Page 151 of A Second Dawn

Aiden bursts out of the cabin, his face etched with dread.

“Ella!” he exclaims, kneeling next to me. “Are you okay?” His voice is a lifeline in the chaos.

Tiero, who’s been at the fire with his men, sprints over too.

“Angel, what happened?” he asks, his eyes full of worry as he crouches beside me.

Through my tears, I manage to whisper, “My arm… it hurts so much.”

Tiero takes charge, examining it gently, but it’s difficult with my thick jacket on.

“We need to get you inside and check you out properly,” he says, his voice steady and reassuring. “Santino, get Agosti here,” he orders.

“Roberto is already on it,” Santino replies, ever efficient.

“Do you hurt anywhere else?” Tiero asks, not moving me yet in case something else is wrong.

“I landed on my back. It hurts, but nothing like my arm.”

I try to focus on my abdomen to make sure everything is okay with peanut, but all I notice is the excruciating pain throbbing from my left wrist to my elbow.

Tiero carefully picks me up and moves us back inside the cabin. He helps me strip out of my jacket, and I hold my arm close to my chest as I lie down on the sofa.

Rhia comes rushing in, having heard the commotion, her eyes wide and alarmed.

“Ella! Oh god. What happened?”

Seeing my anxiety reflected in her face makes me cry harder.

“She slipped on the stairs.” Aiden fills her in from his spot beside the door.

Rhia takes my right hand into hers, stroking it to calm me.

Tiero is beside me, his hand protectively splayed over my abdomen. My scared eyes find his.

“What if I lose the baby because of this fall?” I voice my biggest fear through the falling tears.

He strokes my cheek, wiping away the wet stream that just won’t slow.

“Our baby is tough. He’s got you as a mom after all,” he says, gifting me with a loving smile, but it barely lifts his lips. He’s just as worried as me.

“Or her,” I correct him.

Despite my fear, his insistence we’re having a boy makes me want to laugh.

A knock on the door announces Dr. Agosti’s arrival. Good thing Tiero always travels with his physician. Though he’s probably used to treating far greater injuries than mine.

With measured steps, Dr. Agosti approaches, his gaze briefly drifting to my abdomen, aware Tiero will hold him responsible for making sure our baby gets to see the light of day.

Tiero moves behind me to make room for the doctor, his hands now resting on my shoulders.

He needs to touch me to reassure himself I’m okay, just as much as I need his touch to keep me calm. It’s a lifeline in this moment of uncertainty.

“You fell,” Dr. Agosti states the obvious as he puts down his bag.

He carefully inspects my injured arm, his touch both precise and tender.

“Can you tell me where it hurts the most?” he asks.