by Joan Hohl
“That’s fine, I’m really not in a hurry,” Becca said, thinking a few days wouldn’t make any difference.
“After you leave, I’ll close the house,” Sue went on. “As I’ll be working full-time with John, I’m not going to be available to be the standby housekeeper anymore.”
Four days later, Becca stood hugging Sue in the parking lot of the car rental firm. Her luggage was already stowed in the trunk of the late-model compact she had rented.
“I’m going to miss you, Becca,” Sue said, sniffing as she stepped back. “So is John.”
“I’m going to miss you and John, too.” Becca swiped a hand over her moist eyes. “You’ve spoiled me rotten over the past two months.”
“It’s been fun.” Sue’s smile was watery. “Hard to believe it’s late autumn already.” She glanced around her. “The leaves are falling and before you know it, it’ll be Christmas.” Saying the word seemed to perk her up. “Hey, as long as I’m shopping for a birthday present, I might as well look for a Christmas present for John.”
“Then you’d better get at it.” Becca laughed. “And I’d better get moving if I hope to arrive at my parents’ house before dark.” One more hug, and Becca got into the car and drove away.
The test was positive, as Becca was certain it would be. It was only then, in the bathroom of her parents’ lovely home, that the full impact of it hit her. She was pregnant. A part of her and Seth was already forming inside her body. Her baby.
Seth’s baby.
The thought brought her up short. Seth’s baby. He didn’t have to know. In all probability, he wouldn’t want to know, she rationalized.
Becca had saved her money since her first job at sixteen, when she had worked part-time in one of the shops not far from her home in Philadelphia. She had a very healthy bank balance, more than enough to last her until the baby was born, and for some time after. With her credentials, she could find a job almost anywhere, in any number of hospitals or doctors’ offices in Pennsylvania.
The idea wasn’t at all scary.
Becca spent a week with her parents. She played a round of golf with her father. She went shopping with her mother. And the three of them enjoyed a lovely day in Colonial Williamsburg, always a thrill for Becca as she was an American history buff.
She had to forego her visit to Rachael. Her parents told Becca that her sister was on a business trip to San Francisco.
When the week was over, Becca started back for Philadelphia, using the long trip to plan for her eventual move from the city. There would be so much to do—look for another location, then a job, after that a place to live, sublet her apartment, pack and arrange for shipping her furniture.
It made her tired simply thinking about it.
The Philadelphia area was enjoying mild late October weather. Lugging her cases from the car to her apartment, Becca felt too warm in the turtleneck sweater she had pulled on that morning.
Inside her apartment, she dumped the bags, leaned back against the door and sighed. It felt good to be home. “We’re home, baby,” she whispered, splaying her hand protectively over her belly.
Pushing away from the door, she made a quick glance around the place, satisfied with the job done by the lady that cleaned for her once a week. The place was dust-free and smelled fresh.
After the long hours of driving, with stops only to grab a bite to eat, Becca was tired. Picking up the cases once more, she carried them into her bedroom and let them drop again. The next moment she herself dropped, onto the neatly made bed.
Expecting to have a nap, she closed her eyes, but sleep eluded her. Several thoughts she had determinedly ignored for several days finally broke through her mental barrier.
First and foremost was the acknowledgment that she had to tell Seth she was pregnant. As the father of the baby, he had a right to know. Not once did she so much as consider the idea that he might deny responsibility, or at least his part in it.
Secondly, she admitted to herself that she didn’t want to relocate. She wanted to remain in Philadelphia, and she wanted to work at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, if not with Seth, then as a floor nurse. She didn’t want to—couldn’t—work with another surgeon.
Knowing what she had to do, Becca heaved a sigh of defeat, pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the bed and reached for the phone on the nightstand.
Seth’s private secretary, Judy Miller, answered on the second ring. “Hi, Judy, it’s Becca Jameson,” she said. “Is Dr. Andrews available?”
“Oh, hi, Becca, how are you?”
“I’m fine, good as new,” Becca answered, injecting a jaunty note into her voice. “I need to talk to Seth.”
“I’m sorry but he’s not here. He cleared his calendar for today and Monday. May I leave him a message?”
“Yes, please, Judy. Tell him I’d like to talk to him at his convenience.”
Feeling deflated, Becca sat for a long time.
Knowing she’d now not be able to nap, she got up and began unpacking her bags. Later, she would make a run to the supermarket to restock her fridge. After that, she’d do her laundry, then find other things to do, every day until Seth called her.
Her telephone didn’t ring the entire weekend or for most of Monday. But her doorbell rang late Monday afternoon. The ring was immediately followed by a sharp rap on the door.
Knowing who was on the other side of the door, Becca drew a deep breath, wet her suddenly dry lips and went to the door to open it.
“Where in hell have you been?” Seth demanded, storming past her into the room.
“I was visiting my parents,” she answered as calmly as she could.
“Yeah, for one week.” He looked about to explode. “Dammit, Becca, I know up until you left for Virginia you were at the cabin. Why didn’t you answer my calls or e-mails? I was going nuts worrying about you.”
Oh, the doctor was back on duty, she thought. “I…er, needed some time to myself. Why were you worried? You knew where I was,” she said.
He exhaled, as if to let off steam. “Becca, you didn’t answer my phone calls, you didn’t respond to my e-mails. I didn’t know what to think. Hell, you could have died for all I knew.”
“But—”
“I’m not finished,” he interrupted, on a roll. “Friday, I drove down there, only to find the cabin dark and deserted. So, I went to the clinic. Sue told me where you’d gone and that you were fine. I got back to my apartment not half an hour ago, to find a message from Judy on my voice mail, telling me you had called me Friday.”
“Yes, I did.” Becca was having difficulty maintaining her composure. His rant was beginning to unnerve her.
“Why?” he nearly yelled at her.
“Why, what?” She was starting to tremble at the idea of telling him about her condition when he was obviously so very angry.
“First off, why didn’t you answer my calls or e-mails?”
“Because I didn’t want to talk to you.” Now she was getting angry. Who did he think he was, yelling at her? “And before you can ask, I’ll tell you why. I didn’t want you to know I wasn’t planning on staying here, or working here with you anymore.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why not? After the week we spent together…” His softened voice was almost scarier than his shouting.
“Because I had no intention of being your assistant in the operating room during the day, and your bedmate at night.”
“You certainly made no objections about being my bedmate at the cabin.” Seth’s voice was harsh. “In fact, you appeared to revel in it.”
“That was before I knew the reveling would make me pregnant,” she shouted at him.
“I made you pregnant?”
He was clearly astonished, which made her madder. “Yes, you did it! Who else?” she retorted, getting angrier by the second.
“And so you were simply going to take off for parts unknown,” he snapped back at her. “Is that it?”
Becca angled her chin defiantly at him
. “Yes, I was planning to take off.”
In a blink he went absolutely statue-still. His features went rock-hard. His eyes were like amber chips in ice. “You were thinking about an abortion?”
As if he had struck her, Becca recoiled, but recovered quickly. “No! Never! This is my baby. You have nothing to say about it.”
Within two long strides he was standing inches in front of her. “I have plenty to say about it, dammit!” His voice was tough, adamant. “If you’re pregnant, I’m pregnant, too.”
Stunned by his flat authoritative statement, she stared at him, speechless. Seth took advantage of her momentary silence and, fortunately, in a more reasonable tone of voice.
“I’m relieved to hear you weren’t considering abortion, Becca. The idea of you wanting to get rid of my baby sickened me.”
“I never gave it a thought, Seth.” Suddenly, Becca was exhausted, physically and emotionally. “I wasn’t going to tell you. I was just thinking of relocating and taking care of the baby myself.”
He closed his eyes and an expression of pain flickered across his face. “Oh, Becca…”
“I’m sorry for ever thinking you wouldn’t care.” Her voice held a soft sadness. “I realized Friday that you had the right to know, and I had to tell you. That’s why I called your office.”
“You believed I wouldn’t want my baby, our baby?” He placed a palm on her still flat belly. “Of course I want it. I love the baby already, almost as much as I want and love you.”
“Wh-what?” she could barely whisper.
He cradled her face in his hands. “Becca, I love you, I have been in love with you for what seems like forever.”
“But…you never said…” Tears filled her eyes. “You never…I thought…”
“That I just wanted sex, your body?” Seth’s smile was heartbreaking.
“Yes.” Becca met his gaze steadily, bravely.
“I did.” He kissed her. “I do.” He kissed her again. “But I want more, I want all of you, you heart, your mind, your soul.” His smile now teased. “Your body and the fantastic sex we have together.”
“Oh, Seth,” she murmured, sighing.
“And if you don’t soon tell me you love me, too,” he said in warning, “I’m going to have a freaking nervous breakdown right here.”
“I love you, Dr. Seth Andrews,” Becca confessed, nearly choking on rising laughter. “We’ve been such idiots all this time, we deserve each other.”
Although he was laughing with her, both their laughter was silenced when his mouth took hers.
Becca and Seth were married at her parents’ home the day after Thanksgiving. Seth stole her breath away, looking so handsome in a dark suit and white silk shirt. He claimed she stole his breath in the plain midcalf-length, high-necked, long-sleeved white velvet wedding dress. They left Virginia the day after the wedding, to honeymoon in a place known only to them.
They arrived at their destination in late afternoon. It was unfamiliar to Becca, though it was very familiar to Seth. It should have been. The honeymoon site was the condo Seth had bought and lived in for years.
Perfect. They didn’t leave the apartment or answer the phones, cell or landline. Other than switching the cooking of meals every other day, they rarely left the bed. Perfect indeed.
When Becca and Seth returned to her apartment to begin packing her things to be moved to his place, she found an intriguing-looking envelope among her weeklong pile of mail. It contained an invitation that was both terse and formal. It read:
The honor of your presence is required at an undisclosed location, December twenty-fourth of this year, at eight o’clock in the evening, for a black-tie affair, at which time an explanation concerning your recent anonymous gift will be offered.
Enclosed are the pertinent travel arrangements for both you and one guest of your choosing.
That was it. No signature. The travel arrangements listed a limousine to collect her and guest at her apartment, which meant the location was in or around Philadelphia.
Becca read the invitation aloud to Seth. When she finished, she glanced up at him, frowning. “What do you think?”
“Sounds intriguing, I think we should go,” he said, using the excuse of scanning the invitation again to come to stand behind her, coil his arms around her waist, press close to her and read over her shoulder. “What do you think?”
“From the feel of something back there,” she drawled, “I think we should go to bed.”
He laughed, turned her around, drew her into his arms and soundly kissed her. “I think that’s a great idea. But, do you want to go to the gala?”
“Oh, that, yes, let’s go. If not fun it should at least prove interesting.”
“Okay, but you must wear your wedding dress.”
Becca smiled. “Okay, if you insist, but why?”
“Because your tummy is still flat, and you looked so beautiful in it.”
Her smile softened. “I knew there was a reason I loved you,” she whispered, giving him a quick kiss. “I’ll wear the dress on one condition.”
“Fine. Name it.”
“We go shopping for something to relieve the stark white.” Her eyes brightened. “I know, something festive, a pin maybe…no, a sash in silver, red and green.”
“Anything you want.” Seth swept her up in his arms. “But first we make use of the bed, then we go shopping.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Becca sighed in delicious contentment.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-2169-1
THE M.D.’S MISTRESS
Copyright © 2008 by Joan Hohl
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