Forbidden Surrender

‘Then maybe she’ll listen to me,’ Sara told him fiercely. ‘I won’t let her die without putting up a fight!’

‘Marie isn’t you, Sara,’ Dominic said softly. ‘You would fight, Marie would rather die than risk being paralysed or retarded.’

‘That isn’t true,’ she denied harshly. ‘Do you know how terrified she is of dying? Death petrifies her, gives her nightmares. In fact, I’m sure it’s this fear that triggers off half of her headaches.’

‘She told you about—about this fear?’ her father rasped.

‘Yes.’

‘Then I want you to try and persuade her to have the operation. I think if anyone can do it you can.’

She hesitated. ‘Dominic?’

He looked at her with tormented eyes. ‘I agree with your father, you’re the only person who might be able to do it.’

‘Then I’ll try.’

‘Thank you.’ He squeezed her hand.

She had to try and save her sister, even if it meant losing any chance of ever being able to have Dominic herself. There could never be any happiness for her with Dominic anyway; she could always only ever be Marie’s substitute.

Marie was moving about restlessly when she entered the room, wide awake. ‘Is the doctor coming?’ she groaned.

‘Yes.’ Sara soothed her brow as she had the night she had stayed with her. ‘And when he arrives I want you to agree to have this operation.’

‘No!’ Marie shuddered. ‘Never! I don’t want to be a vegetable in a wheelchair, unloved and unable to love.’

Sara held her tightly to her. ‘You must know Dominic will always love you, no matter what happens.’

Marie looked up at her with wild frightened eyes. ‘No man could love me if I were like that.’

‘Dominic would,’ Sara said with certainty.

‘No. No, he wouldn’t. He would hate me—–’

‘You know that isn’t true. Marie, you’re my sister, a part of myself,’ she gripped her arms tightly. ‘Wouldn’t you rather die fighting?’

‘I don’t want to die at all!’

‘I know that, darling, I know. But we all have to die some time. I know which way I would prefer.’

Marie shook her head. ‘You’re different from me.’

She knew that, Dominic had just told her so, and there was no question about which one of them he preferred. And if it were humanly possible she was going to bring Marie through this for him.

‘I may be different from you, Marie,’ she said with determination. ‘But if I had someone in love with me, someone who wanted to marry me, to be with me for ever and ever, then I’d want to fight this thing.’

Marie’s eyes were huge. ‘You would?’

‘Of course.’ Sara’s voice became less heated as she realised Marie was actually listening to her now. ‘You can’t just sit back and let life deal you a blow like this. You have to have this operation, for yourself, for Dad, and most of all for Dominic.’

‘And for you too?’

‘Yes, for me too.’ Sara blinked back the tears, wishing she could stop being so emotional. She couldn’t be helping the situation.

Marie was calming. ‘You would stay with me all the time?’

‘As much as they would let me,’ Sara agreed eagerly.

Marie bit her lip. ‘I’m not sure …’

‘Just think of the future, Marie.’

‘The future?’ she sighed. ‘There hasn’t been one to think of lately.’

‘Well, think of it now. Think of being with the man you love for all time, of having his children.’

‘Oh yes,’ Marie gave a dreamy smile, ‘I would like that, Sara.’

‘Then take the one chance you’ve got. Please!’ she added pleadingly as Marie still seemed to hesitate. ‘Children, Marie,’ she repeated, although the thought of Marie being the mother of Dominic’s children caused her actual physical pain. ‘Children who look just like their father,’ she said softly, achingly.

Marie drew a ragged breath. ‘I—I’ll do it,’ she said after long troubled minutes.

Sara swallowed hard. ‘You—you will?’