He took her hand—the one that she wore his ring on—and thumbed it absently.

“You’ll stay here until a decision is made about your health. But the doctor said that if you go home, you’ll be on strict bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy.”

Her expression must have reflected her horror and her fear, because Ryan leaned over to kiss her forehead again. He held her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

“I don’t want you to worry, honey, okay? I’ll handle everything. We’ll go someplace warm and beautiful and all you’ll have to do is lie on the beach or in a comfortable chair and watch the sun set. I’ll hire a personal physician to oversee every part of your care.”

Her brow furrowed and she could feel the pain creep back into her head.

“Ryan, we can’t just go off to some island paradise somewhere. Ignoring our problems won’t fix them.”

He stroked a hand over her forehead, smoothing her hair back. “Right now, all you need to concentrate on is feeling better and carrying our child for as long as you can. And what I need to concentrate on is removing as much stress from your life as possible.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but he kissed her lightly, silencing her.

“I know we have a lot to work out, Kell. I had no idea how much when I said this before. But right now let’s put our differences aside and concentrate on our baby and your health. Can we do that?”

Her resistance slid away. She nodded slowly, not withdrawing her hand from his.

Despite what had happened in the past, she didn’t doubt for a moment that he cared deeply about her and their baby. And he was right. No matter what had to be worked out between them, their child came first.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“I’m reluctant to release Miss Christian from the hospital,” Kelly’s doctor said grimly as he stood outside her hospital room. “She’s shown marked improvement. Her blood pressure is normal. The baby is showing no signs of fetal distress. I’d say she has a good chance of carrying the child the full forty weeks. But I’m not comfortable releasing her yet.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. “What can I do to make it possible? She’s unhappy here. She’s not herself.”

The doctor nodded. “That’s precisely why I’m concerned about releasing her. At least here I can be assured she’s getting the care she needs. She’s not in good spirits and I’m deeply concerned about her stress level. It’s imperative that she not be placed in any situation that causes her undue distress.”

“If you give her the okay to travel I plan to take her away. Someplace warm where she’ll never have to lift a finger. I can have a medical team fly us to the island and once there, I’ll have a private physician to monitor her care as well as have the local hospital completely apprised of her condition and needs.”