Vanquished (The Encounter #3)(18)

Doctor Smith was patient, addressing all of my concerns, and I appreciated the fact that she understood how I was feeling, being that this was my first pregnancy, and the fears that came with it. One would say that this was part of her job, guiding and holding our hand as we tread along the unchartered territory that was called motherhood. Nevertheless, I was beyond thankful for her kindness. Maybe it was because I couldn’t confide in my mother or Claire and I needed a woman to soothe my blasted fears. And she did. She was brilliant at it.

Afterwards, she led me into the examination room to see how far along I was and to check how the baby bean was doing. I was wired with anxiety and excitement. It was a good thing I had declined Julien’s offer to come with me. I was grateful he hadn’t pushed the issue, but insisted only that I take the security with me. I complied without a fuss.

This appointment was too sacred, too intimate, to share with anyone. Most of all, by going alone in the exam room as I listened to my baby’s heartbeat, it sealed my fate. I didn’t want to share that moment with anyone, not yet. This was such a beautiful gift and I vowed never to give up on it. Until my last breath, I would protect my baby at all costs.

I was still basking in the idea that I was going to be a mother soon and how I suddenly became so protective of my growing baby when I noticed how silent the doctor had gotten.

“Is something the matter?” It was a simple question, yet it was loaded with alarm and concern.

She continued to stare at the screen with an intent look, her brows furrowed in concentration while her eyes scanned the image before her.

My mouth ran dry as my heart began to stampede against my chest. If there was something wrong with the baby, I would prefer she told me immediately.

“Doctor?” I pressed, hoping she would voice whatever it was that had concerned her.

“It looks like you’re going to have twins,” she said without glancing at me. “Give me just another second … Yeah, you’re definitely having a set. Congratulations! This is such a sweet surprise.”

Oh.

Dear.

Me.

Twins?

I stared at her, astounded. Speechless. All of my fears before … Well, they definitely skyrocketed to the roof in the span of a mere second. Rendered silent, I wasn’t sure how to respond to her since I was still reeling from shock.

“And it seems you’re eight weeks along, not three.”

I gasped as my mind raced, trying to figure out when I might have gotten pregnant with Hugo. Damn and blast. And here I had thought I wasn’t that far along, but eight bloody weeks? Oh, my hell. Okay, maybe I had given that little plastic stick too much credit, believing I was about three weeks, give or take. This was a result of my idiocy. That was what happened when one was stuck in denial for so long and didn’t want to face facts and the compounding fear and uncertainty that came with it.

When it was time for the doctor to give me the list of dos and don’ts of being pregnant, I felt as if I was in a haze, as if I was watching her from someone else’s eyes. As she explained the vitamins that I was supposed to take, my mind flashed to an image of a woman floating in a pool of her blood … crimson red … pale and lifeless … before Hugo found her.

The image left me cold as my mind recalled the warning Julien had given me ages ago. It wasn’t my turn, was it?

I was out of Hugo’s life. I had to be off the radar as the next target.

I had to be.





Chapter Eleven





When I arrived back in the hotel suite, still obviously shaken from the distressing images my mind kept conjuring up, I was surprised to find Julien waiting for me. He was in the dining area on his computer, an untouched coffee to his side, ignored due to the fact that he was engrossed in his work. The second he heard me enter the room, though, he immediately looked up as his eyes scanned my face, probably gauging how I was feeling about the visit to the doctor.

“Well?” he pried with an expectant look. “How did it go?”

I might as well share the unexpected surprise, I figured as I met his gaze, strengthening my resolve.

“I’m around eight weeks,” I responded as I made my way towards him before taking the seat across from him, despondent.

He stared at me with a blank expression for a moment or two before eventually nodding, shutting the lid to his laptop and placing all of his undivided attention on me. “I know this must be such an arduous situation for you. I’ve heard pregnancy is such a rollercoaster of hormones. I can’t fathom how hard it must be without your mother to guide you through this life-changing process, but you chose this path and you chose me to help you get through this. If you want to talk, I’m here. I worry that, if you bottle it all in, you might struggle as this progresses. Let me worry about the rest. You just focus on the baby.”

Julien was my savior. There was no other way to put it. Emotions overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t help feeling beyond touched. He and I had a social friendship, a camaraderie built from Hugo’s introduction, yet Julien hadn’t even hesitated to lend his help. The mere fact that he wasn’t intimated by Hugo—not one iota—was rather remarkable. Admirable.

His willingness to come to my cause spoke volumes. I didn’t want to pry what drove him to take me under his protection. There had to be one.

Diverting my mind back to the present, I dwelled on his heartfelt statement.