Page 38 of The Venetian One-Night Baby

Sabrina was glad Harriet had left for the day. She closed the shop front door and turned the ‘Closed’ sign to face the street. ‘Come out the back and I’ll do your fitting while we chat.’

‘Forget about the fitting—we can do that another day,’ Holly said, once they were out the back. ‘The wedding isn’t for another few weeks. What’s wrong?’

Sabrina put her hand on her belly. Was it her imagination or had she just felt a cramp? ‘I’m just feeling a bit all over the place.’

‘Are you feeling unwell?’

‘Sort of...’ She winced as another cramp gripped her abdomen.

Holly’s eyes widened. ‘Maybe you should sit down. Here...’ She pulled out a chair. ‘Do you feel faint?’

Sabrina ignored the chair and headed straight to the bathroom. ‘I need to pee.’

She closed the bathroom door, taking a breath to calm herself. Tummy troubles were part and parcel of the first weeks of pregnancy. Nausea, vomiting, constipation—they were a result of the shifting hormones. But when she checked her underwear, her heart juddered to a halt. The unmistakable spots of blood signalled something was wrong. She tried to stifle a gasp of despair as a giant wave of emotion swamped her.

Was she about to lose the baby?

Holly knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Sabrina? Are you okay?’

Sabrina came out a short time later. ‘I think I need to go to hospital.’

* * *

Max was in a meeting with his client when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Normally he would have ignored it—clients didn’t always appreciate their time with him being interrupted. Especially this client, by far the most difficult and pedantic he had ever had on his books. But when he excused himself and pulled out his phone, he didn’t recognise the number. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, figuring whoever it was could call back or leave a message. But he only had just sat back down with his client when his phone pinged with a text message. He pulled the phone out again and read the text.

Max, it’s Holly. Can you call me ASAP?

Max’s chest gave a painful spasm, his heart leaping and lodging in his throat until he could scarcely draw breath. There could only be one reason Sabrina’s friend was calling him. Something must be wrong. Terribly wrong. He pushed back his chair and mumbled another apology to his client and strode out of the room. He dialled the number on the screen and pinched the bridge of his nose to contain his emotions. ‘Come on, come on, come on. Pick up.’

‘Max?’

‘What’s happened?’ Max was gripping the phone so tightly he was sure it would splinter into a hundred pieces. ‘Is Sabrina okay?’

‘She’s fine. She’s had a slight show of blood but nothing since so that’s good—’

Guilt rained down on him like hailstones. He should never have left her. This was his fault. She’d been out of sorts this morning and he’d made it a whole lot worse by springing his trip on her without warning. What sort of job was he doing of looking after her when the first time he turned his back she ended up in hospital? Was there something wrong with him? Was there a curse on all his relationships, especially the most important one of all? His guts churned at the thought of her losing the baby. Of him losing her. Dread froze his scalp and churned his guts and turned his legs to water.

‘Are you sure she’s okay? Can I speak to her?’

‘She’s still with the doctor but I’ll get her to call you when she’s finished. She didn’t want to worry you but I thought you should know.’

Damn right he should know. But he still shouldn’t have left her. He had let her down and now he had to live with his old friend, guilt. ‘Thanks for calling. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

* * *

‘You’re free to go home now, Sabrina,’ the doctor said, stripping off her gloves. ‘The cervix looks fine and the scan shows the placenta is intact. A break-through bleed at this stage, especially one as small as yours, is not unusual. Some women have spotting right through the pregnancy. Just make sure you rest for a day or two and if you have any concerns let us know.’

Sabrina tried to take comfort in what the doctor had said but her emotions were still all over the place. ‘I’m not going to lose the baby?’

‘I can’t guarantee that. But, as I said, things look fine.’ The doctor glanced at the engagement ring on Sabrina’s hand and smiled. ‘Get your fiancé to take extra-special care of you for the next few days.’

Her fiancé...

Sabrina wished Max were waiting outside instead of Holly. Her friend was fabulous and had swung into action as if she had been handling fretting pregnant women all her life. But the person Sabrina most wanted by her side was Max. She felt so alone facing the panic of a possible miscarriage. What if she had lost the baby? What if she still lost it? The doctor was right, there were no guarantees. Nature was unpredictable.

Holly swished the curtain aside on the cubicle. ‘The doctor said you’re fine to go home. Max is on his way.’

‘You called him? How did you get his number?’

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