Page 82 of This Time Around

“That poor girl.” Mary.

Rafe’s emotions flared again but swayed towards anger this time instead of despair. But losing his temper wouldn’t get him the answers he needed, wouldn’t get the job done.

He needed details. He needed information. He needed cool, calm facts.

Slowly, he let out the breath he’d been holding, centred himself.

Jane needed him. He couldn’t afford to fall apart.

He stared at Scott. “Why come after Jane when it was Sam who screwed her over? What could she possibly hope to gain from any of this?”

Scott shook his head, as though he were having trouble believing it too. “She claimed Sam left her because of Jane.”

Mary snorted. “Surely this girl doesn’t think he actuallylovedJane?” she said, one brow raised in a you-must-be-joking gesture.

“Nothing like that,” Scott continued. “According to Ms Weis, before Jane came along, the most she and Sam had ever scored from one con was about fifteen thousand dollars. If I had to guess, I’d say Sam got greedy and didn’t want to share. Figured now he’d hit the big time, he didn’t need Rachel any more and ditched her.”

“How the hell is that Janie’s fault?” Oliver demanded.

“Ollie, I’ve been a cop for twenty years and I still don’t understand half the things criminals do. She’s been caught and she can’t hurt Jane anymore. Focus on that.”

“Mr Bennett?” A large man in dark blue scrubs called out from the ER doors.

Five deep voices answered at once. “Yes?”

“Ah… MrRafaelBennett? You can see Miss Melville now.”

“Open your eyes, Janie,” Rafe whispered. Clutching her hand in his, he pressed his lips to the backs of her fingers. “Please, please open your eyes.”

Almost two days had passed since the crash.

When he and Mary had finally been allowed the see her, the doctors had rattled off a laundry list of injuries: three cracked ribs, a sprained ankle, two broken fingers, multiple contusions and head trauma.

Essentially, her brain had been knocked around inside her skull, was now seriously confused and needed time to rest, hence her state of unconsciousness.

“It’s a common injury sustained in car accidents,” they’d said. “We’ll monitor her, of course, but there’s nothing on her scans to indicate any permanent damage at this stage.”

“How long until she wakes up?”

“It varies from one person to the next. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific.”

“And the blood?” he’d asked, barely daring to breathe.

“The ultrasound didn’t show anything out of the ordinary. Foetus mobility looks good, heartbeats are strong,” they’d said, flicking through Jane’s file. “Sometimes bleeds, even heavy bleeds, just happen. Especially in multiple births.”

“Multiple births?”

“Yes, Miss Melville is carrying twins. I’m sorry, I assumed you knew.”

Twins.

Rafe no longer needed a blood test to know Jane’s baby—babies—were his. Dr Chen had still confirmed it though when she’d stopped by to check on them. His DNA was a match.

He was going to be a father.

But, all the happy news in the world didn’t change the fact Jane was still unconscious.

Doctors and nurses periodically came and went, taking her pulse, checking her vitals, changing her IV bag, whispering to each other just out of earshot as if sparing him the details of her condition was a kindness.

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