Page 39 of Mine to Keep

“It’s still the first trimester, and some women have problems like hers. If she’s under any stress, it makes it worse.”

Fuck. Yeah, he’d call what they were going through stressful. He wasn’t a pregnant woman, but he was having problems sleeping and concentrating.

“Thank you, Betsy.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you two can figure out a solution soon.”

“Me, too.”

Roland ran up the stairs and to her room. He silently opened the door to see her lying in the dark on her bed. He wanted to wake her and talk, but first he needed some answers.

He went back down to his office and called the doctor whose name was on the sonogram Laila had given him.

He waited for her to call him back. He snatched up the phone when it rang.

“Hello.”

“Mr. Stewert, this is Doctor Beals. I’m glad you called. I’ve wanted to talk to you.”

“Why?”

“I’m very worried about your wife.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Can you tell me why?”

“She’s losing weight much too quickly, and when I discuss it with her, she says to just worry about the baby. I tell her no, I want to take care of her too, and she says she doesn’t matter. Your wife is extremely depressed, and I think the only thing keeping her alive is this baby.

Jesus, it was worse than he thought. “What can I do?”

“Get her counseling immediately, and if there’s a problem with the two of you, you both need to go to a counselor together.”

The first person he thought of was his friend, Stacey. The one Laila saw him dancing with. He’d call her and ask what she thought, but in the meantime, get the names of others. “Do you have some names you’d recommend?” he asked.

“Yes. Give me your email address, and I’ll send them to you. If you decide, email me back, and I’ll talk to them about my suspicions.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes, Doctor.”

“I hope so. She’s pretty special. What was your reason for calling?”

“She is very special, and she’s my world. I am worried. All she does is sleep or walk around in the garden.”

“I told her to get rest and moderate exercise. She’s doing everything I tell her to. It’s like she’s afraid she’ll do something to hurt the baby.”

Roland didn’t understand that. He could never see Laila hurting a child. “Send me the email. I want to find someone immediately.”

“I’m glad we talked,” Dr. Beals said.

“I am, too. Call me anytime if there’s anything you think I should know. I’ll take all the advice I can get.”

He ended the call and sat back in his chair, rested his head against the back, and closed his eyes. Goddamn. He’d fucked up in so many ways, but now he was determined to get through to her.

Roland called Stacey.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Stacey, it’s me. I need your advice,” he told her. He explained what was going on and how the doctor thought it best we get counseling and that she’d worried about her mental state. “Would it hurt for you to come and counsel us?”

“What if she remembers me?” Stacey asked.

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