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The doctor nodded. “And the baby’s okaytoo.”
Declan’s heart stuttered in his chest. “The…baby?”
The doctor’s eyes grew guarded. “I’m sorry. I assumed you knew. She’s about nine weeks pregnant, but like I said, everything looks finethere.”
“The baby…” Declan repeated, shock reverberating through hisbody.
“Thank you,” Aiden said, shaking the doctor’shand.
“Can we see her?” Declanasked.
“She’s a bit woozy, but I’ll give you five minutes,” the doctor said. “I’ll send a nurse to show you theway.”
Declan stared at him as he started back down thehall.
“I didn’t know,” Anniesaid.
Declan shook his head. “Meneither.”
“Thank god she’s going to be okay,” Aidensaid.
Declan turned to find his family and Beth watching them. A tall, dark-haired nurse with the beginning of a five o’ clock shadow appeared a few seconds later. “Mr.Walsh?”
Declan looked atAiden.
“I think he means you,” Aidensaid.
A short burst of laughter rose from Declan’s throat and he ran a tired hand over his face. He couldn’t wait to tell Kate the story. She would get a kick out ofit.
“I’ll fill everyone in,” Annie said, stretching to kiss his cheek. “You go check on ourgirl.”
Declan nodded and started down the hall with thenurse.
His heart pounded as they entered through a set of sealed doors. The nurse led Declan past several windowed rooms filled with patients in various states of consciousness, hooked up to variousmachines.
They finally stopped at a door leading to one of the rooms. “Five minutes,” the nurse said. “She might not be clear-headed. That will get better as the anesthesia works its way out of hersystem."
“Thank you,” Declan said. “Is she… in pain?” He couldn’t bear thethought.
“Not yet,” the nurse said. “She’s on some pretty heavymeds.”
Declan nodded and opened thedoor.
The bed was tall with metal guardrails, Kate’s figure surprisingly slight under the covers. When he thought of her, he always saw her as imposing and powerful. It had never stopped him from wanting to protect her, but now the impulse roared to life with a force that almost took his breath away. He understood now that loving her didn’t make him weak orvulnerable.
It made him the strongest person in theworld.
Her eyes fluttered open, cloudy in the moment before they cleared, focusing on herface.
She opened her palm, lying next to her body on thebed.
He stepped toward her, not wanting her to try and talk or lift her arm, which he was pretty sure she would do if he didn’t move fastenough.
He pulled a chair close to the bed and took her hand in his. “You gave us ascare.”
“Griffin…Beth…”
“Everyone is fine,” Declan said. “They’re out in the lobby, clamoring to see you, but the doctor says not yet. It was…” He could hardly bring himself to say the words. “It was a closecall.”
