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He walked to her desk and resisted the urge to gently shake her awake, while stroking his hand through her dark glossy hair. “Ms. Black, you’re at work, not a boring science class. Just what do you think you’re doing?”
She made no sign that she’d heard him, and Adam frowned. Without thinking, he rested his hand on her neck. “Gabrielle? Gabrielle!”
Her skin was cold and clammy to the touch. He gently drew her body up but it felt heavy and limp. He thought of her fainting the other night at the banquet. Adam’s chest tightened as if a huge fist was clenching around it. He had to get Gabrielle to the hospital, fast.
*
Gabrielle was seated on the edge of the hospital bed as Adam returned with the doctor. She didn’t even turn to them when they appeared, looking lost as she stared ahead of her unseeingly.
She hadn’t been able to take in much of anything, not since she woke up an hour earlier. Adam had been bustling about after everyone, be it the nurses or doctor, as he tried to make sure she was going to be okay. Everything seemed to be happening from a far distance, even as she heard Adam ask the doctor if they could try to do some CT scans.
“There’s no need for a CT scan,” the doctor said while looking over her results. Then he asked Gabrielle, “You’ve been tired lately, haven’t you?”
“I noticed that, too,” Adam said. “I’ve given her less and less work, but she never looks any better. You should have told me if you were under too much pressure.” Adam was talking to her in that same angry tone he’d been using since she woke up, but she vaguely sensed his anger was directed mostly at himself.
“Well, you should slow down,” the doctor said with an amiable tone when Gabrielle still didn’t say a word.
Adam turned to her with a quelling look. “You hear that? No more arguing with me when I tell you to go home early.”
“You’re pregnant,” the doctor suddenly uttered, eyes still the chart in his hands.
“Exactly. That what I’m trying to….what?” Adam asked in shock as he turned to the doctor. Even Gabrielle’s eyes widened and she finally looked up at the doctor’s bespectacled face.
“You have anemia from your pregnancy,” the doctor added. “I’ll prescribe iron supplements for you – make sure you take them. Congratulations.” He gave a cheerful smile to both of them, and then strode out of the room.
Adam stared after the departed doctor, before slowly turning to Gabrielle to see her in just as much shock. “Gabrielle?”
Suddenly, she burst into tears.
Adam went to her in an instant. “Don’t,” he said gently. “Why do you have to cry?”
She fought off his circling arms. “Go away! Leave me alone!” She turned to the bed and flattened her face in the mattress as she pounded her hands into it, moaning, “This has to be a dream. It has to.”
“Gabrielle, it’s okay,” he said, and gently patted her shoulder as he sat down beside her. It was amazing how calm he felt. “It’s mine, isn’t it?”
He wasn’t sure how he knew, he just did with an insurmountable gut feeling. Watching her cry as if her life was over was very distressing for him.
The next moment, she sprang up, eyes suddenly wide with hope as she faced him. “What if the doctor got it wrong? Let’s try a different hospital.”
Adam shook his head sagely. “No. First, accept the fact.” He tried to gather her close but she pushed at him fiercely.
“Don’t touch me!” she said, crying harder than ever. Using gentle strength, Adam drew her in his embrace and patted her hair as he rested her head on his chest. He kissed her temple soothingly and felt her rigid body start to relax even though she didn’t let up her tears.
He knew she was in shock and he couldn’t blame her – he was sure the reality would set in for him much later. But right now, he just wanted to hold her. He felt her fists occasionally pummel his chest as she sobbed, but it hardly made any effect. Adam was ready to let her take it all out on him, and he could handle the blows from her small fists. What he couldn’t handle, he realized suddenly, was the thought of ever letting her go. Not now, not ever.
Just over two months ago, he’d closed a major contract. The transaction was with a fast rising technology company, and one Adam had been chasing after for months. He’d gotten more than a fair deal and that had been no surprise to him.
Being a certified genius, he had complete confidence in his numbers game. He’d graduated from college early, as a teenager. Based on his intuitive luck and rock solid calculations, he’d managed to grow his financial business at breakneck speed.
