It Happened at Christmas

by Debbie Mason

  “Nothing. I stopped by to have a visit with her earlier. She seemed fine then.” Tears filled her eyes. “She felt the baby move, honey. I was going to tell you when we talked tonight.”

  Another bit of good news at least. And it reinforced his decision to marry her. He didn’t want to miss out on those moments. He wanted to share them with Skye, not his mother.

  “And why exactly were you visiting, Mom?” He knew her too well to let her distract him.

  She sighed. “Do you have to be so suspicious? I just wanted her to know that you’ll be a wonderful father. And to make her understand how important the election was to you.”

  “Oh, well, that it explains it then,” Nell said. “You were pressuring her just like the rest of us. When me and the girls dropped by this afternoon, she told us we were stressing her out and it wasn’t good for her and the baby.”

  “What do you mean, you were pressuring her? And who’s the rest of you?” Ethan had an uneasy feeling Nell had gone through with her plan. He’d shot down the idea when she’d mentioned it at the Penalty Box the other night. He should’ve known she wouldn’t listen to him.

  “Don’t get your shorts in a twist. I activated the hotline. No one’s going to be bothering her anymore. Won’t work anyway. She said she isn’t going to marry you.”

  “No wonder she’s stressed,” Madison said, shooting a perturbed look at Nell. “And I’m sure it didn’t help that her father’s in town.”

  “Her father’s here?” Ethan asked.

  “Yeah,” Gage said, “And you would’ve known that if you didn’t cut me off earlier. He’s the reason Skye fell. He surprised her.”

  “He won’t do that again. She broke his rib,” Nell said.

  “Oh my God, are you telling me she hit William? You see, Ethan, this is exactly the kind of behavior I’m worried—”

  “What the Sam Hill are you talking about?” Nell interrupted Claudia. “She didn’t do it on purpose. She was trying to protect the baby when she fell.”

  Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. If they were giving him a headache, he didn’t want to think what the last few days had been like for Skye. Maybe he’d jumped the gun. “Where’s her dad now?”

  “X-ray,” Gage said.

  A nurse with steel-gray hair and an attitude that matched marched toward them. “Are you the baby’s father?” she addressed Ethan in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

  “Yes, I—”

  “You can go in now. And if you want a healthy baby, you get that girl to eat. All that hippie nonsense. I don’t need a blood test to tell me she’s anemic,” she said as she strode to her desk.

  “Settle down, honey,” Gage said to Madison, who was scowling after the older woman. “I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Yes, she did, the old battle-ax. We call her Nurse Ratched,” Nell said.

  “We’ll wait for you here,” Liz said to Ethan, indicating the room behind her as he set off down the hall.

  He found Skye’s room and entered without knocking. She sat cross-legged on the bed in a green gown, her long, tumbled mass of butterscotch curls hiding her face as she pushed at the food on the hospital tray.

  “Skye,” he said as he approached the bed.

  She looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. His chest tightened as he moved the hospital tray and sat beside her. “Hey”—he stroked her hair—“what’s wrong? The baby’s okay.”

  “She… she said I was being foolish. And… and if I didn’t start eating meat I’d put the baby at risk.”

  “Come here, cupcake,” he said, taking her into his arms. “Don’t listen to her. You’re not hurting the baby.” He might not know much about a baby’s nutritional needs, but Skye was in incredible shape, so her vegan diet obviously wasn’t hurting her. But he was thinking seriously of hurting that damn nurse. He planned to have a word with her as soon as Skye calmed down. And he was going to call the preacher and cancel. She’d dealt with enough today. She didn’t need him putting any more pressure on her.

  He gently patted her back and her arms went around his waist, her face buried in his neck. “Stop crying. You’re going to make yourself sick.”

  She relaxed against him, her shuddering breath warming his neck. She didn’t pull away, and he was okay with that. He liked the feel of her soft, supple body in his arms. Even more, he liked that she let him hold her, let him comfort her. He leaned over to grab a couple of tissues off the table at the side of the bed.

  She drew her arms from his waist and sat up. “Thanks,” she sniffed, accepting the tissues and wiping her red-tipped nose. “Sorry for the meltdown. It’s just that I’ve tried so hard to do everything right. I’ve read all these books and done exactly what they said, and then she… she…” Skye hiccuped a sob.

  He took her in his arms again and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t pay any attention to what Nurse Ratched said. I’m going to take care of her. I—”

  She pulled back. “Nurse Ratched?”

  “Yeah, that’s what Nell calls her.”

  “She is kind of scary. She said she’s going to make sure the doctor doesn’t release me until I eat some meat.” Skye cast a disheartened look at the hamburger in the plastic dish. “I can’t do it, Ethan. I’ll be sick.”

  “You don’t have to.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing her palm before he got to his feet and picked up the tray. “I’ll go talk to her now and get you something else to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Good luck. She’s really mean.”

  “Cupcake, I prosecuted murderers and rapists. She’s no match for me.” She gave him a small smile. “Lie down and relax. I won’t be long.”

  The nurse didn’t look up when Ethan set the tray on her desk. She sighed and rolled her eyes. “What did she do… cry, throw a temper tantrum? The women today have you boys whipped.”

  “Did you tell her that she was putting our baby at risk if she didn’t eat meat?” he asked, barely keeping his anger in check.

  He heard a gasp from behind him and held up a hand before Madison and Grace, who’d been talking outside the waiting room, charged over. The nurse glanced in their direction before returning her gaze to his. She lifted her chin, but some of the defiance left her eyes. “I might have.”

  He planted his hands on the desk. “If I hear you’ve spoken to her, gone within ten feet of her, I’m going to file a complaint against you. Get her doctor up here.”

  “You can’t—”

  “Page her doctor. Now.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m paging her,” she said, holding up the phone to indicate she was going to do as he asked.

  He joined Madison and Grace. “I could strangle that woman. I can’t believe she said that to her,” Madison muttered.

  “Don’t worry, she won’t be upsetting Skye again.” He reached in his back pocket for his wallet. “Would one of you mind picking up something for her to eat? I’d go, but I want to talk to her doctor.”

  “I will,” Grace offered, waving off his money. “Don’t be silly. It’s the least I can do.”

  As Grace headed for the elevators, Madison said, “Despite the nurse from hell, she’s in good hands. They’ve hired a new ob-gyn. Dad says she’s wonderful,” she said, referring to Paul. “How’s Skye doing?”

  “Traumatized.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “She was crying when I got in there.”

  She searched his face. “You really do care about her, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do. She’s having my baby.” He ignored her knowing smile. “I better get back in there.”

  “You do that, Daddy.”

  He gave his head a bemused shake. “I don’t think it really sunk in until now.”

  “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is. Kind of scary, too.”

  “You’ll be a great dad. And take it from me—my best friend, she’s going to be an amazing mom.”

  “That’s probably something I shou
ld tell her.” He thought of how hard Skye was trying to be one, and remembered the comments he’d made the day he’d learned about the baby. He’d been an ass. No wonder she didn’t want to marry him. Which reminded him—he had to call the preacher.

  Madison looked over his shoulder. “There’s the doctor. Let me know when I can see Skye.”

  “Sure.” He headed toward the tall, attractive, dark-haired woman Nurse Ratched had cornered outside Skye’s room. The older woman headed in the opposite direction as Ethan approached. The doctor extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Dr. Evans.”

  “Ethan O’Connor.” He glanced in Skye’s room. She was on her phone. He thought he heard her say something about Superman, but figured he must have misunderstood. She looked up. He smiled, held up a finger, and closed her door a few inches. “Sorry, I’d like to talk to you privately. I don’t want to upset Skye.”

  “I don’t want her upset, either. I’m concerned about her blood pressure.”

  “How concerned?”

  “Enough to keep her overnight for observation.” She touched his arm. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. Other than her blood pressure, Skye and the baby are fine.”

  “Are you worried about her diet?”

  “Not at all. She’s in great shape and very knowledgeable. She’s adjusted her supplements to compensate for her pregnancy. I wish all my patients were as healthy as she is.”

  “You might want to tell that to her nurse.” He repeated what the older woman had said to Skye and added, “I don’t want her near Skye while she’s here.”

  “I understand completely. I’m sorry. Skye didn’t need that right now. I better recheck her pressure. Is there anything else?”

  “No, that’s it for now,” he said, holding the door open for her. He followed her into the room and rounded the bed. “You okay?” he asked, noticing the way Skye nervously eyed her phone. “Who were you talking to?”

  “Just Vivi. I’m good. I didn’t expect to see you again tonight, Dr. Evans. Is something wrong?” Ah, so that’s why she’s nervous.

  “Your husband… I mean, the baby’s father, is worried about you. I’m sorry the nurse upset you. I thought it might be a good idea to recheck your blood pressure,” Dr. Evans said as she slipped the cuff on Skye’s arm. “As I told your…” She sighed. “Sorry. As I told Mr. O’Connor, I’m not concerned about your diet. You’re doing everything right.”

  “Thanks.” Skye kept her eyes focused on the expanding cuff. “Ethan and I are getting married tomorrow, so you can refer to him as my husband. I’ll be Mrs. O’Connor tomorrow. Mrs. Kendall O’Connor,” she said in an over-the-top excited tone of voice.

  “We are? You will? But just the other day you said you wouldn’t marry me.”

  “That was the other day. Now I think it’s important that we’re married when Willow is born. I don’t want anyone to be mean to her because she’s illegitimate.”

  Ethan felt like he had whiplash. “Cupcake, who’s Willow?”

  “Your daughter.”

  “We’re having a girl?” he asked, looking at Dr. Evans for confirmation, but she’d turned away, her shoulders shaking.

  “The baby’s legs were crossed on the ultrasound, but I’m sure we are.”

  “Oh, okay. That’s—” Ethan looked up when a white-haired man wearing a black suit and white collar peeked into the room.

  “Mr. O’Connor, are you ready for the ceremony?”

  Skye gaped at the preacher, then turned to Ethan. “How did you get him here so fast?”

  The older man smiled. “Mr. O’Connor called me a couple hours ago. I’m a big supporter, and I dropped everything to get here. I’m honored to officiate the wedding of our soon-to-be state senator.”

  “You called him a couple of hours ago?” Skye asked, looking less thrilled with the idea of marrying him than she had a few minutes ago.

  Ethan didn’t respond. He was watching as Dr. Evans released the pressure on the cuff. “How is it?” he asked.

  “Still higher than I’d like. I’m not sure this is the best time for you to get married. Perhaps in the next day or so…”

  “No problem. We can wait until Skye—”

  “No, it’s better to get it over with. You know, like a bandage. Rip it off fast so it doesn’t hurt so much.”

  The three of them stared at her. “Ha-ha,” she said. “It was a joke. But honestly, Dr. Evans, I’ll feel better once we’re married. Weddings are very stressful, you know. All the planning…”

  “What planning? We weren’t getting married until a few minutes ago.”

  “Well, obviously we were, Ethan. You called the preacher.”

  “Perhaps it’s a good idea after all. Just keep it as short as possible. And no more than four other people in the room.” Dr. Evans looked at Skye. “Six maximum.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Evans.” Skye said.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll check on you in a few hours. Congratulations, the next time I see you, you’ll be Mrs. O’Connor.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Skye said with a weak smile.

  Ethan frowned. He knew from Gage’s experience with Madison that pregnant women’s emotions were all over the place, but this seemed extreme. “Skye, are you sure…”

  “Totally, let’s do this. Oh, and make sure it’s Kendall O’Connor on the marriage certificate. And when Claudia puts out the press release, list Texas as my home.” She chewed on her fingernail. “Never mind, I’ll take care of the press release.”

  A big man with a barrel chest strode into the room. “Daddy, you’re just in time for the wedding. Meet your son-in-law, Ethan O’Connor. I’m sure you’ll love him. You have a lot in common.” From the look on Skye’s face, that was not a compliment. And Ethan had finally figured out what, or whom, was behind her sudden desire to get married.

  “Pleasure to meet you, son. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Richard. You’ll make a fine senator,” the man said, taking Ethan’s hand in a powerful grip.

  “I appreciate you saying so, sir.”

  “Now, what’s this about you two getting married?”

  “I’m pregnant, Daddy, remember?”

  “A little hard to forget with how you carried on when you busted my rib. But you were never one to conform to society’s rules. Don’t know why you’d start now.” The man rubbed his side. “You sure you know what you’re getting into, son? She kicks like a mule and is as stubborn as one, too. You say the grass is green, and she’ll say it’s brown.”

  “Careful, Daddy, you’ll scare him off, and you’ll have to tell all your friends at the country club that your daughter not only lost her fortune, she’s a single parent who had her baby out of wedlock.”

  And that set off a political war of words between father and daughter. The gnawing in Ethan’s gut returned, and he started to worry, not only about Skye’s blood pressure, but that Claudia had been right after all. The preacher slowly lowered himself into a chair. He looked as if he were praying. Ethan hoped he was saying a few for him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Skye looked up when Ethan popped his head in the hospital room the next morning. “You almost ready to leave?”

  “Yes, but can you come in here for a sec?” She motioned him into the room.

  “You okay?” he asked, giving her a concerned look as he entered.

  “I’m good. Just stand against the wall and smile.” She raised her cell phone then lowered it. “Could you at least try to look happy?”

  “You wanna tell me why you’re taking my picture?”

  No, but obviously she had to tell him something. “It’s our first morning as husband and wife. I want to memorialize the occasion.” She forced a bright smile.

  He rubbed his hand over his mouth and nodded. “Okay. Whatever makes you happy,” he said, and gave her a sexy, amused smile.

  She scrutinized the picture. His black suit was rumpled, and he looked tired after spending the night in the chair by her bed. But there was no denying that E
than O’Connor was one exceptional-looking man. It was too bad listening to him talk half the night away with her father reminded Skye why he wasn’t the man for her. And she’d kind of needed reminding after he’d held her in his arms and protected her from Nurse Ratched.

  “Are we good now?”

  “I just need to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind. Go ahead, I’ll meet you out there.”

  “Okay, I’ll pay the bill, and I have a call to make.”

  So did she. As soon as he left the room, Skye phoned Vivi. “It’s me. I don’t have long to talk.”

  “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. O’Connor. How was the wedding night?”

  “Ha-ha. Listen, I need a favor. I’m sending a picture of Ethan to you now. Remember that Halloween party I went to as a Texas Republican?” Skye had to make sure that no one recognized her in the press release announcing their marriage. It was why she’d decided to take matters into her own hands.

  Vivi snorted. “How could I forget?”

  “Do you have it?”

  “Yeah, I think so. Why? Never mind, I know where you’re going with this. You want me to superimpose you into the one I just got of Ethan for the press release?”

  “I’m so lucky to have a friend as smart as you.” Skye grinned. “What do you think? Scary Guy wouldn’t recognize me if he saw it, would he?”

  “No. Your own father wouldn’t recognize you. And speaking of the governor, how did he and Ethan get along?”

  “Love at first sight. My father always wanted me to marry a lawyer. He assumed I was going to need one so it’d save on legal fees. By the end of the night, they were finishing each other’s sentences. Because of you and Superman, I’ve married my father, Vivi,” Skye accused.

  “Superman figured since you were having the man’s baby, anyway, you might as well marry him and take advantage of the name change. I thought it was a great idea. You cover your tracks, and other than the press release, you won’t be doing any publicity photos. And it’s not like you’re going to be out on the campaign trail.”

  “Not after the stories my father shared with him. If we hadn’t already been married by then, I’m positive Ethan would’ve left me at the altar.” It was a good thing her father was on his way back to Texas.