Maybe Bellawasmaking a mistake by letting Luke help her and by agreeing to live with him. But even if she was, she was also making the best choice she could for her child. She had to believe that.
After a while, watching the ER grew less interesting. Luke was gone for a long time with the trauma patient who’d come in, and though the other doctors and nurses were friendly, Bella had no interest in seeing what they were like. Eventually, she lay back, planning to rest her eyes for just a moment.
“Bella?”
The voice was low and kind, and it tugged at Bella from the depths of her dream.Luke?That was impossible…
“Bella?”
Slowly, Bella came back to herself as she awoke. Luke was standing beside her bed. He’d changed from his scrubs and lab coat into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, though he was still wearing the tennis shoes he’d had on before. His hair was smoothed back, and he looked a little tired.
“Oh, no.” Bella sat bolt upright. “I’m sorry. I think I fell asleep.”
“Nothing to apologize for. My shift is over, though, so we can head home. Sorry that a private room didn’t open up.”
Home.Bella’s heart clenched, but she managed to nod. “It’s okay. Can we stop by my apartment first to get a few things?”
“Of course.”
Luke disconnected the fetal heart-rate monitor and gently removed the band from around her stomach. Then he held out his hand to help her to her feet. Bella stood, stretching. It had been a long time since she’d taken a nap, probably a decade at least. She’d always been too busy. It felt good, though she was a bit groggy, too.
“Ready?” Luke asked.
“Uh-huh.” Bella followed him out into the parking lot. Night had fallen while they were inside, and the pavement was wet with rain. The air smelled like cherry blossoms and spring grass and wet concrete.
“This is mine,” Luke said, pointing to a car. “Where’s yours?”
“Oh, no.” Bella bit her lip. “I think it’s still at the venue.”
“No worries; I’ll have someone go and get it tomorrow,” Luke said easily, as though he had a whole army of “someones” to do the tasks he didn’t want to. “Come on. For now, let’s get you home.”
He opened the door for her, which made Bella’s stomach clench again. She got in and fastened her seatbelt while Luke climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Where do you live?” he asked. Bella gave her address, and they pulled out of the lot. Her apartment was on the opposite side of the city, but there wasn’t too much traffic. Neither of them spoke much as they drove. Bella sneaked a few glances at Luke, but he was looking straight ahead each time. Eventually, she turned on the radio and half-listened to the NPR segment about the origins of common kitchen vegetables to distract herself.
When they reached her apartment, Bella instructed Luke to park in her usual spot.
“I’ll just grab a few things and be right back.”
“I’ll come with you.” Luke was already getting out of the car.
“No, it’s fine?—”
“No, you need to rest. Let me come carry things.”
“I…” Bella glanced down at the curve of her stomach and sighed. “Fine. But just so you know, I’m not happy about this.”
“I understand. You’re doing me a favor by letting me help.” Luke winked, and for a split second, he was the handsome, funny man from the bar, instead of a competent doctor and the father of her baby.
“Yes, I am,” Bella agreed, but she flashed him a smile, too. They went in through the front door and climbed the two flights to Bella’s apartment, where she unlocked the door to let them in. As always, her apartment was neat and tidy. No matter how busy she was, she always made sure of that. As Bella gathered a few changes of clothes and some toiletries, she couldn’t help seeing the apartment through Luke’s eyes. It was small and cramped and furnished mostly from Ikea.
“I love your posters,” Luke said when Bella emerged from the bedroom with a small suitcase.
“Yeah?” Bella smiled as she followed his gaze. Her walls were decorated with posters of recipes, illustrated with little drawings of onions and chilis and apples that Stacy had done. They were brightly colored and provided an anchor to the space. “Thanks.”
“Let me take that.” Luke held out his hand, and Bella grudgingly gave him her suitcase.
“I’ll have to come over tomorrow and pack everything up,” she added. She hated the thought of giving up her apartment, but she’d only lived here for a year, anyway, and a few months without paying rent would help her savings significantly.
