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What a fool he was.
The buzzer went off, and he rinsed his hands and arms beneath the tap, holding them up as a surgical tech passed him a sterile towel. When they were dry, he slid his arms into the gown she was holding, then slid on the latex gloves, using the fabric of his sterile gown to pull them over his fingers and palm.
“Ready?” the nurse asked.
“Yes.”
She opened the door to the theater and James walked inside, reminding himself to leave his problems in the prep room, the way he always did.
They’d still be there when the surgery was over, that was for sure. Even if he wished they weren’t.
26
“Thirty four weeks,” Ellie said as they walked into her office. “How are you feeling?”
Harper had arranged to meet James at the hospital. It made sense, after all. He was working and she’d spent the morning at the Silver Sands Resort in a videoconference with the other designers as they discussed the running order for the fashion show. With only two weeks to go, everybody was tense, and Harper was no exception. On top of that, she’d barely been sleeping at night. Her head was too full of thoughts – of the baby, of James, and of course of the fashion show. It was overwhelming.
“I’m fine,” Harper replied, smiling at Ellie. “A few aches and pains, but nothing abnormal.”
“Your blood pressure is a little high.” Ellie frowned as she looked at the read out. “Have you been getting enough sleep?”
“When the baby lets me.”
James leaned forward to check the results. From the corner of her eye she could see his brow wrinkling. “One-forty over a hundred?” he murmured. “That’s concerning.”
“It is. We’re going to need to monitor it over the next few days. Do you think you can come in daily for the next few days? I’ll ask the nurse to set you up a few appointments.”
“You want me here every day?” Harper repeated, her face paling. “I don’t think I can do that. I have a big event coming up in a couple of weeks. I need to be prepared.” She’d just about finished the alterations, but she still needed to check the fit on her models again and make some last minute changes. Plus there was talk about changing the finale – which could mean having to make another dress to fit the theme. Taking time out for a daily hospital appointment wasn’t possible.
Not if she wanted to fit in food and sleep, too.
“I can measure it,” James said. “And send Ellie the readouts daily.” He glanced at Harper. “That’s if it’s okay with you?”
Was it? The thought of seeing him every day again sent a shiver down her spine. But it also reminded her how easy it would be to let herself believe in the fairy tale. She felt torn, knowing how much easier it would make her life, yet how hard it would be on her emotions.
“Yeah,” she eventually said. “That’s fine with me.”
“And you’ve had no other symptoms?” Ellie asked. “No vomiting or headaches or unusual pain in your abdomen.”
“No,” Harper told her. “Nothing.”
“Okay. I want to run a couple of tests today to be sure. And James, I need you to keep an eye on things when I can’t, okay?” She smiled at Harper. “Since Daddy is a doctor, we might as well take advantage, right?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“This big event. Is there any way you can get more help with it? I’m concerned about your stress levels.”
“Not really, but most of the hard work is done.” Harper pressed her lips together. “There may be one more dress to make but I’ll tell them it isn’t possible if needed. This little baby is more important.” She patted her stomach.
“Okay. Good. And do you have a plan to wind down after this? When are you thinking of taking leave?”
“I have a few more custom orders to finish, that should take me through week thirty-eight. After that, I’m planning on taking at least a month off. Probably two.”
“That’s sensible.” Ellie made a note on her pad. “How about you, James? Are you taking time off?”
“I’ve requested two weeks after the birth.”
Harper turned to him. “I didn’t know that.”
