Page 68 of Landen

Settling back againstthe cushions, he closed his eyes wearily, but he kept seeing the wayshe looked lying in that hospital bed. It was so different from howshe had looked when he last saw her that he could barely stand it.Would she hate him when she wakes up? Was she resenting that he hadput her in so much trouble?

And what if somethingwent wrong? Would she be able to carry this pregnancy? The fetusappeared to be sucking the life out of her - what if there was anoption to - No! He could not even bear to finish the thought.

He wanted their baby,but not at the expense of her life. If it comes to it, he wasnaturally going to suggest they saved her because he could not bearthe thought of going on without her.

*****

“She is doing alittle better.”

“Only alittle?” Landen had not slept much last night, and when he hadmanaged to doze off in the early hours of the morning, it had beenplagued by nightmares of him standing over her dead body. He hadcalled the hospital early this morning to check on her. And now hewas here.

“She isresponding well to treatment, and her blood pressure is not asbad.”

“Is theresomewhere we can talk before I see her?”

“Of course.”Dr. Sterling led him into a private office and closed the doors.“Would you like something to drink?”

“No,thanks.” Shoving his hands into the pockets of his tantrousers, he looked around the elegantly appointed office and viewedthe certificates on the silky blue wallpaper. “The baby iscausing her all of this distress?”

“Yes.”The man answered.

“And if it wasremoved?”

Dr. Sterling put hiscoffee cup down and sat behind his desk, gray eyes leveling on theman before him. “You are asking about the termination of thepregnancy.”

“Yes.” Heclipped.

“Is that whatyou want?”

“I want her tobe better and not be hooked up to some bloody machines.”

“These thingstake time-”

“How much time?How much longer will she be out of it?”

“There is noset time. She could come out of the coma today.”

“And then what?Will she be force-fed like what’s happening now?”

“I have noidea. It could mean that this will pass after she is going into hersecond trimester-”

“And it couldhappen again.”

“It might. Inany case, we cannot terminate her pregnancy without her consent, onlyin the most dire circumstances. And we are not there yet. Iappreciate the fact that you are worried-”

“I amterrified, doctor. And that’s the gist of it. She has lost somuch bloody weight, I am afraid even to touch her, in case she isgoing to shatter into a million pieces.”

“I canassure you that we are doing everything we can.” The man toldhim quietly.

“I am sure.”He shook his head. “Thanks for your time. I would like to goand see her now.”

“Of course.”

Landen shook his headwhen he was about to rise. “I know my way.”

*****

“Honey, yourhot baby daddy is here. He flew in from London, and I don’tmean to add to your stress, but he is upset that you did not tell himabout your pregnancy and the fact that his bitch of a mother came tosee you.”

---