She closed her eyes and tried to piece together the events of the past several hours. Her brain didn’t seem to be working properly, and she felt as if she might throw up.
She’d decided to pick up the ingredients for a nice dinner for Ryan. She wanted to lay everything on the line...tell him the truth. She was in love with him. If he didn’t balk at her admission, if he, too, thought they had a future together as a true husband and wife, she’d be able to read it in his face. She knew somehow that she’d see his hesitancy once she admitted she loved him.
If there was one thing she knew about Ryan, it was that he worried about her. He’d feel responsible if he asked her to continue the marriage for the sake of the baby and him having the family he’d always wanted, knowing all along that he risked hurting her because she’d truly fallen for him.
She’d made that risky choice, and returned home with her heart on her sleeve, so to speak. And then...
The image of the woman’s red fingernails clutching at Ryan’s naked shoulders flashed into her mind’s eye like a visual slap to the face. Suddenly she knew for a fact that had been Melanie who had been calling Ryan for the past several days. A pain went through her and faded to a dull, cramp-like ache. She clutched at her abdomen, applying a slight pressure, trying to soothe it.
So that had been Melanie Shane. Jesse’s lover.
She’d certainly seemed close to Ryan, as well.
Ryan had insisted she’d misunderstood what she’d seen, but what she’d seen had been pretty damn inflammatory.
Since Melanie had contacted her by email, breaking the news about her affair with Jesse, Faith had imagined the other woman countless times. She knew it’d been stupid, but she defied any wife who discovered that her husband had been cheating not to wonder about the other woman.
Imagining Jesse with Melanie Shane had been nothing...absolutely nothing to seeing Ryan holding her.
The vision of the lake blurred before her eyes. Faith opened the car door and vomited. Another cramp went through her. She bent over in the car seat, gasping for air.
For the first time real fear pierced her chaotic emotional state.
Chapter Fourteen
Ryan plowed through the doors leading to the Acute Care Unit at Harbor Town Memorial, barely moving in time to stop from plowing into a maid’s cart and knocking over all her supplies.
“Sorry,” he said, not pausing to stop in his rapid forward motion. “Is the Acute Care Unit down that way?” he asked the startled maid, pointing toward the hallway to the left. The woman nodded, her eyes wide.
Ryan plunged down the hallway, ignoring the nurses’ station.
“Sir. Can I help you?” one of the nurses called after him, standing. “Sir, you’re going to have to come back here!”
“It’s all right,” Ryan heard a woman say. “Ryan!”
He paused, panting. He didn’t want to stop until he located Faith, but whoever this was knew his name. Maybe she knew which room was Faith’s—
God, let her be all right, he thought as he whipped around.
“Dr. Feingold,” he said, recognizing Faith’s obstetrician as she came toward him. “What happened? Where is she? Is she okay?”
“Yes,” Dr. Feingold said firmly, staring straight at him as she approached, as if she wanted to make sure she had his complete attention. “She’s absolutely fine. And so is the baby.”
Ryan exhaled raggedly. He’d been in a panic ever since he’d received the phone call from an intake nurse at the Emergency Room at Harbor Town Hospital.
I’m afraid your wife came into the E.R. earlier. She’d been experiencing some pretty severe cramping and spotting. We’ve contacted Dr. Feingold, your wife’s obstetrician. She’s on staff here at Harbor Town Memorial. The doctor has arrived and has ordered a series of tests. She’d like to admit Faith. That’s all we know right now, sir, the nurse had added when Ryan had demanded to know if Faith would be all right.
He’d driven to Harbor Town in record time, the entire time his brain ablaze with wild concern and regrets. What if something terrible happened
to Faith and he’d never told her he loved her? If there was one thing he’d thought he’d had on his side, it was time. Surely Faith would learn to trust him, the more time they spent together. Surely she’d gain faith that the only thing he wanted to do was to see her happy...to know she was loved.
Her shattered expression as she’d stood there looking at Melanie Shane in his arms earlier rose up to haunt him. That was the reason she’d grown ill. He hadn’t intended to hurt her in any way, but he had, nevertheless.
“I want to see her,” Ryan demanded. “Where is she, Dr. Feingold?”
“She’s resting. She’s in Room 212. But why don’t you sit down over here for a second with me. You look very shaken up. I’ll explain about the test results.”
Renewed terror tore through him. “You said she’d be all right.”