CHAPTER17
“You want to do what?”
Dan watched Sarah’s face tighten as Dr. McKinnon explained a myriad of reasons why she should give up the Heartsong tour, that traveling to Australia and then going on tour was a risk she shouldn’t undertake.
“You’re a high-risk patient, Sarah. And your baby will likely already have sizeable health issues and doesn’t need any other factors contributing to that.”
“See?” Dan murmured.
Sarah’s glare at him could shoot satellites from space.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Sarah,” Dr. McKinnon continued. “But you need to be careful. You can’t afford to let your blood pressure get high. Oh, and I want to schedule more tests.”
“What for this time?”
“We just want to rule out other complications.”
Other complications? Dan ignored the trickle of fear and glanced at Sarah, wanting—needing to hold her hand. But she’d folded her arms and pressed her lips together, her frustration plain.
Which left Dan to ask the question. “What other complications?”
Dr. McKinnon explained, throwing terms at them, most of which he didn’t recognize, but some that he did. Like spina bifida. Down’s syndrome.
Sarah’s sharp intake of breath echoed the fear loitering in his chest, and try as Dr. McKinnon might, his remaining words didn’t help.
“So I’d like you to schedule an appointment for another ultrasound in three weeks.”
Three weeks? When he was due to go on a road trip, so Sarah would be forced to do this alone. Unless he found a support person for her. His heart softened. No wonder she wanted her mum. Maybe he could ask his mom.
He glanced at her, caught her wipe a tear from her eye, then realized: three weeks was when she was scheduled to go on the Heartsong tour. Sympathy panged. Poor thing.
He nudged her hand, but she moved it away. His heart panged. Ever since that phone call with her family he’d known she was finding the idea of withdrawing from the tour difficult, but surely she should be excited that they were having a baby?
“Any other questions?”
Sarah jerked her head no, forcing Dan to thank him for his time as he escorted her outside the office.
Dan sighed. “Well, that’s that, then.” He glanced at her. “Want to get lunch?”
She inched her arm away from where he tried to hold her. “I need the bathroom.”
“Okay.”
He nodded to some other partners waiting outside the clinic’s toilets, then realized, as recognition stole across their faces, that probably wasn’t wise. So he ducked his head, pretending to check his phone, and prayed Sarah wouldn’t take too long.
That hadn’t gone well. And he could tell from Sarah’s icy demeanor, lunch with him would likely be the last thing she wanted.
She returned sooner than he thought, and he escorted her to the front where he paid, and she scheduled the next appointment. Then he walked with her to the car.
“Sar, come on. You can’t blame me for the doctor saying no.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” she muttered.
No, he wouldn’t. Sarah had her good qualities, but her ability to hold onto a grudge wasn’t one of them. Still, he had to try to be the peacemaker here. “Want to go have lunch now?”
“No.” She clicked in her seatbelt. “I want to go home and figure out how I’m going to explain to everyone that I’m not going on the tour I said I’d be going on just a month ago.”
“Why would you have to explain too much? People cancel tours all the time.”
