by Cat Schield
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter what decision he made, he would fail Sherdana.
* * *
Two hours later he entered the salon in the family section of the south wing and found everyone assembled.
His sister came forward to give him a hug. “Did you check on Olivia?”
“I went for a ride.”
His father regarded him with a frown, his opinion clear. Gabriel ignored him and went to sit beside his mother. He’d come to a preliminary decision and knew it wouldn’t meet with everyone’s approval.
“I needed some time to think.”
The king fixed Gabriel with a hard stare. “How do you intend to handle this?”
“Handle?” Gabriel hadn’t considered how they should approach the press about this latest bombshell. “We could start by sending out a press release downplaying the serious nature of Olivia’s problems, but I’m not sure with her doctor’s records as proof, this is going to do us much good.”
“I meant with Olivia,” the king said, his voice a low rumble.
Gabriel became aware that his entire family was watching him and waiting for his answer. It was as if the occupants of the room had stopped breathing.
“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked, certain he knew where his father was going with the question, but needing to hear it asked out loud.
“You need a wife who can bear children.”
In other words, he must break his engagement with Olivia and reexamine the dozen or so women he’d rejected when he chose her.
“And what am I to say to Lord Darcy? That his daughter’s only value to me lies in her ability to produce heirs?” His father’s glower told Gabriel he’d stepped into dangerous territory with his sarcasm. At the moment, Gabriel didn’t care. What could his father do? For a moment, Gabriel reveled in rebellion. As a teenager, he’d been the best behaved of his siblings, getting into trouble rarely and then never with anything serious.
Nic had started a fire in his room at fifteen experimenting with rockets. Christian had “borrowed” their uncle’s Ferrari when he was fourteen and gone joyriding. The expensive sports car had ended up half submerged in a ditch and Christian had been disciplined, but that had only temporarily slowed him down, not stopped him completely.
Gabriel had shouldered his future responsibility like a dutiful son and the newspapers had been filled with photos of him accompanying his mother on her visits to the hospital and various other charitable events and headlines about how lucky Sherdana was to have such a shining example of youth for their next monarch.
“I had fertility problems, as well,” the queen reminded her husband, breaking the tension between father and son.
“But neither of us had any idea before we married,” the king said, sending his wife a stern look.
“Yet despite your need for an heir, you didn’t set me aside when my troubles came to light.”
“We’d been married two years. How could I have let you go?”
Gabriel saw the unspoken communication that passed between his parents and felt a flare of envy. The emotion didn’t surprise him. He’d felt twinges of it before when watching his parents in private. They were so in sync with each other. He’d hoped for just a little of that depth of intimacy in his own marriage and had begun to believe he’d find it with Olivia.
“Olivia and I will talk later this afternoon.”
“You are intending to break off the engagement.”
“I’m not sure that’s necessary.” He saw his father’s brows come together. “She claims she had surgery to correct the problem. We need to discuss the situation in more depth and consult a doctor before I make such a radical decision.”
The door flew open without a warning knock, catching everyone’s attention. Stewart stood in the open doorway, his face stark with concern.
“Forgive my interruption,” he said, bowing in apology. “Something has happened to Lady Darcy.”
Gabriel’s heart jumped in his chest. He surged to his feet and crossed the room in three strides. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Miss Marshall said she’s locked herself in the bathroom and won’t answer the door.”
“What makes you think something has happened to her?”
“Her clothes are all over the suite and they’ve been shredded.”
Cursing, Gabriel lunged past his secretary and raced down the hallway. Stewart’s long legs usually made him a match for Gabriel, but he had to resort to jogging to keep up.
When Gabriel entered the suite, he registered the destruction in passing but didn’t stop. He rushed over to join Olivia’s private secretary, who was at the bathroom door, knocking and calling for her to answer. Shoving her aside, Gabriel kicked in the door.
When the door frame gave and the door shot open, the metallic tang of blood immediately hit him. Olivia lay on the cold tile, a large crimson patch on her pale blue skirt. Panic tore through him.
“Call an ambulance!” He dropped to his knees beside her and was relieved to see her chest rise and fall. “When did you enter the suite?” he demanded of her private secretary.
“Perhaps ten minutes ago. I called to her but she didn’t open the door or answer. And from what had happened to her clothes I knew something had to be wrong.”
How long had she been bleeding like this? Gabriel clenched his teeth and fought the fear rising inside him. She couldn’t die. He wouldn’t let that happen.
“Get me a blanket off the bed. We’re going to take her to the hospital.”
Libby did as she was told. “What about the ambulance?”
“There isn’t time.” Besides, he didn’t think he could sit around and watch Olivia slowly bleed to death without going crazy. He’d always prided himself on thought before action, but right now, he was thinking of nothing but saving the woman he’d been yelling at no more than three hours earlier.
Forget that. Focus on getting Olivia to the hospital.
He wrapped her lower half in the blanket and scooped her into his arms. His family had arrived in the hallway just outside the suite. He brushed past his father and brother without answering their offers of help. Olivia was his fiancée. His responsibility.
And he blamed himself for her current crisis. Somehow he knew that if he’d been more approachable, if so much pressure hadn’t been brought to bear on her, Olivia might have talked to him about her fertility problems and a safe solution might have been reached.
The limo was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He settled her into the backseat and cradled her body in his lap. Only then did he become aware of the thundering of his heart. The painful pounding in his chest wasn’t caused by carrying her through the palace, but by the sight of her utter stillness and pallor. As the car raced through the palace gates, it finally hit home just how bad this situation was.
“Faster,” he growled to the driver as he hooked his finger around a strand of her blond hair and pulled it away from her lips.
The car’s powerful engine roared as they sped through the city, but the fifteen-minute drive had never felt so long.
Gabriel brushed his lips across Olivia’s forehead and silently pleaded with her to hang on and fight. Like you fought for her? Gabriel tried to tune out the mocking inner voice, but guilt sliced at him.
At the hospital’s emergency entrance, five people in scrubs crowded the car as soon as it stopped. Stewart must have called ahead and warned them he was coming. They got Olivia situated on a stretcher and took her away before he had a chance to say a word. He rushed toward the glass doors in their wake, catching bits of medical jargon as they sped the unconscious woman inside.
He’d expected to be allowed into the treatment room with her, but a nurse blocked his way.
“Let the doctors work,” she said, her
voice kind but firm.
He might have ten inches and eighty pounds on her, but Gabriel sensed that the nurse could stop him if he tried to go past.
“How soon will I know something?”
“I’ll make sure someone keeps you informed.”
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” he said.
“We know.”
She herded him into a private waiting room and offered coffee. Gabriel stared at her, unable to comprehend why this woman was behaving in such a mundane manner while Olivia was down the hall struggling for her life.
“No,” he snapped, and then moderated his tone. “Thank you. All I need is information.”
She nodded and headed off.
Left alone, Gabriel dropped his head into his hands and surrendered to despair. She couldn’t die. She couldn’t leave him. He wasn’t sure how to step into the future, to become king without her by his side. They would figure a way around her infertility. He recalled his mother’s words. She, too, had struggled to produce the heir her husband so desperately needed. When natural methods had failed, she’d gotten help from specialists. And now, she had four children to show for it.
He and Olivia would find specialists, as well. They would have children together.
“Gabriel?”
A hand touched his shoulder. He lifted his head and stared up into his sister’s face. She touched his cheek and her fingertips came away with a trace of moisture.
“Is she?” Ariana gasped, seeing his expression.
He shook his head, guessing what conclusion she’d leaped to. “They’re working on her now.”
“Any word how she’s doing?”
“No. The nurse said they’d keep me informed, but she hasn’t been back.” He glanced at his watch. “That was thirty minutes ago.”
What had been happening while he’d been lost in thought? Anxiety flared that he’d had no news. How bad had things gone since she’d been taken away from him?
“She’s going to be all right, Gabriel,” Ariana said, moving toward him.
Standing, Gabriel wrapped his arms around his sister. She pushed her body against his to offer comfort.
“Your Majesties. Prince Gabriel. Princess Ariana.” A solemn man of average height in pale green scrubs stood five feet away from the royal pair. “I’m Dr. Warner.”
Gabriel felt Ariana’s tight embrace squeeze his ribs even harder and appreciated her support. “How’s Olivia?”
“I won’t sugarcoat it. Not good. She’s lost a lot of blood.” The doctor looked even grimmer as he delivered the next bit of news. “She’s still hemorrhaging. We’ve sent her up to the OR.”
A primal cry of denial gathered in Gabriel’s chest. “What aren’t you telling us?” he demanded.
“The only way to save her may be a hysterectomy. Naturally we will do everything possible to avoid such a drastic procedure.”
“Do whatever it takes to save her life.” Gabriel pinned the doctor with his gaze, making sure the man understood. “Whatever it takes.”
Ten
The first time Olivia opened her eyes, she was aware of nothing but pain. It stabbed at her like slivers of broken glass. Then, something changed. The hurt eased and she fell backward into darkness.
The next time she surfaced, she kept herself awake longer. But not by much. Voices reached her ears, but the speakers were too far away for her to catch individual words. And the pain was back. All she wanted to do was escape into numbness.
They said the third time’s the charm. Olivia wasn’t sure she agreed when next she regained consciousness. Her body ached. No. Not her body, her abdomen.
Breathless with fear, she stared around the hospital room. It was empty. She was alone.
She felt hollow. Like a balloon filled with air.
The last thing she recalled was fighting with Gabriel. Where was he? Did he know she was in the hospital? Did he even care? Her heart contracted.
“Good to see you awake,” a nurse said as she entered the room. “How’s your pain?”
“Manageable.” Her mouth felt stuffed with cotton. “May I have some water?”
The nurse brought a cup close and placed the straw between Olivia’s lips. She sipped gratefully, then sagged back against the pillow, exhausted by the simple movement.
“I feel so weak.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“What happened to me?”
“The doctor will be along in a little while to talk to you.”
Without energy to argue, Olivia closed her eyes and let her mind drift. The silence pressed on her, heightening her tension. She fought to clear her head, sought her last memory. Her period had been heavier than ever before. And the cramping... She’d been afraid, depressed. Gingerly she sent her fingertips questing for the source of her discomfort. Pain shot through her as she pressed on her lower abdomen.
Just then, the door opened again and a handsome older man in scrubs came in. “Good afternoon. I’m Dr. Warner.”
“I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you.”
“I understand. You’ve been through a tough time.”
“What happened to me?” Her mind sharpened as anxiety filled her.
“You were hemorrhaging, and we had a difficult time stopping your blood loss.” He plucked her chart out of a pocket attached to the foot of the bed and scrutinized it. “How’s your pain?”
“About a six.” She waited while he jotted something down on her chart before asking, “How did you stop the hemorrhaging?”
“Surgery.” He met her gaze. “It was an extensive procedure.”
He hadn’t said anything specific, but his expression told her just how extensive the surgery had been.
“I’m never going to have children, am I?”
“I’m sorry. The only way we could stop the bleeding was to remove your uterus.”
Olivia shut her eyes to escape the sympathy in the man’s face. Denial exploded in her head. She clutched the bed rails, desperate for something to ground her as the world tipped sideways. A wail began in her chest. She clenched her teeth to contain it as a lifetime of discipline and order asserted itself. She would grieve later. In private.
“I know that this will be a difficult adjustment. You are very young to have undergone such a drastic change.”
“Who knows?” she whispered.
He looked taken aback. “Your father. The royal family.”
“The media?”
“Of course not.” Dr. Warner looked appalled.
“Is my father here?”
“He’s in the waiting room with Prince Gabriel. I spoke with him an hour ago.”
“Could I see him, please? No one else, just my father.”
“I’ll have the nurse fetch him for you.”
But the man who showed up next wasn’t a sixty-year-old British earl with gray hair and a neat beard, but a tall, hollow-eyed man with a dark shadow blurring his knife-sharp jawline. Olivia’s heartbeat accelerated as Gabriel advanced into the room, his clothes rumpled, his face a mask. He reached out to cover her hand with his, but she moved it away just in time.
“I’m sorry,” she said, unable to lift her gaze higher than the open collar of his white shirt. “I should have told you about my medical issues. I just thought that everything was going to be okay.”
“You gave us a scare.” He pulled a chair beside her bed and lowered himself into it. This put him at eye level with her and made avoiding his fierce golden gaze that much harder. “When I found you on the floor of the bathroom unconscious.” His tone made it hard for Olivia to breathe. “I thought...” He shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea that quitting the pill was going to cause this much...” To her dismay a sob popped out. Just like that. No
warning. No chance to swallow it or choke on it. Then tears were streaming down her face and Gabriel was stroking her hair and squeezing her hand. His gentleness only made her feel worse.
“Olivia, I’m so sorry.”
He placed her palm against his cheek. The warmth beneath her fingers spread up her arm and drifted through her entire body as she took in the aching sadness in his eyes.
“I’m going to be fine,” she lied, hating how much she wanted to lean on him for support. Choking on her misery, she barreled on. “At least now there’s no question whether I can have children. You’ll never have to wonder if by marrying me you made a huge mistake.”
“Marrying you would never have been a mistake.”
But if she’d had difficulty getting pregnant, he couldn’t help but blame her.
“That’s a moot point.” She willed herself to be strong and to make the break quick and final. “We can’t marry now.”
“I’m not giving up on us.” He covered her hand with his and regarded her with somber eyes.
“There is no more us, Gabriel.” She tugged her hand free. “You are going to be king of Sherdana one day. You need to put your country’s needs first.”
“I have two brothers—”
“Please.” She couldn’t bear to hear any more. Anything he said would encourage her to be optimistic and the last thing she needed to do was hope everything was going to be okay. “I’m really tired. And I’m in pain. I just want to see my father.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue with her. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Another tear trickled down her cheek, but she ignored it.
“And I think it would be better if you don’t visit me again.”
“I can’t accept that.”
“Please, Gabriel.”
He exhaled harshly. “I’ll get your father.”
She waited to open her eyes until his soft footfalls receded. Her fingers tingled from contact with Gabriel’s cheek. It brought to mind all those times when her hands had roamed over him, exploring his masculine contours, learning all the delightful ways his body differed from hers.
Reaching toward a nearby box of tissues exhausted her. The weakness was frustrating. Before she had the chance to lose herself in the black cloud of misery that hovered nearby, her father entered the room. His embrace stirred up her emotions again and Olivia began to cry once more. This time, however, she didn’t feel the need to hold back. His shirt was soaked by the time she ran out of tears.