Page 81 of Protecting Her Secrets

She takes a slow breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”

I know this will be uncomfortable for her, so I try for a distraction. “Once we get you home and settled, I’ll warm up some of Miss Martha’s soup—I think I have a batch of broccoli cheddar—and I’ll bake up some fresh bread to go with it.”

“That sounds good.” Her face pinches in pain.

“Once Sprocket smells your wound, he won’t want to leave your side. I split my leg open once after tripping on a trail, andDoc had to stitch me up. That dog laid on the couch with me for two days straight.”

“Aw, he’s such a good boy.” She startles and hisses. “Shit.”

“Watch it, Doc. She’s been through enough without you treating her like a pin cushion,” I snap.

“Walker,” Sky chides.

“It’s okay. I’m used to his bad attitude.” He sets down the needle.

“I don’t have a bad attitude.” The pair of them laugh. “It’s not funny. I’m very mild-mannered.”

Their laughter forces Doc to pause what he’s doing to wipe his eyes on the sleeve of his white coat. “You’ve got a sense of humor, that’s for sure.”

I plop down into a chair like a child, and he gets back to work. Skylar’s smile fades as she turns serious. “I’m going to call Lisa Warner and tell her I can’t work. It’s clear I need to stay away from everyone. I should stay away from you too, but I know you won’t let that happen.”

“Not on your life.”

“I wouldn’t have to stay away forever. Klutch will give up eventually, and then I could come back. When it’s safe.”

“That’s not just a no, that’s a hell no, for so many reasons. The first being, you’re my wife and you belong with me. Second, you’re pregnant and need regular care, something that would be difficult while on the run. Third, you have no way of protecting yourself going from random motel to random motel. At least here, we have plans.”

“A lot of good those did,” she mutters.

“We underestimated him, I’ll admit to that. But he showed us who he is, and now, we can adapt.”

“There we go. All done.” Dr. Rivera pulls off his gloves. “Wait twenty-four hours before getting it wet, and even then, don’t soak it. If you take a bath, don’t get your head wet. I’ll give youa printed sheet of instructions and what to look out for as far as the concussion, but the best thing you can do is rest and let your body heal.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“My obstetrics rotation was many years ago, but I’m confident I could print out some pictures for you if you wanted me to do an ultrasound.”

“Yes,” I blurt out.

“I was asking the mother,” he says, making my cheeks heat.

Skylar grins at me. “We would love that.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Skylar

The good-lookingdoctor squirts cold gel on my lower belly then spreads it with the transducer. It feels all kinds of wrong to be excited about getting pictures of the baby while Jazzy is in surgery, fighting for her life. But I have to believe she’s strong enough to pull through.

“Okay, here we go.” He looks around before settling on one spot. “There’s your baby.”

I grab Walker’s hand, tears springing to my eyes. I went to the doctor to confirm my pregnancy, but I haven’t been back since. I know it’s important to have prenatal care, but Klutch sometimes had me followed. He said it was for my protection, but I knew it was so he could make sure I wasn’t messing around on him. It’s because of that I didn’t feel safe going to an appointment so soon after the first. If he found out about the baby, I’d be tied to him for the rest of my life.

“Oh my god, there’s their little arm.” I watch as the little peanut flails around.

“You don’t know the sex?” Dr. Rivera asks.

“No. This is my first ultrasound,” I say hesitantly.

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