Bannockburn Binding (Beloved Bloody Time) by Tracy Cooper-Posey Page A

Eight
     
    Tally tried to relax as the pressure cuff tightened around her arm. Lee’s eyes were on the old fashioned fob watch in his hand, though. His fingers on her pulse were cool and indifferent.
    The pressure cuff released.
    “Your blood pressure is a little high. Nothing too alarming,” Lee pronounced. “But some exercise might help.”
    Rob shifted on his feet. “I can think of some exercise, sure enough.”
    Tally caught Lee’s gaze and could feel herself blushing, as Lee’s brow lifted in silent comment. Lee straightened up, pocketing the watch and rolling up the cuff. “Exercise is exercise,” he said, in his soft drawl. “I’m not an ob-gyn, but Tally is in her first trimester, so sex is still perfectly safe.”
    Rob scowled. “It is, is it? And when might I enjoy such a pleasure with my wife?”
    Lee glanced at Tally. “That’s between you and Tally, I imagine.”
    “No, it bloody well isn’t!” Rob exploded. He took three steps forward, so that he was face to face with Lee. Tally realized with a jolt that Rob was almost exactly the same height as Lee. It was just that Rob’s width—his shoulders—made him seem shorter.
    Rob was angry now. This anger, she saw, had been building for a while. “Between you and the rest of your fancy doctors and specialists and cooks and o.b. genies and friends and everyone else who appears out of nowhere to pat Tally on the head or rub her belly and assure themselves she’s just fine, I haven’t been able to take my wife in my arms for a bloody week,” Rob growled. “And she’s my wife .”
    Lee put the cuff on the table. He didn’t back away. “All these experts are necessary,” he replied evenly. “Nothing like this has ever happened in our history. For Tally’s sake, for the baby’s sake—”
    “And what about for my sake?” Rob demanded.
    Lee made no answer.
    Rob nodded. “I thought so,” he said.
    “It’s not meant like that,” Lee said quickly.
    “No?” Rob shot back. “I might be just a savage, but I’m not ignorant. Not anymore.” He pointed to Tally. “Because of the stasis poisoning both my wife and child must leave me when the child is born. I’ll never see either of them again. Ever . You’ve got to great lengths to educate me on that painful fact.”
    “Rob….” Tally began, her heart breaking.
    But Rob held up his hand, looking at Lee. “I have these few short weeks with her,” he said. The anger had gone from his voice now. “That’s all I’ll ever get. You get eternity with her. Let me have my wife while I can.”
    Lee opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t.
    Tally held her breath.
    Lee’s response, in the end, was to leave. He stepped past Rob without comment and walked out of the room. A few seconds later, Tally heard the outer door of the building close, too.
    Tally didn’t realize she was crying until Rob dropped to his knees beside her chair and wiped her tears away.
    “I won’t get to see you ever again, either, Rob,” she whispered. “Do you know how much that tears at me?”
    “Leave it be, Tally,” he told her. “Leave it be for now. You’ll hurt the babe if you upset yourself too much.”
    “How can I leave it be?” she cried. “Rob, I don’t know how I’m supposed to just leave you, when the time comes.”
    His lips were on hers, hushing her. Telling her wordlessly of his love, making her forget everything but the joy of being in his arms. He carried her into the little room that was theirs and lay her upon the bed. His lovemaking was simple and sweet and still Tally found herself crying out in impassioned ecstasy.
    And for a while she did forget that she couldn’t keep Rob forever.
    * * * * *
     
    “If this was a human agency, I’d be the one doing background checks,” Brenden Christos explained, shaking Charbonneau’s hand. Christos was a huge man, in all dimensions. He was tall, broad of shoulder, with a big smile, a loud voice, platter-sized hands, well-developed muscles.