CEO's Unwanted Wife

Chapter 14

"I won't be able to go to the doctor with you today, Bella," Brian informed Bella while they were breakfasting in the dining room the following morning. She would never have admitted it but she had really been relying on having him there that day. She was in her sixteenth week of pregnancy and had been scheduled for a precautionary amniocentesis that day. Because of her previous miscarriage, her doctor wanted to take no chances. She was a nervous wreck about the procedure and even though she knew the risks of complications were very low, they were still there. Also even though her logical mind told her that her baby would be fine she was still dreading the possible outcome of the test. Brian had been a rock during her first ultrasound the month before, holding her hand while he listened to the whooshing sound of their baby's heartbeat for the first time and squeezing it tightly when they had caught sight of the fragile fluttering on the black and white monitor. It had been too early to tell the baby's s*x but Bella was confident that it was a boy and had said so. Brian had remained quiet during the entire procedure but he had been a comfort to her."Why not?" She asked casually."I have to go to Italy next week and I have a lot to finish at the office before I leave," he informed her tightly and she lowered her eyes back to her plate."Is your father okay?" She asked softly and he hesitated before responding."Yes. My visit is unrelated to any family business," she shut her eyes in pain, suddenly knowing that he was going because of that phone call last night."Okay," she nodded, battling to sound nonchalant about it. "It's just... I'm getting the amniocentesis today." He swore quietly beneath his breath."I'm sorry, Bella," he murmured, seeming almost stricken by the news. "I completely forgot."And that, of course, brought the major problem with their marriage into sharp relief. While she had been worrying about the procedure, stressing about possible complications, terrified of the slight risk of miscarriage it presented and suffering through sleepless nights thinking about the birth or genetic defects the results could reveal, her husband had simply forgotten about the test. And this just when she had started to rely on him to be there for her. Of course, she would never reveal just how much she had depended on having his solid, stoically silent presence there so she shrugged carelessly."I'm sure Nancy will go with me," she nodded firmly and his eyes shone with naked relief."That's a great idea..." he nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be at your next appointment. I'll only be gone for a week or so. I'll be back before you know it.""I'll be fine," she dismissed airily, digging into her scrambled eggs like someone who didn't have a care in the world. There was an awkward silence, while he watched her eat but Bella very determinedly kept her head down while she scooped the eggs into her mouth with as much gusto as she could manage without choking."I don't want you to be alone while I'm gone," he suddenly breached the uncomfortable silence and Bella frowned at his words, looking up at him with her laden fork lifted halfway to her mouth."I won't be alone, Rick and Nancy are always around and the staff are ever present," as if to prove her words, the smiling housekeeper entered the room with a pile of pancakes which she placed in front of Bella with a speaking look. Phumsile, who was in charge of all the domestic staff, made no secret of the fact that she thought Bella was way too skinny for a pregnant woman and had taken it upon herself to ensure that Bella ate healthily. Bella secretly suspected the older woman of being in cahoots with Brian and had even accused Brian of such. He'd merely laughed and refused to comment. Phumsile disappeared back into the kitchen and Brian sighed impatiently."That's not enough," he muttered. "I want you to stay with your cousin.""No." She simply went back to her eggs, helping herself to a pancake, not wanting to incur Phumsile's wrath. The silence seethed from the other end of the table."I insist.""No." She didn't even bother meeting his eyes this time."Bella, you're being very difficult," he kept his voice level and patient."And you're being unreasonable," she suddenly snapped, glaring at him furiously. "Rick and Nancy have a new baby. I will visit them regularly and I have no doubt they will come around here but for me to stay there? That's just ridiculous. I won't intrude and I don't need a minder; I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself.""What if something goes wrong? What if you need help in the middle of the night and no-one's around?""Why don't you just stay home if you're so concerned?" She retorted furiously and immediately wished the words back when his gaze turned speculative."Would you like me to stay home?" He asked quietly."It makes no difference what I want," came her mutinous response."Of course it does," he placated gently. "I'd stay if you wanted me to.""What about your important business?" She asked sarcastically."You're more important," he said softly."You mean the baby I'm carrying is more important?" she corrected and his jaw clenched."No, that's not what I meant," he maintained patiently and she blinked before shaking her head."You're trying to confuse me," she complained frowning at him and he grinned."Not at all, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'm just trying to be honest with you.""Well, stop it, I don't believe anything you say anymore," she hissed, pushing herself away from the table and he sighed getting up as well."You didn't answer my question," he had the nerve to prompt and her glare deepened until she looked like a bad-tempered child."No, I want you to go off and take care of whatever business you have in Italy. I would hate to keep you from something important, only to have it thrown back into my face at a later date." His jaw clenched at her vitriolic words but he didn't respond. She got up abruptly, sick of the conversation and the company."Excuse me, I have to get ready for my appointment," she snapped, turning to leave the room."I still want you to stay with your cousin while I'm gone," he insisted, directing his words to her narrow back as she retreated from the room."And I still say no to that," she threw over her shoulder."This subject is far from closed, Bella," he raised his voice slightly as she moved further away from him but she waved a dismissive hand as she turned a corner that she knew would take her out of his sight. Once she got to her bedroom, she sank down onto the bed and inhaled shakily, feeling drained.Nancy was unable to join her for the amniocentesis, Rhys had a medical check up and naturally that took priority. So Bella found herself waiting alone, a nervous wreck even though she knew that the odds of anything going wrong were slim. She fidgeted, flipped through magazines, chatted with other women in various stages of pregnancy but through it all she just wished that Brian was there with her. The other women were all accompanied by their partners or friends and Bella had never felt so achingly alone before. She was so deeply buried in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the person sitting down next to her until her husband's deep voice rumbled in her ear."Why is your cell phone off? I've been trying to reach you all morning," she jumped in fright before blinking up at him stupidly, not quite sure how he came to be there. He grinned down into her confused face and Bella found herself responding helplessly to the open warmth of that smile, rewarding him with a blinding one of her own."What are you doing here?" She asked breathlessly and he shrugged."When I couldn't reach you, I tried Nancy and when she told me that she was at the clinic with Rhys, I realised that you were probably here all alone and thought you might need some moral support," he explained casually."B.but what about your work?""It'll keep...""You didn't have to come, I was okay on my own," she felt obligated to protest."Bella, you visibly paled every time the mention of this appointment came up. It's obvious that you find the thought of this procedure daunting. I couldn't let you face it on your own," so much for thinking she had kept her fear and reservations well hidden from him. He seemed able to read her like an open book."I'm not really scared," she said with more bravado than conviction and he determinedly bit back the smile that was curling up the sides of his mouth."You might not be but I am terrified, Bella," he shuddered slightly. "Needles... big needles especially, are not my thing." She could tell by the way he paled at the thought that he was entirely sincere. She stared into his eyes for the longest time, getting lost in the melting chocolate depths before shaking herself slightly."Thank you for coming, Brian," she finally whispered. "I was a bit intimidated by the thought of this procedure." The confession cost a lot but she was rewarded by the warm, intimate smile he directed at her."It'll be fine," he assured quietly, unexpectedly linking his fingers with hers. "You'll see." Even though there was no logical reason for it, her reservations melted like ice under the hot sun and she smiled gratefully.In the end, Bella sailed through the procedure, after some initial discomfort she was fine, it was Brian who had difficulty with proceedings. Apparently he hadn't been lying when he said he didn't like big needles and when he saw the 7.5 centimetre needle he swayed enough for a nurse to hurriedly bring a stool over for him to sit on; he had thanked her but manfully chose to stand instead. That macho display of coolness lasted only long enough for them to insert the needle into her abdomen when he paled dramatically and practically collapsed onto the provided stool, keeping his eyes determinedly away from the needle and on Bella's amused face."Once, when I was ten," she started talking to distract him. "I fell out of a tree..." that certainly caught his attention."What were you doing up a tree?" He sounded unflatteringly sceptical. "You don't strike me as the tomboy type.""I wasn't... but there was this poor little kitten stuck up there and I was a complete sucker for animals," she shrugged, wincing slightly when the needle pinched more, his hand tightened around hers, while the doctor cheerfully informed them that it was "nearly over"."So what happened?" He asked softly."Well, Nancy was with me and she was desperately trying to reason with me but I wouldn't listen," she shook her head. "Sometimes I can be a bit stubborn." He snorted at that."No! Really?" She tilted her chin up and chose to ignore his sarcasm."Just as I was leaning out and reaching for that stupid cat, he hissed at me, scratched my hand and climbed back down," she felt the pinching sensation gradually decrease as the needle was withdrawn from her abdomen. "But the cat had scared me and I lost my balance before tumbling out of the tree.""What happened after that?" He seemed riveted even though the doctor was stepping away from the table."I broke my arm and I've disliked cats since that day," she confessed sheepishly. He chuckled before unexpectedly leaning over her and dropping a quick kiss on her forehead. "I don't know why I just told you that story... you just looked in need of distraction.""And how," he acknowledged shakily. "I'm still feeling a little queasy after seeing that needle..." he swallowed and paled again. "I don't know how you could do that without anaesthetic?"