Later Beth sat in the hospital, with the blanket still around her, waiting to see the doctor. She took her phone out of her bag and read the text Dante had sent her earlier. She texted back that she was fine and that she would see him tomorrow night. She thought of ending with love, and didn’t quite dare. But Beth knew she loved him without a shadow of a doubt—though she would have preferred to realise it without half drowning in the process.
Perhaps she always had loved Dante? Maybe there was such a thing as love at first sight? she mused. All along there had been that deep underlining attraction that had begun in the courtroom when she was only nineteen and too innocent to recognise it, and after the trial it had been easier to hate him. Now she was married to him and carrying his child, and though he didn’t love her he wanted her physically. With a child between them she could hope he would grow to love her. The three-year time limit was a minimum, not a maximum....
A young couple with tears in their eyes came up to her and thanked her over and over again for saving their little girl Trixie.
Beth smiled as they walked away, but there was more—much, much more than she had ever expected—until finally she fell into an exhausted sleep.
* * *
‘Mrs Cannavaro...’ Beth opened her eyes and saw a woman in a blue uniform, standing by her bed. She glanced around. The room was white and she was completely disorientated for a moment. Then, as the events of yesterday came flooding back, she closed her eyes again.
‘Mrs Cannavaro.’
The nurse repeated her name, and reluctantly she opened her eyes.
‘Good news. Your husband will be here soon, and a cup of tea and food is on its way. I need to check your vitals, and then you can have a wash and get dressed,’ she told her with a broad smile. ‘Dr James will be here to see you soon, and after that you can be discharged. And don’t worry—you are very fit and an extremely brave young woman...you will be fine in no time at all.’
The nurse was so unrelentingly cheerful, while avoiding the elephant in the room, that it made Beth want to scream. But she didn’t. Stoically, she said, ‘Thank you.’ And then asked, ‘How is Trixie today?’
‘Oh, the little girl is fine—thanks to you. She went home with her parents last night.’
‘Good,’ Beth said, and suffered the nurse’s ministrations in silence, reliving the tragic events of yesterday that had put her here. In her mind she blamed herself, though she knew she could never have done anything different. Trixie was safe and that was all that mattered.
But now she was no longer quite so certain.
At nine last night a doctor had told her that the pain that had suddenly doubled her over as she was leaving was the start of a miscarriage. Probably brought on by the tremendous amount of physical energy it had taken to save the little girl. The bruising and the gash on her back had not helped, and it had cost the life of her own baby. By eleven it had all been over, and for the first time since Helen died Beth had broken down and cried until she had no tears left.
Now she felt nothing at all—just totally numb inside.
She nodded and said yes and thank you to the nurse’s endless chatter, until finally she was washed and her hair was combed. Wearing the clothes Janet had handed her yesterday, she sat on the edge of the bed and drank a cup of tea. The food was of no interest to her.
Dr James arrived and after checking her over, his eyes full of compassion, he told her how sorry he was and made an appointment for her to see him on Monday to confirm everything was clear. He told her that she was a healthy young woman and he was sure she would have no trouble getting pregnant again when she wanted to, not to worry. It had been an extraordinary set of circumstances that had caused the miscarriage, and it was extremely unlikely to happen again.
Beth smiled and said thank you again, and sat down on the bed as he turned to leave. She heard the door close behind him. Suddenly the numbness that had protected her bruised mind and body faded away and her shoulders slumped. Her spirit was broken. She could never regret saving Trixie, but it had cost her a soul- destroying price. But then that seemed to be the story of her life, she thought, looking back over the past few years that had led her to this point.
She heard the ring of her cell phone and automatically reached into her bag and answered. It was Janet. She had called at the cottage and the builder was there but Beth wasn’t. Janet wanted to know why she was not at home. In a few terse sentences Beth told her, and listened to her compassionate response. She asked if there was anything she could do to help. Beth said nothing except to tell the builders to take the day off. She wanted to be alone for a while, and Dante would be arriving later. She rang off.
Beth did not want to see anyone or talk to anyone. She wanted to close her eyes and forget the last twenty hours had ever happened. But it wasn’t to be. She heard the door open again and looked up to see Dante enter the room. His handsome face looked drawn, black stubble shadowed his jaw, and his mouth was a firm straight line. His eyes blazed with some powerful emotion.
Beth saw a chink of light in the darkness of her soul and rose to her feet. She loved him so much. Maybe he would recognise her pain and take it away, fold her in his arms and comfort her. But Dante made no move towards her. He simply stared.
‘Beth, how do you feel?’
How many times had he asked her that? she wondered. It seemed to be his favourite question. The chink of light was extinguished. Deep down she had always known it was the baby he was concerned about, not her. And it slowly dawned on her that the emotion she saw in his dark eyes was anger. Why had she expected anything more? He had married her for the baby—nothing else. She had actually fooled herself into thinking that it might have been something more this week and she’d been happy. But not now. The baby was gone and there was no longer any reason for Dante to be here.
The blood turned to ice in her veins; the numbness returning.
‘Fine. Can we leave now?’
The fear and the fury Dante had felt since he’d heard the news at midnight eased a little. Beth looked pale and so bea
utiful, so tragic. He wished he had been here for her. He wanted to take her in his arms...
‘I need to get home to feed Binkie.’
‘Forget the damn cat!’ Dante exclaimed, his fear and anger boiling over. ‘I have spoken to the doctor. You have just lost the baby and you are battered and bruised with a slashed back. What on earth possessed you to dive into the sea? You could have died!’
‘I am not having this conversation now. If you don’t want to drive me home, I’ll get a cab.’ Beth picked up her bag, refusing to look at him, intent on leaving.