Page 36 of Secret Baby for the Triplets

The doctor falters and lowers his eyes.

“Look, you already told us, Doc. You can at least tell us if the baby’s okay before we walk in there.”

He grimaces. “The baby is all right, too.” He turns away and signals for us to follow him.

We’re led down the corridor, scooping up the visitor passes from the reception desk as we move, but my mind races.

Did she know she was pregnant when she arrived at Pine Sky, or is this a shock to her, too? Is this some kind of escape?

What the hell are we going to do with her now?

She’s in a crowded room with three other beds, and I bristle at the sight.

“How long does she have to stay here?” I ask the doctor as my brothers enter.

He pauses with me and clears his throat. “We’ll keep her overnight to monitor her and the baby,” he says. “If all goes well, we’ll discharge her in the morning.”

“Find her a private room if she’s not being discharged tonight. We’ll cover the costs.”

He nods, and I head inside to join my brothers, drawing the curtain around us.

She’s eerily pale and embarrassed, her eyes hooded and sleepy.

“How are you feeling?” Toby asks, perching on the side of her bed. “You scared the shit out of us.”

She tries to smile, but her lips are cracked. I find her a cup of water and feed it to her through a straw.

Gratefully, she nods. “I’m sorry,” she rasps. “I’m mortified. I don’t know what happened?”

“What are you embarrassed about?” I ask gently.

“Maybe the pregnancy thing,” Brock offers coldly.

I smother a groan.Seriously, Brock?

Her green eyes widen. “Who told you that?” she demands, a tinge of anger lacing her tone.

“The doctor thought one of us was the father,” I explain, sinking onto one of the chairs beside her bedside. “Understandably, I suppose, since we’re the ones who brought you in.”

Confusion flickers over her face as she looks us over. “You… you brought me in? How? What happened?”

“We found you in the coach house, passed out,” Toby says. “It’s a good thing we came looking, too. Who knows what would have happened to you and the baby if we hadn’t.”

Fear crosses her face, and I see the wheels turning in her eyes. Her hands fall on her stomach, panic crossing over her face.

“You’re all right,” I tell her comfortingly. “Everything’s okay now.”

“Did you know before you got here?” Brock asks bluntly.

“Brock,” I cut him off, reading the look on Emerson’s face. “Now’s not the time for this.”

He nods curtly and stands back, folding his arms over his chest, but he avoids looking at her.

Ashamed, Emerson looks down at her hands. “Thank you,” she whispers. “For everything.”

“You should get some rest,” I tell her, standing and nodding toward my brothers. “They’re going to move you into a private room soon.”

Emerson’s lips part in astonishment. “Oh, you don’t need to?—”

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