Page 44 of Never To Forever

I quickly shake my head. “No, no, I’ve missed enough work. I’m fine, really. I want to be here, and I want to work.”

“If you’re sure,” she sighs, though she still appears cautious.

“Absolutely.” I set my purse down at my desk and do my best not to appear weak and tired. The morning crawls by after that. I do my best to ignore my upset stomach, and eventually, it calms down to a manageable dull ache.

Near noon, I notice a stack of books sitting on the counter behind the front desk and move to grab them.

“You don’t have to worry about those,” Kathy insists when she sees me picking up the stack. “I can put them away.”

A quick scan of the titles causes me to shake my head. “These go on the top shelf in the mystery section, Kathy. You know you shouldn’t be climbing up on the step stool.”

“I don’t think you should be doing so either.” She gives me a concerned look. “You look really pale. If you're this sick, you should go home and rest.”

Waving my hand to dismiss her concern, I insist, “My stomach aches, but my legs are just fine. I can put these books away, no problem. I’ll be right back.”

“Marie, hold on…”

I’m already walking away, grabbing the step stool, moving from around the desk and heading toward the mystery section. It’s a few rows in, but when I reach it, I spot the open slots on the shelf above where the books should go. Unfolding the stool, I climb onto it, holding my stack in one arm. Grabbing the book at the top of the pile, I reach to put where it belongs… and I’m struck by a sudden wave of dizziness.

My stomach pitches and I sway on my feet as everything goes blurry. Confused and panicked, I drop the books and reach out to try and grab hold of the shelves to steady myself, but my hands slip. The next moment, my foot slips on the stool and I fall. Time seems to slow, and I’m suspended midair, staring up at the blurry ceiling in shock. I don’t have time to really feel fear or worry. This is bad and going to hurt. Still, I don’t even yell out… I’m too stunned.

Time rushes back to normal, and I hit the floor, hard. That’s when I release a cry as pain ripples through me and stars explode in my vision. Before I can fully comprehend just how bad this could really be for me—for my baby—darkness creeps in and then everything goes black.

* * *

Pain is the first thing I become conscious of. My back hurts, my head throbs, and my tailbone is sore. Groaning, my eyes blink open at the bright lights above me. God, what happened? Where am I?

“Marie? Are you awake?”

Haven sits beside me. Her brow is furrowed with concern, and she’s holding my hand. I become aware of a steady beeping and then the IV in my arm. Wait… am I in the hospital?

Frowning, I look around and realize that I am indeed in a hospital room, lying in a hospital bed.

“What… what happened?” I murmur. My mouth is dry and my throat is sore, so my voice comes out raspy.

Haven squeezes my hand. “You collapsed. Kathy heard you fall and found you unconscious among the bookshelves. She called 911, and an ambulance brought you here.”

Oh, shit. I collapsed. I remember the dizziness and losing my footing. Falling to the floor.

“The baby? Is the baby okay?”

Haven nods and assures me, “Yes, don’t worry about the baby. It’s completely fine.”

Thank God! I sag against my pillows in relief and gaze up at Haven, who’s staring down at me with a mixture of worry and relief in her gaze. After finding out I was pregnant, I went to Haven. She’s the only one who knows. I also confessed to her that Garrett is the father, and though she was initially shocked, I made her promise not to say anything to him. She agreed, but I had to promise her to tell him, eventually.

“How are you feeling?” Haven asks. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

I shrug, which makes me groan. “It could be worse. I’ll definitely be sore for a few days. Did the doctor say if anything was broken?”

“No, there’s nothing like that,” she tells me. “You’ll be bruised for a while, and it might not be super comfortable to sit for a couple days, but that’s the worst of it. The doctor seemed more concerned about why you collapsed.”

“Did they say why?”

She shakes her head. “They ran some tests while you were out and the doctor should be back at any moment with the results.”

As if on cue, there’s a knock on the door.

“Come in!” Haven calls out.

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