Under Pressure [IAD Agency] (Siren Publishing Classic) (23 page)

When she was finished, the woman with the quiet voice told her to stay, relax, and reminded Bella to stay hydrated. Bella lay there for long minutes trying to work up the energy to get up. Once she had felt cool air wash over her exposed skin as the door opened then closed again, sealing her into the quiet tranquil space. Thinking that was a polite hint for her to get moving, Bella forced herself to get up. Bella looked around and didn’t see anyone, but she saw a fresh glass of water with raspberries floating in it waiting on the counter. She took a few sips of the water before slipping on her robe to make her way to the relaxation room.

Liz and Tara were both in the room when she got there. Bella flounced onto a lounge chair and leaned back.

Tara met Bella’s frown with an evil grin. “So, you nice and smooth down there?”

“I hate you.”

Tara laughed. “Hey, you got raspberries.” Obliging, Bella held out her glass so Tara could pick out a few berries to pop in her mouth.

Reminding herself to stay hydrated, Bella took a drink. Trying to move as little as possible, Bella stretched to place the glass back down. It tilted against a folded towel and fell on the carpeted floor with a muffled thud.

“Oh no!”

“No worries, I need a refill anyway.” Tara sprung up to get the both a fresh glass of water.

Murmuring her thanks, Bella cleaned up the puddle of water with the extra towel then lay back in blissful silence.

Liz shifted uncomfortably. “Umm…it feels weird, but I think I kind of like it.”

Bella’s eyes popped open in surprise and gaped. “She got you, too?”

Liz glared at Tara and nodded.

“Well, at least I wasn’t the only one caught off guard.” Somehow, she felt much better now. She closed her eyes again and relaxed. “How was your massage?”

“Un-fucking-believable.” Tara came back with three full glasses of water and lay back after handing them over. “Sorry, I couldn’t find any more raspberries. Thanks for the gift, ladies. But too bad it was a woman. I always like it when a man knows how to rub a woman down the right way.”

“Is that all you ever think about?” Liz asked, her disapproving tone at odds with the sparkle in her deep blue eyes.

“No, but it does take up a considerable amount of my time,” Tara joked. She opened one eye to focus on Liz. “Maybe we should work on getting you a little nookie. You could use some loosening up.”

“My sex life is none of your concern.”

Tara and Bella grinned at each other. “You mean you have a sex life? Who you bouncing on now? Do tell.”

“That is a crude question and none of your business.” Liz huffed then shot them a sheepish smile. “I don’t think my vibrator counts, so we can change the subject now.”

“Yeah.” Tara sighed. “I’m not getting any right now either. That may be why it’s all I can think about. Sex on the brain. Mmmm.”

Bella’s chuckle was cut off by a wave of dizziness. Something wasn’t right. Bella’s stomach cramped, and the tingling sensation started to expand to her whole body. Bella felt her body go weak, and her vision blurred. “Something’s…Oh no.” She turned her head and vomited.

“Bella! Bella, what’s wrong? Oh my God!” was all she heard before everything went black.

* * * *

Bella tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt as if they were weighed down. She could hear people talking, but she couldn’t find the energy to move. A woman’s soft voice filtered in through the darkness.

“Mac, calm down. I can’t let you in there if you are going to upset her.”

Huh, that made Bella want to giggle. Good luck with that. Someone trying to stop Jason from doing something was like stopping the sun from rising in the morning.

“Dixie, you tell me what’s wrong with her and you tell me right now.” Jason’s soft menacing voice made Bella want to reach out to him to sooth.

The woman sighed heavily. “We’ve stabilized her, and she’s resting comfortably. So is Tara. Slade and Shannon are with the twins questioning the spa staff to see if they know anything. Bella’s going to be okay, but you have to keep her calm. She passed out while they were at the spa, and Liz and Sal were able to get them back here fast. We’re lucky Bella threw up most of the poison before, Mac
—”

Bella heard the doctor sigh, then a male grunt as Jason most likely threw someone out of his way. A few seconds later she felt him by her side.

Jason lifted her tiny hand in his and bent his head to hers. “Darling, it’s Jason. Love, I’m here. I’m right here with you. I’m sorry, baby. I should have protected you better. Forgive me.”

Bella tried to speak, but all that came out was a low moan.

Man, her throat hurt.

“Bella? Sweetheart, can you hear me?” Jason squeezed her hand so hard that she could barely feel her fingers.

Jason had never been so fucking scared in all of his life as he was when he got the frantic phone call from Sal saying that Bella was being rushed to IAD’s medical facilities. Jason had left the consult he was at without saying a word, leaving one of his agents to make excuses for him. He didn’t give a damn. Nothing was as important as getting to Bella.

When he arrived and saw Bella laying there with a stark white sheet covering her small frame, he wanted to howl with rage. If anything happened to her, he would singlehandedly rip through the city with a vengeance until his found that son of a bitch Dane and tore his head off with his bare hands.

Jason’s hand shook as he brushed the hair off of her face. He cursed himself for not being with her. It was stupid, stupid to let her out of his sight for one minute while the threat against her still existed. God, she was so pale. She had to be all right. There was no other option. She was his soul.

If anything happened to her…

“You’re home, baby. We’re in the clinic down in IAD. You’re fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. You’re just a wee bit sick now, but you’ll be okay. I need you to be okay. I love you, Bella. Sweetheart, open your eyes.”

His deep commanding voice was rough with emotion, and Bella struggled to comply.

“Mac, don’t push her,” the woman snapped.

Bella opened her eyes, wanting to see the woman bold enough to yell at Jason. She was a pretty woman with direct hazel eyes and pixie-short pale blonde hair the color of moonbeams. Her impatient glare changed the moment she saw Bella’s eyes open.

“Bella? My name is Dr. Sydney Dixon.” Her voice softened as she approached the other side of the bed. “You were drugged, but you’re going to be fine. The heat and the massage worked the poison through your system faster than it normally would have. That’s why you got sick so quickly. But we’re very lucky that you didn’t ingest more and that you got sick when you did. I just need you to relax and rest for a while. Mac,” she said sharply. “Mac, you’re going to break her hand. Loosen the grip, big guy, and give her some room to breathe or I’m going to have to kick you out of here.”

“Try it, just try it.” Jason voice was a low dangerous rumble in his throat, but his grip had already relaxed.

Bella struggled to keep her amber eyes open. Jason thought they were the most beautiful sight that he’d ever seen.

Her vision was cloudy and unfocused, but Bella thought she could see tears in Jason’s eyes. No that couldn’t be. There was something she had to tell him. What was it? Damn, she hurt all over and her throat felt like it was on fire. Oh, yeah. “Water…the water.”

“What, baby? You want some water?”

“No…water…the water at the spa. Someone came in my room…and left a glass of water. My throat hurts,” Bella rasped out drowsily.

“I know, baby, just rest.” He stroked her hair. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you. I love you, Bella, I can’t lose you.” A knock at the door had him turning. Liz and Sal stood in the doorway, eager to see for their own eyes if Bella was okay.

“Hey, sis, you okay?” Sal came forward and placed a loving hand on her leg.

Liz rushed in and burst into tears when Bella gave them all a weak smile. Sal tried to take Liz in his arms, but she pushed away from him. “We were so worried, Bella. I’m so sorry that we made you go to the spa. I never thought something like this would happen. It’s all my fault! Oh God! You and Tara could have been killed!” Liz cried.

“It’s not your fault. Slade and I were there, too. We all thought they would be safe inside the spa. Mac, we didn’t see anyone suspicious. He wasn’t there.” Sal scrubbed his hands over his face.

Bella struggled to surface again. “Tara? Oh God—”

Jason gently ran his hand down her cheek in a soothing motion. “Tara also ingested some poison when she ate the raspberries. Luckily she recognized the signs when she checked you out and she made herself throw up most of it before it made its way through her system. She is resting in another room but will be fine. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

Bella smiled and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“Okay now, everyone out. I have to talk to my patient.” Sydney’s voice was serious enough that the others left the room without any argument, except for Jason.

“No.”

Dr. Sydney Dixon put her hands on her hips and sighed in exasperation. “Yes, Mac. I may work for you guys, but I am still first and foremost a doctor. That means doctor-patient confidentiality and private exams. You may not like it, but I will give Bella the same courtesy that I afford every one of you and your stubborn colleagues.”

Sydney’s expression softened as she saw how Jason MacBain hovered over Bella as if he were her shield against the world. She had known him for years but had never seen him like this. It was like he was a different man. She gentled her voice and asked again for a few minutes with Bella. Jason hesitated but finally conceded after Bella shooed him away.

“But, don’t go far, okay?”

Jason paused when he heard Bella call out to him and forced a smile. “Darling, I’ll be right outside the door.”

He shot the doctor a frigid look before quitting the room, grumbling that he would only give them five minutes. Sydney asked him to close the door, making his frown deepen to a scowl, but he closed the glass door. He remained right outside where he watched over Bella, with arms crossed.

“Dr. Dixon—”

“Please call me Sydney. It’s nice to finally meet you, Bella, although I wish it were under different circumstances. Please don’t worry. You’re going to be fine,” she hastened to reassure Bella, seeing the panic she tried to hide. “I do want to monitor you for the next few days, but you were very lucky. Please make sure not to talk too much since I know your throat is probably a little raw still. It’s very important that you rest for the next week or so and make sure that you recover completely.”

“Okay.” Bella’s eyes wanted to close and she had a difficult time listening to the doctor.

Sydney paused for a moment before she said, “Bella, I did a full workup on you when you came in.” Sydney took a quick peek at Jason’s stationary form right outside the door. Although she knew he couldn’t hear what was being said, she was fully aware that he was capable of reading lips. One always had to be on guard with these agents. She shifted to block his view of Bella with her body and lowered her voice. “Bella, did you know that you’re pregnant?”

Bella’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

“I guess you didn’t. You’re only a few weeks along, but I want to assure you that the baby is fine.” Sydney rushed on in a hushed voice. “I wanted to tell you while Jason was out of the room…in case.”

“A baby?” Bella was shocked. “Are…are you sure?”

“Yes, sweetie, I double-checked.”

“A baby,” Bella whispered in awe then concern came in waves. “Jason and I haven’t really talked about…I don’t even know if…Are you sure everything is okay?” She moved her small hand over her abdomen as if to protect the child that rested inside her body.

Jason’s child.

“Everything is fine.” Sydney patted her hand. “But that’s why I need to monitor you for the next few days and you need to rest.”

“I was told, the other doctors told me it would be hard to…”

Sydney squeezed her hand in understanding. “I’ve reviewed your medical charts, and the doctors in New York did a wonderful job repairing the damage done to you. You should be able to carry a baby to term with little to no issues, but I do want you to be very careful just in case. You were just poisoned, and that isn’t something we can overlook.”

Bella agreed and let her head fall back on the pillow, closing her eyes, a dreamy smile softening her face. She felt tears leaking out to roll gently down to mingle in her hair.

When Bella opened her eyes again, they were shining with a happiness that had Sydney smiling, too.

“I suggest that maybe next week we find you an ob-gyn to take over that side of your care. I would be happy to recommend someone. I specialize in trauma surgery and most of the general practice that is needed around here in the land of crazy misfits, but I’m willing to do whatever you need in the interim.”

“Thank you. Can you send Jason back in? But don’t tell him yet. I want to wait to tell him. He’d freak out right now. I…I need to find the right time to tell him.”

Sydney laughed softly. “You definitely know your man well.”