The Baby Dilemma

She’d been trying so hard to put the past behind her. But she knew the second she heard his sister’s voice, the pain was going to come crashing through.

Her hand trembled as she picked up the receiver in her grandfather’s study. “Hello, C-Claudine?”

“Kellie—” her friend let out a mournful cry. “At last.”

She could hardly swallow, let alone talk. “I—I’m sorry it has taken me so long to face you.”

“Don’t apologize, chérie. I love Philippe, too, and cry myself to sleep every night for what has happened.”

“H-how is he?”

“If you mean physically, he’s recovering. The bone on his elbow was bruised, but he no longer has to wear a sling. His knee required surgery. Otherwise he would have come after you.”

A quiet gasp escaped Kellie’s throat. His injuries had been worse than he’d made out. Who had been taking care of him?

“Now he’s on crutches to keep the weight off it until it’s healed.”

Every word from Claudine’s lips tore her apart a little more.

“Kellie—you have to know that mentally my brother’s devastated you left him,” she confided in a tremulous voice.

By now the tears were dripping off her cheeks. “Did he ask you to call me?”

“No. He isn’t talking to anyone about anything. His pain is too deep. I’ve been praying you might have had time to reconsider your decision.”

“It’s all I think about.” She half-sobbed. “But no matter how I view it, divorce is the only answer. Cutting ties with me frees him to fulfill his moral obligation. You and I both know what kind of a father he’ll make. You’ve seen him interact with your nieces and nephew. It’s one of the qualities about him that made me want to marry him.”

“My brother can be a model father without marrying her!”

“Visitation isn’t the same thing as belonging to one family. He mustn’t deprive Yvette’s baby of its father. I had to live my whole life without mine, and I don’t want his son to know the same deprivation. Not only that, Philippe has wanted to get started on a family. Well, now he has one… Yvette adores him, and their child will be born any day now.”

“That’s not the point, Kellie. He’s too deeply in love with you to consider marriage to anyone else.”

“But there was a time when he cared for Yvette. Given a chance, those feelings could turn into love. He’s going to worship his child. If you were in my shoes, would you deny him the chance to raise their infant in his own household with the baby’s birth mother?”

A brief silence ensued. “I can’t answer that. I don’t know what it’s like to grow up without a father. Obviously it has scarred you much more than I’d realized.”

“Claudine— I heard Yvette confide in the doctor at the hospital right after they’d brought her in. The pain and the longing in her voice for Philippe killed me. I knew then what I had to do.”

Again there was a hesitation before Claudine said, “What about your pain and longing for my brother?”

“It doesn’t matter about me.”

“That’s what you say now. But there’s going to come a day… I hope you won’t live to regret it.”

“Please don’t hate me, Claudine,” she begged.

“I won’t dignify your comment with a response. As for Philippe, I’m sure he wishes he could hate you. It would make things easier all the way around. Have you been to an attorney yet?”

She sucked in her breath. “Yes. Philippe will be receiving the papers next week.”

“It’s going to kill him.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I have to say it because I know my brother. You think a divorce will force him to marry Yvette, but you’re wrong. He loves you. Our whole family loves you.”

“I love all of you, too,” her voice trembled. “I love you for caring so much, but Yvette and her baby are the important ones here.”

There was a pause. “Kellie?”

She wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand. “Yes?”

“You’re the only wife he wants.”

“He’ll change his mind when he’s there for the delivery and lays eyes on his little lookalike for the first time.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

“Claudine—”

“I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t put pressure on you, and that’s all I’ve done since I rang.”

“You have no reason to apologize. I’m so awful I haven’t even asked how things are going with Jules.”

“They’re not.”

“Why?”

“Unlike my brother, I think he’s a real playboy who’ll never settle down. He’s too attractive, has too much money. He can put on a convincing act that I’m the only woman for him, but I know deep down that’s not true.

“One day he’ll get bored and move on. I feel it in my bones. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve had my last date with him. I’ve got to keep looking for Mr. Perfect. Unfortunately no one ever measures up to Philippe.”

It always came down to Philippe.

No one could compare to him, but Kellie did know one man who had many of her husband’s sterling qualities. It was his good friend, Roger. Ever since she’d met him, she’d thought he and Claudine might hit it off. It was a subject she’d intended to broach with her husband.

Now there was no more Philippe. At least not in her world.

“I can tell you want to hang up, Kellie. Please call me once in a while. I couldn’t take it if you cut me off, too.”

“I would never do that. You’ll hear from me soon. I swear it.”

“A tout à l’heure, chérie.”

“À bientôt, chère Claudine.”

Kellie hung up the phone, dissolved in fresh tears.

Unable to bear the pain, she ran through the house to her room and collapsed on the bed.

CHAPTER TWO

KELLIE?”

Her head swerved toward the nurse. “Yes?”

“Dr. Evans wants to talk to you. As soon as you’re dressed, just step into his office.”

“All right.”

Dr. Evans had been the Madsen family doctor for as long as she could remember. He’d seen her through everything from tonsils and stitches to fractures and flu.

Lately she’d been having headaches and could pinpoint the onset of them to the day Kellie’s attorney had sent Philippe’s solicitor the divorce papers by express mail. The packet had gone out a week ago. Since then, the calls from Philippe had stopped.

It was what she’d wanted, but she couldn’t help but be anxious about him and needed to know if the baby had been born yet. She could always phone Claudine. However a part of her was afraid that if she did that, she’d break down crying again and it would make her headaches worse.

Hopefully Kellie’s doctor could prescribe something to take them away. The normal over-the-counter drugs weren’t helping.

A few minutes later she left the examining room and walked into his office. He was waiting for her. “Sit down, Kellie.”

After she’d taken a seat opposite his desk he smiled at her. “I believe I’ve discovered the source of your headaches, but I’ll leave it up to your obstetrician for a final determination.”

Kellie blinked. Obstetrician?

He stared at her. “You didn’t have any idea you were pregnant?”

She lurched in the chair. If she hadn’t been holding on to the sides, she might have fallen out of it.

His expression grew solemn. “I take it you and your husband hadn’t planned on starting a family yet.”

“No— I—I mean we did want a baby. But we c-can’t have one now. We just can’t!” she cried in anguish.

He leaned toward her, looking at her in that confiding way. “Kellie? In twenty-five years I’ve never seen you this emotional. Obviously something traumatic is going on in your life, thus the reason for the headaches.”

His confiding tone had the effect of opening the dam. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

He passed her the box of tissues on his desk. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Dr. Evans had always been like a father confessor, but for the first time in her life, she found she couldn’t talk to him. Not about this.

How could she explain her feelings over finding out she was pregnant with Philippe’s child when he was awaiting the birth of his son right now? Maybe Yvette had already delivered.

“I’m sorry,” she said a few minutes later, lifting her head to wipe her eyes. “Please forgive my outburst. Thank you for seeing me, but right now I’m afraid I have to go.” She shot out of the chair.

His concerned gaze followed her to the door. “I’m the one who’s sorry. In light of your pregnancy, promise me you’ll get hold of an OB right away. Dr. Cutler’s one of the best. His office is on the second floor. Tell him I referred you.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Evans.”

“You want to have a healthy child. Don’t wait too long to start your prenatal care, and don’t take any medication unless you’ve cleared it with your OB first!”

“I won’t. Goodbye.”

Kellie couldn’t get out of his office fast enough.

She hurried down to the car park and drove back to the café. It opened for lunch in half an hour. She needed to get busy going over the dinner menu.

Her family didn’t know she’d been to the doctor. Until she’d made a decision about what to do, she didn’t want to tell them what she’d learned. At the moment she was still trying to absorb the news with all its ramifications.

In order to avoid conversation, she parked behind the restaurant and slipped in the rear entrance which was used for delivery people. Luckily the other chef and the serving help were working at a steady pace. There was no unnecessary talk, especially on Fridays which brought in the large weekend crowds of tourists on their way to and from the Cascades.

Her grandparents did the cashiering while her mom ran the dining room. That left Kellie in the kitchen to hide her grief over an untenable situation. But by four o’clock that afternoon her head was splitting.

She told the other chef she needed to quit for the day. Excusing herself, she went up to her room and called Dr. Cutler’s office for an appointment. The receptionist fit her in for the following Friday.

When Kellie explained about her headaches, the nurse came on the line and told her of one painkiller she could take that wouldn’t hurt the baby.

Kellie thanked her for the information and hung up. She’d already tried it, but she’d received no relief. The only thing to do was go to bed and hope she could sleep it off.

To some degree her solution worked. A short nap seemed to stave off the worst of the pain.

Over the next seven days while she waited to find out if Philippe’s solicitor had responded, she would excuse herself to lie down as soon as she felt a headache coming on.

After her appointment with Dr. Cutler on Friday, Kellie made the decision to tell her family about her condition. As soon as they closed the restaurant for the night, she would sit down with them.

“Kellie?”

“What is it, Roy?” she asked the college age waiter who’d come in the kitchen for the steak dinners she’d put under the warmer.

“Someone’s out in front wanting to speak to you. The woman said she’d wait until you had a break.”

“I’ve already had mine for today. Who is it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before or believe me, I would have remembered.” He smiled. “It was Lee something. Her last name started with an M, but I can’t pronounce it.”

Kellie didn’t know a woman named…wait a minute— No. It couldn’t be that Lee, the wife of Philippe’s best friend, Raoul.

While Kellie had lived in the apartment with Philippe, Prince Raoul Mertier Bergeret D’Arillac, ruler of the French-Swiss cantons and his new twenty-six-year old American bride who was the same age as Kellie, had still been out of the country on their honeymoon.

Though Kellie had never met either of them, she’d seen the news clippings of their royal wedding among the things in Philippe’s desk. He also had hundreds of photos and various videos of Raoul and his friends out climbing.

If the prince and his wife had taken up residence in Neuchâtel since Kellie’s flight from Switzerland, they couldn’t possibly be here. Could they?

“Hey— Kellie— What do you want me to say?”

His question brought her thoughts back to the present. “Roy—did her last name sound like Mertier?”

He nodded. “That’s it exactly!”

Kellie’s legs started to shake.

If Lee Mertier of all people was in The Eatery dining room, then the only reason she would be here was that something terrible had happened to Philippe. Maybe his injuries were worse than Claudine had made them out to be.

“Tell her to meet me in the foyer. I’ll be right there.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he left the kitchen with the dinners, Kellie told the other chef she needed more time off. After washing her hands in the sink, she hung her apron and hair net on a peg in the back room. On trembling legs she made her way through the kitchen and dining room to the restaurant lobby.

The reality of the lovely, vital woman with short silvery-gold hair and violet eyes who turned in Kellie’s direction surpassed her image of the princess in the newspaper photos. Yet in jeans and a knit top, Lee Mertier looked completely down to earth and approachable.

As Kellie hurried past a line of customers to reach the other woman, she was so terrified to hear bad news about Philippe, she could hardly breathe.

“Princess?” she said in a shaky voice.

“Call me Lee.” She flashed her a sweet smile. “I knew you had to be Kellie. You’re more beautiful than the picture Philippe carries around with him.”

“Maybe he did once,” she said in a tortured whisper. “I was about to tell you no news clipping could do you justice.”

“Thank you.”

“Please—” Kellie struggled to keep her emotions under control. “I know you wouldn’t be here if something weren’t seriously wrong with Philippe. Were his injuries from the car accident more severe than his sister led me to believe?”

Shadows darkened Lee’s eyes, increasing Kellie’s fears. “He’s not dying, so let me put your mind at rest about that.”

“Is there something wrong with the baby?”

“Kellie?” she said quietly. “Can we go someplace to be alone and talk?”

“Yes. Of course. Forgive my lack of manners. I—I admit I’m scared to death.”

Kellie opened the door to the stairway, urging Lee to follow her up to the living room of the house.

“Please sit down. Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you.” She found a place on the end of the couch. Kellie took a chair opposite her.

The other woman spoke first. “I know my presence has alarmed you, but after discussing it with Raoul, we agreed this wouldn’t work over the phone.”

“Did your husband come with you?”

“No. I left him hosting an international bankers’ conference he’d already put off once before.”

“But you’re barely home from your honeymoon, aren’t you? To think you had to leave him to fly this far—”

“My husband loves Philippe like a brother. He’d do anything for him. I’m pretty crazy about your husband myself. The problem is, he’s not the same man who introduced me to Raoul in Zermatt. All traces of the dashing Frenchman who lost his heart to you have vanished.”

Kellie’s head was bowed.

“He’s in such a severe emotional crisis right now, my husband I are deeply concerned.”

“I’m sure that being a new father, plus trying to help Yvette with their little boy must be—”

“Kellie—” Lee interrupted. “Yvette died during the delivery.”

“What?” she cried out aghast, unable to remain seated. Claudine hadn’t phoned to let her know. “I thought Philippe said she wasn’t injured in the car accident.”

“Just listen,” Lee cautioned her in a gentle tone. “Her death resulted from eclampsia in labor. It’s very tragic. She had convulsions, then fell into a coma. Yvette passed away without ever seeing her son. That was a week ago. The baby wasn’t released from the hospital until after the funeral.

“It was the grandmother who took him home with her. So far she has refused to let Philippe see his son because she blames him for her daughter’s death.”

Kellie’s groan reverberated throughout the living room. She could hardly comprehend it, or the guilt he must be suffering unnecessarily. “My poor darling husband,” her voice shook.

“He’s in agony, but he won’t talk about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“After you left him, he cut himself off from everyone. His family couldn’t get through to him. His brother Patrick left Paris to take over for him at the office.

“Raoul is the only person Philippe has let into your apartment. My husband was shocked to discover he hasn’t been eating or taking care of himself for the last month. Apparently he’s lost at least ten pounds, maybe more.

“But the thing that alarmed Raoul most was to learn from the maid that your husband was getting his climbing gear together. When Raoul asked him what was going on, he said he was planning an ascent of the Matterhorn this weekend.”

“He can’t!” Kellie blurted in anguish. “Claudine told me he’s still recovering from surgery on his knee.”

“She’s right. But he’s beyond listening to reason. Somehow Raoul managed to get him to agree to wait until the bankers’ conference was over so he and Roger and Yves could go with him.

“The guys have a plan to do everything in their power to prevent him from trying anything dangerous. Unfortunately my husband hasn’t ever seen Philippe like this before. He isn’t sure they’ll be able to stop him.”

At this point Kellie’s whole body was trembling. “I’ve got to go to him! It was only because of Yvette’s love and need for him that I initiated the divorce. Nothing could keep me away from him now. I love him so desperately you’ll never know.”

“I think I do. Raoul and I feel you’re the only one who can make a difference. That’s why I came. To fly you back to Switzerland with me tonight in Raoul’s private jet. I rented a car at Sea-Tac airport. We can drive to Seattle whenever you’re ready.”

What wonderful people they were.

“Thank you for your generosity, but I couldn’t accept your offer,” she whispered, fighting tears. “I’ll arrange for a commercial flight just as soon as I let my family know.”

Lee got to her feet. “Kellie? Before you turn me down, there is one more thing you should be aware of.”

Sickness welled up in Kellie’s throat. “What is it?”

The princess seemed almost hesitant. “Philippe has changed.”

“In what way?”

“He wants the divorce now.”

She was trying to understand. “Now? But if Yvette’s no longer alive…”

When Lee didn’t say anything else, the significance of her words started to sink in.

Kellie felt the room tilt. She clung to the first available chair. Lee was at her side in an instant.

“You look ill. Sit down.”

When Kellie was seated, Lee knelt next to her. She stared into her eyes. “Tell me what caused you to almost pass out. Surely you must have realized what your continual rejection was doing to him? Sending Philippe those divorce papers absolutely shattered him.”

Lee’s gentleness and sincerity slipped past her defenses. Tears gushed down her cheeks.

“I was t-trying to bow out so he could do the right thing for Yvette and his baby. Now to hear that she’s gone, a-and he doesn’t want me back—you see I’ve just learned that I’m pregnant with his baby.”

It was Lee’s turn to let out a soft gasp before putting her arm around Kellie’s shoulders. Several minutes went by while Kellie tried to come to terms with what the princess had told her.

“D-do you know if he’s already signed the papers?”

“Not yet. Raoul talked him into waiting until after they’d made their supposed climb, when he had a clearer head.”

“Oh, Lee—” She fought to break down sobbing. “What am I going to do?”

There was a long silence. “What do you want to do?”

“I want my husband back, but I don’t want to use the news that we’re having a baby to be the reason he doesn’t go through with the divorce.”

“I wouldn’t want that, either.”

“What if he refuses to see me?”

“There has to be a way. But as I told you before, he’s not the same man.”

Kellie got up from the chair. “Then I’m going to have to fight for his love because I can’t lose him!”

Lee rose to her feet. “I’m glad to hear you say that because it is going to be a fight.” She opened her handbag and pulled out what looked like a newspaper clipping. “Read this, then you’ll understand part of your husband’s turmoil.”

With trembling fingers Kellie unfolded it to discover the front page of a major French-Swiss newspaper. The date September 30 stood out as if it had been stamped in red ink.

On the bottom half was a picture of Philippe’s car jammed against a van. There was a smaller picture of him in a business suit. Kellie’s shock turned to horror as she started to read the accompanying story.

Last night an accident sent well-known wealthy French auto-magnate Philippe Didier and an unidentified pregnant woman to Vaudois Hospital in Neuchâtel. Hospital authorities would not give out details, but it’s rumored that Kellie Didier, the new American bride of Monsieur Didier has fled the country. Speculation of an affair between M. Didie—

A moan escaped Kellie’s throat. She couldn’t read anymore and handed it back to Lee. “I—I had no idea—”

“Forgive me, Kellie, but Raoul made me promise I would show this to you if you decided to fly back with me. First, he wanted you to understand what Philippe has been forced to deal with on top of everything else.

“Secondly he says you need to be prepared for an invasion of the press. If you arrive with me, you can clear customs on board the jet. Raoul will have a limousine waiting to drive us to the château. He’ll make certain there aren’t any journalists around. That way you can slip back in the country without being bombarded with questions and camera flashes.”

She took a shaky breath. “How can I ever repay you and the prince for all this?”

Lee’s gaze searched hers. “If you and Philippe can works things out and be happy again, it’s the only payment we want. We’ve been looking forward to meeting the woman who brought Philippe to his knees.”

“I’m afraid it’s always been the other way around,” Kellie whispered in pain. “After what you’ve told me, getting on my knees isn’t going to be nearly enough.”

“Love will find a way.”

“I pray that’s true because I love him more than life itself!”

They regarded each other for a long moment before Lee said, “You have to admit it’s an amazing coincidence that our husbands married American women. To find out you and I are the same nationality has been so exciting for me.”

“Me, too. The truth is, Philippe and I could hardly wait for you to return from your honeymoon. We had this whole evening planned to welcome you back and really get acquainted.”

“So did we! You should hear Raoul talk about all the things the four of us are going to do together in the future.”

“If there is one,” Kellie’s voice broke.

Lee’s expression sobered. “When we found out you were divorcing him, you have no idea what a crushing blow it was to us. My husband has taken it very hard. He’ll do anything to facilitate a reunion.”

“Your presence here is testimony of that fact. Philippe’s blessed to have such friends. He told me about the time Raoul saved him on the mountain. Now you’re here to rescue him again.”

“It’s no more than Philippe did for Raoul.”

“What do you mean?”

“If it weren’t for your husband, Raoul and I would never have met. I’ll tell you about it on the plane.”

“I want to hear everything. Please excuse me while I talk to my family and pack. I’ll try not to take long.”

“Don’t worry. In the meantime, I’ll call my husband and let him know what’s happening.”

“Come in my grandfather’s den where there’s a phone and you can have your privacy.”

Thirteen hours later their private jet landed in Geneva where the official came on board to stamp their passports. When he left, Lee and Kellie went out to the black limousine bearing the D’Arillac royal crest. It sat parked a few feet beyond the stairs. The tinted glass prevented anyone from seeing inside.