Page 62 of Prognosis So Done

But what right would she have had to withhold it from him?

Despite her anger at him, there was no other man’s baby she wanted. Despite her insistence that he sign the divorce papers and set her free to find someone else, deep down she doubted she’d ever find another Gill. Another man she could love enough to share the most intimate of human experiences. She had come here to leave her marriage behind, but maybe the invisible hand of fate had had other things in mind.

Maybe it had been her destiny to come back and fall pregnant with Gill. Maybe there was some vital life lesson they were both supposed to learn from these tragic circumstances. Was it supposed to make them see reason? Bring them closer? Because at the moment she had never felt further away.

They should be together as a couple mourning their loss.

She should want him to be by her side, comforting her. And she

should be letting him lean on her, giving him a shoulder to

cry on. But why would he waste his breath grieving for something he had made patently obvious he had never wanted in the first place?

What had he said? It was my baby, too? What the hell did

that mean? She daren’t let herself think it was an emotional plea and she was too physically wrung out to care. The only thing on her mind right now was that she’d been pregnant and now she wasn’t.

Her head hurt and her heart ached and all she wanted to do was cry herself to sleep.

‘Harry?’

Harriet shut her eyes hard and lay very still hoping Katya wouldn’t approach. Go away. Leave me be. You promised, too, damn

it. You’re as bad as him.

Katya came round and stood in front of her. ‘I know you’re awake, Harry, I could hear you crying.’

Harriet reluctantly opened her eyes. ‘I’m tired,’ she said, fixing her gaze on the neckline of Katya’s scrubs.

‘You’re angry,’ said Katya, coming straight to the point in her typically blunt fashion.

Tears welled in Harriet’s eyes again and she choked on a sob. Yes. She was. But she was hurting more than anything else.

‘Gill did an excellent job. He did everything he could.’

Harriet snorted, not ready to forgive Gill yet. Was he sending others to fight his battles now? ‘He didn’t even try to repair the tube, Katya. You were there, you know that.’

Katya stood staring down at her for a few moments before speaking again. ‘I have something for you.’

She thrust the medium-sized specimen jar at Harriet who could barely see it through her watery vision. ‘What is it?’ she asked, grabbing a tissue from the box Megan had left on her table.

‘It’s your tube.’

Harriet blinked. Slowly, she reached out and took it from

Katya as she gingerly tried to pull herself up into a more upright position. Katya eventually took pity on her and helped.

Harriet blew her nose and wiped her eyes then held the jar up to the light. Bloody hell. What a mess. There was a gaping hole in the middle of the specimen. The slenderest thread of

tissue held it precariously in one piece superiorly and there was obviously not enough tissue remaining to have made closing the shredded edges even a remote possibility.

Hot tears burned her eyes and the specimen blurred out of focus. Katya took the jar from her trembling fingers and placed it on the table.

‘There was nothing he could do, Harry.’

‘Oh, Katya,’ cried Harriet. ‘It’s not fair. Why me, why me?’ Her face crumpled and when Katya slipped an arms around her shoulder, she completely broke down.

After a while Harriet’s distress quieted and Katya handed her the box of tissues. ‘I must look an absolute mess,’ she said, drying her face again.

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