Chapter 14

He woke from a deep sleep and wondered what had disturbed him. He was still groggy, his eyes closed when a realization dawned. He was no longer sleeping alone, and Ryleigh was nudging him frantically. Snapping to immediate attention, he opened his eyes to see her sitting in bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked tersely. Her face was in the shadow; leaning over, he ordered lights at twenty percent.

"Call the doctor," she whispered, barely moving her lips. Her legs were drawn up to her knees, and she was trembling.

"What is it?" Sliding his feet off the bed, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and searched for the number. While he was doing that, he kept his eyes trained on her. The woman answered on the second ring.

"Dr. Whyte."

"What's wrong?" The woman took over as Ryleigh's OBGYN as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed, and she kept close tabs on her patient.

"Ryleigh?" Climbing back on the bed, he moved the sheets and felt his heart slamming against his ribs when he saw the bleeding. "Oh God," he whispered hoarsely.

"I am having a miscarriage."

"She is losing the baby."

"How much blood?" The woman was brisk and to the point.

"How much-" Flynn peered down and felt a tiny bit of relief when he saw that there wasn't as much as his fevered brain had imagined.

"Not a whole lot."

"Are you in pain, Ryleigh?" She asked. Flynn had put the phone on speaker so they could talk to her.

"Yes. My stomach is cramping."

"I am calling an ambulance, and they should be there in five minutes. Flynn, get her changed and ready."

"I will."

Hanging up the phone, he hastened to put on his clothes before coming to help her get ready. Without flinching, he changed her underwear and grabbed panty liners from her now-occupied drawer. "It's cold." He said huskily and pulled on a sweater.

"I can't lose my baby." She was crying, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Our baby and I will do whatever it takes not to make that happen." Gathering her into his arms like a porcelain doll, he grabbed a throw and wrapped her up before heading from the room.

His mother was already up, as was the rest of the household. Looking at his usual immaculate self, Greaves already admitted the EMTs rolling in a gurney. "Dr. Whyte is on her way, sir; our ETA should be no more than ten minutes."

"I am riding with her."

"I will follow behind in the car," Julia told them.

With a curt nod, Flynn relinquished his hold on her, running behind as she was wheeled outside.

*****

He could not sit. It was still dark out, and a look at the clock in the waiting room showed that it was just after two in the morning. His mother was sitting on the edge of one of the chairs, her hands clasped in her lap, her head bowed as if praying.

He could not utter a word of it. The doctor was there waiting for them, and as soon as she was rushed from the ambulance, they took her to the emergency room. That had been almost two hours ago, and he was going stir-crazy.

"Screw this," he muttered harshly and was just about to yank the door open when the doctors walked in. The look on their faces had him staggering back a bit, his heart hammering inside his chest. What the hell right did he have to expect perfection? He thought bitterly as he waited for them to speak.

"We had to do a procedure." Dr. Whyte told them soberly.

"What kind of procedure?" Julia demanded when it appeared that her son could not find his voice.

"She was indeed having a miscarriage, and we had to stop that from happening." She shook her head. "I don't want to bore you with all the medical terms, but we had to stitch her up. She lost a little amount of blood."

"How is she?" Flynn asked tightly.

"Still under anesthesia." There was a pause, and then she rushed on quickly. "We are ordering complete bed rest for her for the next two or so weeks. I will be monitoring her closely to ensure something like this never happens again."

"What caused it?" His throat was tight, and he felt the guilt clawing at him. She had been ill for the past few weeks, and he had behaved like an animal who could not keep his hands off her.

"Nothing specific." she gave him a direct stare. "It wasn't anything you did that caused it. These things happen for one reason or the other. The good thing is that she is doing okay now, and the fetal heartbeat is steady."

"I want to see her."

"Of course. Like I said, she is still unconscious, but as soon as the anesthesia wears off, she should be as good as new."

"Are there any instructions we need to give her regarding this?" Julia asked before they left the room.

"Absolutely no stress, nothing to do with work. She needs to be in bed for most of the time."

"We will see to it." Flynn turned to look at his mother. "You should go home. I will call as soon as she is awake."

Julia nodded, feeling the exhaustion shrouding her like a cloak. She had been so afraid that they would lose her grandchild that she had been praying since she heard the news. "I am feeling rather tired."

*****

She was wearing a blue and white hospital gown with a tie around the neck, and someone had brushed her thick dark hair back into a ponytail. Pulling the chair next to the bed, he gave her a once over, starting from her head to where the plain white sheets were covering her body before going back to her face.

Her lashes made crescents on her flawless cheeks, and she was so still he thought she wasn't breathing. Taking one slender hand in his, he kissed it softly.

The heaviness that had been pressing against his chest was slowly dissipating. He had ridden with her in the ambulance, with the technicians monitoring her vitals and trying to make her comfortable. He had offered her reassurances, murmuring as he held her hand. And he had wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I don't want to lose my baby."

He assured her that was not going to happen while trying to quiet his own fears. He was afraid that if there was no baby, she would want to leave him and back out of their agreement.

Well, now, at least, she would have to stay put, whether she liked it or not. And knowing her, it was going to make her itchy and restless. Harsh, he thought. He had not been able to deal with Daley yet; he still had the information he planned to use.

The man was eerily silent, making Flynn nervous. With Ryleigh being put on bed rest, she would be well-guarded. Bending his head over their joined hands, he breathed a word of thankfulness- something he hadn't done in ages.

*****

"You are not supposed to be out of bed." He remarked as he strode into the room and saw her approaching the sofa. She had been discharged from the hospital after two days, during which the doctors had ensured that she and the baby were doing well. Flynn had insisted on staying with her, leaving only to make a quick trip home to shower, change, and return.

He had worked from the hospital room, armed with his laptop, briefcase, and phone. Whenever he needed something from the office, it would be sent to him by messenger. Ryleigh had argued that he did not need to stay, but it was as if she was talking to a wall. He had chosen to ignore her.

Her mother, Rosalyn, and Michael had been by to visit with her briefly.

"I have been in bed for the entire day. I just need to stretch my legs." Propping her hands on the small of her back, she rubbed at the knots and saw when his amber eyes went straight to the spot.

"It's nothing. I have just been lying in one spot for too long. Are you going to the office tomorrow?"

"I am working from home." Bridging the distance, he took her hand and led her to the sofa.

"How long are you going to babysit me?"

"As long as it takes. I asked Mother to send up something for you to eat." His eyes searched for her face. "You look rested."

"It would be difficult for me to look otherwise, considering that I am not even allowed to watch television." She complained, looking at him darkly. "What do you think? Something on the news will upset me to the point where I start stressing?"

"Yes." A smile touched his lips as he stared at her frustrated expression.

"I am not allowed visitors-"

"You could always invite your friend Michael to drop by."

"For how long?" She asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"For as long as you like, as long as he does not say anything to upset you." Lifting a hand, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. They both looked up at the discreet knock on the door. "That would be our meal."

Later that night, after they were both tucked in, she wrapped her hands around his narrow waist and placed her head on his chest, uncaring that the hairs were ticking her skin. She had argued and bitched about having to stay home for a period of two weeks or more, but she could not complain about the treatment.

He hovered, making sure that she did not overextend herself. Julia was also on hand, and the entire staff had been instructed to do her slightest bidding.

She was fortunate, and she knew it.

"Flynn?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you asleep?"

His deep chuckle made her smile. "What do you think?"

"I think the fact that you answered means you are awake."

"No wonder you are a lawyer. You are very astute." He winced when she poked a finger in his stomach.

"I was scared," she admitted.

"I know." His arm was draped around her back loosely. Shifting it slightly, he started to make circular motions that were strangely erotic as well as soothing.

"I went into this as an arrangement, something to take my mind off what had happened to me, and before I knew it, this baby had become ours. I wanted him or her more than anything else."

"I know," he repeated gently. "When I woke up to see you sitting there, I felt faint. I thought we had already lost it. And I felt guilty."

She lifted her head to look at him. "Why?"

Tipping his head down, he gave her a knowing look. "I cannot keep my hands off you, in case you have not noticed."

"That has never been a factor."

He nodded. "It took some convincing and reading of my own to accept that conclusion."

"We are going to be okay."

"Of course. I did promise you, didn't I?"

"And I believe you."

He stroked her cheek. "Go to sleep, baby," he whispered. "I cannot fall asleep until you do."

*****

"I presume there is a reason why you wanted us to meet away from the house?"

Flynn nodded to the waiter who brought over the ordered aperitif. He hated leaving Ryleigh, especially since his mother was not there. He knew the servants would keep an eye on her, but his woman was headstrong and stubborn.

He had made her promise to ring downstairs for anything she needed, and she had told him to go away and stop worrying about her as if that would ever happen.

"I know the missus has been through a rocky time, and I did not want her to hear what I have to tell you." Bert fiddled with his glass for a minute. The restaurant was not very crowded; the after-work diners had already come and gone.

A few men in business suits were lingering at the bar, chatting about the stock market and idly staring at the large screen television in the corner of the room where the Raiders were getting their asses handed to them by an opposing team. None of that interested the two men seated in a private corner of the room.

"What is it, Bert?"

"Two goons have been seen asking questions around the DA's office."

Flynn looked at him sharply. "What kind of questions?"

"Like where Ryleigh Bogle has disappeared and when she is expected back. They have also been at her house."

Flynn's fingers tightened on the squat glass, his expression turning ominous.

"The same two men?"

Bert nodded. My guys tailed them back to the penthouse where that low life lives." Flynn ruminates for a few minutes while taking a sip of his drink. He had not expected

Maurice just simply to fade into the background, but after the threats he had made, he would have thought the man would have more sense than to piss him off even more.

"Anything else?"

"No. That fool is courting a death wish."

"He is," Flynn murmured. "I have been busy over the past days and could not confront him. I think a visit to him is in order."

Bert nodded. "Be careful."

"I have a hell of a lot to live for now, so caution is the name of the game." Finishing his drink, he pushed back his chair. "Stay and have a meal. On me. They serve the best-sliced duck I have ever tasted."

"I think I might."

With a nod, Flynn left him, ordered the meal, and left. He had just stepped outside when a familiar figure appeared before him. Gracie had her head down and did not notice him until she was almost on top of him.

"Flynn." Her lovely face lit up in surprise, and her blue eyes turned warm. He took her hand and guided her out of the doorway as a couple entered.

"Gracie." He could not believe he was standing here with her and felt nothing. She was just a beautiful woman who had shattered his life. Now, she meant nothing to him. "How are you?"

"Fancy seeing you here." She touched his arm lightly, disappointed he had let go of her so quickly.

"I was meeting someone."

"A business meeting?"

"Something like that. What are you doing here?"

"Having dinner with a friend." She was hoping he would ask for sex, and when he didn't, she quickly masked her despair. "I have been trying to get hold of you."

"I have been busy."

"With her." The pain was there in the tightening of her coral-painted lips. "You moved on very quickly."

"You moved on quicker." he reminded her. "With my uncle."

"Are you ever going to make me forget my mistake?" she asked huskily, eyes imploring him to understand.

"Was it, though?" He smiled at her and realized that he did not harbor an ounce of bitterness towards her. Noticing that she was shivering inside her cashmere jacket, he indicated they should enter the foyer, where padded chairs were available for paying patrons waiting for their reservations.

"It was." Turning to face him, she pleaded with her eyes. "I was swept away by him, dazzled by his charms and lonely." Her voice had a funny little catch to it. "You were always gone, busy with your designs and buildings." her eyes sparkled with tears. "I fell in with your uncle because he was there and said the right things."

Flynn realized that she was being sincere. He knew his uncle's reputation with the opposite sex and that he could be charismatic when needed. Flynn had seen him at work and even admired his strategy until he had decided to use it on the woman he had considered marrying.

Looking at her now, he also realized she was easily swayed and had no idea what love was. Ryleigh was so different. His heart was pretty bursting inside his chest as he reflected on the woman he had fallen helplessly and irrevocably with. She was strongly opinionated and fiercely independent. He loved that about her.

"It's in the past," he told Gracie now, his expression one of contemplation as he stared at her. He had admired her delicate beauty and marveled that a woman like her would be attracted to him. He had been taken in by her grace and her position in society. Now, he realized that none of that mattered.

"I want your forgiveness.' She was almost weeping, her blue eyes shimmering.

"You have it," he responded, and he meant every word. "It's funny," he mused. "When I found out about you and Lionel, I wanted to beg you to tell me where I had gone wrong, what you saw in him that wasn't in me. It shook my confidence." A smile played around his lips as he continued to stare at her.

"Now I know it does not matter that you both did me a gigantic favor." he breathed. "I have found someone who -" He shook his head with a whimsical smile. "I love her." he continued simply.

"My entire life revolves around her, and what seemed like the worst thing that ever happened to me before is what led me to her. My epic love." he laughed softly.

"So, yes, I have no problem forgiving you."

She stared at him and felt her heart aching. "You never looked that way whenever we were together. There was always something missing. That's the reason why I turned to someone else." She shook her head. "That's no excuse-"

"It was a reason." he nodded in understanding. "But you could have come to me, talked about your feelings, what I was doing wrong. Why didn't you?"

"I was afraid."

A frown touched his brow. "Of me?"

She nodded. "You were always so driven and had this no-nonsense attitude about everything. You made something out of nothing." She spread her hands wide. "Lionel was always talking about his genius nephew, how you could turn straw into gold, and that was intimidating.

I never accomplished anything in my life. I have always been a society princess and knew I could never live up to your standards. It would have been impossible to attain what you expect."

He stared at her in surprise, with the knowledge that was exactly what he had been thinking about where she was also concerned. How foolish of them to keep such uncertainties and insecurities to themselves! But with Ryleigh, he would never be allowed to get away with anything like that.

That knowledge filled him with such poignant tenderness that he wanted to go home to her. To take her in his arms and hold her - absorb her delicate scent and the feel of her slender curves. He wanted to be with her so much that he could not wait another minute.

"I have to go."

"Oh, but-"

"Goodbye, Gracie." he took her hand as he rose. "I hope you find what you are searching for." Without waiting for her to respond, he strode from the room purposefully.

*****

They were on his balcony, and he was holding her on his lap, insisting on it as he told her of the meeting with his ex.

With her hands looped around his neck, she studied his handsome face. "Am I to believe that you two met by chance?"

He lifted a brow at her, comfortable just being here with her. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"I don't know Flynn. Should I be calling you a liar?"

"I am insulted that you would even entertain the thought."

"She is beautiful." Ryleigh toyed with the lapels of the robe he had donned after his shower.

"She is." he agreed, a smile tugging at his sensuous lips.

Lifting her head, she gave him a fiery look. "And if I find out that you have a yearning to revisit the past, I am going to tie your dick into very intricate knots."

The words were so matter-of-fact that their meaning escaped him for a few seconds. When he realized what she was saying, he laughed and snatched her into his arms to bury his face in her neck.