“No. She’s nauseous and a bit dizzy.”
Liam’s chest tightened. He had to ask the question he most feared knowing the answer to.
“Do they know if she’s going to … lose the baby?”
The doctor briskly stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.
“Hello, I’m Dr. McCallister, Abi’s family doctor.”
She offered her hand to Liam and he shook it.
“I’m Liam Perry.”
She sat down behind the desk. “There’s a team working to take care of Abi and they’ve advised me what’s going on. Since Abi’s been seeing me for years and is comfortable with me, she asked if I’d talk to you and answer any of your questions.”
Liam nodded.
“The good news is that mom and baby are doing fine right now,” Dr. McCallister explained. “She came close to losing the baby and”—she frowned—“depending on how things went, mom was in some danger, too.”
Liam’s heart clenched at the thought that they could have lost Abi.
“Should we have known?” Liam asked. “She had some dizziness and nausea and…”
Ah, fuck. And Abi had fainted during sex. What the hell was wrong with him that he didn’t insist she go to the doctor?
“And…?” the doctor prompted.
“Last night … when we had sex … she fainted,” Liam answered.
The doctor’s brown eyes rested on Liam. “All of those things are normal things a woman might experience during pregnancy.” Her lips turned up in a smile. “That last one at any time, given the right circumstances. Don’t beat yourselves up about it.” She leaned forward. “You’re her husband, right?”
“Yes,” Liam answered.
She turned to Del. “And you’re her fiancé?”
“Yes. The divorce isn’t final yet,” Del said.
“I see. And who’s the father?”
“I am,” Liam said.
The doctor nodded. “I see things are complicated. Abi told me you’re hoping to change her mind about the divorce,” Dr. McCallister said to Liam.
“Yes, that’s right,” Liam said.
She sat back in her chair. “I know this is a difficult time for all of you. But I need you to understand that stress … and this situation you find yourselves in is a huge source of stress for Abi … is dangerous for her and the baby. Mr. Perry, have you considered the fact that Abi might be worried that you’re going to sue for custody?”
His gaze jerked to her face, then shifted to Del who was staring at a paperweight on the desktop.
He hadn’t considered that.
God, if Abi thought that, she would feel trapped.
“It’s important that the two of you figure out what you can do to minimize Abi’s stress and make her and her well-being a priority throughout the pregnancy. She’ll need both your support.”
“Of course,” Liam said and Del nodded his agreement.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Excuse me,” the doctor said as she stood up to answer it. She spoke with a nurse, then turned back to them.
“The test results look good, but I’d still like to keep her here for a few days. When she leaves the hospital, she should stay with someone who can be with her during the day. She should rest as much as possible.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Del said.
* * *
The doctor stayed a little longer and answered their questions, then she excused herself, leaving Liam and Del in the office.
Liam stared at the flowers. Ones he’d picked out with Abi in mind. Because he knew her so well. Because he knew what she liked.
And yet he’d had no clue that she would believe he might take her child from her.
“A lot to think about,” Del said.
Liam nodded distractedly, still reeling from the tumultuous emotions roiling through him from everything he’d just learned.
“Yes.”
Del stared at him, then stood up and rested his hand on Liam’s shoulder.
“We can probably go see Abi now,” Del said. “From everything the doctor said, it probably wouldn’t be wise for both of us to see her right now, so I’ll go grab a coffee while you go in.”
Liam drew in a deep breath and nodded, then pushed himself to his feet.
He loved Abi more deeply than he could ever have imagined was possible to love another person. Yet he had caused her so much pain.
He didn’t deserve her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Abi opened her eyes at the feel of a hand on her arm. Liam stared at her, his warm brown eyes filled with sadness. He was sitting in a chair beside her hospital bed.
“Hi.” She was so tired. Keeping her eyes open was an effort.
Liam took her hand. “I’m so sorry, kitten.”
Alarm spiked through her.
“The doctor told me the baby was okay.” Her voice was tight with anxiety.
Had she misunderstood? Had they been waiting to break it to her gently?
He squeezed her hand. “Yes, the baby’s fine.”
She sucked in a breath, the tension easing from her.
“Thank God.” She tightened her fingers around his. “So why did you say you’re sorry?”
“Because I wasn’t there for you.” He leaned back in the chair, pain rippling in the depths of his brown eyes. “Because I’m the one who caused this. I’m the one who put you under so much stress that you almost lost the baby.”
She tried to sit up but her head started spinning and she settled back on the pillow.
“Liam, it’s not your fault.”
He stroked her hair from her face. At the gentleness of his touch, the aching sadness in his eyes, her heart compressed.
“I love you, baby,” he murmured. “And I never meant to hurt you.”
The depth of feeling in his words tore at her heart.
Oh, God, she loved this man.
But she loved Del, too.
Confusion coiled through her, snaking around her heart and tightening until she could barely breathe.
She couldn’t see her life without either one of them.
Tears welled in her eyes. What was she going to do?
* * *
Over the next few days, Del and Liam visited her every day. Liam was always there when she woke up in the morning and sat with her while she ate breakfast. Del showed up shortly after and chatted with her, while Liam was a silent presence, his thoughts and feelings hidden from her. Except for the ghost of sadness
