“If you’d like. Would you like me to send someone in with the paperwork.”
“Yes,” I say, “as soon as possible.”
Dr. Thompson smiles and I realize she’s been feeding me breadcrumbs, trying to get me to follow her. Whatever my father tried to pull while I was unconscious must have alarmed her. I’m not surprised. Even if I could be, I doubt I’d have the energy for it.
When the doctor leaves, Felix comes back inside.
“Did you tell my father I was awake?” I ask.
“No, but I think I should call him.”
I shake my head. “Not yet. There’s something I need to do first.”
I don’t tell him what I’m up to, because I’m not sure he’ll like it any better than my father will. When a hospital administrator comes in with the paperwork, I fill it out quickly and sign as Felix looks on.
“What was that about?” he asks.
I take a deep breath and prepare myself. “I gave you power of attorney. If something happens to me, I want you to make the decisions.”
“Adair,” he breathes. “I don’t think…”
“I do,” I say firmly. “In fact, I know. He won’t respect what I tell him. If he has the chance, he’ll terminate the pregnancy. The doctor admitted as much. I don’t want that.”
“Are you certain? You know how difficult this will be—how difficult he will make it for you.”
“I know,” I say in a small voice. “But I’m not going to get rid of her. I already decided that. It’s why I came here.”
Felix remains silent, studying me with his own quiet wisdom, before he gives me a tight smile. “Her?”
“It’s a girl,” I tell him.
“And the father?” he asks. “Does he know?”
Felix knows the truth. He’s been watching. He will have pieced everything together. But that means, so will my father. That only leaves me one choice.
“I don’t know who the father is,” I lie. “I’d really rather not waste time trying to figure it out. It will be embarrassing—for all of us.”
“Don’t you think he should know? Whoever he is?” His challenge is mild, but I recognize it.
“No guy I know will want a baby,” I say flatly. I squash the memory of the dream back into some dark, unvisited part of my mind. That’s all it was: a dream. Sterling isn’t here. If he hadn’t left, he’d probably have disappeared after I told him. He didn’t even bother to say goodbye. In the end, he gave up. He let Angus MacLaine scare him out of town. He let me stay angry instead of confronting me to explain his side of the story. He didn’t even put up a fight.
“But you still want her?”
He sees what I’m hiding. The question is will he keep it a secret for me? “I love her. I don’t need to understand why. I just do.”
“Then, I will make certain your wishes are respected, but, Adair, you know there will be consequences.”
“I know.”
Outside the door there’s a sudden fluster of activity and for a moment, I think there must be an emergency, until I hear a familiar booming voice shouting orders.
“Are you ready? I can tell him you’re sleeping,” Felix offers.
“It’s okay.” There’s no sense putting this off. It won’t change anything. My father won’t have a sudden epiphany and grow a heart overnight. I was always going to have to face this day. At least, Felix is here. It’s not quite as lonely as I feared. He squeezes my hand just as the door flies open. He storms inside, an annoyed Dr. Thompson at his heels. It’s the first time I’d seen my father on his feet since he began physical therapy after his own accident. I’d heard he was walking, but I didn’t know what to expect. Despite the physical presence he’s always projected, there’s a hitch in his step, a slight tremor shaking his body, and he leans heavily on a polished black cane with a silver wolf as its handle.
“Why wasn’t I called?” he demands. “I told you to let me know if there was any change.”
“This is quite extraordinary,” Dr. Thompson says, rising rather than shrinking to his intimidation. “We were seeing to your daughter’s medical care—a much higher priority than making a phone call. You would have been informed when time allowed.”
“I imagine you’ll find time to cash and spend my check,” he growls, before turning and pointing his cane at Felix. “You were under strict instructions—”