Chapter 86

Still Liam's POV

" Liam, son, wake up." I felt somebody is shaking me awake. I opened my eyes to see my mom hovering over me, smiling.

" Oh, hi, mom. What time is it?" I whispered and moved slowly so that I won't wake the sleeping Bella. I untangled my arms underneath her and went down the bed. She slept peacefully, which must be because she was exhausted after the scare she had.

" It's eight o'clock, dear. I brought dinner and some change of clothes. How's Bella?" She places the food containers on the table and put our clothes and other stuff in the small closet.

" She's fine now, mom. She was relieved that the baby is fine. She got quite the scare this afternoon. I did, too. I thought we're going to lose the baby." I told her, massaging my neck. After the adrenaline rush died down, I am feeling a little bit tired.

" Imagine my fear when I saw her looking so pale, and blood ran down her legs. I thought I would faint right there. Good thing your dad was quick-minded and handled the situation. I was so scared for her and the baby too." My mom told me, and when I looked at her, she does look flustered and worried.

" Thank you to you both. You got her here on time. We could really have lost the baby if it was a second too late." I thanked my mom, and she patted my shoulders.

" I have to go now, dear. Your father is waiting for me in the car. Go ahead and wake Bella up. She had to eat something to gain her strength and recover fast." She said while looking down at Bella.

" Poor thing. She has been through a lot, and Collette's death really affected her. That probably triggered the threatened miscarriage. Series of stressful events could really take a toll on you. Take care of her son, don't let her overthink or overdo herself. Her condition is quite sensitive at this stage." My mom ordered.

" I know, mom. She and Collette are inseparable ever since. Losing her best friend was the last straw for her. Thank dad for me, mom, and you both take care. We'll see you tomorrow." I kissed her cheek and hugged her.

" I will, son. Kiss Bella for me when she wakes up, alright?" She said, patting my back and then left. I arranged the food on the table first before waking my sleeping beauty.

" Hey, sweetheart, wake up. You have to eat, baby." I shook her softly and kissed her soft lips. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled. I turned the bed's handle to change it to a sitting position.

Then placed a pillow on her backside to make her comfortable. I kissed her forehead before reaching for the food to feed her.

" Babe, I can feed myself. Go ahead eat your dinner too." She complained, but I insisted on feeding her and feeding myself. After our dinner, she asked me to call her mom so that we can talk to Sophie. I passed her the phone after dialing my mother-in-law's number.

" Hello, mom? How's Sophie?" She asked her mom when she finally answered. She put the phone on speaker so that I can hear too.

" Oh, honey! How are you? Are you okay? I am so sorry I was not here when it happened, dear. Sophie is fine, dear. She cried for a while, asking for you both, and wanted to go there, but I told her we'd come to visit you tomorrow. Poor thing has been asking if her baby brother is going to be okay. She was really sure she's going to have a baby brother." We both smiled after hearing what mom said.

" Is she there, mom? Can we talk to her?" Bella asked.

" Yes, she is, hon. Wait, I'll pass her the phone. Sweetheart, mommy, and daddy want to talk to you." She called Sophie. Then we heard her small teary voice on the line.

" Mommy? Are you okay? Is my baby brother okay?" She asked tearfully. We both looked at each other. Our poor, sweet Princess sounded sad.

" Hey, sweet pea. Mommy's fine, baby, and your baby brother is fine too. He is strong and brave like his big sister. Don't cry, baby, we'll be home tomorrow, okay?" Said Bella.

" Hey, Princess. Don't be sad, okay? Daddy will take care of mommy and your baby brother. You can come tomorrow with Nana and visit mommy, alright?" I told her, and I heard her small voice answered, okay.

" Alright, sweetie, give the phone to Nana. Don't forget to brush your teeth before going to bed, okay? We love you, sweetheart, goodnight." Bella reminded her, and we both said goodbye and goodnight to our daughter.

" Hey, hon. You take a rest and don't think too much, okay? I'll take care of Sophie tonight. You don't have to worry. I'll see you in the morning." My mother-in-law said, and we are very thankful for her. She has helped us a lot in taking care of Sophie and making sure Bella eats nutritious food.

" Thanks, mom. We'll see you tomorrow. Love you, mom, goodnight."She ended the call and passed the phone to me.

She then went down from the bed, and I was there to assist her. She's still a bit weak and had dextrose attached to her right arm.

" Where are you going, babe?" I asked her.

" I need to go to the bathroom, and I want to brush my teeth, babe." She told me. I held her securely and helped her into the bathroom.

" Are you gonna be okay, alone? You call me if you need me, okay?" I asked her, unsure if I should leave her.

" I will be fine, babe. I'll be very quick, and I will call you once I'm done, okay?" She told me and pushed me out of the door. I leaned outside the door and waited for her to finish. I have to make sure I'll hear her if she ever needs me.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and she walks out holding her dextrose above her head. I took it from her hand and put an arm around her to guide her back to her bed.

I placed the dextrose back to its stand and helped Bella get on the bed. I adjusted the bed back to a lying position so that she'll be comfortable. After making sure the bed is at the right angle, I covered her with the blanket and tucked her securely.

" Comfortable, babe?" I asked her, sitting on the bed facing her and held her hand. I brought it to my lips and kissed it.

" Yes, babe, thank you." She answered and smiled. Then a nurse came in to check her vitals and temperature. She's looking at us with envy and smiled at Bella.

After she left, I switched off one of the lights so that Bella can go to sleep. I lay down beside her and put my arm around her while holding her hand.

" Sleepy, baby?" I asked her, but she shook her head.

" Not yet, babe. We've slept for two hours this afternoon, remember?" She said, looking up at me.

" Yeah, me too," I told her.

" Can you tell me exactly when you realized you were in love with me?" I asked her in a hushed voice. I lifted her face towards me and saw that she blushed. I grinned at her and kissed her nose.

" Do you have to ask again?" She buried her face on my chest. I chuckled and listed her face again.

" I will never get tired of hearing it, baby," I told her seriously.

" I had a crush on you the moment I saw you when I was 8. Then as years go by, you've been very protective and caring that I can't help but fall in love. I realized I was deeply and madly in love with you when you started dating." She started, and I listened wholeheartedly.

" I remembered coming to school with Collette, and the first thing my eyes seek is your face. Imagine my shock and grief when I saw you with a girl. You had your arms around her shoulders and kissing her. I ran to the bathroom with Collette running behind me." I can feel her pain, and my embrace on her tightened.

" I cried the whole day and night and the following days, turn to months, then years of heartbreaks. Collette keeps on telling me to move on and look for another guy because you're a jerk." She giggled, and I playfully glared at her.

" I did try, you know. But I don't know why they only ask once and then lose interest. Now, I know. You scare them away, you big oaf. I didn't have a decent date or a boyfriend throughout high school." She pointed her finger at my chest. I chuckled and kissed her lovingly.

" I tried so hard to stop what I feel, baby. I thought, at first, I was only protecting you as a big brother. But no, I realized, I have always loved you. That night at the lake, when I kissed you. I was sober. I pretended to be drunk because I was in shock and embarrassed." I admitted to her. Her eyes widened, I smiled apologetically.

" But when you ran and cried, I felt so bad. I wasn't able to stop myself that night. I have watched the whole and been wanting to kiss you. So when you went out, I followed you and saw you by the lake. But when I got into a fight, I was really drunk. I drunk a lot after you ran. I am so sorry, baby. I didn't realize it was you in my bed that night." I apologized to her and kissed her temples.

" But I want you to know, when I was having sex with who I thought was Jenny, I actually wished it was you. I am so happy when I found out it was you all along, but I got hurt when you ran away again and didn't tell me that we have a kid." I told her with a sad face. She touched my face ad reached to kiss me.

" I'm sorry, babe. I was too young and was hurt, not to mention scared. But what's important now is that we are finally in each other's arms. I never stopped loving you, Liam, not even a minute." She declared, and my heart swelled with what she said, and I kissed her tenderly.

" And I love you too, baby, so much. I will make it up to you for the rest of our lives. It's getting late, sweetheart—time to sleep.  Goodnight, baby." I told her and kissed her forehead.

" Goodnight, babe." She whispered back, and we fell into a deep and peaceful sleep. Hoping that our tomorrows will be filled with love and joy, together with our children and family.