Maternally Yours

“Mario,” Brett called, motioning for the maître d’. When the little man hurried over to them, Brett explained, “Ms. Delgado isn’t feeling well and we’ve decided not to have dinner after all.”

“Very well, Signore Connelly,” Mario said, shooting Elena a worried look as Brett held her coat. “I’m sorry the signorina has fallen ill. I hope she will be all right.”

Nodding, Brett took her by the elbow and started to guide her toward the door. But the moment she turned, her steps faltered and she stopped abruptly. She looked up at him, and he could see a mixture of fear and panic in her expressive brown eyes, and the desperation as she sagged against him.

“Please…help me…Brett,” she whispered, a moment before her lashes fluttered shut and she lost her battle with consciousness.

Without a second thought, he swung her up into his arms, cradled her to his chest and shouldered his way through the exit. Fortunately, he’d been able to park in front of Mario’s and it was only a few feet to his car.

He quickly placed her on the passenger seat of the Jag, fastened her seat belt, then trotted around the front of the car to slide into the driver’s seat. Jamming the key into the ignition, he shifted into first and shot from the parking space.

“Hang on, Elena,” he said, fighting an unfamiliar sense of panic as he wove his way around slower-moving vehicles. “I’ll have you in Memorial’s E.R. in less than two minutes.”

Two

Brett loosened his tie, jammed his hands into the front pockets of his suit pants and paced outside of the examining room at Memorial Hospital’s E.R. He was used to having women fall at his feet figuratively, but this was the first time it had ever happened literally. And the worst part of it was, he was to blame.

How could he have pulled such a stupid stunt? Elena had told him she didn’t want to go to dinner, that she’d had a bad day and just wanted to go home. But he couldn’t take no for an answer.

No, Brett Connelly, connoisseur of women, had taken her reluctance to spend time with him as provocation for turning on the charm—as if she was a challenge to be conquered. He’d noticed several times that she looked as if she wasn’t feeling well, but he’d ignored it. He’d even gone so far as to convince himself that a little wining and dining was just what Elena needed to improve her mood. How could he have been so insensitive, so damned stupid?

“Brett Connelly, you’re the last person I expected to see here,” a female voice called.

He looked up to find Meg O’Reilly walking toward him. Great. What else could go wrong this evening? Not only was he responsible for a woman collapsing at dinner, now his past was coming back to haunt him.

Brett hadn’t seen Meg in five years, not since the night the pretty blonde had told him she loved him and intended to marry him as soon as she finished medical school. It had only been a month after his twin brother, Drew’s, wife, Talia, had died and the devastation his brother suffered had been too fresh in Brett’s mind. As with most twins he’d felt Drew’s pain almost as if it was his own. Brett had made a vow never to put himself in the position to experience that degree of guilt, of failure.

So he’d taken Meg home that evening and kindly, but firmly, explained to her that he wasn’t the marrying kind. He’d tried to assure her that although there wasn’t any possibility of a long-term relationship, they could still see each other. But she’d taken exception to his honesty and ended up throwing a lamp at him as he’d made a hasty escape.

Now, spotting in her hand some clear plastic tubing used for IV feedings, he figured she’d probably use it to lynch him right in the hospital corridor.

“Hello, Meg,” he said cautiously. As a matter of habit, his gaze zeroed in on the ring finger of her left hand. Relief coursed through him at the sight of her shiny gold wedding band. “How have you been?”

She pointed to the M.D. after her name on the white lab coat she wore. “I finally made it through medical school.” She gave him a wry grin. “And I see you’re still checking out women’s ring fingers.”

Brett nodded absently. His mind had already returned to the petite police detective in the room across the corridor. It seemed as if she’d been in there for hours.

“Could you do me a favor, Meg? Could you check on a patient and find out what’s going on?” he asked suddenly, pointing to the closed door in front of them.

“Sure.” She glanced toward the crowded waiting area. “Is the patient a family member?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s a woman I was having dinner with. She fainted.”

Giving him a contemplative look, Meg turned toward the door he’d indicated. “I’ll find out what I can.”

He waited for what seemed an eternity before the door finally opened. “Is she going to be all right?” he asked, his guilt increasing as he faced Meg. Her expression gave nothing away and only served to heighten his anxiety.

If he’d caused whatever Elena had been suffering from earlier in the evening to worsen by insisting she go to dinner with him he’d never forgive himself.

“As long as she takes it easy she should be fine.” Meg smiled knowingly. “They’re getting ready to release her as soon as the attending physician prescribes medication for the nausea. But your job is going to be to see that she starts eating regular meals and getting more rest. It’s important for everyone, but even more so for someone in Ms. Delgado’s condition.”

“Okay.” He’d agree to anything, if it would make up for his colossal lack of sensitivity.

Meg’s expression turned serious. “If she doesn’t, she’ll lose the baby, Brett.”

“The baby,” he repeated dumbly.

“Yes, the baby.” Meg’s beeper went off, and after checking the tiny screen, she smiled. “I’ve got to run.” She touched his arm, her face filled with understanding. “Look, Brett, she’s very upset and scared to death that she’ll have a miscarriage. I can tell she and the baby mean a lot to you. Just take good care of them and everything should be fine.”

“Me?” Brett opened and closed his mouth several times in an attempt to make his vocal chords work. “I didn’t— I mean, I’m not—”

“Relax. You’ll be a great father.” Meg turned to walk away. “Good luck to the three of you.”

Astounded, Brett watched the woman disappear around a corner, then looked at the closed door in front of him. Meg thought Elena’s baby was his.

The assumption that he was the father was almost laughable. For that matter it held true of his being the father of anyone’s baby.

He shook his head as he waited for Elena. If the truth came out, most of the society gossips would be shocked right down to the soles of their feet. Brett Connelly might have been seen dining or attending a social function with several different women, but he hadn’t been seeing anyone steadily for the past six months. And beside being extremely careful to take the proper precautions when he was with a woman, it had been more than a year since he’d had sex.

Fear clawed at every fiber of Elena’s being, and tears blurred her vision as she slowly got dressed. One thought kept running through her mind. She couldn’t lose this baby. She just couldn’t. Having already suffered two miscarriages during her disastrous marriage, this was her last hope for a child of her own.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to think positively. In seven months she’d have a beautiful child to love who would love her in return. This time she was not going to lose her baby.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she hoped with all her heart that Brett had gotten tired of waiting and left the hospital to pursue other interests for the evening. She took pride in her job and had worked very hard to earn her position as a special investigative detective. When she was on duty, as she had been this evening, she never allowed anyone to see her as anything but a consummate professional. Ever.

But Brett had witnessed her weakness, her vulnerability. It would be humiliating enough to face him on Monday morning when she began interviewing the Connelly family. Tonight it would be downright impossible.

Tucking the prescription and blister packs of medication the doctor had given her for nausea into her shoulder bag, she pushed open the door of the tiny examining room and walked out into the hall. She almost groaned out loud. There Brett stood looking as tall and handsome as ever.

He whirled around at the sound of her footsteps, and the look on his face surprised her. She would have expected a sullen impatience about him for the inconvenience she’d caused. Her ex-husband, Michael, had always worn that look whenever she’d done something to interrupt his plans. But Brett’s expression held nothing but concern.

“Are you all right?” he asked, closing the space between them to place his hands on her shoulders. She found the warmth from his palms oddly reassuring.

She nodded but couldn’t meet his worried gaze. How could she? She was far too embarrassed. He’d witnessed her at one of the lowest moments of her life.

“Is there someone I should call?” he asked. “A husband or friend?”

Still unable to meet his gaze, she shook her head. “There’s no one.”

Placing his forefinger under her chin, he lifted her face until their gazes met. “I’m really sorry, Elena,” he said, his voice soft and low. “I should have listened to you when you said you weren’t up to having dinner with me. Do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me for being an insensitive fool?”

His gentle touch, the sincerity in his words and the apologetic look he gave her caused tears to flood her eyes again and a huge lump to form in her throat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard a man apologize to her for anything, let alone ask for her forgiveness. In the entire four years of her marriage, Michael had only expressed regret a couple of times and he’d never asked for her forgiveness. Not the first time, when she’d discovered he was having an affair. Not the last time, when he’d told her he was moving out to live with the woman he’d been sleeping with for the previous six months of their marriage.

“Thank you for your help,” she said, forcing words past the tightness clogging her throat. “But you shouldn’t have waited. I’m sure you have more entertaining things to do with your evening than stand around the hospital.”

“No problem,” he said, smiling. He held her coat for her. “When we get to your place, I’ll call and have some food delivered.”

Elena shook her head. “Thank you, but you don’t have to do that. I’ll catch a cab and fix something for myself when I get back to my apartment.”

“The doctor said you needed to start eating regular meals and getting more rest.” Brett ushered her toward the exit at the end of the long corridor. “You can’t possibly do that if you have to cook for yourself. Besides, it’s late and you’re tired. You need to put your feet up and take it easy.”

“I’m used to fending for myself,” she argued. Tears were threatening again, and she had to get away from him before she humiliated herself further with a crying binge.

“It’s the least I can do. I feel responsible for you spending your evening in the E.R.”

As they walked out into the bitterly cold night, he put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her to his side to shield her from the brisk wind blowing in from Lake Michigan and the snow that had begun to fall. Before she could find her voice to tell him that he owed her nothing, he had her settled in the plush leather passenger seat of the Jaguar and was sliding into the driver’s seat.

“Do you think your stomach would be okay with soup?” he asked.

“I think so, but you don’t have to—”

“Elena, I do have to,” he interrupted. “I should have listened to you. But I didn’t, and my lack of sensitivity put you and your baby in danger. I’m really sorry, and I want to make it up to you. Please allow me to do that.”

That did it. The combination of his heartfelt apology, the self-reproach reflected in his blue eyes and her unstable hormones touched something deep inside of Elena that she’d thought long dead. Her eyes flooded with tears, and she quickly turned away before he noticed.

But it was too late. He had noticed.

He immediately pulled her into his arms. “Elena, honey, please don’t cry.” Brett held her close and caressed her cheek with his hand while she sobbed. “Everything is going to be all right. You and the baby will be just fine. The doctor told me that you need more rest, and I’m going to make sure you get it.”

Her tears fell faster. Great! Not only was she crying because of her pregnancy hormones, she was also shedding tears of utter humiliation that he’d witnessed her collapse at the restaurant and her teary breakdown now.

His warm embrace, the feel of his arms tightening around her to draw her to his wide chest, almost made her believe he meant what he said. Almost. But having been married to a man just like Brett, she knew better. Men would say anything to get themselves off the hook or to manipulate a woman into doing what they wanted.

But at the moment she was too tired and emotionally drained to protest. All she wanted was to go home, crawl into bed and forget this day had ever happened.

When she finally felt in control enough to speak, she gave him the address of her apartment building. “Please, just take me home.”

Nodding, he released her, started the car and shifted it into gear. “That’s not far from here. I’ll have you home in no time.”

Brett looked around as he pulled the Jag to a stop behind a waiting cab in front of a shabby four-story building. Although it was a respectable middle-class neighborhood, it was clear to see that her landlord hadn’t seen fit to keep his property maintained.

“Thank you for the ride home, Mr. Connelly.”

Brett’s brow rose at the formal use of his name and the hand she offered for him to shake. So she was trying to turn back time and return to a business-only acquaintance.

Well, that was just too damned bad, he decided, ignoring her gesture. He’d spent a good two hours in the E.R. worrying about her, and that, in his opinion, took them well beyond a business association.

Besides, whether she admitted it or not, she was extremely fragile right now. She needed someone to be there for her, to lend her moral support. And since he was partly to blame for her problems this evening, Brett felt obligated to see that she was comfortably settled before he bade her good-night. The fact that he liked the way she felt in his arms had no bearing on his decision at all.

Getting out of the car, he opened the passenger door before she could do it herself. He’d told her that he’d make sure everything was fine for her and her baby, and he had every intention of carrying through on his promise.

“Mr. Connelly—”

“Brett.” He smiled down at her. “I think we’re well past the formalities, Elena. Now, let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”

The cold February wind whipped the falling snow into their faces, and he placed his arm around her to hold her close. He told himself that it was just to keep her warm, to shield her from the frigid wind. But her small body pressed against his felt wonderful and he couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel without the cumbersome layers of their coats.

As they reached the steps to Elena’s building, a rotund lady in her fifties carrying a gym bag and resembling Nanook of the North, opened the door. “You’ll have to find somewhere else to spend the night, Elena,” she said, through the wool scarf covering her mouth and nose. “The furnace won’t be fixed until tomorrow at the earliest and maybe not until sometime Monday. The super said it depended on when the parts he had to order got here.”

Having made her announcement, Nanook hurried to the cab waiting by the curb, threw the gym bag inside, then hurled herself in after it.

“Wonderful,” Elena muttered as they watched the cab drive away. “The perfect ending to a perfect day.”

Brett held the door for her. “No problem. You can throw some clothes in an overnight case and stay at my place. I’ve got a nice large guest room and I guarantee it’s warm.”

He surprised himself with the invitation, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Not only was it the decent thing to do, since he was partially responsible for her collapse, it was something his parents would expect of him, considering the circumstances. This woman was in charge of investigating the attempted assassination of his brother Daniel, the new king of Altaria. Brett had been assigned the task of assisting her in whatever way was needed. By having Elena stay at his place, he could follow through on his promise to see that she was all right, and if she felt like it later, they could go over the questions she intended to ask during the interviews with his family.

“No, I can’t stay at your place,” she said, entering the lobby of the building.

She turned to face him, and if the look on her pretty face was any indication, hell would freeze over before she agreed to his offer. Brett almost laughed. With the temperature hovering around zero, it wouldn’t surprise him to hear that it had already started icing up.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Elena. You and I both know you can’t stay here.”

“I’ll…I’ll stay at…”

When her voice trailed off, he nodded. “That’s what I thought. You don’t have any idea where to stay, do you?”

“I’ll check into a hotel,” she said stubbornly.

He shook his head. “That’s not acceptable.”

She treated him to an indignant look. “Oh, really? And why not?”

“Because you need someone to take care of you.”

He immediately wished he’d used a little more diplomacy and phrased his statement differently. He could tell by the sudden straightening of her slender shoulders and the sparks of anger in her wide brown eyes, that he’d made a huge blunder.

“Mr. Connelly, I have never nor will I ever need someone to take care of me. I’ve been by myself for as long as I can remember and I’ve done just fine. I see no reason why that should change now.”

He told himself he should just walk away, that she didn’t want his help. But whether she wanted it or not, it was clear she needed it. He had no idea where the man was who’d gotten her pregnant, but it appeared as if he was out of the picture and she was on her own. For some reason that bothered him more than it should.

Brett didn’t fully understand what he was about to do, or why, but he’d made her and her unborn child a promise. It was time to play his trump card. “Elena, you don’t want to lose your baby because of some misguided belief that you’ll relinquish your independence. Think of what’s best for your child. If that means staying at my place tonight, then swallow your pride and accept my offer.”

Her expression instantly changed from fiercely indignant to anxious and frightened. He felt like an absolute jerk.

Reaching out, he drew her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Elena nodded her head. “Yes, you should. You’re right. I should be thinking how this will affect the baby. But it would be best if I went…”

Where would she go if not to a hotel? She certainly couldn’t go to a relative’s. She didn’t have any. Her last foster mother—the only person who had cared enough to try to get close to her, and who’d made an effort to stay in touch after Elena left the foster care system—would be more than happy to help her. But Marie Waters lived over three hundred miles down-state in the tiny little town of Johnston City. No help there. She could go to a friend’s house, but she really hadn’t become close to anyone since her divorce last year. And it seemed that Michael had won custody of the few friends they’d made during their turbulent marriage.

As Brett continued to hold her, she felt her resolve to refuse his offer start to melt. They were really no more than strangers, yet he was offering to take her into his home.

A warmth began to steal into her soul that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. She tried to ignore it. She didn’t want to think of Brett Connelly as anything more than a shallow self-centered playboy like her ex-husband. It was the only way she could keep things in perspective and maintain their professional relationship.

He rubbed his hands up and down her back in a soothing manner as he held her close. “Can’t think of anyone to stay with?”

She reluctantly shook her head. “Not really.”

He held her a moment longer, then set her away from him. “It’s settled, then.” He gave her one of his charming smiles, blew on his hands, then rubbed them together. “Now, let’s go upstairs to your apartment, throw some things in a bag and get going. It’s freezing in here.”

Three

Twenty minutes later Brett parked his car in his assigned space in the basement garage of his building and escorted Elena to the elevator. It was all she could do to keep from groaning when he punched in the security code to open the door. What was it with Brett and elevators, anyway? Why couldn’t he live and work on the ground level? Or at the very least, take the stairs up to his condo?

She held her breath and said a silent prayer that the medication the E.R. doctor had given her had had time to take effect as the door swished open and they stepped inside. To her immense relief, the ride wasn’t nearly as upsetting as she’d feared it might be, and when they stepped out into the hall on the twelfth floor, her stomach was only mildly queasy.

Brett guided her to the far end of the building where the more expensive penthouses were located, unlocked and opened the door. “Don’t be surprised if the place is a wreck,” he warned her. “Babe destroys something every time I’m late coming home from work.”

“Babe?” He was living with someone?

He nodded and turned on the light in the foyer just in time for Elena to see a small ball of long black hair come racing around the corner. The little dog yipped and bounced around happily at her feet, but when Brett bent down to pick up the animal, it skittered out of his reach, turned around and glared at him.

“So that’s the way it’s going to be, huh?” He laughed and guided Elena into the spacious living room. “She’ll be ultrafriendly with you, but I’ll get the cold shoulder for the rest of the evening.”

When he turned on the lamp by the end of the couch, he let loose a muttered curse. “Well, it looks like I’ll be shopping for throw pillows again.”

Elena couldn’t help but laugh as she looked around at the stuffing strewn across the thick beige carpet. “I take it you’ve been down this path before?”

Nodding, he helped her out of her coat. “Every time I’m late coming home from work.”

“She only does this when you’re late? What about during the day?” Elena asked, bending down to pick up a hunter-green satin remnant and several chunks of stuffing.

“Don’t do that,” he said, sounding alarmed. He motioned toward a comfortable-looking, overstuffed brown armchair with a matching ottoman. “Sit down and put your feet up while I get this cleaned up.”

“I’ll help.”

“No, you won’t.” He took the destroyed fabric from her and led her to the chair he’d indicated. “Just sit back and take it easy. I got off lucky. She only took out two of the pillows this time. Normally she tears up three or four, then shreds a magazine or two for good measure.”

Elena barely had time to settle herself in the chair before the little dog jumped into her lap. Two black eyes peered up at her from beneath a tuft of black hair a moment before the friendly animal pushed her head under Elena’s hand to be petted.

“What breed is she?” Elena asked, rubbing Babe’s small head.

He shrugged as he bent to collect chunks of stuffing. “The vet said she’s mostly Shih-Tzu with maybe a little Pekingese mixed in somewhere a generation or two back.” Straightening, he grinned. “But I’m pretty sure she has a bit of Tasmanian devil in her too.”

Cuddling the furry little body, Elena smiled. “Whatever she is, she’s adorable. How old is she?”