Forget Me Not, My Scottish Love by Allie Palomino
Chapter Twenty-Three
Abby awoke gasping for air. Cameron stirred next to her. In the dim candlelight, he saw the tears on her cheeks. She sat up, opened her eyes, and looked at him. He sat up, also.
His gaze went from her eyes to her cheeks to her lips, worriedly trying to assess if she was in good health.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice husky.
She brought a cupped palm to her lips and looked at him. Her hand was shaking.
“What is it?” he asked, growing more alarmed by the minute.
“My appetite,” she began. “It’s been enormous lately,” she said, looking intently at him.
“Aye.”
“But I retch after I eat, as well as in the mornings when I wake.”
He reached out to cup her cheek. “Aye, ye do.”
“All I wish to do is sleep, because I’m so very tired always.”
“I’ve told ye, Abby. Ye need yer rest,” he said, his gray eyes flashing.
“But I sleep a great deal, Cameron. And my breasts! They are sore,” she said, smiling.
“Aye. Ye wince when I touch them,” he said, staring at her oddly. He’d never seen anyone happy about having these symptoms.
She bolted up onto her knees with a smile so wide, he thought he could count each tooth.
“Do you know what this means, Cameron?”
He rose to his knees also. Alarm came into his eyes. He cupped her face with both hands.
“Nay, Abby. Doona think that,” he said angrily. She saw fear in his eyes.
“But Cameron, don’t you see?” Her smile puzzled him.
“Nay!” he said furiously. She saw the nerve in his jaw twitch. “How could ye be happy about this?”
“But Cameron, ‘tis something wonderful! We are fortunate for a second time,” she said, her eyes shining brightly.
He looked at her shaking his head.
“This is not wonderful, Abby. Ye cannot want this.”
“But I do. I thought we did!” she said, her smile faltering.
“Nay, I doona want this. I never wanted this! Nothing that risks yer life.”
She grew angry and her green eyes narrowed on him.
“But I thought you wanted this,” she snapped. “I thought you grieved before and wanted to continue undertaking our…you know…our endeavors. Well, if you don’t, too damn bad, because there’s no undoing it!”
She was furious and he was confused.
He brought her in to his warmth, but she quickly moved back, shaking her head.
“How could ye think I wanted this?”
Looking into his eyes, she saw fear and anger. Looking into her eyes, he saw only anger.
She quickly bounded off the bed and retrieved a satchel. She began packing clothes.
“What are ye doing?” he asked, moving off the bed onto his bare feet.
“What does it look like? This is the only solution, Cameron. I thought you wanted this,” she said angrily. She began muttering as she stuffed the bag. She held up her hand when he went to move closer to her. “We’ll have to leave then.”
“Ye will not leave! Where the hell are ye going, damn it?” he asked, now furious.
“Somewhere where you will not have to tolerate us,” she said through clenched teeth, angrily stuffing more dresses into the satchel.
“Did ye actually think I would be happy about this? About what ye think is happening?”
“What I think is happening? Nay, I do not think, I know!” she said, furiously. “You refuse to believe it is true when I know it is! And yes, I expected you to be happy! It’s what we’ve both wanted.”
“Know? Ye know with certainty what is wrong? Nay, ye couldna know! How can I be happy about this, Abby? Have ye lost yer mind? I love ye, how could I be happy?”
“If you love me then you must love us,” she barked. “We’re leaving, Cameron. I do not know where we’re going, but you will not have to worry about us,” she said, turning her back on him as she eased into her shoes.
He turned her around, bracing his hand on her delicate shoulder.
“Who is this we, this us?” he asked, darkly. “Are ye leaving with another?” he growled. “I swear, whoever it is, I’ll rip every appendage off of his body.”
She looked at him, confused. Then it dawned on her.
“Cameron, what do you think I’m speaking of?”
He looked to the ceiling for patience.
“Abby, I tire of this conversation. Ye are not dying! And ye will not run off with anyone, do ye hear me?” he growled angrily.
She began laughing, so hard in fact, she held onto Cameron for support. “What is so amusing? I do not find this droll,” he said, tightly.
She looked up at him with tears of laughter still in her eyes. Her eyes lit up with excitement, happiness, and joy.
“I am not dying, Cameron!” she said, laughing hard.
Her smile was so wide and her laughter so musical, that he knew she was the most beautiful woman ever to have been born.
“What then? Why this us and we talk?”
“There is no other man, at least I don’t know yet, it may be another woman,” she said and his jaw dropped. She doubled over, laughing in merriment.
“Abby?” he asked, confused.
She shook her head and stepped away from him for a moment. She looked at him, and gone was the laughter, replaced by an intense seriousness that stole his breath away. The tears made her eyes luminous globes.
“Cameron, I’m with child! I’m carrying our bairn!” she said, shakily.
He stopped breathing, and only stared at her. He turned his head to the side as if he hadn’t heard her. He squinted, all the while looking at her from the side of his vision.
“What?” he asked, breathless.
“I’m with child!” she whispered. “I’m carrying our miracle,” she said in exhilaration, jumping.
Another miracle baby.
This baby would never take the place of the child they’d already lost, but it would help them mend their broken hearts. Her being with child also meant that she would never be torn away from Cameron. Although the baby news was exciting enough, the look on his face was nearly the best part of it.
“Ye’re jesting,” he whispered in awe and looked to her belly. “But I thought ye’d gotten yer monthly.”
Abby shook her head. “It was very light. Then I recalled Bess telling me that light blood in the beginning is not unusual.”
He looked like a man who had been deprived of water and food, who was just asked to join the evening meal.
“Yes, Cameron,” she said, her heart soaring. “I am carrying our bairn. A baby conceived from our love.”
He stepped towards her and dropped to his knees. He looked up at her face and then to her abdomen. He raised a trembling hand to her belly. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against her tummy. She placed her hands on his head and closed her eyes.
Pure joy filled him. Relief and happiness surged within him. He rose to his feet, lifted her, and swung her around as she laughed and squealed out her merriment.
He stopped all of a sudden and stood her delicately next to the bed.
“Did I harm ye?” he asked. Fear like she’d never seen, appeared in his eyes. His gaze dropped to her belly and he covered it with his hand in a protective gesture.
“Nay, I’m fine,” she said and gasped as their door swung open.
Keith and Aidan barged in, their swords posed for action. Amy and Alice were right behind them, peeking in from the door.
“Cameron! What is amiss?” Keith asked, as he looked around. He looked over his shoulder. “Damn it, Amy, I told ye and Mother to stay in the room.”
Keith turned back around as Abby and Cameron began to laugh.
“They’ve lost their minds,” Aidan said, which made Abby and Cameron laugh harder.
“What is going on?” Amy asked. Both her and Alice entered the room.
“Owen is going to have someone to play with,” Abby said, smiling.
The women caught on, but Aidan and Keith didn’t.
“For crying out loud, Cameron, this is what we were woken up for? Ye can play with my son tomorrow,” Keith said and both he and Aidan turned around to face Amy and Alice. They looked at one another when they saw the women smiling.
“Nay, ye dumb oaf, Abby is with child. She’s carrying my bairn,” Cameron said, and smiled as his brothers turned around with surprise on their faces.
“Ye sly fox, Cameron!” Keith said, whacking Cameron on the back. Aidan moved forward, whacking him as well. Aidan then lifted Abby up and swung her around.
“Aidan! Put her down,” Cameron barked harshly.
Only the women laughed. Aidan looked sheepish, while Keith and Cameron looked worried.
“Oh, Abby, ye’re in for a long nine months, love,” Alice said laughing.
“Well, I think perhaps it’s less than that.”
Alice embraced Abby and then Amy took a turn.
“Oh, how wonderful!” Alice said, clasping her hands together. “Another grand-bairn! Oh, Robert, how I wish ye were hear to see them!” She was looking up and then looked at her family. “But he surrounds us, he does,” she said, nodding with a wide smile.
“Aye. Mother, he does,” Cameron said, rubbing Abby’s tummy gently.
“I’ve a feeling that the storms have all passed. No more dreadful days ahead, but instead, only lovely ones,” Abby said, placing her hand over Cameron’s, which rested on her flat belly.
And that prediction would prove to be true.
At least for the remainder of the pregnancy.