Judy Christenberry - When The Lights Went Out...

Was he? Sharon didn’t think so, but she couldn’t say for sure. When he’d held her in his arms, caressing her as they talked, sharing the most intimate parts of their lives, he’d told her about his wife and unborn son dying in a car accident. But the accident had been eight years ago.

Maybe he hadn’t brought her up to date on his life because—because they were touching each other in an inappropriate way. But she’d been so frightened, so terrified of dying, she had wanted to crawl inside him and hide.

“Miss Davies? Sharon? Are you all right?” the doctor asked.

“Yes, why?”

“You didn’t answer my question. I wondered if your family would—Probably you’re okay financially, since you have insurance, but birth is an emotional thing, as well. Will your family help you?”

“Yes, my family will be there for me.”

“I can’t help but recommend you notify the father, even if you aren’t together anymore. He has the right to know about his impending fatherhood.”

Sharon stared straight ahead. Even if she wanted to tell Jack the results of their strange odyssey, Jack was all she knew. No last name. She wasn’t even sure she could identify him. Until the elevator got stuck, she hadn’t looked at him. Then, after half an hour, the lights went out.

She knew his scent. A wonderfully male essence that made her think of a fall day and a sexy man, crisp yet tantalizing. She knew his voice, that sexy burr that comforted and excited her and made her forget the danger.

Just not his name.

“I’d like you to take birthing classes. You’ll need a partner.” When Sharon said nothing, she added, “You can go without a partner, but you’ll be more comfortable if you can enlist a friend. Everyone else will be in a couple.”

“Yes. How soon will I start them?”

“Not until you’re five months pregnant. Here is some literature for you to study, to get you started. If you have any questions, any at all, call the nurse. Okay?”

The doctor stood, handing her the literature and a prescription.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

Sharon left, hiding the papers in her purse before she ran into someone from her office. She didn’t want the information to get out until it had to. Until her body changed so much she couldn’t hide it.

The doctor’s office was on the twelfth floor. She took the stairway back to her company’s floors, fourteen through sixteen. The small cafeteria was on the fifteenth floor and served as the break room also.

She stopped there instead of going straight back to work. Several of her friends waved to her and she hurried over.

“Hi, Sharon, join us,” Maggie offered. She was the assistant to Mr. Haley himself, the owner of the company. But she didn’t act any differently than Sharon’s other friends.

“Let me get some juice before I sit down,” Sharon said.

When she returned to the table, Lauren Conner asked, “What happened to your usual diet soda?”

“Oh, I’m fighting a cold and the doctor suggested less soda and more fruit juice.”

“Good for you,” Maggie said. “I’m getting older and discovering everything you eat affects you. It’s gross!”

Both Lauren and Sharon laughed. They were mid-twenties, but Maggie was thirty-three. Still not what most people would consider as over the hill.

“I think you’ve got a few years, Maggie,” Sharon assured her.

“I certainly hope so, but I need all my energy to keep up with Kane.”

Jennifer Martin entered the cafeteria and immediately joined them. “Hi. Sorry I’m late. The big boss had some questions for me.” She looked at Maggie. “Did you know about this?”

Maggie calmly continued eating a cluster of grapes. “You mean the child-care possibilities?”

“Yes,” Jen said.

Sharon immediately sat straighter in her chair.

“On site? Child-care on site?” she asked.

Both Jen and Maggie nodded.

Lauren clapped her hands. “Jen, how wonderful for you! That will help a lot, won’t it?”

“It would be wonderful,” Jen agreed. “When he asked me about it, I thought I must be dreaming.” Jen was more than seven months pregnant and had successfully hidden her pregnancy until recently. “Not that it will be ready right away even if he decides to go ahead with it, but it’s something great to look forward to.”

“Kane certainly hadn’t considered the idea until the last day or so. He said he read an article,” Maggie told her. “I gave him a list of pregnant women this morning, but I didn’t put anyone on the list who hadn’t already announced her pregnancy.”

“I didn’t let my emotions show, but I almost passed out with surprise,” Jen said with a chuckle. “He’s decided to form a committee to study the idea. Matt Holder and I are on it. A woman due in a couple of months and a confirmed bachelor! I hope whoever the other members of the committee are, they have some experience with babies!”

“Well, I hope Kane won’t be on it. After all, he’s divorced and has no children, so he won’t have any experience either,” Maggie pointed out.

“It’s pretty impressive that he thought of the idea, isn’t it?” Sharon said. “He’s a very good employer.”

“Yes, he is,” Maggie agreed, warmth in her voice.

They all suspected Maggie had feelings for her boss, but she’d never admitted to them, and none of them would think of asking her.

Sharon had so much to think about. She finished her juice and stood. “I’d better get to work. I haven’t been to the office yet since I had an appointment this morning.”

“How are you feeling? Any better?” Jen asked.

“Um, yeah. I drank juice instead of a soda. The doctor said I needed more vitamin C. See you!”

She hurried away, afraid she’d blurt out things she needed to keep to herself. But in twenty-four hours, her life had changed so much, it was difficult to take it all in.

“Everything all right?” Andy asked her as soon as she reported in.

“Yes, fine. Did I miss anything this morning?”

“Nope, just work, and we saved you some,” he added with a grin.

Sharon smiled back and went to her desk, greeting the other members of the staff as she went. She was so fortunate to work in this department, Special Projects. Everyone was so cheerful.

She knew it all stemmed from Andy. He always had a smile on his face. And who could complain about bills or the sniffles or whatever when their boss was in a wheelchair?

That was what she had decided last night. So she was pregnant. She’d always wanted children, but she didn’t have any enthusiasm for marriage. So, now she didn’t have to worry about it. Fortunately she lived in an age when women didn’t have to force themselves into a marriage they didn’t want just because they’d been unfortunate enough—no, not unfortunate. She wasn’t going to think that way. There were a lot of women in the world who couldn’t get pregnant. She was one of the fortunate ones.

The doctor might recommend telling the father, but she didn’t. After all, he’d left the hospital without contacting her. They’d been taken in separate ambulances to the nearest hospital after they’d been rescued. When she’d been checked and released, she’d asked about him. The nurse told her he’d already gone.

He obviously had felt he didn’t owe her anything, and he didn’t want anything to do with her. That much was clear.

She pulled out her work and swept such thoughts away. She had seven months to adjust to being a single parent. She didn’t have to devote today to such things.

After lunch, she again had settled down to work when her phone rang.

Andy greeted her and asked if she’d come to his office.

He called her into his office frequently to discuss certain items, calling her his right-hand man. She didn’t think anything of it.