His Nasty Virgin

VIVIAN

I was only partially aware that I’d been drifting in and out of consciousness. It all felt like a dream. Snippets of conversation held in low, concerned murmurs. Bright lights overhead. The beeping of heart rate monitors and the whir of various other equipment. The smell of latex and the calm blue of nurses’ scrubs.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Days. Weeks. Months. In the end, it didn’t matter. The second I thought I was alert enough to return and face reality, I was hit with an almost euphoric level of relaxation. It was probably the medication, but I wasn’t ever awake long enough to piece together what was going on around me.

I didn’t dream of anything while I was under, though I did occasionally hear a voice. Sometimes it would talk to me. Sometimes it would talk to someone else. It was low and soothing. Familiar in its richness and lilt. While I wasn’t aware enough to comprehend anything, I did get the sense that the voice belonged to someone who cared about me. I could tell through their tone, always gentle with an edge of protectiveness.

When I finally managed to summon the strength to wake up, it was morning. The sun was out and shining, rays of warm light streaming in through the sheer white curtains.

The scent of antiseptic and plastic filled my nose. It wasn’t unpleasant, just different. The soft voice over a PA speaker down the hall alerted me to the fact that this wasn’t home, but a hospital.

And God was it a fancy place.

This wasn’t some cramped, dark, understaffed inpatient wing. This was a private room, the kind that only super important people or celebrities could afford so they didn’t have to recover from their ailments with a simple curtain separating them from the next patient. Cream walls freshly cut flowers in tall vases and a big flat-screen TV mounted opposite me for entertainment were clear signs of the private institution.

I knew for a fact that my health insurance through Blue Cloud Financial would never cover a place like this.

No, I knew exactly who to thank for this private room. The man in question was sitting right next to me, holding my hand like a lifeline.

Jesse was asleep in the guest chair next to my hospital bed, folded over with his head resting against his forearms. His dark stubble was growing in, and I thought he looked rather dashing. I contemplated waking him up, but the dark circles beneath his eyes were a good indicator that he needed the extra Z’s.

I turned on the TV instead and quickly turned the volume to its lowest possible setting to not disturb him. The first channel to pop up was the local news, big red borders, and fast-moving headline ticker sweeping across the bottom of the frame. I was about to click away to find something more relaxing -maybe one of those boring documentaries Jesse liked because they were growing on me- when video footage of Alistair McCloud flashed across the screen.

“The investigation continues into Blue Cloud Financial’s illicit activities,” the anchorwoman explained. “This comes just a week after the arrest of the investment firm’s Chief Financial Officer, Alistair McCloud, who has alleged ties to organized crime and gang-related activity. Police raided several locations suspected of being the operational hotspots of the Azure Cartel and have made several major arrests of head members. McCloud is expected to appear in front of a judge later this week. If found guilty, he could serve several life sentences behind bars.”

I was hypnotized by everything I was seeing. It was strange, but I hoped the courts didn’t treat him too harshly. Even though I thought what he did was reprehensible, he did keep the cartel from killing Molly. It was proof enough to me that he wasn’t all bad. Maybe that was naive of me, but it was the truth.

I shifted in bed, my muscles sore and my skin tight. The bed sheets were starchy and stiff. Uncomfortable. As I readjusted my position in bed, I noticed the tightness in my abdomen. I laid my free hand on my stomach to inspect. I could feel the stitches, the taught bandage. And that was when it hit me.

“The baby,” I blurted, freaked out. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t remember much about the attack, only that I’d been hit while trying to save Jesse. What if something happened to the baby?

Just as I was starting to hyperventilate, Jesse awoke. He stood immediately and grasped me firmly by the shoulders, likely to keep me from hurting myself. He spoke softly, “Everything’s fine, angel. The babies are fine. The cut was long, but not deep.”

“Babies?” I echoed.

The smile that broke out across Jesse’s face was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Pure joy and elation. Excitement.

Bone-deep devotion and love.

“Yes, angel. We’re having twins.”

I finally took a much-needed breath. “Twins… Do we know what they are yet? Or is it too early? I’ve never done this before.”

Jesse chuckled. “It’s too early to tell. All the doctors could tell from the ultrasound was that there are two of them and they’re both doing well.” He reached behind him to retrieve a small slip of paper, a sonogram by the looks of it. “Here.”

I squinted at the image. “I have no idea what I’m looking at.”

Jesse pointed to two little dots near the center. “That’s one, and this is the other.”

Giddiness erupted within me, happy tears welling up in my eyes. “Oh my God, they’re so tiny!”

I scooched over to make room for him. Jesse lay down next to me, one arm around my shoulder bracing my head while his other hand lay gently on my stomach. He kissed my temple, still peering down at the sonogram in wonder.

“I love you, too, by the way,” he whispered.

I looked him in the eye, heart skipping a beat. “Hm?”

“I love you, too. You told me you loved me but passed out before I got the chance to tell you.” His expression

darkened. “I thought I’d never get to.”

“Jesse…”

“I love you, Vivian. Seeing you like that… I thought you were going to die. I thought I was going to lose you.” Pain flashed across his face as his brows furrowed. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if something happened to you. I know that now. So, please, if you’ll have me… I’d like to be with you. To take care of you and take care of our children. And I know settling down probably isn’t what you want at your age, but I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re happy.”

I placed my hand over his and pressed it firmly against my stomach. “Who says that’s not what I want?”

“Really?”

A shaky laugh bubbled past my lips. “I was worried that maybe you didn’t want to have kids again.”

“Only if I get to raise them with you.”

I tilted my chin up to kiss him. It felt good, like coming home. But a thought popped into my head just as I pulled away. “Wally.”

Jesse grimaced. “No, my name’s Jesse. Should I call a nurse? Maybe the meds are too strong.”

“No, no. I meant what about Wally? I want to be with you, I do, but I refuse to come between you and your son.”

“I spoke with him after I sent you away.”

“Oh. And?”

“He’s… adjusting. I’d say seventy percent onboard.”

“Better than not at all, I guess. I’m glad to hear it.”

Jesse kissed me again, slower this time. “I can’t wait to take you home.”

“When do you think they’ll let me out of here?”

“Another couple of days.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Almost a week.”

My eyes widened. “Jesse.”

“What?”

“A private room costs, like, a million dollars a day.”

“More like four hundred.”

My brain ran the numbers automatically. “Twenty-eight hundred dollars and they want me to stay three more days? Not. I’m fine. I feel great. Let’s get out of here before they bleed us dry-”

“Vivian.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Relax. The bill’s already been taken care of. I meant what I said. I’m going to take care of you. All you have to do is let me.”

I lay back down, soothed by his deep voice. “Alright, alright.”

“How are you feeling, angel? Any pain?”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“No, I’m good. Just stiff and restless.”

“I’ll go get the doctor to check on you. They should know you’re awake.”

“Wait,” I said, clutching onto his hand. “You can get them, just… In another five minutes, okay?”

He held me close, cradling me in his arms and pressing kisses into my hair. “Okay. Five minutes.”

“Ugh.” Molly was standing at the doorway. “You guys are so cute it makes me want to throw up. Can’t you get a room?”

“We are in a room,” I pointed out.

Jesse moved back to his chair but didn’t let go of my hand as Molly made her way to my other bedside. She looked to be in good spirits, despite everything.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Better. Thank you for coming for me. I knew you wouldn’t give up.”

“I heard Alistair’s been arrested.”

Molly nodded. “Some guy, Detective Monroe? He said that he received all the investment records he needed to link Blue Cloud Financial to the cartel. Someone emailed him from an anonymous address or something. He grilled me for hours about it, but I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.”

Jesse glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Devin?”

I nodded. “Devin.”

Molly shrugged. “So, what are you going to name the babies?”

“You know?”

“Kind of hard not to. Jesse wouldn’t shut up about it.”

I smiled at him. “Is that so?”

Jesse huffed. “I was excited. Sue me.”

“If they’re girls, you should name one of them Molly,” she announced, smirking. “I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt. I’m going to spoil them rotten when they get here.”

I laughed, patting my stomach tenderly. I could very clearly imagine Fun Aunt Molly. She’d be the one to sneak the kids their first sip of alcohol or take them to their first-ever concert despite my express conexpressionedat it’s a school night.

I could also imagine Jesse as a father. Warm and caring and stern at times, but only because he cared so much. I’d be there to reign him in when needed, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d be a fantastic father to our children.

I smiled as I listened to Molly recite an entire speech on why we should name one of the twins after her. Jesse held my hand and squeezed my fingers gently. I was happy.