Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Celia bit her lip. She had been going to do the decorations herself, but she guessed she ought to be grateful that her Mother-in-Law-to-be had handled it instead, considering that she’d been missing for so long.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said, trying to smile.
“Hurry and come back to me!” Peter exclaimed. “I love you, darling Cece!”
“I…I love you too.” The words wanted to stick in her throat, but somehow Celia got them out. And then the connection was cut and the vidscreen went black again.
“Celia…are you sure you want to do this?” Kat asked. She had been sitting quietly this whole time but now the look on her usually laughing face was deadly serious. “Are you sure you want to leave your guys and go back to Peter?”
“I have to.” Celia lifted her chin. “Peter is the father of my baby—my daughter.” She put a hand over her lower belly protectively. “I have to go back to him. Besides, this is what we always planned—that I would do the Claiming Period and then go back down to Earth and marry Peter.” She looked at Liv. “Can I go right now? Back to Earth, I mean?”
“Don’t you even want to talk to Hold or Fierce?” Kat exclaimed.
Celia shook her head.
“No—and I don’t want either one of you talking to them either. The Kindred have patient confidentiality, right?” she demanded.
“Yes, we honor patient/doctor confidentiality,” Liv said quietly. “And we can’t tell you what to do, of course. But I really think you should at least talk to your Twin Kindred before you leave to go back to Earth.”
Celia shook her head again.
“No, I can’t…I can’t face them.” She could just imagine the look of disgust on Fierce’s face when she admitted she was pregnant with another man’s baby. No, she couldn’t go through that—wouldn’t put herself through it.
“But to just leave after all you’ve been through with them—” Kat began.
“I tell you what—I’ll write them a note,” Celia offered. She looked at Kat’s voluminous purse. “You must have a pen and paper in there, don’t you?”
“Well…yes.” Kat dug in her purse and pulled out a notepad and a pen. “Here you go.” She handed them to Celia. “But I really think if you just talked to them—”
“I can’t, Kat. I’m sorry.” Celia balanced the notepad on her knee and began to scribble a hasty note. It only took a minute because there was no way she was going to let them know the real reason she was leaving—she didn’t want to go through that. After re-reading it once, she signed it and handed it to Liv. “Please give them this—but only after I’m gone. And I don’t want them following me, either,” she added. “I’m going to marry Peter and that is final.”
“Well…all right.” Liv took the note from her. “There’s a back way out of here that leads right to the Docking Bay,” she added. “We use it sometimes when we have an emergency patient come up from Earth who needs to be seen immediately.”
“Thank you.” Celia got off the exam table and straightened her hospital gown. “Er, I’ll get this back to you later.”
“It’s fine—you can keep it.” Liv waved a hand. Then she leaned over and gave Celia a hug. “I hope you find happiness,” she murmured, before releasing her.
Kat hugged her too.
“Are you sure you won’t reconsider and at least talk to your guys?” she asked when she pulled back to look at Celia.
Celia shook her head.
“They’re not my guys—not anymore,” she said firmly. “I’m having Peter’s baby—he’s the one I belong with.”
And trying to make herself believe it was true, she followed Liv out of the exam room towards the Docking Bay.
The last thing she did before leaving was to drop the little pink flower and the crumpled piece of paper that told the DNA results of her baby in the trash can on her way out the door.
48
HOLD
“What do you mean she’s gone? Where did she go? Who let her go? Where is she?” Fierce demanded, glowering at Doctor Olivia.
Hold watched as his brother raged. Inside, he felt cold and distant—the loss of the woman they both loved hadn’t really sunk in yet.
“That’s not for me to say.” Doctor Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. “In fact, Celia specifically wanted me not to tell you two anything. Though she did leave you this note,” she added, handing it to Hold.
Hold took it and glanced at it. Shaking his head, he passed it to Fierce who snatched it and read it as well.
“But this doesn’t tell us anything!” he exclaimed, shaking the note at Doctor Olivia.
In fact, the note Celia had left them said very little.
“Dear Hold and Fierce,” it read.
“I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I’m afraid we have to part ways. Thank you for all the wonderful adventures we had but I have realized that we can’t be together. I am going back to marry Peter and I am asking you not to follow me. I hope that in time you two will find the right girl for you, but that girl can never be me.