Alexander drove Chase and Christine to the hospital where Chase was admitted for surgery. Christine hated hospitals, but she said nothing to Chase. Memories came flooding back as they walked down the passages to Chase’s private room. She remembered the pain of her torn flesh, her broken bones and the smell of antiseptic. But most of all she remembered her mother’s cries when she heard of her eldest daughter’s death.“You look pale, Sweetheart. Are you alright?” Chase’s concerned voice broke in on her thoughts.She turned to him on the bed and gave him her best smile, squeezing his hand. “Here you are worried about me when you are the one going in for surgery.” She laughed halfheartedly. “I’m fine.”Chase lifted one eyebrow, giving her a look of disbelief. “Stop stressing. Everything will be fine. And once I’m better, you and I will go dancing the night away.”“I’d like that very much,” she said.The nurse came in to prep Chase for surgery and Christine felt a wave of nausea threatenin

Claire pushed Christine into the bedroom they occupied in the Ward’s home.“Chrissie, are you pregnant?” she asked in a hushed voice.So like her mother to come directly to the point, Christine thought. She had wanted to talk to her mother about it, but it never seemed like the right time.“I don’t know, Mom. And for God’s sake, don’t tell Dad or Chase for that matter.”“Christine Morrison!” her mother scolded. “Why haven’t you gone to the doctor or at least taken a pregnancy test.”“Keep your voice down.” Christine hissed, looking at the closed door as if it had grown ears. “I just haven’t had the chance what with Chase being in hospital.”Her mother inspected her up and down, hands on her slender hips. “Well then, he is home now. It’s been three days already. So what’s stopping you, young lady?”“Ugh.” There we go, when her mother calls her ‘young lady’, Christine knew she was in trouble. “I’m scared, Mom. What if I am not ready to be a mother? What if Chase doesn’t want a child? Wh

Mason opened the envelope at his apartment, skimming over the contents. He grunted in approval. Yes, this would do nicely, he thought. He grinned this would make a nice story for the gossip rags. He placed the medical records back into the envelope. Chase’s drug addiction when he was a wild teenager is going to bite him in the ass. Soon.But he has another nice surprise waiting for him. Mason perused the photos one more time. Uncanny how much this woman looks like Amanda. They could have been sisters. Now just to convince her to work for him.“Shouldn’t be too hard,” he said out loud. Seeing as little miss Amanda look-alike has gotten herself into some serious trouble. “Mason to the rescue.”*** Chase poured himself a brandy at the cabinet in his study. He stroked his knee absentmindedly. It’s been a week since the cast came off and he hasn’t gotten used to the feeling of freedom. He still has a slight limp, but the doctor is optimistic for a full recovery.It has been bliss living i

One week later:Christine was on her way to the break room to get herself and Chase some muffins and coffee when Mason grabbed her arm and pushed her into the filing room.“Hey! What the hell, Mason?” She pulled her arm free of his grasp and shoved him away from her.He locked the door from inside.“Mason?” Christine backed away from him, her back against one of the cabinets. Trying her best to remain calm, she folded her arms across her tummy.“I need to speak to you. Sorry if I scared you, but this is the only way I could get you alone.” He spoke in a low tone, his eyes darting from her to the door.Christine rubbed the goosebumps that appeared on her arms. Being trapped in a enclosed space with a man stirred her anxiety and she tried her best to steady her breathing. “What do you want, Mason?”“Don’t be like that, Darlin’. What poison has Chase been feeding you? Before you went with him on that awful day, we had a connection. You can’t deny it, can you?” Mason came closer to her, s

Christine looked at her watch – for the hundredth time. Nine in the evening and still Chase wasn’t home. His phone went straight to voice message. She picked up her phone to call Alexander, then changed her mind and put it down again.There was no reason to panic. His meeting with the client was just taking longer than expected. No need to get paranoid, she told herself. She ran a bath for herself, filling the bathroom with the scent of jasmine. Undressing in front of the mirror, she smiled as she watched the small bulge where their new life was growing, safe and wanted.Christine thought about Chase, how he struggled to be patient to wait for her to say yes to their next step. He wanted to get married as soon as possible. The last few weeks she had been giving it serious thought and decided that she wanted to get engaged. He was the man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. Why put it off any longer?*** Someone was pounding on his head with a six-pound hammer, and he wish