Free Dare to Trust by R Gendreau-Webb Page B

hours later his cell phone buzzed, waking him. “Howard,” he answered automatically, rubbing his eyes and then the back of his neck. He glanced at his watch and saw it was just after five in the afternoon.
    “Jason, its Kate. Is everything okay? I’ve been trying Mia all day and she hasn’t answered my calls or texts. Is she alright?”
    He glanced at Mia, still sedated, connected to various tubes and medical equipment and sighed. “We’re at the hospital,” he told Kate. “She just had surgery.”
    “What’s going on?!” There was panic in Kate’s voice.
    “She had a miscarriage, Kate.” He was too exhausted to hide the truth. He knew Mia’s best friend would find out eventually anyway.
    “Is she going to be okay? Are you okay?” Kate didn’t wait for his answer, but kept talking. “I’m getting dressed and coming down to the hospital---“
    “No!” Jason told her. He didn’t want to see anybody right now. He needed time to process what had happened. “Not tonight,” he said in a softer tone. “She’ll be okay. She’s sedated now. Just wait, okay, Kate?”
    “Do you need anything? You sound exhausted.”
    “No. I’ll call you tomorrow, Kate. Good night.” He hung up and moved closer to the bed, burying his face into Mia’s shoulder, feeling the hot tears coming.
    She awoke the next morning, groggy and unsure of where she was. Jason was at her side. “Hey,” he said softly. “How do you feel?” He kissed her hand. She had a little more color since the surgery and had received a few units of blood.
    “What happened?” Mia didn’t recall any of yesterday’s events as she glanced around the hospital room. Her last memory was of examining a patient while on duty. She shifted in the uncomfortable bed and felt an instant unexpected stab of pain low in her belly and let out a small groan.
    Jason’s face was somber as he answered her question. Mia could see dark circles under his eyes and his face was etched with exhaustion, his jaw set with tension. “Did you know you were pregnant?” he asked in an accusatory tone, with none of the gentleness he had intended.
    Oh God…she had lost the baby. Now the pain in her belly made sense. And the memory of collapsing yesterday in the ED all came back.  “Yes.” She could feel the heat of Jason’s gaze on her but Mia couldn’t look up at him.
    “How long?” he asked as his pulse quickened, his stare becoming more intense.
    Mia swallowed and tried to formulate an answer. The pain medicine, anesthesia and extreme discomfort she now felt were making it all but impossible. “I was going to tell you.” She finally made eye contact and Mia could see hurt and betrayal flash in Jason’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes became damp and she could feel tears slide down her cheeks. Jason didn’t seem affected by her crying. He couldn’t ignore the deceit he was feeling. She had known and had kept it from him. Although her intentions were unclear, Jason felt Mia’s omission was no different than the usual games his mother played with him. He had been so sure Mia had been different than Jannifer and not interested in manipulating him to her own way.
    “We’ll talk about that later,” Jason finally said. “You need to rest.” He stood and stretched his tall frame. Although she was upset from the conversation, Mia closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
    Her body felt weak and moving her extremities was a chore. Between fatigue and the medications, Mia slept through most of the day. It also allowed her to avoid further conversation with Jason. Kate had visited while she was resting and hadn’t wanted to disturb her; she had never known her friend was there but saw the huge bouquet of flowers Kate had left. It was easier to let the sleep take over. When she was awake, she found Jason at her side. He looked worried and worn.
    Jason had been able to take her home the next day. She was exhausted and withdrawn. She had been eight weeks pregnant;