“Thank you.” Tyler watched the door close, and then let his gaze travel around the sterile space. The small window donned with only horizontal blinds across the room didn’t seem large enough to bring in a sufficient amount of sunlight, while out of four pale yellow walls, only one held a painting - a boring landscape painting at that. He had never been a fan of hospitals, and looking around he wondered how patients recovered in such a dreary space. He made a mental note to get some flowers and balloons in there.
Tyler shifted his attention to Dallas and moved closer to her bedside. He assessed her motionless body covered with a pristine white sheet and hated the sight of the machines and all of the tubes connected to her. His heart was beating so fast and loud, he was sure the people in the next room could hear it. Why was he so anxious? On second thought, he knew why. He prided himself on being a man of action and being able to fix just about anything or any situation, but this ... this he couldn’t fix. Standing by her side, he noticed the dark bruise near her right temple and an uneasy frisson flooded through him with thoughts of how this could have turned out. She’s a very lucky lady. He remembered the doctor saying.
He had noted earlier how thin she’d gotten. No surprise there since she was known to go an entire day without eating in the name of closing a deal. He looked at her intently. Despite the small bandage covering the right side of her cinnamon brown cheek, she was still a beauty. Her long eyelashes rested on her high cheekbones as she slept, and he allowed his hand to travel lightly over her forehead, moving thick, dark hair away from her face. “Girl, you scared me to death,” he whispered.
Dallas’s monitors beeped erratically as her distressed moans filled the space. Tyler straightened. She thrashed against the pillows struggling against the light hold he now had on her arm. “My baby!” she cried. “Please save my baby!”
What the hell?
A nurse rushed in, pushed a few buttons on the machine, and laid a reassuring hand on Dallas’s shoulder as she soothed her with her words. Tyler watched as Dallas gradually settled down.
“Is she okay?” He wanted to know once he got his own breathing under control. He wasn’t sure what shook him the most - Dallas’s screams or her words. “It’s not uncommon for patients to have bad dreams after a traumatic accident,” the nurse said, and wrote a few things on Dallas’s chart.
Save my baby. He repeated the words in his mind. Is she pregnant? Why hadn’t the doctor said anything about a baby? He slowly backed away from the bed as shock turned into resentment. Pain squeezed his heart. She had shot him down claiming not to want any romantic entanglements. Yet, she goes and gets pregnant?
“Sir, are you okay?” The nurse stood next to him. “You don’t look so good. Maybe you should sit down.” She directed him to the chair closest to the bed.
“I can’t believe she’s pregnant.” His voice faded into a hushed stillness.
“Uh, sir. She isn’t pregnant.”
“What?”
“It was a dream. She’s not pregnant.”
The knot in his chest loosened. Relief flooded through him like a faucet on full blast.
“Are you going to be alright? You still don’t look so good. Maybe I should get a doctor to look you over?” “No.” He shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s just … that caught me off guard.”
She patted his shoulder. “I understand. But if you need anything, let me know,” she said and left the room. He couldn’t believe how worked up he’d gotten. The thought of Dallas having another man’s baby felt like someone had reached into his chest and snatched out his heart. He didn’t even want to think about her being with another man.
Tyler slumped over. Resting his elbows on his knees, he put his face in his hands, and took a few deep breaths. She is not my woman. She is not my woman. I need to remember, she is not my woman.
Chapter Two