Return of the Secret Heir

by Rachel Bailey

She gave him a tremulous smile and they stepped up to the reception counter.

  “Pia Baxter to see Dr. Crosby,” he said to the woman behind the desk.

  The receptionist’s smile included them both as she handed Pia some forms. “Just take a seat and start on these while I see if the doctor’s ready for you.”

  As the receptionist disappeared behind a swinging door, they sat on the upholstered bench seats. Pia was so still, so silent that he gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster and murmured, “It’ll be okay,” and hoped like hell he wasn’t lying. She nodded and began filling out the forms.

  He’d got them in with the city’s best specialist in two days. He’d wanted sooner, but this appointment before official opening hours was the best they could do. Of course, it was a hell of a lot better than anything they had first time around. Back then, his mother had taken him and Pia to a free clinic. The staff had been nice and put Pia at ease, but what if they’d missed something that had contributed to the miscarriage? A band of steel clamped around his chest. He’d make sure nothing was missed this time. This time, he could afford the finest health care in the country and his baby would receive the best possible medical attention.

  He glanced over at Pia as she filled in the forms with her neat, even handwriting. They’d talked about the possibility of being seen together visiting Dr. Crosby, but decided they’d have to be pretty unlucky to run into someone who recognized them both on one quick trip together. And if they did…

  It was a risk they just had to take-he couldn’t countenance her coming to this appointment alone.

  The receptionist appeared again and showed them into a smaller room. As they entered, a dark-haired middle-aged woman with a stethoscope around her neck greeted them and asked them to take a seat.

  “Thank you for seeing us on short notice,” he said.

  Dr. Crosby smiled. “You’re a very persuasive man, Mr. Hartley,” she murmured and shook his hand. She turned a beautiful smile on Pia. “Ms. Baxter, I see you’ve finished the forms Amy gave you.”

  Pia handed over the paperwork. “Please, call me Pia.”

  Dr. Crosby scanned the forms, then frowned and pursed her lips. “This is your second pregnancy, Pia?”

  “Yes. I… Yes,” she said, her voice drying up. JT squeezed her hand.

  “You lost that baby?” the doctor asked gently.

  JT smoothly cut in so Pia didn’t have to explain. “Pia had an accident when she was about halfway through that pregnancy. She fell from a window.”

  “I see.” Dr. Crosby turned to Pia with compassion in her eyes and asked detailed questions. He watched Pia answer in a low voice, her eyes downcast, and he wished he could spare her these questions, too.

  “With your permission,” Dr. Crosby said, typing something into her computer, “I’d like to request a copy of your hospital records for review. I want to make sure I have as much information as possible so that we know what we’re dealing with.”

  “Of course,” Pia said.

  “I’ll get Amy to organize a letter for you to sign. Now, you said you had a fainting spell?”

  Pia nodded. “My blood pressure is normally on the low side, and I had troubles with it early in my first pregnancy.”

  “She fainted once then, too,” JT said. That day down by the river, he’d come close to panic. He’d had no idea what to do and had never been so happy to see someone open their eyes again.

  “Okay,” the doctor said, standing, “let’s get you on the scales, then into a gown for the exam. We’ll do a urine test to confirm the pregnancy, too.”

  He gave Pia’s hand a final squeeze as she put her handbag on the floor and slipped away. Her eyes were too large-her fears written plainly on her face.

  The doctor made a quick note on her computer and followed Pia behind the curtain.

  Left alone, he looked around the pale blue room and tried to relax his shoulders, but the weight bearing down on them was too heavy to allow it. He would do everything in his power for this baby, but that guaranteed nothing-with a pregnancy, Mother Nature was in charge and he hated ceding control to anyone or anything, including nature herself.

  And even if this baby lived to be born, then what? Fourteen years ago, he’d thought he’d known how things would play out. Even after Brianna died, he’d thought he and Pia would still have each other. Maybe one day start a family again. Not to replace Brianna, but new additions to their family unit. They could have waited until they were financially stable, had their own house. But it had never occurred to him that he and Pia wouldn’t be together. Fool that he was, he’d imagined they’d grow old side by side.

  They’d made private vows to each other under the moonlight, words that had been sacred to him. Yet at the moment they’d needed each other the most, Pia had broken her promises and abandoned him.

  No matter what happened now, how much it felt like they were on the same team, he’d never forget that she might cut and run when the going got tough. He couldn’t depend on her, couldn’t trust her.

  But he would be here for her while she carried his child.

  The curtain rustled and the doctor appeared, Pia soon after, and something in his chest eased a bit to have her back beside him, where he had some illusion of control of the situation. He gave her a tight smile which she returned as she sat back in the chair beside him.

  Dr. Crosby made a few notes before looking up and smiling. “You seem in good health, Pia. We’ll send these blood samples off for testing, but I suspect because you said your blood pressure is on the low side, your fainting was a result of that. It’s a little low now, but nothing alarming.”

  Pia shifted in her seat, her fingers knotted together. “But is it safe for the baby?”

  “Low blood pressure is less of a risk than high blood pressure. I’m hopeful that yours will come into a more normal range in the second trimester. But for now, there are some measures I want you to take. Drink lots of fluids, especially water. Avoid standing for prolonged periods, particularly when it’s hot. And I want you to start on a regular program of exercise.”

  JT looked from one woman to the other, imagining Pia fainting while she was out jogging or playing sport. “Exercise? Won’t that put the baby at greater risk?”

  “I’m not talking marathons here.” The doctor turned to Pia. “Gentle exercise will help you prevent episodes of low blood pressure.” She handed them a sheet of paper. “Here are some more ideas.”

  Unsatisfied with the answers and fighting the urge to wrap Pia and the baby in a nice thick layer of cotton wool, JT frowned. “What if she faints again when she’s driving or on a stairwell?”

  Dr. Crosby turned back to him. “There’s no reason to expect more fainting. Keep an eye on it and feel free to call me if you have any concerns.”

  That was it? He leaned forward in his chair. Sure, he knew he couldn’t expect Pia to be confined to bed rest for the next eight months, but to have her continue as normal?

  He pinned the doctor with a stare. “How exactly will we keep an eye on it?”

  “You can buy a home blood pressure monitor,” she said, turning to Pia. “Take it twice a day and keep a record.” She reached to some shelves above her head and extracted a pamphlet. “This has the healthy range that we’re aiming for.”

  JT scanned the slip of paper over Pia’s shoulder. “And we’ll ring you if it’s out of this range?”

  “Absolutely,” Dr. Crosby said. “Otherwise, I’ll see you at your next appointment. You can make one with Amy on the way out. Oh, and don’t forget to sign the letter so I can access your medical history, Pia.”

  They thanked her and made a new appointment with the receptionist, then headed for his car. Something insistent gnawed in his gut. It’d all seemed too easy, too low-key. Or was it just that he was expecting the worst? That his baby wouldn’t make it.

  With his body braced as if expecting a blow, he drove Pia back to her place in time for them both to get to work-after a quick det
our to pick up a blood pressure monitor.

  Barely two hours later, Pia stood in Ted Howard’s reception area, palms sweating. He’d been held up in a meeting, leaving her here, becoming progressively more anxious.

  As she paced from one side of the room to the other for the tenth time, the senior partner walked through from the hall, folders under his arm, greeting his secretary and indicating with an incline of his head for Pia to follow.

  She walked into his office behind him, taking rigid steps. Having an unblemished record at the firm had been a source of pride, and she was about to blow it. More than blow it-she was about to obliterate it. Nausea that had nothing to do with morning sickness roiled in her belly.

  “I have about three minutes,” he said as he closed the door behind her. “What can I do for you?”

  She took a deep breath, then let it out in a controlled stream. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Go ahead,” he said, his back to her as he stacked the folders he’d carried.

  Saying the words to anyone this early in the pregnancy-where there was a risk of the unthinkable happening-would be grueling, but ethically she had no choice but to confess to her boss. She moistened her lips and raised her chin.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  He turned around slowly, clearly surprised. Though she’d expected surprise, since she’d never once shown any signs of interest in marriage or family life. It was his next reaction that mattered most.

  “Congratulations,” he said, with a distant smile, clearly calculating the impact on the firm, on her cases in several months’ time.

  “Thank you.” She laced her fingers together behind her back and stood straighter. “But there’s more.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

  “The father is JT Hartley.” She said the words short and sharp, then braced herself for his response, expecting the worst, hoping for the best.

  Ted’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he sat on the edge of his desk. “Let me get this straight…you’re carrying the child of a man who’s lodging a claim against one of the firm’s biggest estates? The estate you’re administering?”

  She closed her eyes for a long moment. Hearing the words aloud made the situation become the awful reality she’d been trying to deny. And yet, as bad as being pregnant with JT’s baby was for her professionally, it was worse personally. The only positive was the tiny life in her womb-her son or daughter.

  She resisted placing a hand over her stomach as she faced the consequences of her actions. “Yes.”

  “You were supposed to keep me updated,” he said as storm clouds gathered in his eyes. “It seems you missed informing me about at least one important meeting.” He shook his head. “Why would you put everything you’ve worked for at risk?”

  She bit down on her lip. Ted Howard had been her champion in the firm almost from the first-he’d taken her under his wing and nurtured her career. She knew he’d be disappointed in her and that knowledge tore right into her solar plexus. “I’m sorry, Ted.”

  “Tell me this hasn’t been going on the whole time.”

  Regardless of how much it made her squirm to provide details, he deserved the information. “The day he came to the office, I saw him after work. It was only the one day.”

  “Ah, Pia,” he said, shaking his head. “You know I have to take you off the Bramson estate case.”

  Her stomach swooped as her fears burst to Technicolor life. “I understand, Ted, but I have some alternatives we could discuss. Other ways I can prove I’m still the best person for the promotion. That partnership means the world to me.”

  “You still want the partnership now you’re going to be a mother?”

  A little voice at the back of her mind had been asking her the same question. She ignored it-when she came back from maternity leave, there would be options like nannies and flextime. She and the baby would cope just fine.

  She looked Ted squarely in the eye, her hands clenched into fists to stop them trembling. “One hundred percent.”

  He sighed and went around his desk to sit heavily in the high-backed chair. “I’ve made no secret of the fact that you were my preference for the next partner. Your ability and dedication to the job have always surpassed any other lawyer in the running. But I have to tell you, I’m questioning your commitment right now.”

  “I can assure you, my dedication to this firm is still strong,” she said quickly, lacing the words with as much certainty as she could muster.

  “You slept with a claimant to a will you were administering, Ms. Baxter.”

  It was only the truth, but the accusation hit her like a blow and she steadied herself before replying. “I won’t make another mistake. I give you my word.”

  His gaze rested heavily on her for long moments, then he sighed. “Tell me about your alternatives.”

  She stood straighter. “Linda Adams takes over the case. I’ll assist her because I have the history with the estate and heirs, but she’ll be the lead. In exchange I’ll take something from Linda’s caseload to free her up.”

  Ted drummed his fingers on his desk and looked intently at her. “I might regret this, but if you can promise there won’t be even a whiff of a mistake, not even a spelling error on the paperwork, and if you impress me on the rest of the cases you have, you’ll still be in the running for the partnership.”

  “Thank you, Ted.” She swallowed the emotion that lodged in her throat over the fact that he was giving her a second chance. “I won’t let you down.”

  He pulled wire-rimmed glasses from his breast pocket. “I hope for your sake-and the firm’s-that you don’t,” he said and went back to his work.

  Pia picked up the mint-green booties from the stand in the exclusive baby store and smiled. Seeing the pink lines on the pregnancy test had been a shock, but now that she’d had five days to assimilate, she loved this little person with everything in her heart. She hadn’t been sure she could open her heart to a baby again, but she’d soon realized that loving him or her was the most natural thing in the world.

  As she reached for a pale lemon pair, a wave of nausea crept up and she stilled to let it pass. Instead, the booties blurred before her eyes and the room began to swim. Panic flared as she realized her blood pressure must have dropped. She couldn’t faint-not here. She crouched down on the floor, trying to remember the position she needed to be in to stave off a faint, lowering her head to her knees, but suffocating blackness descended.

  She woke on the floor, a roll of something soft under her head, a woman above her who looked on the edge of panic.

  “Honey, are you all right? Can I call someone?”

  Pia closed her eyes and swallowed a couple of times to get her voice to work. Without thinking, she said, “JT. Call JT.”

  She heard muffled sounds that she assumed was the sales assistant going through her handbag to find JT’s number in her phone. Then she was vaguely aware of a conversation a little distance away.

  Despite being groggy, she struggled to sit up, but the woman came back and said, “No need to get up. Your man said he’d be here in a matter of minutes. He said we shouldn’t move you.”

  “But I’m fine.” Except for the fuzziness and a bit of bruising that would surely come through on the aching spots where she’d landed. But she wanted to get up from the shop floor.

  Then in a blinding flash, it hit her-she’d fallen. The baby. Her pulse spiked and suddenly she was wide awake. Her hands went to her stomach but it felt the same as always. With her eyes squeezed shut, she momentarily laid her head back on the soft roll. Then she heard loud, sharp footsteps enter the store and she opened her eyes to find JT leaning over her.

  “I’m here, Pia. You’re fine.” His voice was calm, assured, if a little out of breath.

  “I know,” she said because she wanted to get up, but a small flame lit inside her and glowed. JT was here-he’d fix things, keep her and their baby safe.

  “Are you hurting anywhere?”
He smoothed the hair back from her face. He was so close that she could smell the unmistakable scent of him and in that moment she wished they had the type of relationship that would allow her to reach up and wrap her arms around his neck, allow him to press a kiss to her lips, to take comfort from his strength.

  He was scanning her face, waiting for her to reply, so she pulled her lips wide in what she hoped would be a smile. “My head was a little fuzzy, but it’s clearing now.” It was the truth-there was nothing wrong with her, she was sure of it. But what about her baby? Had it been hurt when she fell?

  He inched his hands under her shoulders and knees and lifted her in his arms. “Have you got a chair out back?” he asked the other woman.

  “I can walk,” Pia said, but no one was listening. A couple of browsers were surreptitiously watching the commotion while looking at baby bonnets, but this sales assistant had all her attention on JT and his instructions. JT had always inspired that kind of focus in women.

  “Follow me,” the sales assistant said as she walked ahead. “We have a small staff room out here.”

  Once through the doorway, he gently sat Pia in a plastic chair and she looked up into his eyes, luminescent green with his intensity. “You got here so quickly.”

  “I was inspecting a building on the next block, so I walked.” She suspected he’d run the distance from the sheen of perspiration on his forehead, but his features were controlled and gave nothing away.

  “I really am okay,” she repeated, embarrassed by the fuss. All she cared about was her baby. What had the first signs been of the miscarriage after she’d fallen at sixteen? Bleeding? She dug deep and dredged up memories of that sickening night. No, the cramps had come before bleeding. Mentally scanning her abdomen, she checked for twinges and found none. How soon had they started last time? She couldn’t remember.

  JT passed her a glass of water and she sipped, still trying to find the information in her memory banks.

  “Have you got something sweet?” JT said over his shoulder.

  The sales assistant appeared with a jar of candies. “We have these. You folks okay if I leave you for a few minutes?”