here as a
youngster because she was so damned accident prone. One of the joys of living
on the farm had been very few limits and she always managed to do something
requiring stitches or masses of bandages or the occasional plaster cast.
It was lucky Lilly
hadn't inherited her skill of being accident prone. When she was a baby Zoe had
panicked every time her baby had fallen over. She was so overprotective of the
tiny little girl that even her friends had remarked on it.
When Lilly was
three, she had been running away from Zoe on a visit to the zoo. She was
laughing and heading toward the monkey enclosure when she had turned to her
mother to call out and missed the edge of the footpath.
The screams had
wrenched at Zoe's heart. The blood had poured from the cut in her chin and Zoe
had panicked. She sat on the ground with a screaming child in her arms and
sobbed wishing she had someone to help her. Sitting with Lilly in the waiting
room in hospital, Zoe had cursed Jonas . "If you only knew what you were
missing out on Jonas. I wish I could tell you, I need some help here. Lilly
needs her father."
But they had coped
without him and once they were home the thought of contacting Jonas had fled
her mind. Zoe couldn't bear the thought of rejection if she gave in and told
him. Best to leave well enough alone. Luckily it had been the only time her
little girl had needed to visit the hospital. She managed to get through her
early years with nothing more than the occasional scraped knee.
Now Lilly was at
school and Zoe was the one in hospital. She choked back a sob.
Tears filled Zoe's
eyes thinking about her little girl in boarding school without her mother there
for support. She brushed away the tears before they could fall. Soon she would
be back in London, no matter what Jonas said. Her daughter was more important
than any block of dirt and although it was the place where they had grown up,
Zoe would have no hesitation in signing it over to Brandon if that was what the
board would allow. She needed to be home with her baby girl.
Her fingers were
numb and gingerly she looked down at her other hand. It was clasped tight in
Jonas's palm. There was no hope of withdrawing it because he had an iron grip
on it. Zoe's heart leapt as the memories came back to her. He had driven like a
madman in his beautiful car over the dirt roads and ruts that shook his car to
get her to the hospital. She dreaded to see what it looked like now.
The idiot. The
very sweet idiot.
Fuck, no. That
bitch worked here, I do remember that much. She was in emergency when I came
in.
Zoe ripped her
hand from Jonas's pushing his from the bed. A sob escaped her lips before she
could swallow it back.
"Zoe? Baby,
what is it?" Jonas looked at her with panic in his eyes as he surfaced
from a deep sleep. "Are you okay? Can I get you something?" He rubbed
his face and stood up reaching for her hand again.
"I want to go
home. Please take me home, Jonas. I need to get out of here."
"Do you feel
okay?" He glanced at her face, stroking a finger down her cheek steering
clear of the bandaged side of her head.
"She’s here
and I want to go home."
"Honey, she
probably isn't even on duty this morning."
"I don't care
if I'm being irrational, okay. Just get me the fuck out of here now or I will
walk out myself." Zoe threw back the blankets ready to get up.
Jonas pushed her
back on the pillow and held her down by her shoulders. The feel of his hands
seared her skin and the heat rushed up her face. She gazed up at his beautiful
face and sighed. If she could have shut the door now Zoe would have done it.
Locked away in their own room she would be very tempted to tease him until he
took her if she didn't pin him down first, even with that bitch out there.
"No Zoe, not
here," he said locking gazes with her. They could read each other so well
sometimes it embarrassed her.
Like now.
"Promise me
you will stay in bed and I'll go get Dr. Bob. If he says you can go I'll
youngster because she was so damned accident prone. One of the joys of living
on the farm had been very few limits and she always managed to do something
requiring stitches or masses of bandages or the occasional plaster cast.
It was lucky Lilly
hadn't inherited her skill of being accident prone. When she was a baby Zoe had
panicked every time her baby had fallen over. She was so overprotective of the
tiny little girl that even her friends had remarked on it.
When Lilly was
three, she had been running away from Zoe on a visit to the zoo. She was
laughing and heading toward the monkey enclosure when she had turned to her
mother to call out and missed the edge of the footpath.
The screams had
wrenched at Zoe's heart. The blood had poured from the cut in her chin and Zoe
had panicked. She sat on the ground with a screaming child in her arms and
sobbed wishing she had someone to help her. Sitting with Lilly in the waiting
room in hospital, Zoe had cursed Jonas . "If you only knew what you were
missing out on Jonas. I wish I could tell you, I need some help here. Lilly
needs her father."
But they had coped
without him and once they were home the thought of contacting Jonas had fled
her mind. Zoe couldn't bear the thought of rejection if she gave in and told
him. Best to leave well enough alone. Luckily it had been the only time her
little girl had needed to visit the hospital. She managed to get through her
early years with nothing more than the occasional scraped knee.
Now Lilly was at
school and Zoe was the one in hospital. She choked back a sob.
Tears filled Zoe's
eyes thinking about her little girl in boarding school without her mother there
for support. She brushed away the tears before they could fall. Soon she would
be back in London, no matter what Jonas said. Her daughter was more important
than any block of dirt and although it was the place where they had grown up,
Zoe would have no hesitation in signing it over to Brandon if that was what the
board would allow. She needed to be home with her baby girl.
Her fingers were
numb and gingerly she looked down at her other hand. It was clasped tight in
Jonas's palm. There was no hope of withdrawing it because he had an iron grip
on it. Zoe's heart leapt as the memories came back to her. He had driven like a
madman in his beautiful car over the dirt roads and ruts that shook his car to
get her to the hospital. She dreaded to see what it looked like now.
The idiot. The
very sweet idiot.
Fuck, no. That
bitch worked here, I do remember that much. She was in emergency when I came
in.
Zoe ripped her
hand from Jonas's pushing his from the bed. A sob escaped her lips before she
could swallow it back.
"Zoe? Baby,
what is it?" Jonas looked at her with panic in his eyes as he surfaced
from a deep sleep. "Are you okay? Can I get you something?" He rubbed
his face and stood up reaching for her hand again.
"I want to go
home. Please take me home, Jonas. I need to get out of here."
"Do you feel
okay?" He glanced at her face, stroking a finger down her cheek steering
clear of the bandaged side of her head.
"She’s here
and I want to go home."
"Honey, she
probably isn't even on duty this morning."
"I don't care
if I'm being irrational, okay. Just get me the fuck out of here now or I will
walk out myself." Zoe threw back the blankets ready to get up.
Jonas pushed her
back on the pillow and held her down by her shoulders. The feel of his hands
seared her skin and the heat rushed up her face. She gazed up at his beautiful
face and sighed. If she could have shut the door now Zoe would have done it.
Locked away in their own room she would be very tempted to tease him until he
took her if she didn't pin him down first, even with that bitch out there.
"No Zoe, not
here," he said locking gazes with her. They could read each other so well
sometimes it embarrassed her.
Like now.
"Promise me
you will stay in bed and I'll go get Dr. Bob. If he says you can go I'll
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