Maybe my hearing was damaged in the fire. I can’t have heard him correctly.
“Your HCG levels indicate you’re a few weeks along. We’ll have a better idea once we perform an ultrasound,” the doctor continues.
“Pregnant? Are you sure?” I try to swallow but my tongue is too big for my mouth, and my throat has joined my ears and stopped working properly.
“Yes. It showed up in your blood test.”
I whip my gaze to Sterling’s. “I-I had no idea.”
His brow creases. “Hall?—”
“She inhaled a lot of smoke. Could it…?”
Sinclair’s words hang in the air.
The doctor gives me a reassuring smile. “I’d like to take you to for a scan and not delay.”
I turn to Sterling, fear dripping into my veins and replacing my blood with ice. “What if?—?”
Haunted blue stares back at me before warm hands cup my cheeks.
My breath catches as I stare at him. “I didn’t know. We didn’t… How did..?”
Tears course down my cheeks, over his thumbs as he places his forehead to mine.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” I mumble. “But all the smoke… What if?”
He kisses my forehead. “It’ll be okay,” he soothes.
I recognize his voice. It’s the one he uses when I’m anxious. Like before we saw my parents. And when we landed back in New York to that sea of reporters.
But those times there wasn’t a sliver of doubt tainting it.
Not like there is now.
I fist his shirt, needing something to cling on to.
Because as much as I want to cling on to his voice, this time, I’m not sure I believe him.
39
STERLING
A heartbeat pulseson the screen.
Strong and steady.
“My god,” I choke, running one hand around my jaw.
“Baby looks to be developing normally at this stage,” the sonographer says as she takes some measurements of the small blob. “But we’ll have you back in a couple of days to check again. You said your last period was five or six weeks ago?”
“About that,” Hallie replies, glancing at me.
“Seems about right.” The sonographer finishes up and then hands a wad of tissue to Hallie. “I’ll go get the images printed for you while you clean up.”
The sonographer closes the door, and Hallie wipes up and pulls the hospital gown down, sitting up on the bed.
