CHAPTER 2: THE BABY NOBODY EXPECTED
CHAPTER 2: THE BABY NOBODY EXPECTED
"What?"
Nathan looked like he'd seen a ghost.
The doctor nodded.
"The pregnancy was confirmed this morning."
I couldn't breathe.
Pregnant?
After years of fertility treatments?
After years of doctors telling me it would probably never happen?
Tears filled my eyes.
"No..."
The doctor smiled gently.
"Yes."
Nathan sat down hard.
Ashley looked suddenly less confident.
I placed a hand over my stomach.
My baby.
My miracle.
Then the doctor's expression changed.
My heart sank.
"What is it?"
The room became quiet.
"The accident caused complications."
Fear rushed through me.
"Is the baby okay?"
The doctor hesitated.
"We don't know yet."
My stomach dropped.
The next forty-eight hours felt like a nightmare.
More tests.
More scans.
More waiting.
Nathan barely visited.
When he did, he seemed distracted.
Nervous.
Guilty.
One afternoon I woke up and found him standing beside the window.
"I made a mistake."
I laughed bitterly.
"Which one?"
He looked away.
"Ashley."
I wasn't surprised.
People like Nathan only regretted things when consequences appeared.
Not when they hurt people.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I answered.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice whispered:
"Your accident wasn't an accident."
I froze.
"What?"
The caller hung up.
Immediately.
I stared at the phone.
My pulse racing.
That night I couldn't sleep.
The words repeated in my head.
Not an accident.
Not an accident.
The next morning a detective walked into my room.
And the first thing he asked was:
May you like
"Mrs. Parker, do you know anyone who wanted to harm you?"
END OF CHAPTER 2
