‘I’m sorry—I do have to go,’ she muttered, squeezing Anouk’s hand again, as if that could convey all the things she couldn’t say to her friend in front of Sol.
‘I don’t understand, Sask?’
She wished, not for the first time, that she’d found a way to tell her friend about the baby. But this wasn’t the time.
‘It’s complicated. I’ll explain everything when I can.’
Then Saskia hurried out of the room, before she could say anything more to give herself away.
The cramps were stronger now, along with chest pain. Gripping the wall, Saskia made her way down the corridor and into the bathroom. She needed to know if she was losing the baby.
Slipping into the stall, she closed her eyes and sent a silent plea out into the ether.
No blood. Not even spotting. No sign that she was losing her baby. Thank goodness.
Saskia slumped against the wall with relief. A sob racked her. It was incredible that something she hadn’t even thought about, let alone planned, should mean so much to her, and yet it did.
Which was why she needed to go to the maternity wing now, and make sure everything was all right.
Whatever the situation with Malachi, she wasn’t going to shut him out of their lives. This was his baby, too, and whether he chose to be a part of it or not would have to be his choice. They were never going to have the kind of deep, passionate love her parents had shared, but that could only be a good thing when she thought about how they had ended up devastating her as a child. She should be pleased that Malachi wanted to be an active part of his child’s life.
It was wrong to want to keep him at bay simply because she didn’t think she could handle their physical attraction. Which meant that right now he had as much right to know what was happening with this pregnancy as she did.
Sucking in a deep breath, Saskia took her mobile out of her bag and, with shaking fingers, texted his number.
* * *
Malachi raced down the stairs to the maternity wing and battled not to let his world fall apart all around him.
How was it that a baby he hadn’t even thought he wanted a few weeks ago was now the most important thing in his life?
He snatched open the door to the floor and glanced up and down the corridor, trying to find his bearings. There. Room 214... Room 216... He kept moving until he found the room number Saskia had texted him, knocked once and walked inside.
She was there alone, a bottle of water gripped with white-knuckle tightness.
‘What’s going on?’ he demanded without preamble.
‘Where’s your helicopter?’ She shot him a shocked, slightly dazed glance, peering around him as though she half expected it to be in the corridor behind him.
‘Dealt with.’ He just about swallowed his frustration. ‘What’s happening with you?’
She didn’t look as though she’d heard him.
‘You can’t leave it on the roof. What if an emergency comes in and an air ambulance needs to land?’
‘I didn’t leave it on the helipad—it’s dealt with. It’s safe,’ he managed. ‘Now, tell me about you, Saskia.’
‘Oh...she’s gone to set up a scan,’ Saskia blurted, sending his heart tumbling in a fast, wild freefall which he didn’t think would ever end. ‘Hence the water.’
Of course.
‘Is something wrong with the baby?’
‘No...maybe...probably not.’ She struggled to speak. ‘They think I was just having a panic attack. I had abdominal pains, chest pains, some trembling.’
‘You have a stressful career and you just worked a major incident after a three-day shift,’ he pointed out, trying to keep any hint of accusation out of his voice.
This wasn’t about laying blame. It was about understanding what had happened to Saskia, and potentially to their baby, and why.