Chapter 2

Aubrey had no clue who I really was. She just assumed I was one of Devon's friends and urged him to hurry up.

"Devon, do you know this doctor?"

"Awesome! Please, have her help me. My stomach hurts like hell."

Devon ignored her and pulled me aside.

"Della, I'll explain everything when we get home. Right now, the baby is all that matters."

"You know I've spent half my life just wanting a son!"

"You're the best doctor I know. You can make sure the baby survives, right?"

If any other patient's family had said that to me, I would've felt proud.

But now, all I felt was bitter irony.

Before coming to the hospital, I asked Devon to stay home with Bella.

Bella was only six years old. I just couldn't bring myself to leave her home alone.

He said yes, but it was obvious he didn't want to.

And sure enough, the moment Aubrey had her accident, Bella was the last thing on his mind.

Bella was six, the age when kids are always bouncing off the walls. Did he even think about her safety?

My mask hid most of my anger, but I forced myself to stay calm. I pulled out my phone and texted my mother-in-law, asking her to go home and watch Bella.

But before I could finish, Devon saw me texting and snatched my phone right out of my hand.

"Why are you still on your phone? Hurry up and check on Aubrey!"

"You said she needed immediate treatment, so why are you just standing there?"

"Don't tell me you're jealous and don't want to save her. Don't forget, you're a doctor!"

I snatched my phone back, unable to hold back my anger any longer.

"Devon, do you even have a conscience?"

Devon and I had been together since college, and we got married right after graduation.

He had no savings, and his family was so broke they couldn't offer a thing. My parents paid for the house.

Even his first startup money came from my family.

In the end, all that help just created an ungrateful bastard.

Devon's face stiffened, and his temper started to flare.

"That's right! If it weren't for your family, I never would've made it in this city or gotten my business off the ground."

"But you can't have any more kids, and I never held that against you. All I want is an heir for the Conrad family. Is that really so wrong?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, the words I wanted to say stuck in my throat. In the end, I just swallowed them down.

It wasn't that I hadn't tried to argue before. We'd gone round and round so many times, and it always ended up as a pointless fight.

Besides, this was work time. The patient's safety had to come first.

I walked over to Aubrey, checking her over as I started asking questions.

"How far along are you?"

"Seven months."

"When did your water break? Was it a lot?"

"About half an hour ago. Yeah, it was a lot."

"What color was the fluid?"

"It was kind of yellow."

"Did you have sex before your water broke?"

Aubrey shot back, almost instinctively, "No!"

I was about to ask more, but Devon cut me off.

"That's enough!" Devon barked. "Aubrey's in a crisis, and you're still grilling her about bedroom stuff?"

"Just because you're a doctor doesn't mean you can pry into anything you want. Keep it up and I'll file a complaint!"

It didn't matter who the patient was. Asking these kinds of questions was just standard procedure for any doctor.

I took a deep breath, glanced at the security camera in the corner, and forced myself to keep it together.

Thank goodness for the camera. If things blew up, at least I'd have evidence to clear my name.

Trying to keep my cool, I said to Aubrey, who was lying on the bed, "Your water broke early. If you had sex recently, the risk of infection goes way up. It's important for us to know."

Devon glared at me, thinking I was just trying to mess with them. "She already said no. Why are you still asking?"

Aubrey, realizing who I really was from the conversation, became even less cooperative.

"Are you trying to make Devon think badly of me?"

"I'm a pregnant woman, alone at home on New Year's Eve, already feeling miserable, and now you're accusing me on top of everything?"

Then she clung to Devon's sleeve, sulking. "Devon, can we please go to another hospital? She's totally out to get me!"

Devon heard that and turned his guilt into rage, taking it all out on me.

"If you hadn't insisted I stay home today, none of this would have happened to Aubrey!"

"I can see right through you. It's not like this is the only hospital in town!"

"You can leave," I said, giving Keegan a look. He caught on right away and pulled a form from the drawer. "But... you'll have to sign this waiver first."