Tough Love

CHAPTER TWENTY

ASHTON

"Babe, it'll be ok.. I'm sure it will be." Isabelle tugged at my hand as I went to chase down a doctor and demand someone do the ultrasound quicker. She squeezed again, and her voice went softer. "Just calm down and stop getting worked up."

Why the heck do doctors take their time.

"Calm down? are you insane, a fucking cricket bat just knocked you out and you're telling me to calm down? You're bloody pregnant, this is serious!"

I watched the whole thing, from the wooden cricket bat being swung back with such full force, to the pained look on Belle's face as she just went down, clutching her stomach, shock setting in. She just laid there.

Parker had taken Jenna to the car and that I was grateful for, I didn't know what to think or say, but I needed to focus my attention elsewhere. Jenna didn't say much, she had stood there and dropped the bat and just taken a couple of steps back. I wanted to grab her, shake her and yell but I needed to be in a calmer frame of mind before I spoke to her.

"Ash," Belle's soft tone broke me out of my anger as I looked back towards her.

Her blue eyes glassed over with tears and her hand over her stomach, I was worried. She was bleeding and that worried me. Funny how you think you don't want something and then it happens, and now you can't imagine not having that again.

I just let out a steady breath, and still worried but I didn't want it to show and upset her even more.

She hadn't mentioned Jennas name, and I didn't want to bring it up to her just yet. I rubbed my hand over her stomach gently. "Hopefully we get seen soon."

Belle said nothing, she sat there with her gaze on my hand, reaching up and cupped her palm over mine. "I can't feel any movements." She whispered. "What if I lost our baby Ash." It wasn't a question, more of a statement to herself.

It was a question I had wondered, not that I was going to bring that up to her. I needed to be the voice of reason, to keep a positive outlook. "Things will be ok, our baby will be fine" I finally lowered my voice and lent down to kiss her gently, my lips pressed against the warmth of her forehead.

"And, what if it's not?" she whispered as her voice broke slightly.

It was clear she wasn't going to let up until I answered her. "Then we will deal with that if it happens and try again when you're ready." I replied as if it was the simplest solution, but I knew it would kill her if anything had happened, hell it'd damn well hurt to lose something that was ours together.

"Did you call my mum?" she asked. Thankful to be talking about something different for a moment.

I nodded, that was a call I didn't want to make. She was worried sick and now on her way down to stay for a couple of days, I was waiting for the ass kicking from her I knew I was going to get; I had promised her to take care of her and failed. Her mum was an even bigger protector than I was, and I've gone and screwed up royally. I'm about to question my entire parenting after what's happened lately.

The door opened with a soft creak and the nurse walked in. "Finally" I muttered under my breath, and Belle shot me a glare mouthing be nice, yeah I'll be nice when they do the bloody scan and I know what we're dealing with.

The nurse was an older lady, grey hair and tied back into a low bun. She had a friendly smile, and that gave me a slight moment of reassurance.

Twenty minutes later she left the room, and it was the two of us alone again. I looked over at Isabelle who had tears in her eyes, neither of us knowing what to say. I reached over and grabbed a couple of tissues and handed her some and took a couple more for myself.