“I understand,” she said, too afraid to argue with anything the man said. They poked and prodded her before she was finally moved to a room. She breathed a sigh of relief, as the pills they gave her kicked in and she drifted off into blissful sleep. She couldn’t understand how the day could start off so well and end so badly.

Drew made calls to his family and knew they would be there in no time. His cousins would drop whatever they were doing to be there for each other. Family was number one to all of them. This was his future wife, with his child, lying in a hospital bed and they would’ve been angry with him if he hadn’t called so they could be there. The second she’d conceived his baby, she had become a part of that tight family circle.

He got a call while he was pacing the halls the bank accepted his offer. He called in some connections to speed the process up. He wanted to get moved in within a couple of weeks, where he’d be able to take care of her much better.

He called up his normal temp agency and had them start performing interviews for a staff. He wanted things ready as soon as he got the keys. As he continued to pace the hallways he saw Derek and Ryan round the corner. They spotted him immediately and walked over. He explained everything to them and they talked him into going with them for some much needed coffee.

Jasmine was right behind them and promised to stay with Trinity in case she woke up. She had tears of worry in her eyes. He pulled her close for a hug, so grateful she’d married his cousin. She was a blessing to their family. She shooed him away and went in to sit by Trinity’s bedside.

“How the hell does something like that happen in broad daylight?” Ryan said as he slammed his mug down on the table.

“I don’t like that neighborhood at all. It’s the older part of town and the businesses have to have bars on the windows at night. That should be the first clue she shouldn’t be walking down that street alone. I want her out of there now,” Drew said vehemently.

“I agree with you Drew but be careful, she’s stubborn and you don’t want her to stay there just because you’re telling her not to,” Derek tried to reason with his cousin.

“She’s on strict orders from the doctor for total bed rest, so she doesn’t have a hell of a lot of choice but to listen to me for a while,” Drew said with some satisfaction. He knew very well how stubborn the woman could be. He also knew how much she already loved their child and she’d do anything to keep her safe.

“Well, I have some good news for you,” Derek started. “Jasmine and Trinity were talking about opening a combined business together and Jasmine found an incredible space. We purchased it yesterday. It’s not too far from where we’re living. It’s in a much safer area. Jasmine was actually coming over today to tell her she’d snatched it up before it was gone and they could move forward,” he finished.

“That’s great Derek, I’ll feel so much better if she’s not living or working down there and the women will have each other there as well. I don’t like her working alone, I don’t care how great the neighborhood is,” Drew said.

“I agree with you fully there. I’m going to talk to Jasmine about having some extra help. She plans on having the baby with her and she will need more people to help her run things. Hell, money isn’t an issue anyway but their safety is,” Derek said.

“Man am I glad I don’t have anyone other than you guys to stress over because it doesn’t sound like any fun,” Ryan said. Both Derek and Drew turned to glare at him.

“Your time is coming,” Derek finally said. Ryan just shook his head and got a look of terror on his face. He wasn’t ready to head down that road.

“Not a chance you guys,” he said. The three of them relaxed since there was a clear plan of action in place. They all felt better when they were planning or accomplishing something. None of them liked to feel helpless and if someone they loved had a problem, they felt that way.

Drew wasn’t looking forward to the conversation they were going to have later but then again he was the business man he was because he never backed down. He could handle any situation, including a very angry woman. He smiled in anticipation.

Jasmine sat by the bed, anxiously waiting for Trinity to wake up. She wanted to share her news with her but more importantly she wanted to hear from her that she was okay. If anything had happened to that child it would’ve destroyed Trinity. She may not have known her very long but she was a mother and knew how bonded you became with your child, even from the womb.

“Is she still sleeping?” a man asked as he walked in the room. Jasmine looked at the gorgeous creature, thinking the plot just thickened as the man came and sat by her bed with a worried expression.

“She hasn’t stirred, yet. I’m Jasmine,” she said, sticking out her hand.

“I’m Damien Whitfield, Trinity’s best friend. Drew called and told me what happened,” he said, shaking her hand, then immediately returning to Trinity’s bedside.

Jasmine was relieved to hear he was a friend; otherwise there may have been a fight in the hospital room. Drew was a bit territorial, especially with Trinity carrying his child.

Trinity started to stir and finally opened her eyes. She looked around and spotted Jasmine and Damien and her face lit up with a smile. It was good to see her friends.

“How are you doing?” they simultaneously asked, which made Trinity smile.

“I’ve had better days,” she tried to joke but her voice came out too cracked to pull it off. She winced at the sound of her own weakened voice.

“I’m so sorry about what happened,” Jasmine told her, with tears in her eyes. Damien sat there rubbing her hand, giving her time to gather some strength.

“It was all my fault; I shouldn’t have been out there in the first place. The doctor told me to stay in bed but I was determined to check on my shop,” Trinity said.

“Trinity, you’re always putting too much pressure on yourself. Don’t start playing the blame game or you’ll just cause more stress. I had to come and check on you but have to get back to the offices. Promise me you’ll call as soon as you feel better,” Damien said.

“I promise, I love you,” she said. He bent down and kissed her forehead and quickly departed. Trinity was grateful he’d come in. He was always so busy with business she didn’t get to see him nearly enough, especially with her so pregnant and tired all the time.

“I’m glad you brought up the shop because I have great news to share with you,” Jasmine said, pulling her attention away from the door Damien just walked through. “I went and checked out that space and there was another person who’d put in an offer. I didn’t want to lose it so Derek gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse and they accepted. The shop is ours. I know I should’ve waited for you but we would’ve lost it and I really want to do this with you,” Jasmine finished.

“That’s so great Jasmine but I haven’t figured out if I can afford it yet,” Trinity said with some regret. She really wanted to share a space with Jasmine but she refused to take any handouts. She wouldn’t feel right about that.

“Don’t worry about any of that right now. We’ll work it out. The point is we have the space and can spend the day getting it designed so Ryan can get started on remodeling,” Jasmine told her.

She was so excited about it Trinity couldn’t help but get equally involved. Jasmine had brought some paper and the two women spent the next hour figuring out how they wanted the shop to look. They were both giggling like children as their ideas got placed on paper. Trinity could see the finished product in her mind and it was spectacular. She couldn’t wait for the opening day. At least it would give her something to do while she was stuck on bed rest. She wasn’t a person who could lie around and knew the restlessness was going to be hard. She’d do that for no one but her unborn child.

The men returned and the girls shushed them and continued on with their plans. They were oblivious to anything but their future shop. The men sat back, pouting a bit as they were completely ignored.

“I think we have it all figured out, what do you think?” Trinity asked, as they looked over what they had been doing.

“I think it’s perfect,” Jasmine agreed. The two women hugged again. “Here you go Ryan, the place is all yours to make perfect for us,” she said.

“That’s a tall order,” Ryan replied.

“We have complete faith in you,” Jasmine said with a grin.

“I’ll try to earn it,” Ryan said. Jasmine knew he was just being modest. The man was a wiz with any kind of building material. He preferred remodeling historic sites and was greatly in demand from many people. He had unlimited work lined up but he was dropping everything for their project. She loved him to pieces for it.

“You know you’re the best guy ever,” Jasmine said as she kissed him on the cheek.

“If I keep getting rewards like that one, I’ll be at your beck and call,” he said with an evil grin. He then turned towards Trinity and waggled his brows. She laughed and wiggled her fingers for him to come closer. He leaned down and she kissed him on the cheek.

“Okay enough of that,” Drew growled, as he glared at his cousin.

“Hey, I’m irresistible,” Ryan said with a shrug. Both women laughed and the cousins glared. Ryan just continued to laugh. There was nothing greater than getting a rise out of his cousins. He knew both men would be there helping him get the place ready because their women wanted something and that meant they wanted them to have it immediately.

“Okay everyone out now, Trinity needs to get some rest,” Drew told his family. It was getting late and she was looking far too tired. He wasn’t going to have any trouble sleeping either, even on the uncomfortable hospital couch.

The family members hugged Trinity and wished her well, then trudged out of the room. Her dinner was brought in and she ate it all, even though she made faces at the poor flavor. After she was finished she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and soon drifted off to sleep.

Drew curled up on the couch, even though she told him she’d be fine and he could leave. He’d sleep much better there, where he could be there for her if she needed him. He drifted off soon after her.

Chapter Nine

“Okay, Ms. Mathews I’ll release you today but only if you promise you won’t be alone and you stay home,” the doctor said to her the next day.

“I promise,” she said. She really wanted out of the hospital. She’d be willing to promise just about anything to get out of there.

“I’ll be with her the entire time and will make sure she doesn’t do anything to harm herself or our child,” Drew said.

“Okay then Mr. Titan, I’m leaving her in your care,” the doctor told him, like she was a child who didn’t know how to behave. He looked at them again before signing her release papers. Trinity didn’t waste any time getting ready and heading for the front doors. She wasn’t happy about having to be pushed out in a wheelchair. She was sure bed rest was going to be even worse than she imagined.