Chapter 3

A sudden, warm gush between her legs snapped Sarah out of her haze of grief. She looked down. The white hospital sheet beneath her was rapidly turning a dark, alarming red.

Panic seized her. "Nurse?" she called out, her voice thin and reedy.

A nurse rushed over, her professional smile vanishing as she saw the blood. "Okay, Sarah, stay calm." She started pressing on Sarah' s stomach, her movements firm and urgent. Another nurse came running.

"Postpartum hemorrhage," the first nurse said crisply. "Get the doctor."

Sarah' s head swam. The room felt hot and close. Liam, who had been standing silently in the corner, stepped forward. "What' s happening? What can I do?"

The nurse glanced at him, her expression harried. "We need more absorbent pads. The large ones. We' re running low in this room." She looked back at Sarah. "And we need to keep her calm."

Liam looked completely out of his depth. He was a man who commanded boardrooms, not delivery rooms. He stared at Sarah, then at the spreading stain of blood, a look of genuine alarm on his face. He seemed to want to help, but had no idea how. He took a half-step toward the bed, then stopped, his hands clenched at his sides. The awkwardness was palpable.

"Sir," the second nurse said, pointing at the door. "You can get them from the supply closet down the hall, or just buy them from the hospital pharmacy on the first floor. It might be faster. We need them now."

The request was mundane, but in this context, it was deeply personal and embarrassing. Sending her boss to buy her maternity pads was a level of humiliation she hadn' t thought possible.

But Liam just nodded, his face grim. He turned without a word and strode out of the room, his expensive shoes clicking sharply on the linoleum floor.

The nurses worked quickly, talking in low, professional tones. They gave her a shot, and the bleeding began to slow. The panic in her chest subsided, replaced by a bone-deep weariness and a mortifying sense of shame.

Twenty minutes later, the door opened again. Liam was back. He wasn' t carrying a pack of pads. Behind him stood a calm, middle-aged woman in a crisp, professional nurse' s uniform. She was carrying a large medical bag.

Liam didn' t even look at Sarah. He addressed the hospital nurse. "This is Nurse Miller. I have retained her services privately. She is a highly-rated postpartum care specialist. She has everything required."

Nurse Miller stepped forward and smiled kindly at Sarah. "Hello, dear. Let' s get you comfortable." Her presence was immediately reassuring. She opened her bag, and it was filled with medical supplies, including the exact type of pads the nurses had needed.

Liam watched for a moment as Nurse Miller expertly and discreetly took over, speaking in a low, soothing voice to both Sarah and the hospital staff. Satisfied that the situation was under control, he turned to leave.

"Wait," Sarah called out, her voice hoarse. "Thank you. But... I can' t pay for this."

Liam paused at the door, his back to her. "That has been handled," he said, his voice flat. "Focus on your recovery. And your daughters."

And then he was gone.

Sarah stared at the closed door, completely bewildered. Why was he doing this? Her boss, the man who barely acknowledged her in the office, was now hiring a private nurse for her.

Nurse Miller finished tending to her and then checked on the twins, who were sleeping peacefully in their bassinets.

"You' re very lucky," Nurse Miller said quietly, adjusting the blanket on one of the babies.

"Lucky?" Sarah asked, a bitter laugh escaping her.

"To have a man like Mr. Reynolds looking out for you," the nurse clarified. "He called the agency himself. Insisted on the best, most experienced nurse available for long-term care, money no object. Paid for three months up front. I' ve been doing this for twenty years, and I' ve never seen a man-especially one who isn' t the father-act so decisively for a new mother. He must care about you a great deal."

Sarah' s confusion deepened. Cared about her? Liam Reynolds barely tolerated her. He was cold, demanding, and notoriously difficult to work for. This act of extreme, expensive kindness made no sense at all. It was just another piece of a day that had shattered her reality.