Giving Leah Hope

Leah

I rolled over as my stomach surged, groaning as my body threatened to throw up again. I was on day three of not feeling well. I didn’t know which was worse: the fatigue or the nausea. They were both zapping my energy. When Maddie walked into the room, I immediately shook my head.

“No, I don’t want to go anywhere,” I grumbled.

“Come on, Leah,” she whined. “It’s been 3 days since you left this room. Everyone is worried. Armadillo has been sleeping outside your door, and Joey is paranoid about your health. Unless you want him to throw you over his shoulder and take you to the ER himself, I would advise you to take this pill and get up.”

She shoved a small bottle into my hand. I looked down at it, wondering what she was giving me. “Zofran? What is this for?” I asked worriedly.

“It’s for nausea. It’ll make you feel better. Take it, and in thirty minutes, I will come back and see how you feel. How does that sound?”

“Is it safe?” I inquired, making her laugh as she put her hand on her stomach lovingly.

“Yes, Leah. Very safe. It’s my prescription because I have a severe nausea problem when I’m pregnant. You probably just have a stomach virus or something.” She patted my hand. “I understand why you’re worried, honey, but I promise that I’m not going to drug you.” She held her hand out. “If you’re worried, give me one. I was going to take one before we left, but I’ll take one with you, and then I’ll stay in here so you know it’s nothing bad.”

I searched her face for a moment before shaking my head. “No, it’s okay. I trust you. I can’t live the rest of my life being afraid to trust people.”

To prove my point, I opened the bottle and took one of the pills while she beamed at me. “Awesome! I’ll be back in thirty minutes. You should shower and get dressed. Ramira wants to take us to dinner,” she informed me, making me groan.

“Do I have to?”

“If you don’t want Joey to caveman you, then yes. Between you and me, he told me that if you didn’t leave this room today, he was going to force you to go to the ER.”

“I don’t need to go to the ER. I’m just emotional,” I muttered under my breath as I threw the covers off. “I’ll go to dinner, but only to ask Ramira for some anxiety medicine.”

“Whatever gets you there,” she laughed as she wandered out of the room.

I rolled my eyes as I went into the bathroom, almost vomiting halfway through. I closed my eyes as I took several deep breaths to calm my stomach down. When it passed, I finished up in a hurry, drying off so fast that my clothes still stuck to my body when I tugged them on. I almost tripped over Armadillo when I left the room. He helped stabilize me before getting to his feet.

“Leah! How are you feeling?” He asked worriedly.

“I’m okay. Maddie gave me a pill,” I answered.

“Did it help?”

“I’m not sure yet. How are you? Did you see Leisha? How did that go?” I questioned him.

“One, don’t change the subject. Do you need to go to the doctor?”

“I’m fine. I probably picked up a virus or something.” I shrugged. “Could be anxiety. Who knows?”

“Don’t make this smaller than it is! I’ve sat out here and listened to you vomit for three days! You need to go to the doctor,” he argued.

“Sheesh, Kaden! You sound like Maddie!”

“Well, if both of us are saying the same thing, maybe you should listen,” he said as he followed me down the hallway to the living room where I heard Maddie laughing.

“Leah—”

“Maddie, are you ready?” I inquired as I stepped into the living room.

“Yeah. Just let me say goodbye to the kids and my husband,” she gushed, smiling proudly at Joey.

Jealousy immediately twisted my insides up. I wanted to be able to say that with that look on my face. My husband. I sighed as I looked away, leaning back against Armadillo when he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Are you okay?” He whispered.

I nodded as I turned around to bury my face in his chest as tears filled my eyes. “I’m just so damned emotional,” I replied quietly.

“It’s okay, Leah. We all understand. You have every right to be emotional. He really hurt you.”

He soothingly ran his hands up and down my back until my almost silent sobs stopped and I stepped back. I wiped my face on my sleeve before kissing his cheek.

“Thank you, Kaden.”

“Always, Phoenix.”

“So, Armadillo, what are your plans for tonight?” Madison asked as she walked up, draping her arm over my shoulders.

“I don’t have any.”

“Maybe you should call Leisha. Leah and I will be out late,” she told him.

He glanced at me, almost as if he was asking me for permission. I put my hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Kaden. I want you to spend time with her. I promise you I’m okay.”

He sighed as he nodded. “Alright, but if you need me, call me. I will come straight back.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “Do you really think that we will need you? Joey, Ramira, and I are more than capable of helping her with whatever she needs.”

Fury lit up his eyes as he went toe-to-toe with her. “Listen here, Madison! I don’t care what you think you’re capable of! This is about more than her being sick! This is about her mental well-being too. She trusts me! She trusts you too, but that doesn’t mean that you are going to be the one she turns to. I’ve been there. I’ve seen everything. And I do mean everything! So when it comes to Leah, back the fuck off.”

Before Maddie could retort, Joey was shoving Kaden back roughly. “Watch how you talk to my wife!”

Maddie put a restraining hand on Joey's arm. “It’s okay, Joey. I deserved it. He is right. She should have the choice of whoever she wants to lean on. It’s okay.”

“Just respect Madison, and we won’t have a problem,” Joey bristled.

“Got it!”

“Anyway, Leah and I are leaving. Behave, gentlemen.”

Armadillo eyed Joey. “I’m stepping out too!”

Madison burst out laughing as she led me out of the house. “Daddy is scary, isn’t he?”

I nodded as Kaden jumped in his car in a hurry. “Seems to be that way.”

Madison laughed again as we got in the car. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Mm-hmm. Sure. Just like you wouldn’t,” I told her.

“Me? Moi? Never! I’m harmless,” she giggled.

I pressed my forehead against the cool window in an effort to distract myself from the rolling sensation in my stomach. “Maddie?”

“Yes, Leah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“When you met Joey, how long did it take him to tell you that he loved you?” I asked.

“Too long,” she admitted, grimacing. “He was afraid of losing me. He thought I would run from him if he told me. But when he did, it was the cutest thing. We were in Vegas, and he took me shopping for a charity event. When we went to the jewelry store, I ended up looking at engagement rings. When he asked me why I was looking at engagement rings, I told him I was making his job easy. He proposed right then and there. Ever since that day, he has told me 892 times a day that he loves me.” She glanced at me. “He’s going to tell you, Leah. We all know he feels it. He’s just afraid. Out of all of the Morgan men, Brennan has always been the most docile one. I hear stories of his life before Diadra, and they are so full of love and passion. From Diadra on, he changed. He has a hard time, but that lies solely at Diadra’s feet. From what I hear from Caleb, Brennan is trying. Like really trying. I heard he went to a support group.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, last night, but don’t tell anyone I told you. I wasn’t supposed to be eavesdropping on Caleb’s and Joey’s conversation. I also know that he is going to another group tonight. Caleb sounded like he was really proud of Brennan. If what he told Caleb is true, I’m proud of him too.”

I smiled softly against the window. “If it is true, I am proud of him too.”

She reached across the car to take my hand. “Do not give up on him, Leah. He really is a good man. It might have been done late, but he is trying.”

I squeezed her fingers. “I know. And I’m not going to give up on him. I love him.”

She pulled into a parking spot before turning toward me. “He loves you too, and I think that soon he will be able to tell you.”

I sighed as Ramira waved at us. “I hope so, Maddie. I really do.”