when first waking.
She really wished she’d called Piper. If she had, her friend would have stayed by her side all night and not let Tyler into her room. She would have attacked if he’d tried to get past her. That’s what best friends did.
“Is your head hurting?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“I’ll shut the blinds so it won’t hurt you to open your eyes.”
She heard his footsteps seeming to slam against the floor as he moved to the window, and the squeaking of the blinds as he drew them together made her head pound even more. Then he was back at her bedside.
The nurse came in, bringing her pills before disappearing again.