"She's three months pregnant and severely malnourished. After the scan and tests, I can confirm the baby is safe."
Dr. Carmen's words echoed in James's mind like a mantra as he sat in the sterile hospital chair, watching Victoria sleep peacefully in the private room. His head spun as he tried to process the magnitude of what he'd just learned. The news had come as a shock to everyone involved, Dr. Carmen delivering it with professional concern while James felt his entire world shift on its axis.
Three months. Victoria had been carrying his child for three months, and neither of them had known.
James's gaze drifted to the ultrasound image clutched in his trembling hands. The grainy black and white photo showed a tiny form, unmistakably human despite its diminutive size. His child. Their child. The miracle growing inside the woman he loved.
The memory of Dr. Carmen's conversation replayed in vivid detail. She had studied James's face after delivering the news, her experienced eyes reading the shock and wonder written across his features.
"I remember our last phone call," Dr. Carmen had said quietly. "I told you, to Victoria you James, have become her world. I've known her since she was a little girl." She had paused, her expression thoughtful. "I don't know what to say. I probably shouldn't involve myself in personal matters, but..."
"There's no need to worry," James had interrupted, his voice surprisingly steady despite the chaos in his mind. "We're engaged."
The lie had come so naturally, born from a desire to protect Victoria and perhaps from a truth he hadn't yet fully acknowledged. Dr. Carmen's face had immediately relaxed, a warm smile replacing her concerned frown.
Now, sitting in the quiet hospital room, James wondered how he could possibly ask Victoria to marry him after everything he had put her through. The irony wasn't lost on him that he had lied about their engagement to comfort a doctor, when the truth was he desperately wanted to make it reality.
He was elated about the pregnancy in a way that surprised him with its intensity. Staring at the scan photo, he felt tears prick at his eyes. Victoria, the woman he loved more than his own life, was carrying his child. The completeness he felt was overwhelming, as if a missing piece of his soul had suddenly clicked into place.
She probably didn't know about the pregnancy, he realized. Her neglect of her own health, the way she had pushed herself to exhaustion, it all made sense now. Three months along, past the first trimester, and she had been unaware of the precious life growing inside her.
James reached out with gentle fingers to caress Victoria's cheek, a goofy smile spreading across his face despite the gravity of the situation. He remembered that day in her car on the way to the airport, when she had playfully said she wanted a mini version of him and urged him to come back quickly. If only she had known that her wish was already a reality, growing silently within her.
He started to stand, intending to call his family to explain his sudden absence from the launch event and to contact Alex about managing the situation, when a surprisingly strong grip caught his wrist.
"Don't go," came Victoria's soft, sleepy voice.
James immediately settled back into his chair, taking her hand in both of his. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere," he consoled, his voice gentle and reassuring.
Victoria shook her head weakly, her eyes still clouded with sleep and medication. "It's a lie. You want to go back to that woman you said you loved. I saw you standing up. You're going back to her, aren't you?" The accusation in her voice was heartbreaking, filled with the fear of abandonment that had driven her desperate actions earlier.
"I won't let you go, so you better forget about her and get rid of those feelings," she continued, her grip on his hand tightening.
James couldn't help but laugh, the sound warm and full of affection. "There's only one woman I love, and I'm looking at her right now." He caressed her cheek again, his touch reverent. "I can't get rid of my feelings for you even if I tried, Victoria. They're part of me now."
Victoria's eyes widened, tears beginning to well up again. "But I heard you say that you love her. I heard you with my own ears."
James lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a tender kiss to her knuckles. "I was confessing my feelings for you and trying to let Gaia know that I could never return her affections. Every word I spoke was about you, about how much you mean to me."
The smile that spread across Victoria's face was like sunrise after the longest night. "So you love me?"
"Yes," James replied without hesitation.
"And you won't leave me?" The vulnerability in her voice made his chest ache.
"Never. You are bound to me forever," James declared with conviction that surprised even him.
Victoria launched herself into his arms as much as her weakened state would allow, hugging him tightly. "I promise never to hurt you again. I promise to be good. I promise to listen to your every word," she vowed against his shoulder.
James softly patted her back, overwhelmed by her willingness to take all the blame for their troubles. "I owe you an apology too. I shouldn't have left you like that. I shouldn't have been so cruel to you that night."
"No," Victoria cut him off firmly. "It's me who should apologize. It's all my fault. Besides, that night I asked for it, so it's not completely your fault."
James pulled back gently, helping her sit up more comfortably on the hospital bed. His eyes went to the IV drip. "The bag's almost empty," he observed, referring to the nutrients being fed into her system.
He pulled out his phone to make the calls he had intended earlier. Victoria watched him adoringly, her eyes never leaving his face as he spoke to his family and then to Alex, explaining his absence and ensuring everything at the launch was being handled properly.
When he finished, Victoria was still staring at him with an expression of such pure contentment that it took his breath away. It seemed surreal to both of them that they were here, together, willing to try again despite everything they had been through.
"James, we are exclusive again, right?" Victoria asked, needing absolute confirmation of their status.
James pocketed his phone and nodded emphatically. "No matter what you do, this time I won't leave so easily. You are my woman."
Victoria's smile was radiant. "Yes, I am your woman."
"Dr. Carmen is worried about you. I should call her in," James said, though he was reluctant to interrupt their reunion.
"No, I want to spend time with you," Victoria protested.
"And you will, as much as you want. First, she has something important to tell you." James pressed the call button for the doctor, knowing that Dr. Carmen should be the one to deliver the news about the pregnancy.
Within moments, Dr. Carmen entered the room. She approached Victoria with a motherly expression, immediately launching into a gentle but firm scolding.
"Victoria, you need to take your health seriously. You're not alone now, and you need to think about your little one," she said with the authority of someone who had known Victoria for years.