Her Festive Baby Bombshell

“And the chips, fruit, vegetables and dip. Is there anything you forgot?”

He glanced over the tray and then a thought came to him. “I forgot to add some soup. Would you like some?”

“I think I’ll get by with what you brought me.”

A smile lifted her lips, easing the tired, stressed lines on her face. His gaze moved past her and trailed around the room, surprised to find that her laptop was closed. And then he spied the bed with the wrinkled comforter and the indent on the pillow. She’d been lying down.

“I’ll put it over here.” He moved toward the desk in the corner of her room. When she didn’t follow him, he turned back to her. There were shadows under her eyes and her face was void of color. “Holly—”

She ran out of the room. She sent the bathroom door slamming shut.

That was it. He was done waiting for this bug or whatever was ailing her to pass. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and requested that the chopper transport them to the big island where there would be medical help.

He didn’t care how much she protested, this simply couldn’t go on. There was something seriously wrong here. And he was worried—really worried.

* * *

“Finn, don’t forget your promise.”

“I won’t.” He stared straight ahead as he searched for a parking spot on the big island.

Before they flew here, Holly had extracted a promise from him. If she agreed to this totally unnecessary doctor’s appointment, he would help her catch the next flight home. She was certain whatever was plaguing her was no more than a flu bug. No big deal. She had no idea why Finn was so concerned.

Being an hour early for her appointment, Holly took advantage of the opportunity to meander through the colorful shops and the intriguing stands along the street. And in the end, it was a productive visit as she bought a few gifts.

When it was time to head to the clinic, Holly pleaded that it wasn’t necessary. She was feeling better, but Finn insisted, reminding her that they had an agreement. And so they did. It also meant that she was almost homeward bound...just as soon as this appointment was concluded. She’d even packed her bag and brought it with her.

In the doctor’s office Holly completed the paperwork and then they took her vital statistics. An older doctor examined her. He did a lot of hemming and hawing, but he gave her no insight into what those sounds meant. When she pointedly asked him what was wrong with her, he told her that he’d need to order a couple of tests.

Tests? That doesn’t sound good.

She was feeling better. That had to be a good sign. But why was the doctor being so closemouthed? Although she recalled when her mother had suffered a stroke, trying to get information out of doctors was nearly impossible until they were ready to speak to you.

So she waited, but not alone. With her exam over, she invited Finn back to the room so he could hear with his own ears that she was fine. She was certain the doctor was only being cautious.

In the bright light, she noticed that Finn didn’t look quite like himself. “Are you feeling all right?”

His gaze met hers. “I’m fine. It’s you we should worry about.”

She studied him a bit more. His face was pale and his eyes were dull. There was definitely something wrong with him.

“Oh, no, have I made you sick, too?”

He waved away her worry. “I’m like my great-aunt. I don’t get sick.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Finn’s jaw tensed and a muscle in his cheek twitched, but he didn’t argue with her. Okay, so maybe she was pushing it a bit. Doctor’s offices made her uptight.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I guess I don’t do well with doctors.”

The lines on Finn’s handsome face smoothed out. “Why? What happened?”

She shrugged. “You don’t want to hear about it.”

“Sure, I do. That is, if you’ll tell me.”

Oh, well, what else did they have to do while waiting for the test results? There weren’t even any glossy magazines in the small room. So while she sat on the exam table, Finn took a seat on the only chair in the room.

“It was a couple of days after you and I, you know, after—”