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 How is she? Caleb asked, terrified while he tried to see if the woman he loved was all
right.
 She's fine. No thanks to you, Dr. Comel said, coming into the room.
His heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm.  What's wrong with her?
 Nothing about seven months won't cure, he informed him with a snort.
 What the hell are you ramb... Caleb's mouth dropped open when the possibility dawned
on him. When he noticed Karl beaming at him, he dared to hope he was right.  Is she?
She's...oh my God...she's pregnant?
 I knew there was a brain behind that pretty face, the doctor remarked.  Though the
jury's still out, considering how stupid you would have to be to get her pregnant in the
first place. I ve discovered she's still got the scarring from her first pregnancy to worry
about, on top of the fact that she is still not out of the clear with her heart 
 Wait, what? Caleb asked, his mind snapping back to the first part of the doctor s
statement.
Karl made a sound that was half a squeak, half a moan, and he dropped his head,
covering his eyes with his hand.
 What the hell are you talking about? he demanded, his chest growing tight.
The doctor s mouth opened, then closed, uncomfortably. He looked first at Karl and then
back to Caleb in obvious confusion  I thought you knew. This is her second pregnancy.
Her first miscarriage left some scarring that might impede the growth of this new baby.
Caleb felt his legs grow weak, and he grabbed for the hospital curtain.  First pregnancy...
My God... Karl?
Karl said nothing.
 Mike? he asked, holding his breath.
 No, Karl replied.
 Yours?
 Come on, man!
 Mine... It was mine? Caleb asked, shaking.
Karl sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.  You need to wait for Laura to wake up
and ask 
 I'm asking you! he screamed at him.
 You need to calm down, the doctor ordered them out into the hall.
 Look, I promised that I wouldn't 
Caleb felt like he'd been sucker punched. He grabbed Karl's collar and pushed him up
against the wall.  You promised? How long have you known?
 Whoa! Relax! Karl pushed back, making Caleb almost trip backwards.  It's not like
you went out of your way to find out what happened to her after she left.
 Hey! Knock it off, both of you! the doctor demanded.
Caleb felt the color drain out of his face, and his stomach churned with the threat of
nausea.  She was pregnant when she left?
 You need to talk to Laura when she wakes up, Karl repeated.
 Oh God... Oh my God! He covered his mouth, tears springing to his eyes. He lost his
footing and fell against the wall. All these years, she'd kept it from him, something so
important and she d never said a word. Caleb couldn't breathe.  I have to...God...I have to
go. I can't... A baby. There had been a baby. Now it was gone, and there was another to
take its place.  I need some air, he said through a blur of tears as he rushed out of the
room.
****
Laura opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Karl's worried face. She turned
her head in the opposite direction, expecting to see Caleb. He was not there. She turned
back to her friend. The somber look on his face worried her, and for a moment she was
terrified she had lost this baby as well. Her hands went instantly to her belly.
Seeing her gesture, Karl quickly assured her the baby was fine.
That could only leave one other option. Her stomach knotted with a strange clench of
apprehension.  Where is he?
Karl glanced up at the doctor, who shook his head.
 Don't shake your head at him. Where the hell is Caleb? She started to panic. Something
was wrong. Caleb had gone out on the job, and something had happened to him. He was
dead. He'd been shot. Oh God...Would he be this cruel? Just when Laura was about to get
everything she'd ever wanted, would God take Caleb?
 Laura... Karl began, and the doctor threw up his hands.
 Fine, but if she has a heart attack, it's on your head.
Laura reached up and grabbed the doctor s white coat, bringing him down to her face.
 Where the hell is Caleb?
 He knows, Laura, Karl said softly.
His voice was so sad that she couldn t believe he was talking about the doctor.
Caleb knew.
 Knows what? she asked, her voice hitching while her throat closed up with panic when
realization dawned like ice in her stomach. Please, no. Please.
 They called Caleb after you passed out. The doctor told him there might be problems
with this baby because of your heart meds and scarring from your earlier pregnancy.
Laura's eyes widened, and she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.  I have to talk to
him. I have to see him. No! Nononono! I have, I have... She d been surprised that so far,
this pregnancy hadn't given her much in the way of morning sickness. But now her
stomach lurched. She covered her mouth, and Karl grabbed the small bedpan, holding it
under her chin seconds before she threw up.
****
Caleb didn t stop driving until he found himself outside Laura s old apartment, the one
she d had above Greeley s garage where she worked all through high school. God must
be enjoying himself screwing around with him. This was the last place he wanted to be.
The place where he and Laura had first loved each other, where everything had been [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]