“Wes? It’s the ICU on line three.”
I reached across the table and picked up the phone.
“Dr. Atherton here, is everything all right?”
It was her nurse. “They moved Katherine to a regular med-surg bed up on ten. The CT looked fine. She’s in 1012.”
“Brilliant!”
“I’ve already let the family know. They told me where you were.”
“Should have done that myself. Thanks for everything.”
Flooded with relief, I rang off then set out for the tenth floor.
“Did you hear? Everything looks fine according to Mr. Riley!” Julia said as I entered the room.
“Yes. It’s wonderful news.” I walked over to Katherine’s bedside. “How’s the headache?”
“Much better. Practically non-existent.”
There was a tray of food in front of her. It appeared to be untouched. “You haven’t eaten.”
“I’m feeling a bit queasy still and the green Jell-O? Not so appetizing.”
“Maybe some broth?” suggested Julia.
“You know what? You should all go home and get some rest. The doctor said I’m going to be fine. You heard him!”
“She has a point, Julia. You’re exhausted,” agreed George. “We could grab a quick bite, and then you really should get some rest.”
Julia held up her hands in surrender. “When you two start ganging up on me I know it’s time to throw in the towel. Besides, we still need to finish that argument about where we’re all going to stay.”
“No. No arguing. It’s been decided. You’ll stay with George. I’m going to stay with Wes. There’s not enough room for both of us in George’s flat and Wes has promised to spoil me.”
“But, Kate—” began Julia.
“Mom, it makes sense. He’s a doctor. If something goes wrong he’ll take care of me. He’ll be there for me, just like he was that night. It’s decided.”
“My stop is just one away from George’s on the Tube. You can come whenever you want,” I added.
Julia looked at me. “I’m counting on you.”
“I won’t let you down.”
She sighed. “We are just talking a few days. I’m sure we can arrange for follow-up back home.”
“Right,” I agreed. “Just a few days.”
Both Julia and George said their good-byes, leaving with a promise to return the next morning.
“Are you going to kick me out, too?” I asked, as soon as they were gone.
“Wes, you’ve got to be exhausted.”
“I have one patient I’m hoping to discharge in the morning, after that my schedule’s clear for the next few days. I can rest then.”
Katherine shook her head. “No, you can’t rest then. That’s when the spoiling is supposed to commence. Remember?”
“Ah, yes, of course. Move over.”
Katherine shifted over in the small bed. I climbed on top of the covers, rolling onto my side so that I faced her. “How do you really feel?”
“Tired. Is that normal? I’ve just slept for two days.”
“First off, it wasn’t two whole days. Second, your body is healing and it’s craving real rest. What I meant was, how are you feeling emotionally.”
Katherine closed her eyes for a moment. “Overwhelmed,” she finally said.
“That’s understandable.”
“If I tell you something, promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”
I leaned up on my elbow. “What is it?”
“When I got off at the station I was so confused, so torn, even a bit ashamed.”
“Ashamed?”
“I wanted you, Wes.”
“I wanted you, too, so very much.”
“But I felt that I had an obligation. That I’d chosen my path, made a commitment. My father, he cheated on Mom all the time.”
“And you didn’t want to do that.”
“I saw what it did to her.”
“I’m sure it took a toll on you as well.”
“I remember thinking that my mother stayed in a bad marriage for years out of a sense of obligation and here I was about to enter into one for the very same reason.”
“You felt obligated because you’d accepted his proposal.”
“Yes. Who knows? Maybe Damien felt obligated to propose in the first place. We’d started dating early on in high school. Everyone expected us to get married. We were comfortable with one another. But we weren’t passionate. Am I making sense?”
“Perfect sense, love.”
“Okay. So this is where it gets weird. There was a woman in the station.”
“At Mornington Crescent?”
“Yes. She seemed upset about something. She came into view just as I turned the corner. She was talking to a security officer at the bottom of the stairs, arguing with him. She seemed close to tears. She reached for me as if she wanted to grab me. The officer held her back. But she shouted out something.”
Katherine shook her head.
“What?”
“Time’s running out. Go back. Hurry! Wesley needs you!”
“She said my name?”
“She couldn’t have, right? But I swear in my head, in my heart, that’s what I heard. Right then, I made a choice. Everything seemed so clear at the time. I knew.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure. At the time it made sense, but now I can’t remember. All I can remember is that I wanted you and I wanted, no, I needed to be with you.”
I couldn’t help myself. “You wanted me, huh? Tell me how much.”
Katherine rolled her eyes. “Did you even hear the other part?”
“Yes. I did.” I placed a kiss on her nose.
“And?”
“You know, I asked your mum if she believed in fate. I found myself thinking, I’m not the kind of man who goes after another man’s wife or fiancée or girlfriend. I’m not. And, I certainly didn’t believe in love at first sight before—”
“Ms. Lawson? I’m Dr. Wallace.”
As soon as I heard Reese’s voice I looked over my shoulder.
“I’m interrupting. Carry on, I’ll come back tomorrow,” she said, obviously surprised.
I quickly rose to my feet. “Reese. It’s all right. Come in.”
She seemed to struggle with a moment of indecision before approaching the bed and extending her hand. “Ms. Lawson, Mr. Riley requested that I pay you a visit. If this isn’t a good time, I could come back in the morning.”
“No, this is fine,” said Katherine. “I’m really hoping I can leave tomorrow. Are you covering for Mr. Riley?”
“No, I’m an obstetrician.” Reese turned to me. “Would you excuse us for a moment?”
“It’s all right, he knows about the baby,” said Katherine.
“Yes, well then. Here’s my card. Call my office in the next week or two and we’ll get you scheduled for your first exam.”
Katherine glanced down at the card.
“Any questions?” asked Reese.
“I don’t think so. I’m sure I’ll have questions. This is…wow.” Katherine placed her hand over her still-flat stomach.
I smiled. “You’re going to have a baby.”
Katherine took a shaky breath. “Yeah. I’m going to have a baby.”
“Well,” said Reese, interrupting the tender moment, “you’ve got my card.” She turned and hurriedly made her way to the door to leave. Just as it was closing she paused and added, “Congratulations, Wes. I know this is something you’ve always wanted. You deserve it.” Then she was gone.
“Be right back.” I couldn’t leave it like that. I followed Reese out into the hallway. She was standing just outside the room, her back against the wall, Katherine’s chart wrapped in her arms and held in front of her chest like a protective shield.
“Reese?”
She was staring into space, a far-away look in her dark brown eyes. When she turned to look at me I had to resist the urge to step back in surprise. The vulnerabil
ity and openness of her expression startled me. But I didn’t step back, I held fast and waited.
“I never even said I was sorry, did I?” asked Reese.
“No. No, you didn’t.”
“I am. I think about it a lot, how I messed everything up between us. But, you know what the really twisted thing is, Wes?”
“No, Reese, tell me.” I shoved my hands into my pockets.
Her eyes were brimming with tears. “I think I’d do the same thing again. I’m fucked up, aren’t I?”
I stepped closer to her, removed my hands from my pockets and used the pads of my thumbs to wipe away the tears that had begun to spill from her eyes. “Are you asking for my personal or professional opinion?”
She chuckled at that. Then shaking off my tender gesture she winked at me. “Surprise me, Wes, you know how much I love surprises.”
I sighed as I watched the practiced façade fall back into place. “How about I go for honest? Think you can handle that?”
She traced the waistband of my jeans with her fingertip. “Babe, you know I can handle whatever you dish out.”
I reached for her hand, took it in my own, and held it between us. “I think you have issues with trust and intimacy, Reese. You’re terrified of being vulnerable, of being rejected, of being hurt. But, the problem is that if you don’t open yourself up, if you never let anyone in, you’re going to stay like this. You’re going to remain alone and you’re going to remain unhappy. I don’t want to see that. I’ve seen glimpses, Reese.”
She licked her lips, tossed her hair over her shoulder and in a low voice said, “I remember opening up for you. Remember how good we were? Remember how I made you feel?”
“I’m talking about an emotional connection, Reese, and you know it.” I let go of her hand. “Want to know how you made me feel? Like I was just a fuck. A good fuck, but a fuck.”
“Heck, Wes, you’re selling yourself short. You were a great fuck.”
I looked down and shook my head. “But, I could have been a lot more.”
“And you will be. Just not with me.”
I looked up at her.
She shrugged as if she didn’t care. “I’m glad, truly. I’m not cut out for all that, Wes. Keeping the baby would have been a mistake. If I’d told you before, well it’s water under the bridge, isn’t it?”
“Yes, for us, that’s true. But, Reese, promise me you’ll think about what I said?”
“I’ll think about it. You better get back to your girl.”
I nodded, then turned and walked back into the room.
“Sorry. Now, where were we?”
“Do the two of you have some kind of history?” Katherine asked.
Before I could respond, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
Charles opened the door and cautiously peered inside.
“Charles, you made it ’round rather fast! Let me introduce you to Miss Lawson.”
Charles bowed slightly in Katherine’s direction. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lawson.”
“Call me Katherine. You’re a friend of Wesley’s?”
“I’m Dr. Atherton’s butler. I managed to acquire everything you requested, sir. Will there be anything else?”
“He was my father’s butler,” I clarified.
“And now yours,” added Charles. “Thank you for the opportunity to actually do something useful. Will there be anything else?”
“You have servants?”
“Servant. One.” I self-consciously ran my hand through my hair. “And, I didn’t employ him. I inherited him.”
“He has class issues,” offered Charles, in a quiet voice.
“I am expecting to take Katherine home tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure the house is ready,” said Charles. “Do you have any special requests, Miss Lawson?”
“Requests?” Katherine’s IVAC began to beep. “Wes? Is there something wrong with the IV?”
“No, love. You’ve just run through the bag of fluids. This was the last bag. We can disconnect you now.”
I shut off the pump and the beeping stopped. “Let Charles know if there’s anything special you’d like to have. He’ll stock the fridge. Better to have things on hand than for me to have to run out to the store in the middle of the night in search of chocolate and pickles!” I slapped Charles on the back then went to wash my hands in the sink.
Katherine laughed. “I’m only two weeks along. I’m not having any cravings. Please, don’t go to any trouble. I don’t need anything special, really.”
“I have a feeling that spoiling you is about to become my primary duty,” said Charles. “Tell me, what is your favorite flower?”
“Tulips. They are without a doubt one of my favorite things about spring.”
I dried my hands then pulled on a pair of latex gloves. “Let’s get this out, shall we?”
“Are you sure it’s all right?”
“If you’ll excuse me, I have much to do before tomorrow.” Charles hurried out the door.
I couldn’t help but smile. “He’s a bit squeamish. Sit up and move to the end of the bed.”
I began to unfasten the tape that held the IV lines in place. Then I handed Katherine a cotton gauze pad and gently pulled out the needle. “Apply pressure to the site for a moment. I feel bloody useless with this arm in a sling.” I draped the lines over the IVAC pump.
Katherine looked down, then she shook her head.
“Are you all right?”
She’d yet to start applying pressure to the IV site and a bit of blood had seeped out.
“Katherine?”
She started to slide off of the bed. I managed to catch her with my good arm.
“Katherine!” I set her back on the bed. “Lie down, love. What’s going on?”
“Just a little dizzy.”
“I’ve got you.” I retrieved the gauze pad and applied pressure to the small puncture wound.
“I feel so strange.”
“You’ll be fine. You’re weak as a kitten at the moment, but you’ll be fine.”
“I feel like I’m still falling.”
I climbed into the small bed and spooned up against her. “Close your eyes and rest for a bit. If you fall, I’ll be here to catch you.”
Katherine closed her eyes. “They both think that the baby is yours.”
I wrapped my free arm around her. “I know.”
Chapter Nine
Eric woke me up with a gentle shake. It was morning and the room was filled with bright sunshine.
“I’m pretty sure this is against the rules,” whispered Eric, gesturing between Katherine and me.
I carefully unwrapped myself from Katherine’s warm body and eased myself out of the bed. “I’m surprised to see you this early.”
Eric shrugged. “I had an emergency during the night. I thought I’d make rounds before going home.” He nodded toward Katherine. “I’m going to let her go today. She’ll need to come and see me in a few weeks for a follow-up. And she should see an OB. I asked Reese to stop by. Do you know if she made it?”
“Yeah, she came by. It was a little awkward.”
“Sorry. Guess I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s all right. We’ll manage.”
“I’ll go start on the discharge paperwork. It’ll take fifteen minutes give or take, then I’ll come back and remove Katherine’s drain.”
“Sounds good.”
“There’s someone waiting outside the door for you, by the way. He asked that I let you know.”
“Who is it?”
“Don’t know him.”
I followed Eric out. It was Will Carlton.
“Morning,” he said.
“How’d you find me?”
Will just smiled. “I was hoping I could take Jennifer home this morning. She didn’t sleep well last night.”
He pursed his lips and looked down at the floor. It appeared as if he were trying to choose his words very carefully. Finall
y he looked up and said, “I’m afraid Katherine’s not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot.”
“She’s fine. Everything’s checked out. In fact, she’s being discharged.”
“Jennifer said that death is knocking. It won’t be deterred or denied. It’s coming. You must be on your guard. Do you understand?”
“Is this the crazy talk that you warned me about?”
“Don’t dismiss this. Both the girl and the child are in danger.”
He knew Katherine was pregnant.
“Do you have access to Katherine’s medical records?”
The elevator across from us chimed. The doors opened to reveal Jennifer, dressed in a gown and robe.
“Pigeon, you were supposed to wait for me in your room,” Will said, placing an arm around her shoulders.
“I want to go home, Will. I can’t rest here.”
“I know.”
“Did you tell him?”
“I was trying to.”
“They’re in danger, Doctor. He’s angry, angry because he was cheated.” Jennifer’s eyes darted up and down the empty hallway. She tilted her head slightly to the left and paused for a moment, listening in silence. “It’ll have to be you. You’ll need to protect her. I’ve already done too much to upset the balance. Three strikes and you’re out, they say. I’ve been a naughty girl and naughty girls get punished. He’ll take Will. It’s going to have to be you.”
“Jennifer, are you still hearing voices?”
“Only when they talk to me.” She said it so reasonably, so matter-of-factly. “There are too many here to ignore. Too many are tied to this place. It would be quieter at home.” She turned her head abruptly, toward the closed elevator doors. “I’ve bloody well warned him. That’s enough! Go back to your room!”
Will put his arm protectively around her and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Jennifer looked up, a shaky smile on her face.
“I’m sorry, sometimes it gets to be a bit much. The constant…” she lifted one trembling hand to her head and tapped, harshly, against the side of her temple, a tone of desperation creeping into her voice, “…flood of information. I don’t know what to do with it. Please! You need to help me set things right again. Will you do that? Will you make it all go away?”
“Jennifer, it sounds like the hallucinations are still bothering you. You’re not stable. I’d like to try adding a medication that will make the voices go away. Will you give it a go?”
The Sacrifice: Forbidden, Book 1 Page 6