For a Baby by C.J. Carmichael

Author:C.J. Carmichael
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

AT TWO IN THE MORNING, Heather woke from a restless sleep, heart pounding, stomach in knots. She’d had such an awful dream…. It came back in a flash. She was pregnant.

Oh, no! This can’t be, this can’t be. She put a hand to her stomach, felt the bulge. No, no, please, God, no.

She opened her eyes, saw the unfamiliar shadows of a different bedroom than the one she expected. Full consciousness returned and she gradually relaxed. She wasn’t a student anymore, nor unmarried and alone. Yes, she was pregnant, but she was thirty-five this time, she had a husband, she wanted this baby.

Resting her hands on her abdomen, she took several deep breaths as her body slowly turned off the panic mode. Eventually, she levered her body to the side and gazed at her husband’s form sprawled out next to her.

Because she was always so tired, she was rarely awake while T.J. slept. She enjoyed the rare opportunity to examine him when his guard was down. He was on his side. Relaxed, his mouth formed a gentle smile. His forehead was smooth and untroubled.

His presence beside her provided further reassurance. Still, she didn’t think she could fall back to sleep quite yet. A mug of warm milk seemed like a good idea. At the very least, the extra calcium would be good for the baby.

Heather slipped out from the covers, tucking her feet into slippers and her arms into a velour robe. As she made her way to the kitchen, she cinched the belt at her expanding waistline.

Her recurring dream dated back to her first pregnancy, but she hadn’t had it since her marriage to Nick. Undoubtedly the old demons had been awakened by Karen’s announcement this afternoon.

In the kitchen, she turned on the light over the stove, then filled a mug with milk, and stuck it in the microwave for a minute. While she waited, she gazed out at the snow-covered trees in her yard. They looked like giant snowmen after the latest dump. And it was still coming now, the gentle powder catching glints of light from the streetlights.

She wondered if Karen was sleeping right now, or if nightmares were troubling her, too. Poor Karen. Heather felt so badly for her. She remembered the churning emotions of those first months.

She’d been embarrassed at being pregnant so young—actually ashamed, even though she didn’t really think she’d done anything that terrible. Though he wasn’t her boyfriend at the time, she’d been so in love with Russell.

Still there was a stigma attached to being an unwed mother and she’d felt sorry for the disappointment she knew she would bring to her parents.

Some days she’d almost drowned in her fear—about the upcoming labor, about her future and that of her child. Other days all she’d felt was anger. Why had this happened to her? It wasn’t fair. Usually—usually!—she was so very careful.

What a frightening, tumultuous, overwhelming experience that pregnancy had been. And now Karen was going through the same thing, her thoughts probably traveling down the same, fruitless lines that Heather’s once had.

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