Free The Greek Billionaire's Secret Baby (Contemporary Romance) by Michele Dunaway Page B

His heart couldn’t take another betrayal. She would stay confined to her role, for no matter what, she was the mother of a Pappas baby, a baby that had chosen to enter the harsh real world far too soon and without being legitimized first.
    And Alex remained powerless to do anything about it.
    He paced the empty waiting room, his long stride taking him to the end and back in only five movements. What was taking so long? Had the complications been worse than the doctor thought?
    A cold sweat broke out on Alex’s forehead as raw and unbridled dread consumed him. The vending machine against the far wall hummed, creating a neurotic buzz that seemed to grow louder until the noise filled the stark, utilitarian waiting room. A shadow flickered in the corner; the water fountain chose that moment to gurgle.
    Alex brushed of his temporary irrationalism. He trusted medical science. He trusted reason, especially his own. He had to trust that the doctors and nurses were the best and wouldn’t fail. He had to have faith that Christopher’s baby would be strong and healthy. Lauren was a survivor. She’d come through this.
    He vowed that he would not fail Christopher in taking care of either of them.
    Alex calmed his breathing. He glanced at his Rolex, and frowned. The watch inched towards six.
    “Mr. Pappas?”
    A doctor in green scrubs entered the waiting room. “Congratulations. It’s a boy. Both the mother and child are doing fine although…”
    The doctor paused and Alex tried to read the man’s guarded expression.
    At times like these, Alex was not a patient man. “Tell it to me straight,” he said.
    The doctor hesitated only a second before beginning. “Miss Andrews is doing fine. The baby, however, is premature and has respiratory distress syndrome. It’s called RDS for short. What it means is that his lungs haven’t fully developed, at least not enough to work normally on their own. We have him hooked up to a ventilator. It’s just a precaution. We believe that within a few days he’ll be able to breathe just fine on his own.”
    Alex tried to understand. “He can’t breathe?”
    The doctor shook his head. “Not the way a fully developed baby can, no. At this time, without the ventilator, he’d have trouble breathing. His lungs will work too hard. But there are positives. We’re encouraged by his weight. He’s six pounds and that’s a good sign. You’re in an excellent facility. He’ll be well looked after in our Neonatal ICU. There’s no need for us to send him to a separate children’s hospital. He’ll get only the best medical care. We have a world-class staff.”
    Eleimosini ! Alex swore the Greek curse word under his breath as guilt plagued him. He wasn’t comforted by the fact that, although the doctor hadn’t said the words, Alex knew the situation could have been much worse. But none of that mattered.
    He’d waited too long.
    He should have gone and retrieved Lauren from Central Mexico much earlier. He should have insisted she take better care of herself after Christopher’s death. He should not have allowed her to stay in that equatorial hell for as long as he had. Only his pride had gotten in the way.
    She’d even been arrested, a jarring lesson that Lauren had enemies. Lauren had insinuated Theo was at fault—but Alex could not believe that. He’d had his cousin checked out and Theo had passed. Alex sighed. He just hadn’t wanted to force Lauren. He’d learned, no one forced Lauren. He would not make the same mistakes again.
    The doctor cleared his throat. “I know that you’re probably having a hard time taking this all in, Mr. Pappas. I’m happy to answer any further questions. Right now, Lauren is in recovery. We’ve woken her up enough to know she’s fine and we’re letting her sleep again. Would you like to see her?”
    “Yes.”
    “If you have no other questions?” The doctor waited.
    Alex was certain he’d have questions later, but they could wait. A nurse appeared and