A Bump

**Nate's POV**
*Thump!*
What the hell was that?
I furrowed my brow, gripping the plastic bottle tighter as I jogged back up the stairs.
"Allie? Are you okay?" I called, but there was no response. Shite. "Allie?" I shouted louder, quickening my pace, but once I rounded the corner to the bathroom, I felt as if a boulder had been lodged into my chest. "Fuck!"
Allie was lying on the floor in front of the vanity, her hair sopping, face to the side, on her chest. Son of a bitch!
I rushed to her side, trying to shake her awake while staying calm, even though I really wanted to freak the fuck out. "Hey! Allie!" Nothing! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I reached for the vanity, snatching my phone, ready to dial an ambulance before remembering we were in the middle of fucking nowhere and it would take them ages, so I thanked the heavens Cooper was still here and rang him instead.
"Hello?"
"Allie fell or fainted or something, I need you to come here, now!"
"Okay. Calm down, mate, I'm on my way. Just stay on with me til I get there, yea?"
How the hell was he acting so calm? My wife was unconscious!
"Hurry the hell up-!"
"Nate, listen. I need you to check a few things, okay? First, is she breathing?" Okay, okay. I forced myself to breathe as I found her back with my palm. It was still rising and falling, and I couldn't have been more relieved.
"Yea, she is."
"Good. You're doing great, mate. Now, see if you can wake her. Try tickling her or shouting." What the hell? It was weird as hell, but I couldn't question it, so I did as told, tickling her feet, sides, even her neck.
"She's not fucking waking up!" I could hear the rainfall through the speakers, telling me he was close.
"It's okay. Now, do me a favor and check for injury. Try not to move her much, but see if you spot any blood or bruising." I was going to vomit. I was checking my wife for physical trauma and it was all my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone, damn it.
I scanned her carefully, even searching her hair, when I came upon a small bump on her forehead. It didn't look bad, but what if it was? What if she got brain damage because of this?
"I can hear you freaking out. Calm down and breathe."
"Her head. She has a bump."
"Front or back?"
"Front."
"Have you rang an ambulance?"
"No, I called you first."
"Alright. Well I'm heading up now, so go ahead and ring em, yea?" Just as he said it, he rushed into the bedroom.
"In here!" I called, suddenly aware of the fact that Allie was completely naked. I had grabbed shorts before going downstairs, so I was half covered, but she had nothing. And Cooper was going to see her.
Fuck, get over yourself! He's a damn doctor and your friend!
He moved swiftly, lifting a black case and setting it beside he and Allie on the floor while I dialed 999, watching his every movement. He checked her pulse, observed her head injury, then opened this weird as fuck pouch that looked like it housed fucking torture implements.
"Oi, what the hell is that?"
"It's to see if she responds to pain. It doesn't really hurt her, just feels uncomfortable." He poked the damn thing against her hand, but when that didn't work, he pulled out a small bottle with little capsules inside. Then, he removed one, held it under Allie's nose, and broke it in two.
Immediately, her eyes sprang open, and she erupted into a fit of coughs.
"What-"
"Ammonia capsule." He answered my incomplete question, helping Allie to sit while patting her back. She was shivering, her frightened eyes scanning the room. "Allie, it's Cooper. Can you tell me where you are?" With fitted brows, she answered weakly.
"England. The, the barn."
"Very good. What year is it?"
"Twenty Nineteen."
"Good. Now, do you feel any pain anywhere?" She nodded, reaching up for the bump on her head and wincing upon contact. "Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, lightheaded…?"
"I did. Only a little, now…"
"Okay. Can you tell me what happened?" At this point she told us how she got up to get my phone, but suddenly felt terribly sick and fainted. She was shaking so bad that I had to run and get a blanket for her, making her even more anxious because she finally realized she was naked. "Were you doing anything prior to your bath?"
"Yea, conumating our marriage, why?" I answered, since I knew it would embarrass her.
"In here?"
"Yea?" What the hell did he want, a play by play?
"Okay… Hmm…" he thought for a moment. "Well, I can't be sure without blood work and maybe some imaging, but my assumption is that her body went into shock. She went from cold rain to hot steam and physical activity way too quickly, and it could've made her faint. Then, the bump kept her unconscious. That's my guess, anyway." I groaned, my head falling heavily to my hands. It was my fault. I should've just waited until she finished her bath first.
"Nate, stop that." Her weak voice called out, scolding me. "Come here. Hold me, please." I scooted over, opening my arms and encompassing her blanketed body. I was scared out my wits and was having a hard time coming down from it, but holding her was helping. I needed it, the comfort.
I pressed my lips to her damp hair, never breaking contact while Cooper kept hounding her with questions, one of which made me perk up.
"Any chance you're pregnant?" She stiffened, her head dropping to her lap.
"No." Wait, what? We fucked all the time without protection. "I already took a test. It was negative."
What?
Why didn't she tell me that? My poor girl. She'd been carrying that around all by herself. My strong, stubborn wife.
I held her tighter, burying my nose in her hair.
"Baby, it's okay. We have time. It's early still." I tried to comfort her, but all I seemed to accomplish was making her cry. Bloody hell…
"I'm fine. Just… overwhelmed."
"You don't... regret doing this?" Her eyes widened and she suddenly grabbed hold of my face, forcing me to stare back at her.
"No. Don't you ever think that. I'm so happy I married you, Nate. How I feel has nothing to do with that."
"Oh… Then what's wrong?" She sighed, dropping her hands to swipe at her cheeks.
"I was really disappointed about the test, I guess. Then, with my dad not knowing where we are and him not able to contact us... I don't know. I'm worried about the consequences. It's stupid. I'm a grown woman, so I shouldn't be so afraid of my father, but I can't help it. He terrifies me." A sob let loose and I ran my hands up and down her arms. I hated seeing her out of sorts over that bastard. As far as I was concerned, he could disown her and I'd be happy about it. We didn't need him. We didn't need the lifestyle.
But I knew she needed to talk to him. She couldn't just run and hide forever, as much as I'd like her to.
"Hey. We'll pay him a visit as soon as we touch back, okay?"
"We?"
"Yea. I'll go with you. I'll be right there to protect you." I offered her a soft smile, which she returned, sniffling that little button nose. "Cooper?"
"Yea?"
"Think I could get her in some clothes?" As if the blighter just realized she was stark naked, his cheeks turned crimson.
"Uh, yea, mate, go ahead. I'll step out."
Not long after she was dressed, the ambulance arrived to cart her away while I followed close behind in my car, stressing about all she'd said. Fuck, I hoped she wasn't afraid in there by herself. The drive back to the small clinical hospital was long, and by the time we made it, she was fast asleep. Apparently a medicine they gave her made her drowsy, so she was only half there when they changed her into a gown, started a drip, and got her blood.
Even I was starting to doze off beside her when the doc finally showed himself.
"Mr. Anthony?" I stretched out my tired limbs, nodding.
"Yes, sir."
"Dr. Evans." Wait.
"Evans?"
"You're one of Cooper's pals, yea? I'm his Uncle. Nice to meet you." He stepped forward, shifting the chart to under his arm and shaking my hand with a firm grip. I guessed I could see a family resemblance. They both had square jaws and dusty brown hair, but Cooper's eyes were brown, not green.
"Same. Do you know what's wrong with Allie?" My gaze wandered back to her, the sight of her with tubes coming out her arm, lying perfectly still, making my stomach churn.
"Well," He crossed to his stool, pushing a pair of wide rimmed glasses up his nose. "According to the blood test, her iron was incredibly low. We call that being Anemic."
"And that's why she fainted?"
"Part of it, anyway."
"What's the other?"
"Well, according to her hCG levels, I'd say she's between seven and twelve weeks pregnant, now."