For Baby’s Sake Novel – Tears streamed down Alicia Barnes’s face, leaving a jagged path in the makeup she’d carefully applied to hide the effects of her tortured night. Startled as much by her unexpected appearance in his office as he was by her agitation, Dan’s six-foot, three-inch frame rose behind his mahogany desk like a stiff cardboard figure. His initially pleased expression turned puzzled. She held up a hand as he advanced around the corner of the massive desk and backed away, feeling strangely like she was watching the heroine in a tragic play. He hesitated. Alicia had waited until she was sure Maggie would be at lunch. She had to face Dan to return his ring, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t, see Maggie, too. Her heart splintered again as she remembered the way she’d seen them last night. “Alicia. What’s the matter?” The lips that had worked such magic on hers frowned as his brow furrowed. “Don’t pretend you care that I’m upset,” she snapped, swiping at the tears with the back of her hand. The ring she wore scraped her cheek. “I saw how seriously you take this engagement.”
She yanked the extravagantly large diamond from her finger. She wanted to throw it, but set it down gently in his “Out” basket. She couldn’t abuse it; she’d come to love it. But it was a sham. “Most men…” The words caught in her throat and she cleared it, continuing huskily, “Most men wait until they’ve been married six or seven years to have an affair with their secretary.” A sob escaped, softening her voice to a whisper. “And I must not satisfy you or you wouldn’t need her.” Understanding replaced the confusion in his eyes and Dan reached across the corner of the desk and caught her fluttering fingers in his long, strong ones. His dark head leaned closer. She could see the coarse texture of his near-black hair. It layered in soft, thick waves. She’d buried her trembling hands in it when he’d taken her to terrifying heights making love to her.
She fought the impulse to touch it now. “Allie,” he appealed. His eyes deepened to a rich navy blue. If she hadn’t learned the hard way that he could flawlessly profess love, she’d believe he shared her pain. She curled her expressive lips into a sneer and jerked her hand from his. “Let me explain.” He held out his hand. “I didn’t intend for you to see—” “I don’t need an explanation because I saw for myself.” She took his words and threw them back. “I’ve got every detail in my head in beautiful, living color. I’ve seen nothing else for the past twelve hours. You, and Maggie, on that.” She aimed an accusing finger toward the offending couch in the corner of the room. “I even have sound—Maggie was moaning your name. You didn’t even hear me come in.” The movie replayed behind her closed eyes. She swayed and opened them quickly to make the scene go away. He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d taken a knife and slashed through her heart.
The silence was deafening as two miserable pairs of eyes clashed and held. She pushed a stray tear away and unintentionally reminded herself of what she was losing. She measured the breadth of his shoulders with hungry eyes, remembering their heated feel with tingling fingertips. When he’d shed his suit and shirt, his chest against hers had brought agonizing bliss. Her hand had wandered to the edge of his rib cage, then floated down the concave passage to his waist. He’d introduced her to such pleasure. She’d pay for it now, with pain. God, she’d loved him. “Allie, please listen.” His voice brought her back to life. She cringed as he moved toward her and his square jaw tightened. “It wasn’t as it seemed,” he said. Somehow, he had moved between her and the door. Her eyes darted from side to side. She felt paralyzed until his hand cupped her shoulder. His touch set her in motion. With a muffled cry, she turned and fled. – “COME on, Alicia. You’ve got to go to the doctor.” “Leave me alone, Brad. It’s just the flu. I’ll be over it in a couple of days.” “But—” “Please, Brad. Don’t start again. I’m sure it hit me so hard because I let myself get rundown after I broke off with Dan.” Alicia had to push those words past the lump in her throat, but if she was going to get rid of her overly protective brother and his wife, she’d have to act like the subject didn’t bother her. “Tell him, Cindy. How long does this flu last?” Cindy had been doing double time at the Quick Stop for the last two weeks because all her employees were down with it.
“Do I look like I’m at death’s door to you?” She focused on Cindy, who sat at the end of the couch watching Brad give Alicia her daily dose of harassment. Cindy patted Alicia’s foot. “She’s right, Brad. This flu has sideswiped everyone. I imagine I’ll have it next.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hope you fuss over me the way you have Alicia.” “Oh, no you don’t,” Alicia said acidly, “I wouldn’t wish his mother-hen impersonation on anyone—especially if they were sick.” If she acted lively enough to talk back, maybe they would go so she could die in peace. “Well, you’re sounding a little more like yourself,” Brad admitted with a grin, but then frowned. “You sure aren’t looking much better, though.” “Brad’s right, Alicia.” So much for Cindy’s support, Alicia thought as Cindy duplicated Brad’s frown. “Most of the people at the store have only been down for a day or two. You’ve been flat out for almost five. Maybe you should see a doctor.” Alicia groaned. Brad immediately looked concerned. She cut off his attempt at a sympathetic exclamation with a snap, “I’m not hurting anywhere.
I’m just sick of the two of you. Will you get out of here and let me rest so I can get over this? I thought you were going to the ball game tonight. You’ll miss the kick-off.” Brad taught math at the local high school and was probably the Cougar’s biggest fan, even though they lost quite regularly. He stood up hesitantly. “Well, can I get you anything? Do you need another blanket?” He pulled her quilt closer to her neck. If they didn’t go soon, Alicia would quit being delicate and tell them all of her problems. The flu had made her monthly cramps much worse than usual. “Get him out of here,” she said between clenched teeth, her eyes begging Cindy to help her out. Cindy picked up Brad’s trench coat from the back of the chair, and tossed it toward him. “We’ll check in after the game,” Brad promised as he pulled it on. Alicia wondered how hard it would be to find someone to change her locks at eight o’clock on a Friday night in a town the size of Providence, Kansas.
“If you haven’t eaten the soup we fixed by then, I’ll force feed you.” The green eyes that were almost a perfect imitation of hers carried a threat as well as concern. He leaned down and smooched her forehead, pausing to lay the back of his hand against her cheek. “I don’t have a temperature.” “I guess that’s what concerns me,” he said, helping Cindy with her coat. “If it was just the flu, surely you’d still be running a fever.” Cindy shook her head as Brad started nagging again. He stepped between the boxes scattered about the room. “If you aren’t up tomorrow, we aren’t discussing it anymore,” he warned. “You’ll go to the doctor.” Alicia agreed sullenly, then lay back against the soft pillows with a weary sigh as they left. She was so tired. Too tired to move back to the bedroom. She’d camped out on the couch an hour ago because she knew Brad would be by. She’d hoped he’d take it as a sign of her impending recovery. She admitted to herself that she was a little concerned—she’d never taken this long to get a silly bug out of her system. But then, she’d never broken an engagement either.
At least being sick gave her something else to think about. Most of the past five days, she’d spent sleeping or with her head over the toilet. Compared to that, she felt much better. Now, if her period would quit coming in spurts and spots—something she also credited to the emotional breakup with Dan—she was sure she’d be back to normal. Her mind, soul and heart ached. Why shouldn’t her body react? She was a little late and she’d wondered if she might be pregnant. They both wanted children, but not right away, so Dan had been cautious. It was almost a disappointment when the cramps had started on the heels of the flu. “Quit torturing yourself, Alicia,” she muttered, forcing herself into an upright position, fighting the weakness.
A terrifying pain doubled her over. The room began to spin, and Alicia knew she had to phone for help. This was no queasy stomach. Something major was happening. Her next clear thought after dialing 9-1-1 was of being shoved into the back of an ambulance. Another pain gripped her and the mobile room swayed, receded, then came into focus again. “Come on, Ms. Barnes.” The attendant shook her gently. She tried to reassure him, but garbled the words. The blurry-faced young man looked at his companion. “I hope she has family close. She isn’t going to be able to handle any of the formalities.” “Isn’t she engaged to Dr. Bridges? Now, calm down, Ms. Barnes. We’ll take care of everything.” Her vision faded in and out haphazardly. “Don’t tell Dan,” she said, or thought, or tried to say. Then there was nothing.