“Your ambulance is here,” the guard in the lobby said. “Paramedics are on their way up.”

Her voice shook. “Thank you.” Skye rushed to the door. “Please come in. Hurry. Mrs. Ramirez is just down the hall.”

Two paramedics in dark green uniforms wheeled a gurney into the living room. Edge walked in behind them. When he reached for her, Skye went into his arms. She found herself clinging to him as if his presence could somehow save her.

“Lila’s going to be okay,” he said, holding her even tighter. “So is the baby.” He eased back and caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You need to believe that, honey, for Lila’s sake.”

A trembly breath whispered out. “You’re right.” She leaned into him, felt his solid strength. “I shouldn’t have called. It’s not your problem.”

Edge caught her shoulders. “If it’s your problem, it’s my problem. We’re friends, aren’t we? That’s what friends are for.”

Her throat tightened. She nodded. They were friends. When had she started wanting more? Edge pulled her back into his arms, smoothing a hand up and down her back. The sound of the gurney wheels churning down the hall had them stepping apart. The gurney rolled toward the front door.

Callie followed a few feet behind, already dressed to leave. “I’m going with her.”

“I’ll put on some clothes and meet you there,” Skye said.

“I’ll drive you,” Edge said.

Skye shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Just get dressed, okay?” There was command in his voice. It wasn’t up for negotiation.

She managed to nod. “Okay.”

A few minutes later, they were on their way to St. Joseph’s Hospital on East 19th Street, not too far away.

The three of them spent the balance of the night in the waiting room, while doctors checked for complications that could threaten mother and baby.

The hours seemed to stretch endlessly.

Dawn was breaking when the doctor, a slender Hispanic man, came in to tell them they had things under control. There was no hemorrhaging. It was not an ectopic pregnancy, and there was no life-threatening rupture.

“We’ve given her some medication to help with the pain,” the doctor said. “It’s already beginning to fade, but we’ll keep her a few more hours to be sure everything is okay. As long as Mrs. Ramirez takes it easy for a while, there should be no reason she can’t have a normal, healthy baby.”

Relief hit Skye hard. Edge’s arms went around her from behind, pulled her back against his chest, and she drew a steadying breath. Apparently, the motherly instincts she’d never realized she had were alive and well inside her. She got an odd sense of comfort from that.