And if he wasn’t?
He scrubbed his hand down his face. Giving in to the panic clawing at his gut wasn’t going to help. Getting Laurel to the hospital in Houston as quickly as possible would. “We’ll get a few hours of sleep and head out early.”
“How much further is it to Texas?”
The trolley stopped at a bus stop even though nobody was waiting to board and nobody was waiting to get off. He shoved down his impatience with the trolley driver. “Little over a thousand miles to Houston. Rambling Rose is a little under. We’ll get there day after tomorrow.”
“If we left now and drove straight through, we’d be there tomorrow.”
He shook his head. “It’ll be too hard on you.”
Her chin set. “Taking it easy on me won’t make it better. Not when my son—” Her voice choked off.
The trolley lurched into motion again. In comparison to the balloon, the ride felt as smooth as a bucking horse.
“Fine. We’ll stop and take a break every few hours,” he said, more to appease his own conscience than to reassure her.
She looked even more put out. “Have to make sure not to overwhelm the woman with the faulty brain?”
He exhaled roughly. “That’s not what I meant. And stop calling yourself that.”
“Or what?” She threw out her hands. “You’ll drive off and leave me alone to make my own way? We both know you’ll never leave me.”
It felt like being cracked with a whip. “Don’t push it, sweetheart. Even I have limits.”
“The only limit you have is being too good and too protective.”
Too good?
He nearly laughed. If he were good at all, he’d have contacted her parents the second he’d hung up the phone after Dr. Granger’s first call. He’d have swallowed his pride and asked them for assistance in arranging a flight that Laurel could board without any ID.
Maybe she’d be in Houston right now with her son instead of sitting on this damn trolley that was taking a freaking eternity to get them where they needed to go.
He shoved out of his seat, too restless to sit, and held on to one of the loops hanging from a rod near the roof. He stared out the front windshield, as if he could will the driver to go faster.
Of course, he didn’t.
And even though the drive had taken maybe ten minutes when it finally stopped in front of the familiar souvenir shop, it felt like three times that.
Laurel took the bag and they exited quickly, crossing the street to the hotel just as the street lamps began to light up.
He barely noticed.
Albuquerque by midnight, he figured.
Lubbock by dawn.
Houston by early afternoon.
He’d never driven fifteen hours or better at a single stretch, but he was going to now.
They entered the hotel and Adam pulled the keycard from his pocket and handed it to her. “Go up to the room. Take a shower or whatever if you want. Do you need your bag from the car?” Since the room hadn’t been ready, they’d left their belongings in the car while they’d gone to the restaurant.
“The parking garage is two blocks away.” She patted the shopping bag. “I’ve got the pj’s. I can change into them.”
“I’ll go fill up on gas, then. We can be on the road in less than an hour.”
She plucked the card from his fingers then turned and started up the wide staircase. She paused midway and looked back at him. “Everything is going to be all right, Adam.”
He wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of reassurance.
Particularly where Laurel Hudson was concerned.
But she wasn’t talking about them.
She was talking about the baby.
Their baby.
“The gas station isn’t far from the parking garage,” he said gruffly. “It won’t take me long.”
“I’ll be ready.” Then she turned again and headed quickly up the stairs.
Not only was Laurel ready and waiting when Adam returned to the hotel and knocked on the room door, but she’d filled the shopping bag from the souvenir shop with several bottles of water, plastic-wrapped sandwiches, a few pieces of fresh fruit and a large package of cookies.
She’d also obviously showered. Her hair was hanging dark and damp around her shoulders, and she was wearing the new pajamas under her sweater.
She didn’t look a day older than she’d been in college.
“I reached the hospital while I was getting gas.” He closed the door behind him and couldn’t help a double-take at the sight of the spacious suite. When he’d heard “one room available” from the registration clerk, he hadn’t asked for details.
Laurel’s eyes were wide. “And?”
“His regular nurse was already gone for the day, but the night nurse admitted Linus does have a low fever they’re not happy about. They don’t think it’s a sign of rejection, though. So that’s the good thing.”
She closed her eyes and her shoulders sagged. “Thank you, God,” she whispered. When she looked at him again, her eyes gleamed wetly.
He couldn’t take it if she started crying. Not when it was what he’d wanted to do, too, when the nurse had told him. And he hadn’t cried even when Laurel told him she was engaged to another man.
He reached in the bag and lifted the cream-filled cookies. “I was only gone thirty minutes. Where’d you manage to get all this?”
Her smile was a little shaky around the edges, but at least it was a smile. “There’s a small shop downstairs.” She suddenly looked uncertain. “I had to charge it to the room. I hope that’s okay.” She looked over her shoulder at the luxurious suite. “I figured it would be cheaper than raiding the minibar.”
“Surprised you didn’t get peanut butter cookies.”
“Those are your favorites. If I didn’t remember wrong.” Her face suddenly colored and she pulled the package out of his hand and stuck it back in the bag. She tucked her hair
