He heaved a sigh of frustration, raking a hand through his hair. “You’re right, of course. It’s just frustrating as hell. I should have been here, Julia. I should have been the one taking care of her, bringing her to the hospital. And then to ignore all of your messages – Christ, I’ll never, ever forgive myself if she doesn’t come out of this all right.”
“Hush.” Julia took both of his much larger hands in hers. “And don’t blame yourself. Tessa seemed fine when I spoke to her yesterday. I think this happened very suddenly, so there’s no possible way you could have anticipated it.”
Ian squeezed her hand gratefully. “It’s more than that. This damned IUD of hers – I’ve been after her for months to get it removed, to consult with a doctor about alternatives. But we’ve been so busy with one thing or another, she just kept putting it off. When I left her on Monday morning, I could tell she was in a bad way but she kept insisting it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. God damn it!”
Julia gave a little start as he slammed a fist against what was fortunately a very sturdy wall. “Why don’t we sit down, hmm?” she suggested calmly. “Look, let me go try and find that nurse, see if she has an update for us. And you look like you could use a cup of tea. Maybe a nice, calming blend like chamomile?”
Ian made a face. “Hate the stuff, have ever since our old nanny tried to pour it down our throats to make us sleepy.”
Julia eased him into a chair and patted his shoulder. “OK, Darjeeling it is then. And I need a really large cup of coffee, plus the biggest piece of pie I can find. I’ll be back in a bit, all right? And,” she added with a smile, “try not to punch any holes in the wall while I’m gone, okay?”
He couldn’t help but smile a little in return. “I’ll try my best. And Julia – thank you. Thank God you and Travis were able to get to her so quickly. I owe both of you a long weekend at one of our hotels. Your choice. Unless,” he added with a wink, “you’d rather have a new pair of shoes.”
Julia’s green eyes sparkled merrily. “Wow, what a decision. I did love that weekend Nathan and I spent in Santa Barbara last year. But I’ve also been eyeing a new pair of Jimmy Choos, too. I’ll get back to you, okay?” Then she sobered before telling him, “It was no trouble at all. I’m just glad we could help. And when we found her.” She shuddered. “God, it will take me a long time to forget that sight.”
She disappeared down the hallway before Ian could quiz her further, and the frightening images her words called to mind only served to increase his anxiety.
But then in the next minute the tall, broad-shouldered form of Dr. Jordan Reeves sauntered into the room and Ian instantly sprang to his feet.
“Well, it’s about damned time that baby was born,” groused Ian. “Boy or girl?”
Jordan grinned, his black hair mostly hidden beneath the dark blue surgical cap that was the same color as his scrubs. “A girl. Seven pounds nine ounces and she’s pissed as hell. A real screamer if I’ve ever heard one.”
Ian managed a wry smile as he shook his friend’s hand. “Just your type from what I’m told. And I’m going to be the one who starts screaming soon if that good for nothing surgeon doesn’t arrive soon to tell me about Tessa.”
“Relax.” Jordan squeezed Ian’s shoulder. “First of all, Danny Shapiro is just about the best surgeon on staff here. And second, I just had a long chat with him about your lady and offered to give you all the details. Which is fortunate, considering he’s got another emergency surgery to rush into.” Jordan glanced around the nearly empty waiting room. “You here alone?”
Ian shook his head. “Tessa’s friend – correction, our friend – just left to get us some tea. Julia was the one who called 911 earlier today. She’s been here the whole time.”
Jordan’s gray eyes sparkled with interest. “Please tell me Julia was the really, really hot babe that I just passed in the hallway. Long hair, tight skirt, high heels, stacked like a brick shithouse?”
Ian shook his head. “Forget it, mate. That is definitely Julia but afraid she’s already spoken for. Tessa and I were at her wedding back in June.”
Jordan sighed. “Damn it. She’s just my type, too.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “I didn’t realize you had a type. Other than young, female and beautiful. Now, enough about your love life. I need to know every single detail about my woman, including how soon I can see her.”