Doctor's Baby (The Billionaire's Secret Book 8)
By: R. S. Elliot“Hey, sweetheart. Not feeling well?” he asked her in a gentle voice.
I looked down at them, nearly flinching when I realized that they both had the same golden hair. Meanwhile, my hair was long and dark brown, thrown up into a messy ponytail. He looked at me. Did he recognize me? I definitely didn’t look as put together as I did when we met at that wedding, but I hadn’t done anything drastic to my look since then.
“Let’s take you back here so that I can check you out, okay?” Aidan told her before rising to his feet. He took Natalie’s hand and led her down a hallway and into one of the examination rooms. He grabbed her waist and hoisted her up onto the table. “When did she start experiencing symptoms?”
I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that he was talking to me. I had to stop obsessing over him and focus on my daughter. “Just a few days ago. She wasn’t really eating all that much. Then she ran a fever that kept rising.”
“Do you feel cold?” Aidan asked Natalie.
Natalie nodded as she trembled slightly on the table. She wore a gray sweater with her black pants, but she was still cold. This was Louisiana, so it was hot and humid outside. She put her hand up to her mouth as she coughed heavily.
Aidan asked a few more questions and checked over Natalie before turning to me. “I believe she has the flu. It’s not severe at this stage, but there are some medications I want you to give her to take care of the symptoms.”
I nodded as I sat up straighter. At least it wasn’t serious, but I still felt terrible that Natalie had to suffer through the flu. I could tell that it made her feel miserable. “What all can I do to help her feel better?”
“Make sure that she’s hydrated. That’s key. Encourage her to eat as well, but make sure that she has enough fluids,” Aidan told me as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. He then handed me a note. “Here are the medications I recommend you get for her. They’ll take care of the fever, cough, and any aches that she may feel.”
I looked down at the note, reading over the two medications and hoping that they worked. Natalie hated taking medicine, but I was pretty sure that she hated being sick even more.
Aidan turned back to Natalie with a warm smile. “You’re going to feel all better soon, okay?” he said as he gently pinched her arm.
Natalie actually cracked a smile as she peered up at him. “Thank you.”
I watched them for a few moments, feeling my heart jolt to a stop. I never thought that Natalie would actually meet her father. It wasn’t like either of them had a clue, which I felt terrible about. I didn’t want to lie to anyone about this, but I couldn’t just blurt out that she was his daughter. What if he tried to take her away from me or sue me for something?
Maybe my fears were irrational, but on the off chance that they weren’t, I wasn’t willing to take that risk right now. We just moved here for a fresh start. I didn’t want to mess that up now, even if things already had a rocky start. Natalie and I could find our groove and make this place our home.
“Thank you, Doctor …” I trailed off as I stood, not knowing his last name. There were some things that I remembered as clear as day about that night, like our passionate time in the bedroom, but a lot of the other memories were blurry. I completely forgot that he told me that he was a doctor until now.
“Everard,” Aidan told me as he looked over at me. His eyes met mine, remaining there for a few seconds before he glanced away. “All right, you’re all good here. Hope you feel better, sweetheart.”
I couldn’t help but feel disheartened about Aidan seeming so dismissive of me. Did he not remember me? Was I that unimportant? From what I could remember, that night was incredible. That night felt like fireworks, but it obviously didn’t mean as much to him as it did to me. He was there for me when I needed someone, but he probably just saw me as another lay.
As much as that stung, I couldn’t be upset with him for that. It wasn’t like we told each other that we wanted to take things seriously or anything. We just wanted each other, not expecting something as big as a child to come out of it. When I found out that I was pregnant, my entire world flipped upside down, but he didn’t even feel a tremor.
