Carin cleared her throat. Fear danced along her spine, but that was silly.What was there to be afraid of?
âYou seem surprised to see me, Carin.â
âYes. IâI am. Whatâwhat are you doing here?â
âWhy, querida, I am here to see you, of course.â He glanced at the sleeping infant in his arms. âAnd to see your daughter.â
Carinâs gaze flew to the baby, then to him. âWhat are you doing with my baby?â
âDonât you mean, what am I doing with our baby? That seems to be the consensus, querida, that this child is mine.â
New York City
Saturday, May 4
CARIN BREWSTER clutched her sisterâs hand and wondered how the human race had managed to survive if every woman whoâd ever borne a child had to go through agony like this.
She groaned as another contraction racked her body.
âThatâs it,â Amanda Brewster al Rashid said. âPush, Carin. Push!â
âIâamâpushing,â Carin panted.
âMomâs on the way. She should be here soon.â
âGreat.â Carin bit down on her lip. âShe can tell me she knows the right way toâohhh, God!â
âOh, sweetie.â Amanda leaned closer. âDonât you think itâs time you told me whoââ
âNo!â
âI donât understand you, Carin! Heâs the father of your child.â
âDonâtâneedâhim.â
âBut he has the right to know whatâs happening!â
âHeâhassânoârights.â
Carin grimaced with pain. What rights did a man have, when he was almost a stranger? None. None at all. Some of the decisions sheâd made over the past months had been difficult. Whether to keep her baby. Whether to turn to her family for help. But deciding not to tell Rafe Alvares that heâd made her pregnant had been easy. He didnât give a damn about her; why would he want to know? Why would a man whoâd spent an hour in her bed and never tried to contact her again, want to know he was going to be a father?
The contraction subsided. Carin fell back against the pillows.
âHeâs not important. The babyâs mine. Iâm all that sheâll need. Justâ¦â She groaned, arched from the bed. ââ¦just me.â
âThatâs crazy.â Amanda wiped her sisterâs forehead with a cool washcloth. âPlease, Sis, tell me his name. Let me call him. Is it Frank?â
âNo!â Carin grasped Amandaâs hand more tightly. âItâs not Frank. And Iâm not going to tell you anything else. Mandy, you said you wouldnât do this. You promised. You saidââ
âMadame al Rashid? Excuse me, please, but I need to speak with your sister.â
Carin turned her head. Sweat had run into her eyes and her vision was blurry but she could see Amanda step back to make room for Dr. Ronald.
He sat down next to her and took her hand.
âHowâre you doing, Carin?â
âIâmâ¦â She hesitated. âIâm fine.â
The doctor smiled. âYouâre one tough cookie, thatâs for sure. But we think youâve been at this long enough.â
Somehow, she managed a weak grin. âTry telling that to this baby.â
âThatâs exactly what Iâm going to do. Weâve decided to take you down the hall and get this kid into the world. Howâs that sound?â
âWill it hurt myââ
Another contraction gripped her body. Carin groaned and the doctor squeezed her hand. âNo. On the contrary. Itâll conserve energy for the two of you. Itâs the best thing to do, I promise.â
The doctor rose to his feet and moved aside as two white-coated attendants came towards the bed.
âDonât you worry, missus,â one of them said. âYouâll be holding that baby of yours before you know it.â
Iâm not a missus, Carin thought, but everything was happening quickly now. Gentle hands lifted her; Amanda hurried alongside as she was rolled down the long corridor, her eyes fixed on the endless lights that shone from the ceiling. A pair of doors swooshed open just ahead, and her sister bent down and kissed her damp forehead.
âHey,â she whispered.
âHey,â Carin said softly.
âI love you, Sis.â
âMe, too,â Carin said, and then she was through the door and in a room with white tile walls, staring up at a light as bright as the sun.
âJust relax, Ms. Brewster,â a voice told her, and there was a sudden burning sensation in her arm, where an IV needle already snaked under her skin.
âHere we go,â her doctor said, and Carin spun away.