Rachel Bailey - Return of the Secret Heir

She had a precious baby coming soon. And a promotion to salvage.

JT walked into the doctor’s plush waiting room, gripping Pia’s hand. Medical suites weren’t his favorite places at the best of times, but being here over a possible health risk to his baby? That had to be the worst imaginable reason to visit one. His body was clenched so tight that it was difficult to breathe.

Pia leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Tell me the truth, do you think there’s something wrong with me? Something that explains the fainting and the miscarriage?”

He reached for her other hand and clasped them both firmly. The fingers on the hand he hadn’t been holding were cold, so he rubbed them between his palms. “I’ve always thought you were perfect,” he said, dodging the question.

She gave him a tremulous smile and they stepped up to the reception counter.

“Pia Baxter to see Dr. Crosby,” he said to the woman behind the desk.

The receptionist’s smile included them both as she handed Pia some forms. “Just take a seat and start on these while I see if the doctor’s ready for you.”

As the receptionist disappeared behind a swinging door, they sat on the upholstered bench seats. Pia was so still, so silent that he gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster and murmured, “It’ll be okay,” and hoped like hell he wasn’t lying. She nodded and began filling out the forms.

He’d got them in with the city’s best specialist in two days. He’d wanted sooner, but this appointment before official opening hours was the best they could do. Of course, it was a hell of a lot better than anything they had first time around. Back then, his mother had taken him and Pia to a free clinic. The staff had been nice and put Pia at ease, but what if they’d missed something that had contributed to the miscarriage? A band of steel clamped around his chest. He’d make sure nothing was missed this time. This time, he could afford the finest health care in the country and his baby would receive the best possible medical attention.

He glanced over at Pia as she filled in the forms with her neat, even handwriting. They’d talked about the possibility of being seen together visiting Dr. Crosby, but decided they’d have to be pretty unlucky to run into someone who recognized them both on one quick trip together. And if they did…

It was a risk they just had to take-he couldn’t countenance her coming to this appointment alone.

The receptionist appeared again and showed them into a smaller room. As they entered, a dark-haired middle-aged woman with a stethoscope around her neck greeted them and asked them to take a seat.

“Thank you for seeing us on short notice,” he said.

Dr. Crosby smiled. “You’re a very persuasive man, Mr. Hartley,” she murmured and shook his hand. She turned a beautiful smile on Pia. “Ms. Baxter, I see you’ve finished the forms Amy gave you.”

Pia handed over the paperwork. “Please, call me Pia.”

Dr. Crosby scanned the forms, then frowned and pursed her lips. “This is your second pregnancy, Pia?”

“Yes. I… Yes,” she said, her voice drying up. JT squeezed her hand.

“You lost that baby?” the doctor asked gently.

JT smoothly cut in so Pia didn’t have to explain. “Pia had an accident when she was about halfway through that pregnancy. She fell from a window.”

“I see.” Dr. Crosby turned to Pia with compassion in her eyes and asked detailed questions. He watched Pia answer in a low voice, her eyes downcast, and he wished he could spare her these questions, too.

“With your permission,” Dr. Crosby said, typing something into her computer, “I’d like to request a copy of your hospital records for review. I want to make sure I have as much information as possible so that we know what we’re dealing with.”

“Of course,” Pia said.

“I’ll get Amy to organize a letter for you to sign. Now, you said you had a fainting spell?”

Pia nodded. “My blood pressure is normally on the low side, and I had troubles with it early in my first pregnancy.”

“She fainted once then, too,” JT said. That day down by the river, he’d come close to panic. He’d had no idea what to do and had never been so happy to see someone open their eyes again.

“Okay,” the doctor said, standing, “let’s get you on the scales, then into a gown for the exam. We’ll do a urine test to confirm the pregnancy, too.”

He gave Pia’s hand a final squeeze as she put her handbag on the floor and slipped away. Her eyes were too large-her fears written plainly on her face.

The doctor made a quick note on her computer and followed Pia behind the curtain.

Left alone, he looked around the pale blue room and tried to relax his shoulders, but the weight bearing down on them was too heavy to allow it. He would do everything in his power for this baby, but that guaranteed nothing-with a pregnancy, Mother Nature was in charge and he hated ceding control to anyone or anything, including nature herself.

And even if this baby lived to be born, then what? Fourteen years ago, he’d thought he’d known how things would play out. Even after Brianna died, he’d thought he and Pia would still have each other. Maybe one day start a family again. Not to replace Brianna, but new additions to their family unit. They could have waited until they were financially stable, had their own house. But it had never occurred to him that he and Pia wouldn’t be together. Fool that he was, he’d imagined they’d grow old side by side.

They’d made private vows to each other under the moonlight, words that had been sacred to him. Yet at the moment they’d needed each other the most, Pia had broken her promises and abandoned him.

No matter what happened now, how much it felt like they were on the same team, he’d never forget that she might cut and run when the going got tough. He couldn’t depend on her, couldn’t trust her.

But he would be here for her while she carried his child.

The curtain rustled and the doctor appeared, Pia soon after, and something in his chest eased a bit to have her back beside him, where he had some illusion of control of the situation. He gave her a tight smile which she returned as she sat back in the chair beside him.

Dr. Crosby made a few notes before looking up and smiling. “You seem in good health, Pia. We’ll send these blood samples off for testing, but I suspect because you said your blood pressure is on the low side, your fainting was a result of that. It’s a little low now, but nothing alarming.”

Pia shifted in her seat, her fingers knotted together. “But is it safe for the baby?”

“Low blood pressure is less of a risk than high blood pressure. I’m hopeful that yours will come into a more normal range in the second trimester. But for now, there are some measures I want you to take. Drink lots of fluids, especially water. Avoid standing for prolonged periods, particularly when it’s hot. And I want you to start on a regular program of exercise.”

JT looked from one woman to the other, imagining Pia fainting while she was out jogging or playing sport. “Exercise? Won’t that put the baby at greater risk?”

“I’m not talking marathons here.” The doctor turned to Pia. “Gentle exercise will help you prevent episodes of low blood pressure.” She handed them a sheet of paper. “Here are some more ideas.”

Unsatisfied with the answers and fighting the urge to wrap Pia and the baby in a nice thick layer of cotton wool, JT frowned. “What if she faints again when she’s driving or on a stairwell?”

Dr. Crosby turned back to him. “There’s no reason to expect more fainting. Keep an eye on it and feel free to call me if you have any concerns.”