Page 118 of Beauty and the Daddy
I try to move and fire shoots up my left side, sharp enough to drag a broken gasp out of me.
"Miss Belle! You're awake. Please, don't move." A nurse appears at my bedside, gently pressing me back against the pillows.
She touches my forehead with cool fingers, then darts away, calling for something I don't catch.
"What—" My voice is sandpaper. I try again. "What happened?"
Her hands come back, pressing at my shoulder, stopping me when I try to sit. "You were shot," she says, steady, as if saying it gently will soften the truth. "The bullet only grazed your shoulder. You lost some blood. But you are alive."
Shot.
The word detonates inside me. and the memories flood back in flashes—Declan's cold eyes, Sofia's tears, Luca bursting through the door, the chair tipping, the deafening crack of?—
Oh God.
The baby.
My hands fly to my stomach, pressing, searching, begging for some sign of life.
The monitors explode into chaos as my heart rate spikes, but I don't care.
I can't feel anything. No flutter, no movement, nothing.
"No, no, no—" The word tears from my throat as panic floods my system.
Hot tears stream down my face. "Please, God, not the baby?—"
My hands won't stop moving, searching, begging.
"The baby—please?—"
"You're okay." The nurse covers my hands with hers, stilling them. "The baby is okay. We did an ultrasound while you were sedated, just to be certain."
My chest caves in.
The breath I've been fighting for all this time finally breaks free, rushing out of me in one long, shuddering exhale.
I close my eyes and let it flood me, that pure relief.
The baby's alive.
When I finally catch my breath, I wipe my nose with the back of my hand, class thrown out of the window. "What time is it? How long was I out?"
"Almost six hours. It's nearly four a.m." She adjusts something in my IV line. "The doctor gave you something for the pain and to help you rest."
"Where's Luca?" I ask in panic. "And Sofia? Is she okay?"
The nurse busies herself with my bandages. "The little girl is with her nanny. She was very upset, but she wasn't hurt."
Thank God for small mercies. But she didn't answer my first question.
"And Luca?"
She hesitates just a beat too long. "Mr. Moretti is... dealing with some matters."
Fuck. Something happened, and she's not telling me. So fucking great for my nerves… not.
A maid enters, carrying fresh linens. She glances at me, then quickly looks away.
