I suppose most people might freak out if they wake up in a hospital bed, but the sound of the machines, the low hum of constant activity, and even the smell is so unmistakably familiar to me that I feel a sense of comfort being here. My eyelids are only half open as they flicker in the bright overhead light. My throat is dry and scratchy but I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up, so that’s a bonus.
“Kat?” I hear his deep voice before I feel his warm fingers curling around mine.
“H-hey,” I croak as I open my eyes and see him sitting beside my bed. His face is etched with worry and concern. Then I realize why. He is the reason I’m here. He kept me locked in that horrible room with nobody and nothing.
I wrench my hand from his as both of them instinctively fly to my stomach. My baby.
“The baby is fine,” he assures me. “You were severely dehydrated, but you’re both okay now.”
No thanks to you. I force a smile instead.
“Do you need a drink?”
I nod, and he pours me a small glass of water from the jug beside the bed. He lifts it to my lips, and that first sip feels like heaven, instantly soothing my throat. I take the glass from him, and he sits back down in the chair beside my bed while I glance around the room. I’m hooked up to a drip and a heart monitor.
“How long have I been in here?” I ask.
“Just a few hours,” he replies. “They want to keep you in for a day or two, or at least until you can keep some solids down again.”
I nod.
“How do you feel?”
Like I want to cry for a year. “Not sick at least.”
“Good. Joey has packed some of your things and Max is going to bring them by soon.”
“Okay.” I take another sip of water and glance at the door.
“I’ll stay here with you.”
“I’m not going to run away.”
“I know.”
“You know because you won’t let me, or because you believe I won’t try?”
“Does it matter?”
“I’m not going to try,” I say, leaning back against the pillow and closing my eyes. “As long as you promise my baby will be safe.”
“Our baby is going to be safe, Kat.”
“What about me? Will I be safe too?” I open my eyes again and see his handsome features pulled into a frown.
“You won’t come to any harm,” he says coolly.
The sound of the door opening breaks the tension, and we both look up to see a doctor walking into the room.
“Ms. Evanson, you’re awake?” she says with a wide smile.
“Yes.” I smile back, thankful there is another person in here to diffuse this awkward atmosphere.
“I’m Dr. Wilcox and I’ll be taking care of you and your little one.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“And how are you feeling?”
“Much better now, thank you.”
“We’ve given you plenty of fluids, and a whole lot of good stuff for you and your baby. I expect you’re anxious to get home, but I’d like to keep you here for a day or two.”
I see the dark look crossing Dante’s face from the corner of my eye. “Whatever you think is for the best, Doctor.”
She looks at Dante and smiles. “It would be good for Kat to try to eat a little something. Would you mind asking at the desk for them to send her a light snack?”
His eyes narrow as he considers her request.
“I’d love some fries. Hot, salty fries,” I say, licking my lips and letting out a sigh.
He nods his agreement, and then a few seconds later, he disappears from the room, leaving us alone.
“You were in quite a state when they brought you in, Kat,” she says, her face full of concern. “Did nobody notice how dehydrated you were?”
“No. I was kind of tired and sleeping a lot.”
“But the baby’s father, Mr. Moretti?” she says his name like she knows exactly who he is. “He didn’t notice something was wrong?”
This would be my chance to tell her the truth. And then what? Put this lovely doctor at risk for helping me? Live my life on the run? Deprive my child of a chance to know its father. Dante Moretti will never let me go. “He’s been really busy. I haven’t seen a lot of him. But as soon as he saw how ill I was, he brought me straight in.”
She narrows her eyes at me in concern but before she can ask me any further questions, Dante walks back into the room.
“You have hyperemesis gravidarum. I’ll give you some anti-sickness medication to take home with you, but eating and drinking little and often is the key to not becoming dehydrated.”
I nod.
“And please keep a careful eye on her,” she says to Dante. “If she’s unable to keep anything down, then you’ll need to bring her back in immediately.”
“Of course,” he says with a nod.
Doctor Wilcox’s pager beeps and she excuses herself and leaves the room.
“Did she ask you if I was holding you against your will?” Dante asks.
For some reason, that makes me laugh. “Kind of,” I admit. “I think she knows who you are.”
“Well, I’m kind of infamous around these parts,” he says with a wink that makes my insides flutter. I have no idea how to survive this man.
“I didn’t tell her that you were. Even though I probably should have.”
“That wouldn’t have ended well, Kat. For anyone concerned.”
I swallow hard. “I know.”
