Angel's Rest(103)

“Don’t be. Nothing happened there that can’t be fixed.” Eyeing Nic meaningfully, she added, “The same as here.”

Pesky tears stung Nic’s eyes again at that. She wanted to argue, but instead she said simply, “Thanks for coming.”

When they left, Sage pulled up a chair beside the bed and took a seat. Nic saw her study the monitors and nod knowingly. Nic had the sense that Sage felt right at home. She blurted the question without thinking. “Have you been in my shoes before, Sage?”

“Hmm? You mean, has a man ever let me down royally?”

“The monitors. You look at them like you know what they mean. I’m sorry, it’s nosy of me, but … it made me wonder if you’ve been pregnant.”

Sage shook her head. “No, never pregnant, but I am familiar with fetal monitors.”

She stood up and paced the room, her arms folded, her long broomstick skirt swishing around her ankles, her expression agitated. “Look, Nic. If I tell you something—a deep, dark secret—will you promise to keep it to yourself and not use it against me?”

Nic’s brow knitted. Her deepest, darkest secret? Use it against her? What in the world did Sage have to confess? “Of course I’ll keep your confidence, Sage. You have my word.”

Sage licked her lips. “Okay. Well. Nic, it’s like this. This move to Denver … that’s a drastic decision considering you’ve had a normal pregnancy so far. Are you truly worried about medical care?”

“After today, yes, I am.”

“For CareFlight to be unavailable … that was such an aberration.”

“I know, but it’s more than that. Dr. Marshall wants to see me every two weeks for a while and weekly after that. That’s a lot of trips to Gunnison.”

“What if … there was a doctor in town? A specialist?”

Nic figured it out then and wondered why it had taken her so long. “You’re a doctor, Sage?”

“I was. I am. I … oh, dear. Nic, I trained as an obstetrical surgeon. If you don’t want to go to Denver, I’m well qualified to oversee your pregnancy.”

“You’re a doctor? That’s your secret?”

Sage shoved her fingers through her thick auburn hair. “Look, it’s a long story that’s not worth going into if you are sure about Denver. If you want to stay in Eternity, I’ll give you my curriculum vitae, but I’ll need at least a full bottle of wine to get through the story.”

“Oh, this is so not fair. Not only do you tease me with the story of the century, or at least the month, but you tease me with alcohol I can’t drink.”

Sage looked at her and laughed. “You’re okay, aren’t you, Nic? This incident … his idiocy … hasn’t broken you.”

“I’m not broken. I’m angry. In fact, I’m furious.”

Sage’s gaze stole to the monitors and she smirked. “Your blood pressure supports that statement. Do you want to talk about it? Would that help?”

Nic flopped her head back against the pillow. “Thanks, but no. I think I need time to lick my wounds. Pretty good job, by the way, of deflecting the subject away from you, Dr. Anderson.”

She grimaced. “Look, Nic, you’ve been a wonderful friend to me. When you had your accident, I failed to step up and it’s haunted me ever since. For lots of reasons that have nothing to do with legalities or my license, I can’t practice medicine anymore, but I can be your obstetrician if you’d like. I want you to have the choice.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Nic placed both hands on her belly and rubbed it. “I think, though, that I’ll still go to Denver. It’s not only the medical issues that make me want to leave Eternity. I need some time to myself, I think. Time away from Gabe. I need to reassess my … well, everything.”

“I understand. Would you like me to accompany you to Denver, just to see you settled? Maybe meet with your new doctor?”

“Yes. Absolutely, Sage. I admit I was worried about the trip part of this.”

“Don’t worry one bit. I’m here for you.”

Sage’s words warmed her heart and lingered in her mind as later that afternoon she returned home to Eternity Springs. When she spied Tiger lounging on the front porch, she tensed. She hadn’t expected Gabe to be home this time of day.

But Tiger’s presence proved to be a false indication. Gabe wasn’t home after all. Nic went about her tasks, retrieving suitcases from the attic and filling them with necessities. She wasn’t taking much. She didn’t need much. She didn’t intend to do much more than lounge around, grow her babies, and figure out where to go from here.