Page 13 of Guarded

The doctor stopped and looked at him in surprise. “What about it?”

Matt frowned. Had Briar not told her? “She’s got an arrhythmia.”

The doctor flipped through the pages of Briar’s chart. “I didn’t hear anything suspicious just now.” She scanned the notes, her eyes widening. “Wow, a Taser?” She looked at Briar. “That must have been pretty scary.”

Briar shrugged as though the incident had been no big deal, when her heart had fucking stopped beating and Matt had died inside, watching helplessly as Schroder tried to revive her. He’d aged fifty damn years in those few minutes. “I don’t really remember most of it. And anyway, it was a freak, isolated incident. I’m fine. And I don’t plan on getting Tased again anytime soon.” She shot him a warning look.

Matt stared back at her. She was fine when the doc said she was fine, and not until.

“I don’t see any cause for concern,” the doc said, and Matt relaxed a little. “We’ll keep our eye on everything as the pregnancy progresses. It’s likely too early to hear baby’s heartbeat just yet, but for now I’d say everything looks perfect.”

It had with Lisa, too.

No one had known about the aneurysm that would claim her and their baby’s life a few short weeks later, right when they had been ready to announce their happy news to everyone. But Briar had a known preexisting condition. What if the strain of the pregnancy made the arrhythmia worse? It could cause a blood clot, and in turn a heart attack or stroke.

The thought of it made him go cold all over. He couldn’t go through that again. He wouldn’t survive it.

Oblivious to his thoughts, the doctor smiled at them both before turning back to Briar. “Have you got your prenatal vitamins?”

“Yes.” She sat up, tugged the flimsy exam gown around her more securely.

“Good. Well, unless either of you have questions, I’ll say congratulations and let you go.”

Matt had a thousand more questions, but that warning look from Briar made him keep his mouth shut. For now. All good news so far. They should be celebrating.

He held the clinic door for her as they left, noted the relieved breath she let out when they stepped outside into the fresh spring air. “So, Christmas, huh?” he said.

An almost dreamy smile crossed her face. “Looks like. Guess this means I don’t have to get you a gift, right?”

“Yeah, I think giving me a child is pretty much the gift to end all gifts, so anything else on top of that would be a waste of effort and money.”

She was quiet until he steered out of the parking lot. “So you heard what she said. Everything looks normal. I’m fine.”

He nodded. “I know.” But until the baby was born safely, he wasn’t going to be able to breathe easy. He would just have to keep all that to himself until the pregnancy was over. “What about Rycroft? Have you told him?”

“Not yet, I wanted to see the doctor first. I’ll call him later today.”

“You decided what you’re gonna do about work yet?”

She gave him a startled look. “What do you mean?”

He would have thought it was obvious. “Well, you can’t do fieldwork anymore. Have you thought about what else you want to do instead?”

She arched a dark eyebrow, chin up. “I can’t? Says who?”

Her reaction took him off guard. Was she serious? He was already on edge, and her stubborn defiance pissed him off. She and their baby were too important to him. There was no goddamn way he would let her do fieldwork from here on.

“Me,” he said tightly. From day one he had learned to pick his battles with her, but fuck. Briar didn’t know hownotto push herself. She needed to put the baby’s welfare before her career. And if he had to go over her head and make Rycroft take her out of the field, then so be it.

A tense, loaded silence ensued while Briar kept staring at him. Finally she spoke. “I get that you’re worried about me and the baby. But I’m not reckless, and I’m not going to do something that would jeopardize our child’s safety. That said, I think I can decide for myself when it’s time to retire from the field. You don’t get to dictate what I can and can’t do.” The last words were hard, a cold, flinty edge to her tone.

With effort Matt bit back the retort that leapt to the end of his tongue. Clenching his jaw, he battled back the sudden spike in his temper.

Briar was the last woman on earth who would allow herself to be coddled or protected, let alone dictated to. Where she was concerned he definitely had to dial back the protective, alpha male instinct that was such an ingrained part of him. He knew this about her. She was used to pushing herself, sometimes way past the limit. But goddamn it, it made him nuts that he couldn’t make her be more cautious right now.

“Hello?” she prompted when he didn’t answer.

“I think we should change the subject,” he said, his tone hard.

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