Page 119 of Enchant the Dawn

“The baby, too,” Ava said. “Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry, he thought. Don’t worry when he could hear the anxiety in the voices of the doctor and the nurses, when he could feel their concern as they discussed whether it would be better to let the baby come naturally or perform a C-section.

Dominic cursed under his breath, wondering if whatever Jasper had given Maddy was to blame. Damn the man. If he’d still been alive, Dominic would have ripped him a new one.

He felt like he’d been pacing the floor for hours when the doctor finally appeared. “Mr. Falconer?” He hesitated as two men turned at the sound of his voice.

“Is she all right?” Dominic asked anxiously.

“She’s going to be fine,” the doctor said with a reassuring smile. “She’s been moved to one of the rooms on the third floor.”

“And the baby?”

“He’s a bit premature. There seems to be an anomaly of some kind in his blood that we haven’t been able to identify.”

“Is it fatal?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say until we’ve run a few more tests. We’ll monitor his vital signs carefully for a few days.”

“Can I see my wife?”

“Soon. A nurse will let you know when you can go up.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” Leaning close to Ava, Dominic whispered, “Do you think this has something to do with our side of the family? Something the baby inherited from me?”

“I don’t know, but I doubt it. You and Lily are perfectly healthy.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Let’s not worry until we have something to worry about.”

Yeah, he thought, like that was going to stop him.

“I can’t wait to see the baby,” Lily said. “I’ll bet he looks just like all the men in our family.”

“Dammit, I can’t wait any longer,” Dominic said, and before anyone could stop him, he dissolved into mist and materialized on the third floor. Striding down the hallway as if he belonged there, he followed Maddy’s scent to room 312.

She was asleep, her face as pale as the pillowcase beneath her head. Bending down, he kissed her cheek lightly so as not to wake her. Never had she looked more beautiful. At the sound of voices outside the door, he dissolved into mist again as a nurse entered the room.

It took only moments to locate the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Still in mist form, Dominic bypassed the nurse on duty and drifted from bassinette to bassinette until he found his son. His heart swelled with love as he gazed at the tiny infant swaddled in a blue blanket, a blue cotton cap on his head. So small, he thought. So helpless. So perfect; how could anything be wrong with him?

When another nurse entered the room, he floated out the door. Later tonight, he would return and give Maddy a little of his blood to strengthen her.

And maybe the baby, too.

* * *

Maddy woke to the sound of a baby crying in the distance. Who had a baby? A quick glance around showed she wasn’t at home. For a moment, panic engulfed her. Had Jasper found her again?

“Maddy.”

Relief washed through her at the sound of Dominic’s voice. She started to ask what was going on, but it all came rushing back—the pain, their haste to get to the hospital. “My baby?” She glanced frantically around the room. “Where is he?”

“He’s going to be fine,” Dominic said, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “And so are you, my love.”

“I want to see him.”

When she started to sit up, Dominic stayed her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “He’s in NICU, but he’s going to be all right. How are you feeling?”

“I want to see my baby. Now.”

“Relax, love. You had a rough time of it.” Rolling up his shirt sleeve, he bit into his wrist. “I want you to drink from me.”

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