The Good News
HARDIN’S POV
I hadn’t moved in hours.
The only sound in the room was the soft, steady beep of the heart monitor beside Ariana’s bed. That sound had become my entire world—the rhythm I now breathed by. Every beat reminded me she was still here. Still fighting.
Her hand, wrapped in mine, was warmer now. Not quite the cold marble it had been in the ambulance. Her color was returning, slowly. She looked peaceful—too peaceful—like she was just sleeping.
I was afraid to blink.
Afraid she’d slip away again the second I took my eyes off her.
The door creaked open softly behind me, and I looked up, instinctively shielding her from whatever fresh intrusion might come. But it was just a nurse. Same one from earlier. A petite woman with a kind, lined face and a clipboard hugged to her chest.
She offered a small smile. “Just checking on her vitals.”
I nodded and scooted my chair back, but I didn’t let go of Ariana’s hand. Couldn’t.
The nurse moved efficiently, checking the monitors, adjusting a dial on the IV, scribbling something down. Her fingers were gentle as she lifted the edge of Ariana’s bandages to peek beneath, careful not to jostle her.
“How is she?” I asked quietly. My voice came out hoarse. I hadn’t spoken since the last time I told Ariana I loved her.
The nurse glanced up at me, her eyes kind. “She’s doing well. Remarkably well, given what she’s been through. The blood transfusions helped a lot. Her pulse is strong and steady now. Oxygen’s good. No sign of infection or complications so far.”
Relief, sharp and hot, surged in my chest. I closed my eyes for a second and exhaled, my grip on her hand loosening just slightly.
“She just needs rest,” the nurse continued, pulling the blanket higher over Ariana’s chest. “She’s stable, and her body is healing. She’ll wake up soon. The baby and mother are both doing great.”
I froze.
My mind… lagged.
The words registered like a slow-moving bullet, piercing through fog and fear and exhaustion until they landed in the center of my chest.
The baby?
My eyes snapped open.
I turned to the nurse. “What did you just say?”
She looked up, confused for a moment. “I said the baby and the mother are both doing great.”
“…The baby?”
She blinked. “Oh. You didn’t know?”
I stared at her.
No words came.
Pregnant.
Ariana… was pregnant?
The nurse offered an apologetic smile, realizing the bomb she’d just dropped. “It’s still early, but we confirmed it during the initial tests in the ER. Her HCG levels are elevated, and we saw the beginnings of a gestational sac on the ultrasound. She’s about six, maybe seven weeks along, from the look of it.”
I still couldn’t speak.
Pregnant.
The word spun in my head like a carousel—every rotation slower, heavier, echoing louder.
The nurse gave my shoulder a small squeeze. “She’ll wake up soon. You’ll both be fine.” Then she left quietly, shutting the door behind her.
Silence fell again.
But it wasn’t the same silence.
It was full now—charged, blooming with something too big to contain.
I turned back to Ariana, and a stunned, trembling laugh left my lips.
“Oh my God…”
I dragged my chair closer, then knelt beside her bed, resting my forehead against the edge of the mattress, still holding her hand like it was the only thing tethering me to the Earth.
“You’re pregnant,” I whispered, voice shaking. “Baby, did you hear that? We’re going to have a baby.”
My chest cracked open at the thought.
A baby.
Our baby.
I looked at her, studied the soft curve of her cheek, the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
“Did you know about this?” I asked softly.
She didn’t answer. Of course she didn’t. But something in her face—some faint twitch of her brow, a flicker under her eyelid—made me think she heard me.
I swallowed hard.
A tear slipped down my cheek and landed on her blanket.
I didn’t wipe it away.
“I’m going to be a father,” I whispered, wonder and disbelief pouring out in a breathless laugh. “God… I can’t believe it. We’re having a baby.”
My hands trembled as I reached for her face again, cupping her jaw with both palms.
“Wake up, baby,” I pleaded gently. “Please. I need you to wake up. I want you to tell me you knew. I want to see that smile when you say the words. I want to feel your hand grab mine and say, ‘We’re going to be parents.’”
I laughed again, choked on it, wiped my nose on my sleeve like a mess.
“I used to think I wasn’t meant for a family. That I’d ruin it if I ever tried. That I was too angry. Too broken. But then you… you came in and just wrecked every wall I’d built.”
I kissed her knuckles.
“Now I can’t imagine a world without you in it. Without both of you.”
My voice cracked again. “I’m going to be the best father I can be. I swear it. I’m going to protect you, protect our baby, love you both with everything I’ve got. No more secrets. No more danger. No more pain.”
I leaned forward, resting my head gently against her stomach again, as if I could already hear the faint beat of that tiny second heart inside her.
“You hear that in there, little one?” I whispered. “That’s your dad talking. I already love you. More than anything. And your mom… your mom’s a goddamn warrior. The strongest person I’ve ever met.”
I looked back up at Ariana, voice thick with awe.
“She took a bullet. And she survived. For you. For both of us.”
More tears.
I let them fall freely now.
“I wish I could rewind time and stop this from happening,” I said. “But I promise—with everything I am—that I’ll make sure you’re never in danger again. I’ll give you both the kind of life you deserve. I’ll be the kind of man worthy of this.”
My voice dropped to a whisper.
“I don’t deserve you. But I’m never letting you go.”
I sat back in the chair, brushing my thumb softly over the back of her hand again. Her fingers twitched faintly, and my breath caught.
“Come on, baby,” I murmured. “Give me one more miracle today. Just open those eyes. Let me see you.”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
