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How they set her carefully on a gurney and pushed her into the ambulance. The sirens had blared so loudly while they rushed to the hospital, the sound of the rain hitting the road, buffeting against the truck. The wind had blown, rattling her already frantic nerves, and yet the efficient paramedics had soothed her. Reassured her.
Long ago she’d read people said odd things when dealing with a tragedy. She’d been so concerned about the rental car when they pulled her out of it. Afraid of what might happen once they left, she’d even asked if it was salvageable.
They quietly confirmed no, it wasn’t salvageable. It was totaled. She’d promptly burst into tears, afraid of how much that might cost her when the rental agency slapped her with a bill.
Silly, but there it was.
“A battery of tests was conducted.” A voice suddenly came out of nowhere. “Turns out she’s pregnant.”
“Really? I wonder if she knows. I hope she doesn’t lose it,” another voice said. It was full of sympathy and sadness.
Pregnant? Gracie tried to absorb the meaning of the word, but it was so hard. Were they still talking about her? No way could she be pregnant.
Or could she be? Lord help her if she was, because she’d turned into her mother. She wasn’t a drugged-out irresponsible teen, but she was a grown woman who knew better and still ended up with an unwanted pregnancy.
Which was almost worse—she was smarter than this. No baby deserved to come into this world in such crazed circumstances. With a mother who couldn’t love properly, a father who never wanted to settle down. Conceived during a reckless sexual encounter, rather than by two people who’d come together and wanted to create a life as a symbol of their mutual love.
“We need to prep the patient for surgery,” she heard the nurse say. “She’s scheduled later this afternoon.”
Surgery. Would it put her baby at risk? Would she even survive? The chances for this baby were slim, she knew it.
“I’ll call in some assistance,” the other voice said. “The procedure shouldn’t take long.”
The last time they mentioned surgery, the word filled her with fear. Now she wasn’t so scared. Maybe then she would feel better. Maybe then she could talk. She could finally visit with her grandma. See her face to face for the first time since she was a little girl. Hug her, kiss her and hear her comforting words of love…
It was such a terrible way to meet each other again, the both of them in the hospital. But it couldn’t be helped.
Sadness settled over her. How she wished she hadn’t been so stupid, so reckless. The car accident was by far the dumbest thing she’d ever done.
No. That wasn’t true. The dumbest thing she’d ever done was refuse Hunter’s help. If she’d never done that, she’d be in a hotel room in Ithaca right now, staying with Hunter. Or maybe she’d be sitting by her grandma’s bedside, visiting with her. Regardless, she wouldn’t be here. Lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak, her mind filled with too many morbid, strange thoughts.
She’d be normal. Happy. Certain everything was going to be all right.
That certainty was gone in the blink of an eye. She was scared. Hurt. Something was wrong with her, and she didn’t even know what it was. And she couldn’t speak to Hunter.
Oh, how she wished she could talk to him. Hear his voice reassuring her everything was going to be all right. Feel his muscular arms wrap tight around her, smell his delicious warm scent. She needed him so much.
And he might never know just how much she needed him. How much she might be able to love him.
That thought was almost too much to bear.
Chapter Fifteen
“Tessa found her.”
Hunter gripped the phone tight, exhaling loudly. Had he really held his breath for the last seventy-two hours, or did it just feel that way? “Where is she?”
“Checked into a hospital in Ithaca.” Alex paused, his voice grim. “It’s not good, bro. She didn’t find out exact details, but Gracie’s in ICU. They wouldn’t release any other information.”
“I need to go.” Hunter started to hang up the phone, his mind racing with what he needed to do before he left Manhattan, but he heard his brother still shouting at him.
“Tessa also thinks she might have figured out what drew her to Ithaca so quick. There’s another woman checked into the hospital. Another Grace Hayes.”
“What?”
“She worked her magic and found out the age of this Grace. I think she might be her mother.”
“No way. Gracie told me her mother is dead,” Hunter said firmly.
