Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 151

Theo POV

The public had slowed down, and not many people were hanging outside the hospital; getting in was easier, but it did not stop Bethany from being on alert and watching anyone close to the car. She may say she is over the accident, but little hints show there is still some fear left inside that she tries so hard to hide.

The child was responding well. She will have the usual physio and work on getting her chest to mend as best we can; opening the chest takes the longest to heal. The new heart gave her a great chance of a longer life and no more operations, which had been the aim for a long time. The heart will be marked as a miracle if Bethany's experimental compound works with computer technology. It is still too soon, but everything works as it should and is far better than a human heart or the other mechanical ones used in the past. Robson said the medical board wants to talk to Bethany and see if they can get their hands on her patent, but she has said no, as this hospital will be the only place she is going to be researching and testing and is not ready for the wider world to have it yet. With no other operations on the schedule, I found myself with some unexpected free time. After visiting all the patients I had and letting one go home, I decided to leave early and head to the realtor. The streets were unusually quiet, and the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the city.

With keys in hand, Bethany and I moved around our new home, talking about the changes we would make and what order she wanted to complete; the flat, or the mini house out the back was already sorted; Bethany did that herself. The flat has three bedrooms, so it is not tiny, it has a bathroom and kitchen. One room would be an office, and we were getting the electrician in to add all the extra outlets she would need, plus better wifi. It was a little slow here because the original owners required it to be done correctly, and the following owners should have bothered doing something about it. It is a pain, but it will be worth it once it is done.

'I want better security cameras and to change all the locks on the door. We do not know who had the keys, and that driveway needs some work.

'Hey, Theo, relax. We will make it all work; it does not need to be done in one day! Bethany's voice was soothing, but I couldn't shake the unease. I am panicking, and I have no idea why. I had been a little antsy since we decided to move out of the penthouse; I felt secure in that place, and even with Bethany being taken to the door, it was still safe.

'When do the first workers arrive?' I asked, unsure what Bethany had organized while I was doing my rounds; I felt so out of control.

'The men are coming over in about half an hour to look at the flat, make sure what I want done can be done, and suggest changes if it can't. I wouldn't say I liked a bunch of strangers walking around my home. I know it is necessary, but I still want Bethany to be safe, and I cannot be with her all the time and watch over her as all this work is done; I won't get it done. Or I could get Scott to send some men over here to be on guard until we have all the renovations done. He is already going to set up some better security. 'Theo, what is going on? What has you so worked up about? This is more than shifting into a new home. Bethany said and hit the nail on the head.

I walked Bethany back inside the house and sat on the bottom step, as there was no furniture yet.

'You are overwhelmed?' She asked softly, running her fingers through my hair.

'Yeah, I think I am. We are getting married in a few days and moving here, away from the penthouse, which has been my safe place. I am going to be a Dad, and work is going wild. People want to be in your face, to touch you, and to try and get to you, and I am feeling a little inadequate in protecting you, and I guess I am afraid I am going to lose you.' I rushed it all out, all my insecurities, and waited for Bethany to laugh at me.

But she didn't; she held my hand and waited for me to get a grip. I had thought I would be the strong one to help her through all the changes, and here I am, falling apart, not at all being the strong male I am supposed to be. Do all expectant dads feel this way? 'Theo, breathe, Bethany said softly, running her fingers through my hair. Her voice was soothing.

'I want to do the right things, get the place ready and safe.' I moaned. The whole renovation part is not something I have had to tackle before, even if I am not the one holding the hammer.

'You have to trust sooner or later and let go of the past hurts, or you will be a mess. Yes, we have had some bad times, but we are heading for good ones; don't let the bad ones consume you. How could Bethany be so calm when this all happened to her? 'I hear you, but my head won't let go.' I admit it had been consuming me since she suggested leaving the penthouse. I don't know how to protect her and the baby with all these strangers running around our home. How do I know one of them is not here to harm her? Should we move in with Dad and Mum until the renovations are done? The penthouse had been sold to one of Felicity's friends, and they were eager to move in; the moment the settlement was done, they paid extra to keep it furnished, which was fine by Bethany, as the new house would be all new furniture.

'The men are here to look at the flat. Come meet them. Bethany encouraged me and led me to where three men stood staring at the flat entrance.

'Hi Danny, thanks for coming so quickly. This is Theo's soon-to-be husband.' I shook their hands and was polite. Bethany had dealt with these men before and was comfortable chatting with them. I listened to what she wanted to be changed and was gobsmacked at the knowledge she had..

'We can start on that as soon as tomorrow; get the basics started. We need permission for some of it, and that will take a week. If I can get all the parts in quickly, I should have you up and running in about six weeks. Does that suit you?' Danny asked. 'Sure, get that started and take your time. I have other renovations in the house to be done, too. When your guy is here putting in the Wi-Fi and extra power, can he look at the wiring in the house, just to be sure all is good? I need a few additional power sockets, too. 'We can use the same people as before; what do you need to be done in the house? Could our crew do that, too?

Bethany led these men into the house and discussed all the changes she wanted to make. To my relief, these people could do all that was needed. Bethany is already familiar with this crew and is a friend of mine. My worry and panic about having strangers in my new home diminished, and I felt I could breathe again.

After they left, Bethany and I walked around the house again, talked about the changes, and claimed a room as our games

room.

'How about we speak with your folks about staying with them for about two weeks? That way, we won't be in the way when the men set up the house, bringing in the new furniture, and we are close enough to walk down here at the end of the day and check on the progress. I suggested not the place I want to be, but if it makes Theo feel better, I would try and cope living there.

'They said six weeks?' He clarified to me.

'Only the lab will be six weeks; they can have the house set up much quicker; it comes down to how good the wiring and plumbing are; if it is all up to code, then we can move in quicker. These older houses often did not get built to the level of today's code standard and often need a full rewiring and replumb.' Bethany was right up there, knowing what was what. I have had a sheltered life, away from dealing with that side of things, always buying new things.

'Sure, let's see them now. I was pleased that Bethany suggested it rather than me. I did not want to sound any weaker than I already had.