the door snicked open. Alex pushed it wider with his foot. Stepping into the foyer, he kicked it shut behind him, then looked straight up.
Daisy matched his gaze, staring up the stairwell, following the line of the polished wood banisters that swept up and up the center of the four-story building. At the third floor, a woman’s head suddenly appeared over the railing.
“Alex? What on earth is—” She broke off and gasped, so loudly that Daisy heard her sharp intake of breath.
“Rita,” he called, “help.”
“Oh my goodness.” She took in the scene in an instant and just as quickly began issuing orders. “Take the elevator, Alex. Go up to Gina’s apartment. It’s empty. I’ll alert Maria and we’ll meet you there.”
“Right.”
“Who’s that?” Daisy asked, shifting her gaze to his face again.
“My sister the nurse. We’ll call an ambulance and Rita can help till it gets here.”
“Okay, good.” Daisy glanced at the well-appointed reception area as he raced with her across the room. Overstuffed beige furniture was lined up against ivory walls. An ice-blue area rug lay in the center of the space, under a huge glass-and-oak table. Pale blue pillows were tossed here and there, giving the room a warm, inviting feel and the scent of fresh cut flowers filled the air. It was cozy, comfortable and peaceful.
But before she could notice much more, Alex was at the old-fashioned elevator, pushing back the iron gate and stepping inside.
“How old is this thing?” she asked warily as he stabbed the fourth-floor button and the elevator lurched into motion.
“Don’t worry. My dad made sure the elevator was brand-new and up to specs. He wouldn’t trust his girls to some ancient elevator. He just liked the antique look.”
“Glad to hear it.” Truthfully, though, Daisy was just glad there was an elevator. With the pain now a constant companion, there was no way she would have been able to climb four flights of stairs.
When the elevator stopped and Alex threw the iron gate open, the first thing Daisy saw was his sister’s sympathetic smile. “You poor thing. Don’t you worry about anything, all right? You’re safe.”
Strange, Daisy thought. But she’d felt safe since the moment she’d first seen Alex back at Antonio’s.
Three
Daisy barely had time to say hello before Alex’s two sisters had swept her off and planted her in bed. Which was just as well, since she wasn’t entirely sure she could speak without releasing the screams gathering at the back of her throat.
So she gritted her teeth and kept quiet as Alex left her in his sisters’ care. In just a couple of minutes, the two women helped Daisy into a nightgown and tucked her into what was apparently yet a third sister’s bed. The wide, brass bed creaked comfortably as she shifted higher onto the pillows and looked around the room. A large, cherry armoire stood against one wall and luxurious Turkish rugs dotted the shining wooden floors. It was a big, beautiful room. Nothing at all like her own small efficiency apartment.
“I don’t feel right about this,” she managed to say, and looked from one to the other of the women standing on either side of the bed.
The older of the two—Rita, that was her name—said, “Don’t you worry, Daisy. This was our sister Gina’s apartment, but she got married and moved out. For tonight, just consider it yours.”
“I don’t know…” But then the child within made another attempt at escape, and Daisy forgot all about feeling oddly out of place. Nothing was more important than the coming birth. Nothing.
“Do you want me to call anyone?”
Again Daisy looked at Rita. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her chocolate-brown eyes were warm with concern. She smiled, and Daisy saw the resemblance between her and Alex.
“Sarah,” Daisy said. “My midwife. Number’s in my purse.”
“Got it,” the woman said. “Husband? Boyfriend?”
“No,” Daisy said. “There’s no one.”
Rita shot her sister a quick look, then said, “Okay then, I’ll call the midwife.”
“Try not to worry, okay? I mean, just concentrate on your baby,” the other sister, Maria, said, plumping the pillow beneath Daisy’s head as Rita hurried out of the room. “I know this must be hard, but honest to God, we’re gonna take care of you. And remember, Rita’s a nurse.”
“Thanks,” Daisy muttered as the last of a contraction faded into the soft haze that signaled not the end, but the beginnings of yet another, stronger pain to come.
Maria, a shorter, younger version of her sister, bustled around for a few more minutes. She tucked and untucked blankets, smoothed sheets and patted Daisy’s hand in a distracted, nervous sort of way. Finally, when she’d run out of things to straighten, she announced, “I’m going to go make you some tea,” and left the room.
This just wasn’t working out at all the way she’d planned it, Daisy thought. And she’d spent plenty of time planning for the birth of her child. She’d been to a clinic for regular checkups and had even arranged for a midwife to come to her apartment to deliver the baby. Sure, some of her friends had been aghast at the idea of her delivering at home. But a trained midwife was every bit as good as an obstetrician—especially when the mother was young and healthy, and no problems were expected. Sarah Lovell was an excellent midwife, warm and caring and far less expensive than an unnecessary hospital stay. Which was an important consideration for a single woman with limited health benefits.
Besides, Daisy had wanted to go through labor and delivery surrounded by familiar things. After all, she’d assumed that she’d be alone when giving birth, and at least in her own home, she’d feel safe…comfortable.
Instead, though, she was lying on a stranger’s bed, with even more strangers hovering over her, asking if she was all right. All right? She was so far from all right she wasn’t even in the same universe. Then Alex entered the room, pausing briefly in the open doorway. Her gaze met his and she felt a little bit better as she watched him cross the room in a few long strides. Funny how just a couple of hours ago she hadn’t known he existed. Now his was the only familiar face in a world gone suddenly very weird.
“How you doin’?” he asked, leaning over her and brushing her hair back from her face.
“I’ve been better.”
He smiled, and she thought, That’s easy for you to do. Then the next pain hit and she bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep a screech from erupting.
He took her hand, enfolding it in his. Just having him hold on to her helped, and she drew on his strength when her own started to ebb.
“Squeeze my hand,” she whispered through gritted teeth. The midwife had told her that during delivery she should try to keep her muscles as relaxed as possible, so she couldn’t hold on to him.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, but tightened his grip nonetheless.
