Have you lost your fucking mind?” Jen hissed.

“They have a right to know.” I didn’t recognize the second voice and assumed it had to be the doctor. I hadn’t had any reprieve in sleep this time. The loop had played over and over as a nightmare adding to the pain that radiated through me.

“This child has been through Hell, and you think you have the right to make this decision for her? After her father, I am her legal guardian, and I’m saying no!”

“Mrs. Hern…”

“Jen?” I cut in before she could respond, my voice hoarse. When I raised my hands this time, I found them unbound and gripped my temples to stop the throbbing ache that never seemed to go away. I was shocked when I found a bandage covering one side of my face.

“Miki.” She was at my side in a blink, her hands cradling my face gently as she came into my line of sight. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

I hadn’t needed the confirmation that Dustin was dead. I’d known the moment I’d met his lifeless eyes in my bedroom, and the echo of the cries from the man that had held him had confirmed it, too. I didn’t remember hearing him until now when I thought back on that moment of pure hell. I also felt the void of Dustin in the center of my chest. The place inside of me where all of his love and vitality had embraced me was now cold and lifeless. The only part of my heart that was left beating was the part that was filled with my growing daughter, and I knew she could feel the loss as well. Her wriggling kicks confirmed what I hadn’t known even in my darkest moments of grief. She was safe and healthy. I was glad because I would never have survived losing them both.

“Miss Quinten…”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Jen lashed out, her head snapping in his direction and all of the empathy contorting into a rage.

“Mrs. Hern.”

“This can wait.”

“I don’t think—”

“Yeah, it’s best you don’t think, Dr. Howard. Just because they have money and influence and sponsor your charity events, it doesn’t mean they have more rights than Mikayla does. If anything is said without express permission from Mikayla or me—and that goes for your shitty gossip mill of nurses—I swear to Christ, the next person you talk to will be my lawyer.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, a surge of panic rising with Jen’s sudden impression of a momma bear. She didn’t pull rank often, and the seriousness of her tone told me this wasn’t good.

“Nothing, baby.”

“This needs to be her decision, Mrs. Hern.”

Jen took a deep breath, dropped her hands to mine and gathered them against her stomach. She released a long breath, glared at the doctor and then turned to me with nothing but love in her glance.

“The Hills have been asking about the pregnancy and your well being. As your guardian, it’s been up to me to head them off until you were strong enough to make the decision on what to tell them. I wasn’t going to make that call for you, so I’ve been putting them off. Though, Dr. Howard seems to think it’s their God-given right to…”

“No,” I said, motioning to shake my head and changing my mind when the dull pain started to rage. “They don’t have any rights. This is no one’s business but mine.”

“But…” I could hear the frown in the doctor’s tone.

“You tell them nothing other than to stay away from me,” I said bitterly. Dustin and I had hidden our relationship because of them. They weren’t going to take a sudden interest in me now. Selfish or not, this was my decision to make. “In fact, I’m telling you right now, you will not even confirm whether or not I’m pregnant. If a medical confirmation is given, I will sue you for malpractice and for breaking the doctor and patient confidentiality act.”

I could see the pride and resolution of support flash in Jen’s eyes before she hardened her gaze and shot it at the doctor. “You have your answer. Now get out.”

My strength wavered the moment the door closed with a click behind him. My decision may have seemed hasty and callous, my baby was their grandchild after all, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t risk her, now or ever. I knew what I had to do. Just like I knew the order in which it would need to be done.

For now, though, I needed to take care of our daughter, and in order to do that, I needed to get my strength back. I just wasn’t sure how I was going to manage that.