The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,41

reason now. “I lost her,” she whispered.

Dimitri pulled Pepper closer, not sure what to say. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, but he knew that she’d been in a great deal of pain. And the blood! Damn it, she’d lost so much blood! The doctors said that she’d be weak for a while. “The fetus”…why the hell had they called his child “a fetus”? In his mind, it had been his child. Yes, the baby had only been weeks old, and he’d known about this child for less than a week, but still, it was his child. His baby! And Pepper’s! Their child and…He pulled her closer, needing to feel her against him.

“I’m so sorry!” she sobbed.

“It’s not your fault, Pepper!” he soothed, wanting to find the man who had done this and…he’d never been a violent man, but Dimitri wanted to kill the man who had hurt Pepper.

Dimitri had spoken to the police officer. Yes, they were definitely going to press charges! Yes, he wanted the man arrested and thrown in jail! Assault! That was all they could charge the man with.

The term seemed so inadequate. The only saving grace in this whole miserable day was the fact that he and Pepper had been married a couple of days ago, which allowed him to speak on her behalf. If they’d waited until Pepper’s sisters could attend their wedding, he would have had no say in her care, would have been given no information by the doctors. He wouldn’t have had any legal right to know anything about her condition!

Pepper continued to cry as Dimitri held her, trying to soothe her. But the doctor had warned him that she’d be very emotional, not just from the loss of their child, but because her body would go through a massive hormone shift. They’d already taken her into surgery, but they hadn’t been able to save the baby, although they’d ensured that everything about her fertility was still intact. No damage to her internal organs other than bruising.

“You and your wife will be able to have another baby,” the doctor had assured him.

Dimitri had listened to everything, but he was furious. The heartless, miserable assurance that they could have another baby. He wanted the baby that they’d had! As if the one they’d lost was disposable or replaceable!

Climbing onto the bed beside her, he shifted so that she leaned against him and he felt her body shake as she wept. As she cried, he silently cursed the man who had done this to her, who had stolen their child!

A long time later, when she’d exhausted her tears, Pepper looked up at him. He was cradling her in his arms. He didn’t give a damn about hospital policy and only the patient being in the hospital bed. Pepper only seemed to calm down when he was holding her, so he was damn well going to hold her all night if he had to.

“Don’t tell my sisters, okay?” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I don’t want them to know.”

His arms tightened around her. “Anything you want, agape mou,” he promised her, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

A nurse came in to take her blood pressure and gave him a censorious look for being on the bed with her patient, but Pepper sniffled, tightening her hold on Dimitri so the nurse simply patted her hand, then left the room without a word.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

Dimitri didn’t know what she was apologizing for but he didn’t ask. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow, he’d find out why she kept apologizing.

Chapter 11

“I need to get back to work,” Pepper whispered, sitting in the chair by the window of his penthouse.

Dimitri bent down to look at her, his eyes searching her face. She was still pale, not eating unless he begged and even then, she barely touched what he put in front of her.

“You need to take care of yourself, agape mou. Will you eat something today?” he asked as gently as he could.

Pepper nodded, but he wasn’t sure that he believed her. He’d ask his housekeeper to make something special. Something that might tempt her.

“Pepper, it’s been two weeks. Are you still sore?”

Pepper’s hand moved over her stomach and she shook her head. “I’m fine,” she told him. “Perfectly fine.”

He wanted to pull her into his arms, but every time he touched her lately, she’d pulled away. He didn’t understand why, but he needed her. He needed her in both