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Malcolm shook his head. ‘I can ring through to your doctor, though—explain that you’re seeing me now?’
Catherine thought for a moment. She liked Dr Sellers, liked his directness, the way he handled Rico, but despite her curiosity she actually understood where Rico was coming from. She needed some time to prepare herself, to brace herself before she heard about Janey’s injuries.
Today simply wasn’t the day.
‘Can I have some time to think about it?’
‘Take all the time you need.’ Dr Sellers was pushing the test strip towards her now, watching her expression with knowing eyes. ‘I’d suggest this is enough to be going on with for now. Are congratulations in order?’
She couldn’t answer, her throat constricting, her stomach clenching as she eyed the test.
‘Catherine, I do read the papers. I know a little of what you’ve been through, and if this result isn’t what you were hoping for…’ He gave a small cough. ‘You are my patient, Catherine. Nothing that is said in this room goes further. You have been under a lot of stress, and as you know stress manifests itself in many ways. If you choose, then that can be what we tell Rico.’
‘Thank you.’ Her voice was a tiny whisper. ‘And you’re right. I’m not sure if this is the result I wanted.’ She gave a small laugh, but it changed midway and came out as a sob. ‘But deep down I knew it was the one I was going to get. I’ll be all right, Doctor. There’s no question of ending the pregnancy.’ She went to stand, but Dr Sellers gestured for her to sit.
‘In that case, I haven’t finished with you yet. In fact, I’ve barely even started.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RICO was practically climbing the walls by the time she emerged, a good twenty minutes later, glassy-eyed, a touch pink around the cheeks, but relatively composed.
‘What the hell took so long?’
‘He wanted to examine me, take some blood—that type of thing.’
‘You went for a pregnancy test, not a roadworthy test. Bloody doctors. Why can’t they just do what you ask?’
‘He did do as I asked.’ She tried to summon more words, tried to carry on the conversation, but she simply couldn’t do it.
‘Well?’
‘If you snap your fingers, Rico,’ Catherine warned him, ‘I swear I’ll…’ Her eyes lifted to his, the answer blazing there for all to see, and she saw his mouth open as he registered her hesitant face. She braced herself for some scathing response, waited for his scorn, but it never came.
‘You’re definitely pregnant?’
‘I’m sorry if this isn’t the news you wanted, Rico. Sorry—’
‘Never, ever be sorry,’ Rico broke in. ‘Catherine, this is wonderful…’
‘Is it?’ She stared up at him, utterly bemused at his reaction. ‘It’s too much, Rico, too soon. You think you’re happy now, but one day you’ll throw it back at me, say that I—’
‘Forget the past, Catherine,’ he demanded, and how she wanted to—how she wanted to put it all behind her. But it simply wasn’t that easy. Too much had been said for instant resolution. ‘Whatever your motives, whatever the reason…’
‘My motives?’ An incredulous laugh shot out of her lips. ‘Two minutes into this pregnancy, Rico, and you already throw it back at me…’
‘What I’m trying to say…’ He was silenced as a nurse walked past, and he shook his head proudly. ‘This is not the place.’
He took her to a restaurant, one of those tiny dark buildings people wandered past unwittingly, a hidden gem in the middle of the city, and once inside led her to an alcove, waiting till she was seated before speaking.
‘What I was trying to say—’ Rico resumed the conversation as if they had only just left it ‘—is that this is not a conventional marriage.’ His words were without malice, and Catherine nodded, glad they could acknowledge that truth at last, glad they were finally talking. ‘Whatever has gone on in the past, surely now is the time to put it aside, to start afresh? We are having a baby, Catherine. Something good, something positive has come from our loss—why can’t we just move forward?’
‘Without even glancing back at the past?’ Catherine questioned. ‘I’m not like you, Rico. I can’t just move ahead without a backward glance. You won’t discuss your past; you won’t even discuss what happened to Marco with the doctor…’
‘Cannot today be just about us?’ he asked. ‘I know this marriage is for Lily, but surely…’ He picked up her left hand, played with the heavy gold band for a moment before continuing. ‘Can we make a fresh start, Catherine? Start this marriage over again?’
‘For the baby’s sake?’
Rico shook his head. ‘For all our sakes. Catherine, I want you to be happy. I want us al
