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“Seeing if she’s all right,” I muttered. “Tomorrow, I’m going to spend most of my day explaining to the police what happened.”
“Miss Matlock’s recovering now,” said the doctor, “but we need to examine her. There may be damage to the fetus.”
“Alicia’s baby?” said Sam. “So, she’s actually … pregnant?”
“Yes,” said the doctor. “I’m sorry. You weren’t aware.”
Sam looked at me. “Not sure who to believe,” he said. The doctor, seeing that we had a lot to talk about, made excuses and left. “I’ll let you know when you can visit her.”
We waited for hours. It must have been some time in the morning when Sam woke up suddenly. He shivered.
“You want my coat?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I mean if you’re not using it.”
I gave him my peacoat. He put it on and warmed himself up a little.
We sat in silence for a while.
“You lied to me,” said Sam miserably. “I can’t believe it, man.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve got a lot of making up to do. And I’m not sure how to do that right now.”
I looked at my phone. It was ringing. So far, I had fifty-eight missed calls from CAA personnel wanting to know if I was okay, or if I had any instructions or messages to pass on to the investors. I was almost too afraid to open my emails. This was a hell of a mess if ever I saw one.
“Look,” said Sam. “What happened, happened. It’s in the past. What we need to think about is the future.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said.
“What do you mean?” asked Sam. “She’s having your child. We’re gonna need to look after it.” Silence hung in the air. Neither of us knew if the baby was okay.
“I’ve put a trust together for her,” I said. “Once Alicia enters her third trimester, I’ve got money for her. Enough to start over if she wants. Whatever she wants, there’s money for it.”
“You think money’s gonna make it all okay? Well, it isn’t.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here. I’ve screwed everything up so badly. But I want to make it right.”
Sam looked at the floor. “I hope you can, man,” he said softly.
At dawn, the doctor returned.
“She’s going to be okay,” he said. “Recovering, steadily. And there’s no damage to the fetus. She’s safe, and so is her baby.”
“We can thank our lucky stars for that,” said Sam. “Can I go in to see her?”
“Of course,” said the doctor.
Sam stood up. “Stay here,” he said to me. I nodded.
Halfanhourlater,Sam returned. “She wants to speak to you.”
“Okay,” I said. I stood up. My heart was hammering.
Down the corridor, the doctor showed me to Alicia’s room. She was in bed with a drip attached to her wrist. Bruised, battered, and weakened by the effects of Patricia’s poison, she still looked as beautiful as the day I met her.
“Alicia?” I asked. She opened her eyes, and they flickered to meet mine.
“How are you feeling?” I asked and sat by her on the bed.
