Protecting Her Royal Baby

“Hunter!”

Her cry pulled his attention back to the open patient bay of the ambulance. Her hand stretched toward him, and fear flashed in her eyes. “Don’t go!”

He set his jaw. He had promised to stay with her, and he was a man of his word. Not only was she frightened and alone, she was in labor. In pain. In danger. Her amnesia made her even more vulnerable to the person trying to hurt her.

He hurried back to the ambulance, but when he tried to climb in, one of the EMTs stopped him. “No passengers.”

Hunter scowled at the medic, in no mood for rules. “She needs me. Can’t you see how scared she is?”

“Sorry. You can meet us at the hospital.” The EMT tried again to push Hunter aside, and he pushed back.

“Meet you? With what? Look at her car!” He waved a hand at the overturned sedan. “Am I supposed to walk?”

The medic twisted his mouth, wavering. “Are you family?”

Hunter opened his mouth and caught the truth before it slipped out. He swallowed hard and silently begged his mother and God to forgive him for the lie that rose to his tongue. “I’m her husband. That’s my baby she’s having!”

The EMT eyed him suspiciously, clearly having picked up on his earlier hesitation.

Going with the story he’d presented, Hunter squared his shoulders. “You said the baby could come any minute. Don’t make me miss the birth of my first child!”

Brianna wailed in pain at that moment, as if to punctuate his plea. The medic relented and stepped out of Hunter’s way.

* * *

Brianna squeezed her eyes shut, gripped the edges of the stretcher and waited out the excruciating contraction. In addition to the wrenching pain in her belly, her head throbbed. She’d hit it on something when the car flipped, Hunter said. But everything prior to blinking Hunter’s face into focus as he peered through the broken window was a frightening blur. A blank canvas, really. How could she have forgotten everything, even her own name?

She tried again to recall where she’d been going, who she was, why she’d been on that road—and got nowhere. Panic fluttered in her chest, speeding her heart rate and her breathing.

The EMTs were at work, taking her vital signs, checking the baby’s heart rate, starting an IV in her arm.

Hunter moved into view, smiling down at her and wrapping her hand in his. “You’re okay, sweetie. Hang on. Deep breaths, remember?”

Remember deep breaths? Heck, she couldn’t remember what she had for breakfast, but she nodded at him just the same. Struggled to slow her breathing. Truth was, when Hunter stroked her hand and smiled at her like that, breathing at all was difficult. The man was gorgeous, even rumpled and sweaty as he was. He had piercing blue eyes, thick black hair that curled against his neck and the sort of strong, rugged face you saw in outdoor-adventure magazines. His sleeveless T-shirt showed off impressive muscles in his arms, but it was his smile that held her attention. His broad, gentle smile had the power to calm and excite her at the same time. Her pulse did a happy jig when he grinned, while a peace filled her, despite her scary circumstances. Hunter’s presence made her feel safe.

Impossible as it seemed, considering she didn’t know him, didn’t know anyone or anything at the moment, Hunter kept her from flying apart. He reassured her and soothed her. His eyes, his smile, spoke softly to her soul. As if—

Another blinding pain ripped through her torso, obliterating the crazy poetic thoughts. “Oooh!”

Again Hunter stroked her hair, patted her hand, coached her through the contraction. “That’s it, Brianna. You’re a champion. Keep breathing.”

She gobbled up the inane words as if they were manna from heaven. Hunter and his encouragement were all she had at that moment, and she clung to his hand, clung to the support he gave her like a lifeline.

“You don’t appear to have any bleeding that would indicate a placental abruption, and the baby’s heart rate is within range.” The EMT beside her started pelting her with questions as he worked. “We need to get some medical history and personal information. Are you allergic to any medications? Latex or iodine?”

“I...” She swallowed hard. The panic swelled again. “I don’t know.”

“She hit her head,” Hunter explained. “She can’t remember anything. Not even her name.”

“Okay,” the EMT said, turning his attention to Hunter. “Do you know if she has allergies?”

Brianna knitted her brow. Why would Hunter know that about her?

“I, uh...don’t...” he stammered. “I’m not sure.”

“Does she have a Do Not Resuscitate order or living will on file?”

Hunter’s gaze flicked to her as if she could answer. Brianna could only stare back at him in confusion.

“Don’t know.”

“Her blood type?”

Hunter shook his head.

“Name of her ob-gyn?”

“Uh...”

The EMT arched an eyebrow. “Kinda important stuff to know about your wife. Your pregnant wife.”

Brianna gasped. Wife? What—

Another pain tightened her belly, and both Hunter and the EMT turned to her. She gripped Hunter’s hand, squeezing hard as the wave of pain racked her. “Hunter!”

“I’m here, hon. You’re okay.” He turned to the EMT, his face stern. “Can’t you give her anything for the pain?”

“Not without knowing her history or allergies. And we have to be careful not to send the baby into distress.”

“I’m...okay,” she lied. “Don’t put the...baby at risk.”

Hunter gave her a worried look and stroked her hair gently.

After finishing his physical checks, the EMT pulled out a clipboard and shot a narrow-eyed glance at Hunter.

“I’m gonna guess here and say you don’t have any of her personal info, either. Address, phone number, insurance or Social Security number?” The EMT flipped up a palm, giving Hunter the opportunity to deny his assertion.

A guilty look crossed Hunter’s face. He licked his lips and blew out a sigh. “No.”

The EMT grunted, tossed the clipboard aside and busied himself taking her blood pressure, checking the progress of the delivery.

Clearly Hunter had lied about his relationship to her in order to stay with her. Knowing that stirred a mix of feelings in her. While she hated that she’d led him to fib, she was grateful for his willingness to stay with her and allay her fears. Brianna tugged on Hunter’s hand, and when he met her eyes, she flashed him a brief grin of appreciation for his efforts. In response, he trapped her hand between his two larger ones and rode in silence, until the ambulance bumped over the curb of the hospital driveway.

The EMT rallied, pushing Hunter aside as the ambulance jerked to a stop and the back doors flew open. Brianna was jostled as her stretcher was rolled out and the legs unfolded for the ride into the hospital. As she was whisked away, Hunter disappeared from her field of vision. A clawing sense of agitation raked through her. “Hunter!”

“Don’t be scared!” she heard him call as the orderlies rolled her into a back hall, taking her away from her anchor, her protector. But she was frightened. Without Hunter, the eerie sense of danger crowded her again. Someone had tried to hurt her. She was sure of it.

And now she was in labor. Her memory gone. A deep sense of loneliness and foreboding closed around her like a smothering cloak.