Foolish Games(11)

Julianne’s hands were shaking as she pressed a finger to the cross beneath her shirt and whispered a prayer. Tears were streaming down her face as she reached out and hugged Dr. Ling. “Thank you! Thank you so much for saving Owen.”

“Don’t thank me.” The doctor laughed. “It was his dad’s blood that did the trick.” She pulled a sheet of paper out of the metal chart case she carried. “And this makes it official. The DNA test is positive. You’re Owen’s father.”

Will’s face was impassive as Dr. Ling handed him the results. Without looking at it, he folded the paper up and placed it in his shirt pocket. “How long until he can be released?”

The question sent a shiver of unease up her spine.

“He’ll need to stay in the NICU for several more days, just to be sure his body functions return to normal. Once he has the all-clear from the various specialists, then he can go home.” The doctor looked at each of them, clearly wondering who would be taking Owen home. “I’ll leave you two to sort everything out. I’ll stay a few more hours to keep an eye on things, and I’ll update you after his morning blood work.”

Dr. Ling seemed unfazed by the unorthodox relationship between her patient’s parents. Of course, she worked in a hospital, so it was likely she’d seen all sorts of awkward family situations. Nonetheless, Julianne was still embarrassed. She looked over at Will, who had buttoned his cuffs and was pulling on his suit jacket. When his hands were occupied draping his tie over his shoulders, she jumped on the chance to speak.

“Thank you.” The words fell soft and hollow, almost as if she’d dropped them down a well. Clearly, they were inadequate, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Thanks for saving my son.”

He paused with the tie in midair behind his neck. “What did you say?”

Julianne swallowed. The look in his eyes made her want to run, but she stood her ground. She deserved his derision and his anger. Owen had been through so much and now he was going to live, thanks to the man towering in front of her. She owed him his pound of flesh. She just hoped she’d still be standing when he was done with her.

Will dropped the tie and stalked toward her. Julianne pushed her shoulders up, determined to force her body, and her soul, to withstand whatever he planned to dish out.

“Owen is not your son.” He tapped his chest where the paternity test results were tucked away. “This little piece of paper says I have just as much right to him as you do. He’s my son, too.”

This was the part where he whipped out his Viking sword and ripped out her heart. Blinking back tears, she forced her question through dry lips. “How exactly are you going to exert those rights?”

“Princess, we’ve just teed up the ball for the kickoff. This game has barely started. But the first thing we will be doing is getting Owen’s birth certificate amended so my name is on there.”

“Your name is on it!” Sort of.

Will arched an eyebrow at her as he pulled his iPhone from his pocket. He scrolled through it before reading aloud. “Owen Connelly Marchione. Nice touch with the middle name.” The insincerity of his tone belied his words. “Mother, Julianne Valerie Marchione. Father, unknown.”

Obviously his agent had been busy while Will was giving blood. Julianne stared at him. There were no words she could offer. No explanation that he’d accept for not listing him as Owen’s father. At least none that she could justify.

“No child of mine is growing up a bastard!” His shout reverberated off the walls in the small room. Julianne cringed as she imagined that the entire hospital heard him.

“Okay,” she whispered. There was no other answer she could give. She’d never meant to deny either Will or Owen. She just hadn’t thought the whole thing through. But explaining that to him right now seemed like a moot point.

He raked his hand through his hair, mussing up his perfect appearance. “Get your things. I’ll take you home.”

“My home is in Italy.” Technically, she had a place in New York, but it belonged to the company she no longer owned, so she didn’t feel she had to mention it.

“Fine, I’ll take you to your brother’s place. I assume he lives here in D.C.?”

He did, but she wasn’t going there, either. “I’m not leaving Owen.” She crossed her arms in front of her. If he wanted her to leave her son, he’d have to drag her out. Julianne shivered as she mentally pictured him doing just that.

Will blew out a breath as if he were counting to ten. “You need to get some rest and you won’t get that here. We’ve got a lot of things to work out, and I’d appreciate it if you came to the discussion with a clear head.”