AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nodded as Sienna jumped from her car, stylish in gray capris and a sleeveless T-shirt. Her long nut-brown hair fell past her shoulders in carefully styled waves, her green eyes sparkled with the same excitement and love of life she had always known.
“There you are.” Sienna laughed, hugging Sabella as she stepped out of Rory’s truck. “And there’s one of the handsomest men in town.” She sighed, her expression creasing in sudden somber realization. “He looks just like Nathan, Belle.”
She mirrored Sabella’s earlier thoughts.
Sabella looked to Rory and saw the flash of pain on his face.
“No, Rory looks just like himself,” she said softly. Close. He was close. But not just like Noah. Not anymore.
“I can’t believe you nearly forgot about your follow-up appointment,” Sienna grumped at her then. “You were too sick, Belle. You need to take better care of yourself.”
She had been sick. That last flu bug had been a vicious one.
“I’m working on it, Sienna,” Sabella promised with a smile as they entered the doctor’s lobby, signed in, and took their seats.
She wondered if that bug was coming back. She hadn’t felt her best the last few days. She felt off. Out of sorts. But emotionally she was on a roller-coaster ride that threatened to drive her insane.
“They’re looking at me,” Rory muttered as she took a seat beside him.
She smiled, shaking her head. “’Cause you’re cute.”
He grimaced. Then grinned. “I am, ain’t I?”
And she just shook her head at that Malone grin, the twinkle in his blue eyes. He was a heartbreaker. Her friend. Her brother.
“I’ll protect you,” she whispered.
Then he stared back at her in surprise. “I want to be protected?”
And Sabella could only laugh.
She wasn’t laughing over an hour later though, she was close to sobbing, to screaming in joy. And in fear.
“I’d venture a week, perhaps a little longer,” Dr. Amy Aiken said softly as she sat on the stool in front of the exam table. “The shot was low dose to begin with, because you stated you weren’t involved in any sexual activity. You’re over a week late returning for the shot, and with the antibiotics . . .” The doctor shrugged. “It happens, Sabella.”
She was pregnant.
Sabella pressed her hand against her stomach. This time. This time, God had heard her prayers, he had given her a part of Noah to hold on to, a part of everything she loved to see her through the pain.
She swallowed tightly. “Could you not tell your nurses?” she finally said. “Could we keep this between us? For a while?”
The nurses were notorious gossips. Sabella had always suspected it was one of the reasons Dr. Aiken often ran many of the less complicated tests herself. The blood test had been done in the exam room while Sabella waited. Dr. Aiken was conscientious, she was personal. She was a friend to the women who came to her. And she knew her nurses.
“Is there a problem, Belle?” the doctor asked her gently.
Sabella shook her head. “I want a chance to believe it myself,” she said softly. “Before anyone else knows.”
Dr. Aiken sighed at that. “It’s a very small town.” She rose and collected the data on the test before folding it and pushing it into her lab coat. “I can wait a few weeks before I add it to your file.” She winked. “I forget these things sometimes.”
She sat back down on the stool. “Do you want this baby, Sabella?” she asked gently.
Sabella’s head snapped up. “More than anything,” she breathed out roughly. “I didn’t consider.” She paused and shook her head. “I didn’t think. I’d forgotten about the antibiotics. Things have been crazy at the garage.” In her life. The shock of having Nathan back had dulled her senses.
Dr. Aiken smiled, her serious hazel- and blue-flecked eyes somber. Concerned. “I want you back in three weeks. I’ll rerun the blood tests then and we’ll do a full workup. You weren’t pregnant when you were in here last month, you’re no more than a few weeks along.”
Sabella shook her head. No more than weeks. But she knew. She knew she carried Noah’s baby. She knew it was growing inside her. She swore she could feel it now. That unknown feeling that had plagued her the last few days, the sense of being off balance, not entirely certain why. It wasn’t just because of Noah. It was their child, letting her know he was there.
“You can get dressed now.” Amy rose to her feet. She paused again and looked at her. “If you need to talk, you know you can call me anytime. Or come by the house. We’ll have coffee.” She smiled suddenly. “Though it’s decaf for you.”
