She was starting to feel strange, l

She was starting to feel strange, light-headed and nauseous. She braced her hands on the roof of her car and tried to steady herself, aware that Sandro was moving toward her. His hands reached for her and she weakly tried to evade his grasp but the movement made her even dizzier and she swayed slightly. Sandro’s arms wrapped around her and she was too faint to really care.
“Theresa, cara. I‘m here. You’re okay…” were the last desperate words she heard from her husband before everything went black.
 
“When I said she shouldn’t overtax herself, I meant both physically and emotionally Mr de Lucci,” Theresa heard the sharp admonishment in the slightly familiar voice and frowned as she tried to hear over the weird buzzing sound in her head. “What on earth were you thinking, upsetting her like this less than half an hour after the procedure she’d just been through?”
“Will she be okay?” Theresa heard Sandro’s unusually subdued voice over the rapidly subsiding buzz and she wondered at the strange panicky edge in it.
“She bled a little, which is never a good sign and I’m not willing to take any chances, not after this, I want her to remain in bed for at least a week. Complete bed rest.”
“I can’t stay in bed all week,” Theresa suddenly protested, opening her eyes and Sandro surged forward to grab up one of her limp hands.
“Theresa, thank God! How are you feeling?”
.“Like I was hit by a bus,” she admitted shakily, lifting her eyes to the doctor who stood on the other side of the cot. “My baby? Is he alright?”
“Your baby’s just fine. In fact the baby is doing a hell of a lot better than you are right now, Mrs de Lucci. I want you to stay in bed for a week, you are to do nothing, is that understood?”
“I take it that I am allowed bathroom breaks?” She asked sarcastically.
“You can get as snippy as you like with me, young lady but if you want a healthy, full-term baby, you will do what I say! Or I will be forced to hospitalize you to ensure that you get the prescribed bed rest.”
“She’ll do what you’ve ordered, doctor,” Sandro assured grimly and Theresa bit her lip and nodded. She wouldn’t risk her baby’s life out of sheer perversity.
“Right,” the doctor seemed satisfied. “I’d like to keep her here for tonight. Tomorrow, you may take her home… and try to get beyond the parking lot this time.” With that final admonishment, he turned and left the room, grumbling under his breath as he did so. Theresa and Sandro watched as the door swung shut behind him before turning to face each other awkwardly.
“I’m sorry,” they both blurted out simultaneously after a long pause.
“Why are you sorry?” Sandro asked in confusion, dragging up a chair and sitting down beside the bed, still clutching her hand like it was a life preserver and he a drowning man.
“I shouldn’t have brought up your private life like that. What you do after we split up is none of my business and after… after everything my father has done to you, I honestly believe that you deserve the happiness you’ll find with the woman you love. So I’m sorry for overreacting like a hysterical fishwife, I just… I got so angry after what you said. I don’t need empty platitudes… you don’t have to say anything to make me feel better about our situation. You really don’t have to pretend to care about me or about the baby.” He swore shakily, lifting her hand and resting his forehead on the back of it.
“What an unholy mess I’ve made of things,” he half-laughed, his voice sounding strained. “Nothing I say now will ever make a difference to how you feel, will it? Everything I try to say or do will come across as desperate and insincere.”
“What I don’t get is why you’re still trying?” She whispered in confusion, watching his bowed head intently. “You’ve won. You have everything you want within your grasp, the vineyard, freedom and yet you keep trying, coming to me with all of these demands to be involved in my life. Why?”
“Why don’t we just let it go for now?” He lifted his head to meet her eyes, his own brown gaze liquid with regret. She nodded slightly and he smiled half-heartedly.
“I’ve called Elisa and ask her to bring you a change of clothes. Are you thirsty?” She nodded shyly and he smiled. “I’ll go and get you something to drink, okay?” He stood up and brushed a gentle, slightly shaky, hand over her hair. “You scared the hell out of me, Theresa… so from now on you are to remain calm and not let your idiot of a husband upset you again. Okay?”
“Okay,” she smiled up into his gentle gaze.
“Good,” he leaned over to brush his lips over her forehead. “That’s good, Theresa.” She watched him leave and sighed softly; wishing that her life could be different and that they were a normal couple, excited about having their first baby. She ran a hand over the slight bump of her stomach, gently communing with her baby, apologizing for the recklessness that could have cost his life. She was lost in thought, humming a gentle lullaby while she continued to stroke the small baby bump when she gradually became aware of a presence in the open door. She gasped in surprise, not sure how long he’d been standing there. He stepped forward almost reluctantly, his harsh face more grim than usual. For a man who usually had his emotions sealed up tight he looked like someone who was struggling mightily to keep his expression absolutely neutral, even though the muscles were jumping in his jaw, cords tightening in his neck and his lips were thinned almost to the point of non-existence. Wondering at the incredibly bad job he was doing of pretending to appear completely detached, she was still absently running a hand over her stomach when she gasped and jumped for a completely different reason.