ADELINE

 

I SLOWLY BLINK my eyes open, blinded by the bright fluorescent light above me.  I turn my head to the side and see a doctor sitting in a chair by the side of my bed before I close my eyes again.

I must be in a hospital, my foggy brain tells me.

I'm having a hard time remembering what happened.

Opening my eyes once again, I stare at the doctor.  He's wearing light blue scrubs and a surgical mask.  His gloved hands are threatening to pull his hair out by the root.

Why is he so stressed?

And then it hits me like I just ran into a brick wall.  The baby…the blood…what happened to me?

A whimper escapes my lips, and the doctor's head snaps up at the sound.  When his dark eyes meet mine, a sense of recognition instantly comes over me.  "Lucien?" I ask, unsure.

He pulls down his mask, revealing the lower half of his incredibly handsome face.  "Adeline," he croaks, his voice chock full of a million emotions.

He stands, pulls off his latex gloves and comes to me then, sitting down on the edge of the bed.  I lean up and throw my arms around Lucien.  He's stiff at first, but relaxes in my grip and snakes his warm arms around me, holding me as if he's afraid I'll float away.

Tears spill down my cheeks.  "I thought you were dead.  I thought I'd lost you forever," I choke out with a sob.

"I'm here.  And I'm not going anywhere," he whispers in my ear.

He holds me while I cry it all out, soothingly running his hands down my back and placing soft kisses on my cheek and neck.

Then he releases me and pulls my hands into his.  The warmth of his hands wrapped around mine feels so good on my icy cold skin.

"I don't know what I would have done if…" his voice trails off, and I can see the anguish in his gaze.  I don't know if I've ever seen Lucien this upset before, and it's beginning to scare me.

"The baby," I whisper.  "Is the baby okay?"

He takes a deep breath, not answering me right away.  I mentally try to prepare myself for the worst, but then realize I can't.  If we lost the baby, I will be completely devastated.

"Twins," he whispers.

"Twins?" I ask in disbelief.

"We lost one of the babies," he tells me.

My heart breaks a little, and I hold back a sob.  "And the other baby?" I urge.

"Doing okay for now."  His brows knit together.  "You have to take it easy for the next few weeks and go through a lot of tests and ultrasounds to be sure everything is all right, but the doctor seemed pretty optimistic that you'll be able to carry to term."

He gives me a shaky smile, and I know exactly how he feels at the moment.  Heartbroken because we lost one baby…but overjoyed because the other one is still alive.

"What happened…what happened to Giovanni?" I ask apprehensively.

Anger laces his features as he explains, "He's in jail where he belongs, but I promise you he'll never see the light of day again as long as I'm breathing."

I nod solemnly.  Even though I wish he were dead, it brings me some comfort to know that he's behind bars and not walking around a free man and taking over my father's legacy.  He's no longer a threat to us…for now.  But I don't doubt Lucien's promise for a second that he'll make sure Gio never gets out of prison.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore," I tell Lucien.  "I don't even want to think about him."

"Good," he sighs.  "Me either."  And then he says, "We have more important things to discuss anyhow."  Lucien leans back and places his hand over my baby bump.  "I can't believe it," he whispers in astonishment.

"I know.  It was a little unexpected," I say, laughing and crying all the same time.  "When I thought I was going to have to raise our baby alone…that he or she would never get a chance to meet you…"  My face falls and the rivulets of tears start all over again.

"Shh, baby," Lucien says, drawing me into his embrace once more.  "You don't have to think about that anymore, because I'm here.  I'll always be here.  I'm not going anywhere."

I nod against his chest.

"Adeline," he starts.  He leans back and reaches into the pocket of his pants underneath the pair of scrubs he's wearing.  "I've been carrying this around for weeks now, wanting it close to me at all times."

I gasp when he retrieves a small, blue box.  "Lucien," I whisper.

"I wanted to take you to the Eiffel Tower and propose…or maybe on a trip to Antarctica…or maybe to a rainforest or —.  I don't know," he says, shaking his head.  "I definitely didn't want to propose to you in a hospital…but I can't wait any longer to make you mine forever," he confesses.

"I don't need to go anywhere or to do any of those things, Lucien.  I only need you," I tell him adamantly.

He flips open the box and reveals the most gorgeous ring I've ever seen in my life.  A large, round solitaire diamond sits atop a diamond-encrusted rose gold band.

Lucien pulls the ring out and cradles it between his thumb and finger.  He stares at it thoughtfully for a few seconds before he turns to me.  "Adeline, before I met you, it was as if the sun had set on my world, but never once risen.  I never realized how much I was missing out on life before you walked into mine.  You make me want to be a better man."  He rests his other hand on my stomach, and a smile graces his lips.  "And I want to make you and our baby feel cherished every single day for the rest of our lives together.  If you'll have me, that is."  Lucien takes my hand in his as our eyes meet.  "Adeline, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" I cry out.

He slips the ring on my finger, and I feel complete even though our journey is just truly beginning.  He kisses me and then hugs me to him.  "I'm never letting you go," he whispers in my ear.

"I don't want you to," I tell him honestly.  "Don't let me go, Lucien.  Ever."