Page 43 of His Housekeeper's Twin Baby Confession
Massimo jumped up. ‘You’re not well. I’ll call a doctor.’
She put out a hand. ‘No, it’s nothing serious. It’s just food poisoning or a bug.’
‘But I’m okay and we’ve eaten all the same things.’
‘I’m sure it’s nothing...’
She looked as if she was about to collapse.
Massimo reached out and grabbed her, leading her back to the bed and letting her lie down.
But she struggled to sit up again. ‘I should go to my own room.’
Massimo pushed her back down, gently. ‘No way. This is your room. What can I get you?’
Carrie said, ‘Maybe just a little water and a dry biscuit, if there’s anything like that?’
Massimo pulled the robe over Carrie’s chest, where it was gaping open, showing the curves of her breasts.Not now.He went and pulled a pair of silk pyjamas from a drawer and came back, helping her to sit on the side of the bed.
‘You’ll be more comfortable in these.’
With superhuman strength, he managed to help her out of the robe and into the pyjamas without turning into a caveman. He left her in bed and went to the kitchen to get the water and a biscuit—which, of course, took him an age, because he couldn’t find the pantry where the dry goods were kept.
When he got back upstairs, though, Carrie was asleep again, so he left the water on the table, with a couple of biscuits on a plate, and went to his study.
He’d never been in this situation before...
During the night Carrie woke and had a little water and some of the biscuits. She said to Massimo, ‘I’m sure by the morning I’ll be feeling much better...’
CHAPTER SEVEN
BUTWHENCARRIEwoke at dawn she wasn’t feeling better at all. She managed to get to the bathroom just in time.
When she’d finished being sick she stood up and looked at her wan features in the mirror. She could only remember feeling this sick once before, and her whole body went cold as she realised it.
She put her hand on her belly.No. The universe wouldn’t be so cruel, would it?
She went back out into the bedroom and saw Massimo standing there, bare-chested, wearing sleep pants that hung low on his hips. For the first time Carrie didn’t feel a sizzle. She felt even queasier.
She only realised Massimo was talking into a mobile phone when he said, ‘Okay, Doctor, thank you.’
Carrie went cold. ‘Who was that?’
‘My doctor is coming to see you.’
‘But it’s really nothing,’ protested Carrie, while silently saying a prayer that it wasn’t the potentially huge thing she feared it could be.
She climbed back into bed, feeling too weak to stand and face a brooding Massimo.
‘I’m really sorry about this.’
It wasn’t exactly lover/mistress behaviour.
Massimo frowned. ‘Don’t be silly. I’m going to take a shower and then wait for the doctor.’
Carrie lay back on the bed and tried not to let her mind go to scary places. She felt numb. Which was a bit of a relief after the constant queasiness. But if this was what she feared it was, this stage would pass soon enough...
Carrie looked at herself in the bathroom mirror again. She’d had a shower and was dressed in faded jeans and a shirt. Hair still damp and loose around her shoulders. She looked marginally better. She felt marginally better. At least physically.
