Arabel's POV
My eyes drift open at the sound of Richard's voice. When I can't see him anywhere around, I lift myself up from the bed, wincing a little, and rest my back on the headboard.
He arrives with a phone glued to his right ear.
Our eyes lock.
“I will have Scott come to you in a couple of hours,” he mutters, his gaze not leaving mine. “Good. Thank you.”
He drops the call, and a smile creeps to his face.
A frown is etched on my face as I begin to wonder how I got into bed.
“Hey,” Richard says, closing the distance between us, his gaze not wavering. “Are you okay?”
When I don't answer, he presses his lips on mine briefly before pulling away while I sit still, just in time for his phone to start ringing again.
“Work?” I watch him bounce his gaze from me to his phone. He is indecisive on whether to pick up the call or not, probably because he thinks I will convince him to go back home again.
“I will call her later, are you okay?” He presses the reject button, then digs it back into his pocket and leans over me.
The concern on his face prompts me to inquire. “Why are you asking if I am okay? Did something happen?”
When he opens his mouth to answer, the ringing sound of his phone cuts him short, and I shake my head. “Perhaps it's urgent. Pick up, please.”
He obeys, standing up to move towards the exit. I think he will go out, but he only stops at the door with a shout. “What?!”
I jerk upright.
Carefully, I step down from the bed, and a wince leaves my mouth when I feel a throbbing in my head.
Ignoring the pain, I stroll closer to him and touch his stiff shoulder. The phone is still glued to his ears, so I wait for him to drop the call.
“Shit!” He curses beneath his breath. “Call him back. Have the meeting rescheduled for tomorrow. I will come over.”
Work.
I warned him not to joke with work because of me. For a flitting second, I feel nothing but guilt.
I feel responsible for this.
If I had insisted or thrown him out, whatever damage had happened wouldn't have happened. He knew the risk but still chose to stay by me.
I know he loves me, and I am sure I love him back, but fear creeps into my heart each time I think of giving him another chance.
“Thank you.” He whirls around to face me with a frown on his face.
“What happened?” I ask calmly, but the throbbing is still very much present.
He holds my hand and walks over to the bed, making me sit. He sits back on the chair beside the bed, looking down.
“Richard, what happened?”
“I lost a deal,” he finally mentions with a sad tone. “I forgot…”
“I told you, didn't I? You should have gone back home when you needed to.” I am not helping him feel better, and I know this. However, I feel awful because he is doing this for me. “What is the solution? Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shakes his head. “I might have to take the next available flight to New York first thing tomorrow.”
“Good.”
He lifts his eyes to mine. "But as soon as I finish over there, I will return."
I shake my head in disagreement. “No, Richard. You should stay back and sort everything out.”
“I can't. I vowed to be here till you have the cast removed, remember?” It doesn't sound like a question, but I nod anyway.
“What if I go with you?” I question sharply, making him shoot his eyes up in surprise. “The appointment is next week anyway. I believe a week should be enough to sort out whatever problem there is. When I have my cast removed, I can come back, and you will get your life back…”
“My life is with you,” he says, cutting me short. “I want to be wherever you are. If you want to go with me, that's fine. I can ask Leo to bring the jet over first thing in the morning.”
I don't nod because Leo's name reminds me of what Richard did.
He straightened up, and his hands touched my forehead. “How do you feel now?”
I scrunch my face in confusion. “Did something happen?”
He gazes at me for a moment before asking. “You don't remember?”
Extreme confusion clouds my mind as I try to remember what happened. “Remember what? Did something happen? Where is Daisy?”
He shakes his head. “Daisy is okay, it has nothing to do with her.”
I expect him to say more. Tell me what this is about. Explain what happened, which I don't recall.
“Are you going to tell me?”
“It has nothing to do with Daisy. It's between you and me." He finally mentions it, making me sit upright with curiosity filling my insides.
“What…”
“You collapsed earlier,” he informs me, his voice soft along with his expression. “You don't remember?”
Slowly, it sinks into my head.
Richard and I were in the garden, talking, when a wave of dizziness swept through me. I must have lost consciousness afterwards.
A gasp leaves my mouth.
“I remember now. I'm fine.”
I don't know why I collapsed, but I am sure I am fine, except for the slight headache I am feeling.
“You don't recall anything else?” Richard asks, causing worry to overshadow my curiosity.
“What happened? Did something else happen?” I ask, and he shakes his head vigorously, his expression devoid of emotion now.
I can't tell if it is something to be worried about or not.
“Richard?” I call with anxiety.
He grabs my left hand and presses a kiss to my palm, then turns it over and kisses the back of my hand, just like he always does.
Suddenly, a smile splits over his face, and my worry begins to diminish slowly.
My heart stutters in my chest.
“At first, I was upset because I thought you knew, but obviously, you don't,” he mutters, looking pleased. “Thank you.”
My eyebrow darts up, still puzzled. “What are you talking about, Richard?”
He detects the frustration in my tone because he quickly straightens up and leans back, dropping my hand before glancing up at me.
With his fingers trembling, he folds his arm around his chest and darts his eyes away.
Am I imagining that? Did Richard just tremble with nervousness? What the hell is happening?
Is this about me losing consciousness? Is he smiling just to hide what is happening? Am I sick? Terminally ill? Dying?
“The doctor was here to examine you earlier,” he begins, and my heart begins to drum wildly within my ribcage.
This is it.
I am sick.
"I didn't bother to tell you because I thought you already knew but decided not to inform me. Apparently, you don't, and I don't know…”
“Richard,” I call again when he hesitates, fear crawling into his expression. “What is it?”
A powerful tremble shudders down my spine. I don't know what it is yet, but I am damn scared this will be bad.
Ignorance is bliss.
Should I just let him keep quiet about it forever so I don't get to know?
I haven't come to a decision when he suddenly announce. “The doctor said you are pregnant. Five weeks gone.”
I blink.
In a stunned daze, I let his words repeat itself in my head.
I am pregnant.
When it finally dawns on me, shock starts to shudder through with my eyes growing wide.