“No!” The wail broke from her throat. “Tell me it isn’t true!”
Cold fury glistened in his eyes. “Oh, it’s true all right. You’re pregnant with my child.”
Another wave of nausea, more persistent than before, rose with a surge of determination she couldn’t disregard.
“Oh, God!” With her hand clamped to her mouth, Holly made short work of the distance to her bathroom.
Spent with exhaustion a few minutes later, she dimly became aware of Connor’s presence behind her, of his strong, warm hand gently stroking her back. Tremors of shock rippled through her as she leaned weakly against the porcelain, the hard floor pressing against her knees.
“You all done?” He sounded distant, emotionally removed. “I think so.”
“Then wash your face and come with me.” “Come with you?” Holly was confused. “Back to work?” Connor offered his hand and helped her to her feet, a line of tension between his brows as he turned the taps on at the stained basin. Holly grabbed a flannel and dashed it under the trickle, scrubbing at her face before scooping up some water with her hand to rinse her mouth. Connor handed her a towel and stood silent as a statue while she mopped her face dry. “No. To a doctor.”
Seven
“She’s pregnant, early days, but definite.”
Connor looked up at the softly spoken words as the doctor, one of his female cousins, closed the door to her examination room behind her allowing Holly some privacy to get dressed.
“Hell.” Connor stopped his pacing and dropped into the seat across from Carmen’s desk.
“She’s the one you brought to Christmas brunch, isn’t she?”
Connor nodded.
“I thought Uncle Tony had strict rules about office romance.”
“It was an aberration.”
“Unprotected sex is some aberration.”
“She assured me she was okay.” Connor couldn’t meet her gaze, or read the reproach he knew would be there.
“Well, looks like you have some rethinking to do, cuz.”
“Yeah.” More than Carmen could ever realise. Connor flung a look at the still-closed door. “Will she be okay?”
“Once she starts to eat properly and gets plenty of rest. I’ll give you a list of supplements to help build her strength up. She hasn’t been looking after herself that well. If you two are going to have a healthy baby, that has to change.”
A healthy baby. Connor’s head spun. He was going to be a father! Moisture sprang to his eyes. He blinked it away as emotion cascaded through him, tightening his chest and setting a fire of hope burning low in his gut.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she takes care of herself.”
Holly remained on the examining table, the doctor’s parting words still ringing in her ears. “No doubt you and Connor will need to talk.”
Holly couldn’t even acknowledge her. Her hand slid to her lower belly and pressed against the flat surface. Disbelief raged through her mind. Pregnant.
In all her worst nightmares she’d never imagined this could happen. Not to her. Never to her. She’d always been so careful never to let anyone close enough. The one time in her life she’d let go of reason and given in to impulse, to admit to the need for another—a need she’d guarded against for so long—and fate threw this savage twist at her.
Holly shuddered. She couldn’t afford to bring up a child. She could barely afford to support Andrea, let alone herself. The financial demands of a baby didn’t bear thinking about. She drew her knees up and curled into a protective ball. What the hell was she going to do?
Holly’s heart twisted sharply in her chest. If she’d had the luxury of normal circumstances, the news would have sent the blood in her veins singing with joy to know she carried Connor’s child, yet the fearful weight of responsibility paralysed her. What if there was something wrong? She couldn’t bear to watch another person she loved die a slow and painful death.
Her breath caught in her throat. Love? She couldn’t love the baby already. It was far too soon. In fact, never would be too soon. Holly pulled down the shutters on her emotions. She couldn’t afford to feel anything for this new life growing inside her. Not when there was so much at stake.
Slowly she uncurled and pushed away the sheet the doctor had draped over her for privacy. Privacy—the term was completely incongruous after an internal examination.
The muted murmur of voices filtered through the door. She had to get moving. She didn’t put it past Connor to be making plans with the doctor. Plans she should be making.
At least this meant she wouldn’t have to restrict her visits to Andrea because of her assumed stomach flu. The weighty responsibility of another life rocked her again. What on earth was she going to do?