“Amber.” She smoothed the sheet over the child lovingly.
“Amber Gritti?”
“Yes!”
“Is that her father’s name?”
“Yes, he named her before she was born.” I gritted my teeth and looked away from her. She still carried his name. Just how deeply in love was she with this guy?
And why the fuck are you this jealous of a dead man? How the fuck should I know? It was obvious that I’d lost my damn mind and was suffering some kind of meltdown.
“I’ll be right back.” I left the room and went for a walk and some fresh air to clear my head. What a hell of a day. I realized I was this out of sorts because I’d been side swiped by all this.
I had no idea that she’d had this whole other life before she came to me and now my mind was filled with all the dark spaces that were left open.
What else was I going to find when I go searching later? Is there someone else in her life now? There better fucking not be.
No matter, if there is I’ll just have to set her straight. No one else is going to have her but me. I stormed back into the building intent on telling her ass just that but got waylaid by the doctor.
“Dr. Spencer will be here tomorrow afternoon at the latest. We didn’t think it was a good idea to move the child right now so it’s best that he comes here.”
“Very well, make sure I get the bill.” I gave him one of my cards. “Did you tell her mother already?”
“No, I was just on my way to give her the news now.”
“No need, I’ll tell her myself. Is there anything else we should be doing right now to make her comfortable?”
“No, we’re doing all that we can. The most important thing is to keep her calm and let her little body rest. I have no doubt that with Dr. Spencer’s help and expertise she’ll be good as new in no time.”
“Okay thanks.” I headed to the elevator and back up to the room to give her the good news. I stopped just outside the door looking at in at her through the glass.
She looked so worried and so damn alone. My family wasn’t huge but at least we had each other. I made a silent promise to be there for her from now on. I never want to see her looking like this again.
She looked up when I walked in and I took no time in telling her the good news. The look on her face made some of the darkness fade.
“I don’t know how to thank you. I can never repay you.”
“I didn’t ask you to. No one should have to watch their child suffer because they don’t have enough money to pay for their care.”
I was actually surprised that she hadn’t put up more of a fight knowing her penchant for opposing me at every turn.
Thankfully she seemed more interested in saving her child’s life than in butting heads with me. Still I had to ask. I can never take anything for granted when it comes to her.
“I’m a little surprised that you didn’t give me more of an argument.” She took her time answering and when she did I wished I hadn’t asked.
“She’s all I have left of Richard there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to keep her safe.” Dammit!
9
Ididn’t say shit else to her for the next few hours, just sat there with her as she watched over the child.
I needed to find an outlet for my unreasonable anger, but I didn’t want to leave her here alone. It broke my heart that the two of them seemed to be all alone in the world.
One was no bigger than my thigh, hooked up to machines and tubes that no innocent should have to endure.
And the other was little more than a child herself. She might be older than I thought in years, but life had knocked her around quite a bit.
That’s where that air of innocence came from I suppose. The more I sat there the less I thought about her husband and the more I wanted to take care of her.
