The Second Chance. Catherine Mann

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       Two

      A baby?

      Panic and confusion rocked Shana, the young woman’s voice still ringing in her ears. She had a child as well as a husband? Her hand slid to her stomach, still flat. Surely there must be some kind of mistake.

      Unless they meant a child that had already been born.

      “We have a child?” Shana asked, her mind spinning. “How old? You say the child’s okay. Did something happen when I had the aneurysm? Was I driving a car or holding—?”

      “Nothing like that.” He looked sideways at Alayna, who appeared even more confused than Shana felt.

      Slack-jawed, the young woman—late teens, perhaps?—glanced back and forth between them. “I don’t understand—”

      Chuck placed a silencing hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Shana, I’d hoped to share this more carefully, but here goes. You’re eight weeks pregnant.”

      Air whooshed from her lungs. Her ears rang. She could barely wrap her brain around this latest shock. “It’s... I...um, I don’t know what to say.”

      The young woman tugged on her overlong sweater nervously, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... Well, I’m just so sorry.”

      Chuck slung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze even though his eyes broadcast frustration. “Meet my sister.” He turned to the younger woman. “Alayna, Shana’s suffering from temporary amnesia and has forgotten about the past five years. You couldn’t have known. Although I’m curious as hell how you heard about the pregnancy.”

      Alayna chewed her already short fingernails. “I thought... Oh my. I’m sorry. I was walking by the nurses’ station and overheard them talking about things for shift change... I’m really sorry.”

      Chuck pulled a tight smile. “It’s going to be okay, kiddo. Shana just has some gaps in her memory. It’ll all sort out.”

      Shana wished she could be as confident about that. She’d thought about being a mom someday, but this was too much too fast. Not that it seemed she had any choice in the matter. Her life was on warp speed.

      Her father had wrecked her mother’s life. Shana had always known when it was her time to be a parent, the decision would have to be made slowly and carefully. If she and Chuck had been trying for a child, then their marriage must have been solid.

      So why didn’t she feel like the love-at-first-sight lightning bolt had hit her? Lust maybe, but not love.

      “Shana, I’m really sorry to have confused you or made things more difficult.” Fidgeting, Alayna ducked out from under her brother’s arm and stood. “I’ll just leave, and we can talk another time when things are less, well, confusing. I’m so sorry.”

      “It’s okay.”

      Or rather, she hoped it would be. Shana exhaled hard, unsure how she felt about carrying a child she couldn’t recall conceiving versus there being a child already in the picture, a child she also wouldn’t have remembered giving birth to.

      Alayna held up a hand. “I really do apologize.” She backed away. “I love you to pieces, Shana.”

      Standing, Chuck cupped Alayna’s shoulder. “If you could get coffee for me I would appreciate it.” He pulled a twenty out of his wallet. “Get something for yourself, too. Thanks, kiddo.”

      Once the door closed, Shana pushed herself up to sit straighter in the bed, unsure when she’d sunk into a slouch.

      Chuck rubbed the back of his neck, frustration in his eyes. “I apologize for not managing the news better.”

      “How could you have predicted any of this? No one could.” An understatement.

      “You’re being too understanding.” He sank back in the chair by her bed.

      “Well, I do have some questions.” Even thinking about the possibilities sent a fresh wave of panic through her, but not knowing was worse. “The child is yours, right?”

      “Absolutely yes,” he said without hesitation. “The baby is mine. And no, we don’t have any other children.”

      She hadn’t even considered that. But what else didn’t she know? Five years was a long time to make significant memories. Life-changing memories.

      “You said we’d struggled with fertility.” She chewed her fingernail. “There’s just so much to learn about what’s happened over the past five years.”

      And her brain was on overload, weighing every nugget of information before she trusted the latest revelation. Even well-meaning people had private agendas. And she also knew how easily a person could be misled by someone smooth at lying. Her father had taught her that lesson too painfully.

      “Then we won’t press any further today.” He covered her hand with his and held tight. “I would really feel more comfortable if we called the doctors back in and let them check you over or give us more guidance.”

      His touch felt...familiar somehow. Strong, yet careful all at once.

      She couldn’t deny the wisdom in his words. “I just want to know one more thing for now.”

      He grinned—the first time she’d seen him smile, or remembered seeing him smile—and it shone from his eyes, setting her senses buzzing.

      He was sheer magnetism personified.

      “Like I have the option of arguing with you?”

      She couldn’t help but smile back. “Apparently you do know me well. Better than I know myself at the moment, which brings me to my question. What’s my last name? Or rather, what’s your last name? Did I keep my maiden name?”

      His smile faded and he clasped her hand, the left one without a wedding ring. “You took my surname. It’s Mikkelson.”

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