The Castaway and His Fresh Start

Lionel Winthrop and Joyce Lattimer pleaded with their son as tears ran down their faces. "Graham, we can't keep this baby. Colin found out Holly was pregnant, and he cried so hard that it broke our hearts. He's scared that once the baby comes, there won't be any room left for him in this family."

Holly Ainsworth was quiet for a moment. "Graham, once the switch came out and you two traded places again, you became my fiancé on paper instead of him. Colin has already been through so much. He just got home, and now he finds out I'm pregnant. It's a lot for him to take in."

She paused. "We can have another baby later. Now just isn't the right time."

They took turns talking, and every word was about Colin Winthrop's hurt, his fears, and how hard things had been for him. They made it sound as though Holly carrying Graham Winthrop's child was an ill-timed mistake that badly needed to be corrected.

Everyone was waiting to see how he would react.

Lionel had already worked out how to calm him down if he made a scene. Joyce had prepared what to say if he insisted on keeping the baby, and Holly had even picked out a gift to make it up to him.

Yet Graham only set the report down on the coffee table and nodded calmly. "Fine. When's the abortion? Today? I'll take Holly to the hospital, then."

With that, he picked up the jacket draped over the back of his chair, stood, and took Holly by the hand to lead her out.

"Graham!" Joyce froze and called after him without thinking. "You're... You're just okay with this?"

Graham stopped and turned his head slightly. "What else should I do?"

Lionel looked a little lost as well. "You don't have any thoughts on this at all?"

"Does what I think even matter?" The corner of Graham's mouth twisted. "If I said I wanted to keep it, would any of you change your mind?"

He turned and headed for the door. The three of them exchanged looks behind him and, in the end, followed.

At the hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant hung in the air. Holly had changed into a surgical gown, and she was about to walk into the operating room when she suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"You're really just going to let me do this?" Her voice was tight. "You're not upset? Not sad? Not even a little torn? This is our baby. Don't you care about it at all?"

Graham looked up and met her eyes.

Holly was strikingly beautiful, with deep-set, elegant features and thin lips she habitually kept slightly pressed together. She carried herself with a natural cool refinement and the commanding presence of someone used to being in charge.

At that moment, she was frowning, and a tangle of emotions churned in her eyes. There was confusion and scrutiny, along with a trace of panic that even she had not noticed.

All of a sudden, he found the whole thing a little ridiculous.

"Care?" he repeated softly, as though he were actually considering the question. "So you've decided to keep the baby now, Holly?"

The question caught her off guard. Her eyes flickered, and she looked away from him.

"That's not what I meant," she said stiffly. "You've just changed a lot lately."

"Have I?" Graham smiled, though it never reached his eyes. "People change. Still..."

His gaze swept over his parents and Holly, and his voice dropped so low it was almost inaudible. "None of you seem to have changed much."

They were the same as ever. Colin was still the only one any of them saw or cared about.

The irritation in Holly's chest grew heavier, tangled with a vague, unsettled panic she could not explain. She reached for his hand, and her voice softened without her meaning it to. "Graham, don't be like this. We'll have other children. I promise."

Other children?

Graham laughed and pried her fingers loose. "The procedure's about to start."

As Holly turned and walked toward the operating room, Graham answered her in his head, one word at a time.

There would not be any. There would never again be a child that belonged to the two of them.

He had already signed the papers cutting all ties with his family, along with the letter breaking off the engagement. Once his immigration paperwork came through at the end of the month, he would leave this place and every one of them behind for good.