The Greek's Innocent Virgin

"Yes," but Rachel's attention wasn't focused on the doctor.

For the same two and a half months the baby had been growing inside her, she had been shut down emotionally, surviving in a cocoon of isolation into which no other person had been allowed any real ac­cess. Suddenly, another living being was in the co­coon with her and she couldn't separate herself. She was going to have a baby and that baby would be inside her defense mechanisms for the rest of her life.

"Is the father in the picture?"

Rachel's gaze refocused on the doctor. "No." An image of Sebastian tried to come forward in her mind and she slammed a mental door on it with a resound­ing clang. "He's not in my life at all."

"Ten weeks is not too far along to consider a ter­mination." Pompella spoke without a shred of emotion.

Fierce protectiveness for the small life growing in­side her welled up in Rachel. "That is not an option."

The other woman's mouth set in a firm line. "You should at least consider it."

"No."

"I don't think you've considered all the angles to your situation. If you don't treat your hyperthyroid­ism, your heart arrhythmia will continue, putting you at risk for both stroke and heart attack. The medica­tions that could treat the arrhythmia can have adverse side effects on pregnancy as well."

"Then I won't take them."

"Which leaves you with two potentially serious medical conditions going untreated for the next seven months."

"Aren't there any treatments available that are safe for pregnancy?"

"You could try beta-blockers, but taking an ag­gressive approach early in your condition is going to give you the best chance of complete recovery. And beta-blockers are not completely risk free," she stressed.

Rachel told the doctor she would consider alter­natives and thanked her for her time, but went home determined not to return to Pompella.

Anyone who thought killing her baby was the answer to problems she didn't even have physical symp­toms for was crazy.

She reasoned that she hadn't even known about the heart arrhythmia or hyperactive thyroid until she'd gone in for her physical, so neither could be all that bad.

She did her best to eat food healthy for both her heart and her baby, and managed a daily dose of light exercise. Working at a women's fitness center, that part was easy. She found an obstetrician and started taking prenatal vitamins as well. She felt physically better than she had at any time in her life and pushing the worry to the back of her mind. Rachel didn't bother to mention her heart arrhythmia to her OB.

If she still longed for Sebastian in the darkest hours of the night, she refused to give such craven feelings airtime in the light of day.

Her attitude of complacency about her heart con­dition lasted until she woke up in an ambulance, headed toward Emergency after collapsing at work.

She was able to go home a few hours later, but the reality of her condition had well and truly sunk in.

She had to make sure her baby would be taken care of if something happened to her. The urge to call Sebastian had been growing daily in the two weeks since she discovered her pregnancy. She no longer loved him. How could she after all he had said to her? However, she would not allow her child to be deprived of its father as Rachel had been of hers.

It didn't matter that Sebastian thought she was a reincarnation of Andrea, or even that he would see the pregnancy as another trap. She wasn't trying to trap him and he would eventually figure that out. He loved his family and once he accepted that the baby was his he would love it too. He would ensure their baby would never be alone, no matter what happened to Rachel.

She called Sebastian's office the next day.

His secretary offered to take a message because Sebastian was in a meeting.

When Rachel gave her name the secretary said, "Rachel Long?" as if she couldn't quite believe her ears.

"Yes, though if you're going to have him call me back at work, have him ask for Rachel Newman."

"Please, hold the line." The secretary sounded quite agitated. "I'll have Kyrios Kouros for you di­rectly."

"Oh, no, that isn't necessary. He can call me back."

"I have strict instructions, Newman."

What instructions? She would have thought Sebastian would tell his secretary to refuse to take any call from her, not to interrupt him in an important meeting. She had barely a minute to consider the puz­zle before his deep voice came across the phone line.

"Rachel?" His tone was oddly thick.

"Yes."

"Rachel Newman now?" he asked, a very odd in­flection in his tone.

"Yes."

"I...I'm..."

He was silent so long, she thought the connection might have gone dead.

"Sebastian?"

"Ne, yes." Again that thick voice. "I suppose con­gratulations are in order."

If he routinely offered congratulations in that tone of voice, he would not have very many friends.

"What for?" No way could he know about the baby.

"Your marriage."

What in the world was he talking about? "Are you crazy? I'm not married."

"You are not?"

"No."

Did he honestly believe she would go from him to another man that fast...and get married? She sup­posed he did. thinking she was a world-class slut and liar.

"Then what is this Rachel Newman?" Anger vi­brated in his voice, confusing her further.

But she'd forgotten he didn't know about her changing her last name. She told him about it now.

"We could find nothing and that explains it."

"What?"

"It is not important. You called me for a reason, agape mou. What is it?"

The phone connection must be fuzzy. She could have sworn he called her his love, but that was not possible. "I have something I need to tell you. Two things really."

"Tell me these things."

"I'm pregnant. I know you aren't going to believe the baby is yours until we can have tests, but I'm willing to have those." She'd made the decision not to allow her pride to get in the way of her baby's welfare before she'd ever picked up the phone to call him.

Again the silence.

"Sebastian?"

"I am here."

"Say something."

"I do not know what to say." Then he belied his words by going on in a dazed voice. "You are preg­nant. And you called me. I give thanks to the good God above for this. You had little reason to trust me enough to do so."

"I don't trust you." And she couldn't believe he thought she was stupid enough to after the way he had rejected her.

"Yet you called."

"I had no choice."

"Because you are pregnant." The words came taut across the phone lines.

"Because there are complications. I need to know my baby is going to be okay."

"What is this you are saying? What kind of com­plications?" His Greek accent was very thick. "You are at risk?"

"Th

at's one way of putting it." And she explained what the doctor had told her, but omitted her recent trip to the emergency room.

Somehow, she didn't think that would go over very well.

He asked a ton of detailed questions, including who her general practitioner was and the name of her ob­stetrician, in addition to many more questions about her two related conditions that she hadn't thought to ask when she'd been at the doctor's office. It embar­rassed her to have to say she didn't know, but he never once accused her of being negligent with her baby's health.

His lack of condemnation did not stem the impa­tience she felt with herself for being such an ostrich about everything.