CALLA YAWNED AND rubbed her back, trying to calm the achy soreness resting there. She knew it was nothing compared to Eleni’s intense pain, but after tending to her patients and helping Eleni through her labor, which still hadn’t progressed past five centimeters almost twelve hours later, she was exhausted.
The queen had apologized repeatedly for coming to the clinic so early. Eleni had labored at home for most of her first pregnancy, so she honestly hadn’t thought the back pain was labor. The jovial woman really had stopped by to joke with Kostas, add a distraction for the gathered horde out front, and let her bodyguards help with crowd management.
It was sweet. But once Ioannis arrived, the small group of hopeful “journalists” that hung around the clinic almost constantly was replaced by the real deal. More crews had arrived throughout the day.
As had palace security.
The clinic was now basically on lockdown until the prince or princess made their arrival.
Any patient who didn’t need to be seen today had been rescheduled. That left a handful of women with advanced pregnancies to navigate the crowd. Calla and the other midwives had escorted them through the parking lot, ignoring all the called questions. It was madness!
They’d discussed sending Eleni home a few hours ago. And they’d kept her here rather than ignite more rounds of speculation and questions. Besides, they figured she’d be back in a few hours anyway, which would only restart the whole process. No one had expected a twelve-hour labor...and counting.
“If you’re tired, you can go home.” Kostas’s voice was soft as he stepped into the small break room. “I gave Eleni some Stadol. She’s napping now. When she wakes, it will be time to start Pitocin if she hasn’t progressed. But hopefully the rest will kick-start things.”
Calla hoped the rest worked. She’d seen exhausted mothers who got pain meds, and could finally sleep for a few hours, progress immediately upon waking. Pitocin would ensure the delivery advanced, but it also intensified the contractions.
Eleni’s water had broken an hour ago, officially starting the delivery timer. While some research indicated it was safe to labor for at least forty-eight hours following water breaking, many doctors only waited twenty-four hours if the patient was already at the hospital or clinic.
“Calla, if you need rest...”
“I’m fine. I took a nap after my last patient. The bunk beds in the back room are more comfortable than the ones at the birthing center I worked at. I swear they made them from concrete and covered them with foam so they could claim they were beds,” Calla joked as she leaned against the wall.
Hopefully, the light tone and humor would cover the exhaustion still coursing through her. She also should have responded to Kostas quicker, but her brain seemed a little foggy these days. Chalk that up to another thing she couldn’t quite place.
She wanted to believe she was fine, but if she was honest, it wasn’t exactly true. She was tired. Still functional, but her body never seemed to reach fully rested these days. It was like her internal charge could only reach eighty percent. And she couldn’t understand why.
She usually fell into her bed and slept straight through the night. If she woke during the night, she had no memory of it.
Today marked eight weeks since her arrival on the island. Long enough by weeks for jet lag to pass. She didn’t have a cold or a virus. Calla checked her temperature every morning, just to be sure. She wasn’t risking the health of her moms and their newest arrivals.
Maybe it was finally decompressing from years of hectic schedules? The clinic in Palaío was lovely and so much more relaxed than the environment she’d had in Seattle. She routinely saw between seven and ten patients a day here, rather than twenty to twenty-five.
Her delivery schedule was a fourth of what had been in the US. It was the type of nursing she’d longed to practice when she went into the field. She’d be living her best work life, if she wasn’t constantly fighting off yawns!
“Do you need anything?”
Kostas’s question was quiet, and he wasn’t talking about being tired or Eleni.
The urge to lean into him, to tell him she wanted more, was nearly overwhelming. But before she could think of anything, Ioannis stepped into the room, shattering whatever moment they might have.
“Dinner!” Ioannis grinned, the smell of burgers and fries arriving with him. “If either of you tell my wife I snuck a burger while she slept, I will exile you from the island!”
Kostas laughed as he sat in the chair across from his brother. The two looked so alike, but Kostas carried himself differently. A little apart. Like he wasn’t fully comfortable.
Because he isn’t.
The thought wrapped through Calla’s mind as she looked at Kostas. He was the best OBGYN she’d ever worked with. Caring, but firm when necessary. He listened to the midwives, taking their concerns seriously. He was comfortable in the medical world.
It was his title that hung heavy. That, given what he’d told her about Maria and his mother, wasn’t surprising. But he couldn’t separate the parts of his life, not really. He was both an OBGYN and a prince. If only he could accept that...
She pushed herself off the wall. Tiredness was making her brain wander.
“Not sure your brother considers exile quite the threat.” Calla gave Kostas a wink and immediately regretted the decision as his eyes held hers. She’d done so well keeping her distance lately. Not because she wanted to, but it was necessary, and the fluttering in her heart reminded her how easy it was for her to react to the man.
“True.” Ioannis playfully pointed at her. “But I could threaten to exile you. That might be enough of a threat.”
It took all her control not to lift her hands to her heated cheeks as she watched Kostas for his reaction. Reaching for the burgers and fries, Calla’s mouth watered and her stomach rumbled with a hunger she hadn’t noticed. It was a thoughtful meal. One she figured Ioannis had requested because she was helping his wife.
“She’s one of the best midwives I’ve ever worked with. No. The best!” Kostas’s eyes hovered on her for an instant before turning to his brother. “You don’t want to deprive the island of her expertise.” His words were the right ones. The ones to diffuse the tension flickering between them.
That didn’t mean his rational explanation didn’t cut it.
Swallowing, she picked up a fry, enjoying the salty smell. It was just what she wanted. In the last week, she’d craved salty things...another change from her normal sweet tooth. Maybe the island really was turning her into a different person.
“Wait. I brought ketchup!” Ioannis chuckled, clearly trying to smooth over the friction he’d created. If she’d ever doubted whether Eleni had told her husband about the conversation she’d overheard, it vanished.
Ioannis clearly meant to offer the joke, not to cause embarrassment. A brotherly gibe gone too far. He cleared his throat as he pulled the bottle from the bag on the floor. “Kostas spent a small fortune rush shipping the stuff from the States. And I snagged one bottle. I must admit, Calla, that I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Sweet...”
She looked at the ketchup bottle and forced a smile to her face. The gift from Kostas was one of the kindest things anyone had done for her. But it didn’t taste right.
It was tangy...and off. She couldn’t quite explain it. She’d opened two bottles, thinking it was something with the first. But the second had tasted strange too.
“What’s wrong?” Kostas handed her the ketchup. “And don’t say nothing. I can tell.”
“How?” Calla raised her chin, daring him to acknowledge he paid more attention to her than he did to anyone else. It was a dumb move. One that could only bring her heartache, but she couldn’t retract the question once it was hovering in the air.
“You love ketchup.” He waved the bottle at her, waiting for her to take it. “I don’t pretend to understand it, but whenever you discuss it or see it, it brings a smile to your face. You frowned just now. So something is wrong.”
She bit her lip then ate the fry she was holding, still not reaching for the ketchup. Kostas set the bottle down, his eyebrows knitting as he looked at her.
Her mouth exploded with salt and potato goodness. The fry was delicious, and she reached for another, careful to avoid Kostas’s gaze as she answered. “It doesn’t taste right.”
Calla hated admitting that. She knew how happy he’d been with the present. It was sweet, but maybe the international transfer...or maybe her tastes on the Mediterranean island were just evolving. Though, she mused, something about her love of burgers and fries had changed.
“I remember when Eleni was pregnant with our first, she suddenly hated clams. She’d loved them before, but never got the taste for them back.” Ioannis tossed a fry into his mouth. “I’ll admit that I didn’t mind when her clambakes went away, and I suspect now that you have found our local fare so much better, you might not want ketchup hiding the taste of such good food!”
She laughed, hoping it sounded right in the quiet room. “Your island’s food certainly tastes wonderful. Shame about the clams, though. My parents served a buttery clam dish in their restaurant, but they only served it when there was access to fresh clams. Here, that’s never a problem.”
A longing for home, for the small kitchen where her parents tried new dishes for their restaurant, threatened to overwhelm her. It was silly. They’d been gone for years. The restaurant long closed. Emotions wrapped around her heart and she had to swallow the sudden swell.
Her feelings seemed closer to the surface. Maybe it was the tiredness or the excitement of a new life waiting to come forth. That had always filled her with wonder before. Something so right about a baby coming into the world, a new life that could travel this world in so many different directions.
“Fresh clams are all over the place on the island. I used to hunt for them for hours on the beach as a boy.” Kostas grinned then turned his attention to his brother.
“Shifting topics, I may have found another OBGYN. Remember Dr. Bandi? She’s in Greece right now, but looking for a change and a chance to come home.”
The men started talking about recruiting another doctor. Any other time, she’d have paid attention to a discussion regarding a new doctor. Nurses and midwives performed a lot of the duties here, but the right, or wrong, physician could seriously impact the clinic. In one of her first positions, the OBGYN’s toxic attitude had run off nearly all his nurses within two years.
She should focus on the brothers’ conversation, but her ears pounded as she thought through Ioannis’s statement about Eleni and clams. Mentally, she calculated back to her last period. Two weeks before she’d arrived in Palaío.
Dear God.
She was late. By several weeks. Calla’s throat tightened as she tried to focus on chewing her food and nodding at the right moments.
Kostas chomped on a fry, completely oblivious to the turmoil racing through her.
All her symptoms suddenly made perfect sense. Fatigued, foggy brain, dislike of a once-beloved food...even her breasts were tender. She was a midwife. How had she missed the symptoms in herself that she’d talked about with so many women?
Because she hadn’t even considered it a possibility. The only person she’d slept with in the last year was sitting at the table with her. They’d used protection. But how many times had she told stunned women that condoms were only ninety-eight percent effective, even when used perfectly—which she was nearly certain she and Kostas had done.
That meant that out of every one hundred people using that method of contraception, two would get pregnant. She’d seen women thrilled and devastated by such news. But most often it was shock they dealt with first.
She took a bite of her burger, not really tasting it as she tried to force her brain to consider everything. She was pregnant. With Kostas’s baby...his royal baby.
“I know you’re exhausted, Eleni, but you have to push.” Kostas kept his voice level but firm as his sister-in-law glared at him.
“You can do it, honey.” Ioannis leaned over to rub his wife’s shoulder, and she held up a hand.
“If you touch me, I will hurt you.” She let out a soft sob as she leaned back in the bed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t actually mean that. I mean I did but...” Eleni let out a huge sigh as she closed her eyes. “I’m so tired.”
“Of course you are,” Calla stated. Stepping to the bed, she pulled the pillow off and adjusted the height just a little. “Giving birth is exhausting. There is a reason we call it labor.”
Calla pursed her lips as she looked at Kostas. There was a hint of something in her gaze that he couldn’t quite place. It was gone before he could consider it...though now wasn’t the time.
“I think it’s time to try the squat bar.” Calla looked at Kostas. “What do you think, Dr. Drakos?”
He nodded. “I agree.” She’d been pushing for nearly an hour and hadn’t progressed. It was Eleni’s second pregnancy; Kostas knew she wanted to avoid a C-section. He glanced at the clock. He’d let her push for another hour, provided she wasn’t too exhausted. Then they’d have to do what was best for her and the baby.
The squat bar hadn’t been an option at his hospital in Seattle, though he was aware that Calla had experience with them from her work in the birthing center.
“Squat...bar?” Eleni panted.
“Yep.” Calla nodded as she helped Eleni to sit back in the bed and then raised the bar from under the bed. “The supine position, or laying on your back, is great for doctors and midwives to monitor your progress. However, some studies indicate it makes delivery for moms more difficult. Delivering in a squat or with a birth chair in the upright position was used for centuries, and still is in many nations. Gravity helping moms!”
She kept her voice bright as she explained the benefits of shifting positions, even for delivery. She was in complete control of the situation, mindful only of her patient’s needs. No thought at all that she was directing the queen.
He knew that was one of the reasons Eleni had requested Calla as her primary midwife. When Mateo was born, Dr. Stefanios and the midwives had fluttered around her, paying deference but also not completely sure how to handle the propriety of delivering the queen...no matter how much Eleni had tried to explain that she wanted to be treated just like any other patient.
Calla gave her that. And it was a priceless gift, even if Calla didn’t realize it.
“Brace your hands here and then get into a squat. Ioannis, give her a little support and rub her back.” Calla guided Eleni, and Kostas let her take the lead while he monitored the baby’s vitals.
Just before he’d left Seattle, he’d heard the arguments for birthing upright or even on all fours. The midwives and nurses were pushing for the inclusion of the option, at least. A few of the older OBGYNs had vehemently disagreed, though they’d provided no good reasons.
The nurses had lobbied him, and he’d agreed with them. He’d argued that if it made birthing easier, he’d try anything, as long as it was safe for mom and baby. Unfortunately, Ioannis had summoned him home shortly after. So he hadn’t actually delivered a baby in any position besides laying down.
Eleni breathed through her teeth, almost hissing as the next contraction started.
“Brace and push for me.” Calla coached as Eleni worked her way through the contraction. “That’s it. Push!”
The contraction subsided, but Kostas could see that Eleni was a bit more relaxed, even though she was squatting and leaning against the bar.
“If this is easier, why the lying on your back?”
“A king of France preferred it.” Calla laughed as Eleni’s mouth fell open.
Kostas knew this story. King Louis the Fourteenth was said to enjoy watching his wives and mistresses deliver babies. Scholars were divided on the reasons, but he noted that Eleni had lost interest as another contraction took over.
“I swear this little girl better appreciate me!” Eleni choked out as she gripped the bar and bore down.
“It’s a girl?” Ioannis rubbed his wife’s back as she let out a guttural noise and leaned against the bar as the contraction subsided.
“I dreamed of her last night. Or, at least, I think I did. I dreamed of Mateo just before his birth too.” She sucked in a deep breath as she bore down again. “Stubborn too...takes after me.”
“It’s one of the things I love about you.”
“Still want to murder you right now.”
Kostas watched Calla bite her lips as she monitored Eleni’s progress. She crossed her arms then uncrossed them. Was she worried about something?
The baby’s vitals were great, and Eleni was doing fine. Still, Calla seemed off. Her eyes seemed to dart to him then away.
“That’s it.” Ioannis coached his wife as she bore down and then kissed her forehead when the contraction subsided.
His brother loved Eleni and his son, and soon-to-be daughter—if Eleni was right—more than anything. Kostas’s eyes flickered to Calla again, and jealousy flared through him.
He wanted what his brother had. More than he’d ever admitted before meeting Calla. But Ioannis was king. Beloved son of the island.
Ioannis did little wrong, according to the island’s inhabitants and the press. Everyone loved Eleni, even though she spoke her mind, because Ioannis loved her. There was grace given to him that Kostas never received.
Ioannis was perfect. Kostas was the opposite. The foil to his brother. It wasn’t true, but truth rarely sold many papers or garnered enough ad clicks to make it worthwhile.
Carefully stated half-truths that skirted libel laws. Particularly when his father had refused to acknowledge any stories about his youngest son. The girl he’d cared for hadn’t received the palace protections that Ioannis’s few girlfriends and Eleni received.
He and Calla weren’t together, yet they’d still run the article insinuating she was trying to infiltrate the royal family.
Infiltrate! Such an ugly word. One that didn’t apply to Calla. Besides, who did they want him to wed? No one...and everyone.
“You’re making progress, Eleni.” Calla beamed as she looked toward Kostas. “I’ve delivered many babies this way. I suspect three, maybe four, more pushes and the little one will be here. Dr. Kostas, want to catch the baby?”
“Absolutely.” Kostas stepped in front of Eleni where the edge of the bed had lowered to aid in the position and shifted so his hands were under Eleni. It was different from anything he’d done, but this was the reason he’d gone into obstetrics.
Caring for women and their children in these first few moments of life was a miracle. The love that appeared on parents’ faces when their little ones made their way into this world had gotten him through so many long days. It was his calling, and he’d never considered another specialty.
Delivering his brother’s child was a gift he’d never expected, but he was suddenly grateful that Ioannis had called him home.
The contraction started and the room focused on the little one they were waiting for. It took two more pushes, but when a head covered with a mass of dark hair emerged, Kostas looked up at Eleni. “There’s a ton of black hair.”
His sister-in-law smiled and bore down again. The little princess slipped into Kostas’s hands, and he nodded to Eleni. “Your daughter is beautiful.”
The queen let out a soft sigh, and a tear slipped down her cheek as her daughter let out a squeal.
Calla helped Eleni lean back in the bed then took the baby from Kostas and laid it on the queen’s chest.
“Zelia.” Eleni crooned as she kissed the top of her little one’s head. She closed her eyes, too focused on the baby to notice the delivery of the placenta.
After a few minutes, Calla tapped Eleni’s shoulder and asked if she could clean up the baby. Eleni reluctantly handed the newborn over, and Kostas finished taking care of Eleni.
“She’s beautiful.” Kostas whispered as he watched Calla wrap the baby.
“Of course she is.”
The child cradled in Calla’s arms made Kostas’s heart ache, but he pushed the desire away. If he was the bad boy of the royal family, and the women he cared for infiltrators, what would someone say of his children? Protecting them from all the camera bulbs, gossip and hurt wouldn’t be possible.
“You should take her to Eleni and Ioannis, Uncle Kostas.” Calla passed him baby Zelia, and he saw her swallow.
“Congratulations. She is beautiful.” Kostas handed the baby to Eleni and watched his brother lean over his wife to stroke his daughter’s sweet face.
“Looks just like her momma.” Ioannis’s voice choked up.
Kostas turned to give the family a few moments. Calla had disappeared, and he couldn’t keep the frown from his face. He moved without thinking, his soul needing to find her.
For reasons he didn’t want to spend too much time considering.
“Tell Calla thank-you for us.” Ioannis’s tone was soft. “And tell her I hope the ketchup tastes right soon.”
“Oh, my gosh...you ate without me! I knew I smelled hamburger on your breath. You better have one for me that you can warm up.”
“Enjoy your little one.” The banter between Ioannis and his wife floated around Kostas, and he was grateful that neither was focused on him.
He needed to find Calla.
Now.
She slipped into the quiet exam room and wrapped her arms around herself as she eyed the ultrasound machine. Calla looked at the door then back at the machine. If she was going to use it, now was the best time.
Kostas was busy with his brother, sister-in-law and new niece. She’d considered taking a pregnancy test, but she’d been so focused on the delivery that she was dehydrated. And she didn’t want to wait.
The machine hummed as she flipped it on and grabbed the gel for the ultrasound wand. Pulling the top of her scrubs down, she dropped a sizable dollop of gel on her abdomen and tried to pretend her hand wasn’t shaking as she lowered the wand. It took less than thirty seconds for her to confirm what she’d suspected when Ioannis had mentioned Eleni’s sudden hatred of clams.
The little bean was moving and shifting on the small screen. She was measuring at nine and half weeks...which matched her time with Kostas perfectly. Tears coated her eyes and her glasses fogged as she watched the movements. “I love you.” She whispered the words to her belly as she watched the little one dance on the screen.
No matter what happened next, no matter how Kostas reacted, or anything else, she was certain of one thing. She loved this little one.
Wiping away a tear, she tried to think of what to do next. How was she supposed to tell Kostas? Her bottom lip trembled. If this had happened with Liam, she knew he’d have accused her of trying to trap him.
How would Kostas feel?
Infiltrate the Royal Family... The ugly headline ran through her mind...as did her response to it. That brief statement of certainty uttered less than twenty-four hours ago. How was she supposed to deal with their questions? How was she to protect her child?
She ran her hand along the machine, touching the image and trying to calm herself. She could do this...had to do this. Her child was royal, but that didn’t mean anything to Calla. This was her son or daughter. That was all that mattered.
But it would matter to the world.
“Calla...”
She jumped as Kostas’s voice echoed in the small room. The ultrasound wand clattered to the ground and the image of her baby disappeared. How had she missed him opening the door?
Pushing the last tear from her cheek, she reached for the wand and flipped the machine off. This wasn’t the way she’d planned to tell him...well, she hadn’t known she was pregnant long enough to think of a way, but this would not have made any list.
Putting it off also wasn’t an option. Turning, she enfolded her arms at her waist. “Kostas...” Her mouth was dry and she mentally stumbled trying to find the right words to explain what he’d seen.
Kostas seemed frozen in place; the only movement, his mouth that opened and closed several times with no words escaping.
“Kostas,” she started again, “it’s going to be okay.” They were words she wasn’t one hundred percent certain of, but she relaxed a little just saying them. She’d find a way. No matter what.
“Are you... Calla...are...” His eyes shifted between the silent ultrasound machine and her.
“Pregnant?” She smiled as she finished his sentence. Then she took a deep breath. It was the moment of truth and she’d handle what came after.
“Yes.”
One little word, so tiny, that changed everything.
Kostas ran a hand through his hair then shifted on his heels. “Does our baby look healthy?”
A weight lifted off her shoulders at the simple question. There were no accusations behind it. Kostas looked surprised, shocked even, but not disappointed.
“It was dancing. I know it doesn’t realize it’s doing it, but for a second it looked like the little bean was waving.” She let out a nervous laugh as she gestured to the screen, as though the image of their spinning child was still on it.
He smiled as he took a step toward her. “Waving?” He looked at her face then down at her belly. “What a sweet thing.”
“Do you want to see?” Her hands shook. It was one thing to accept the truth, another to be excited, or happy.
“Yes.” He grinned as he grabbed the wand, cleaned it and then picked up the gel. “Do you want to add it?”
The final weight of tension lifted from her as she looked at the happiness on his face.
She couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face as she raised her shirt. “Go ahead.”
He dropped the gel on, then immediately moved the wand over her belly. The baby reappeared on the ultrasound screen, and she watched Kostas closely.
A range of emotions cut across his face. Shock, happiness, worry—all things she expected had crossed her features minutes ago.
“So what now?” The question tumbled into the quiet room and her heart flipped. They needed to figure things out, but it didn’t have to be right at this moment. They’d had a long day, were both high on emotions from Eleni’s delivery and the discovery that they’d be in the same position in eight months.
“We get married.”
She laughed. The chuckle echoing in the room as he flipped the ultrasound machine off and handed her a paper towel to wipe off the gel. “You can’t be serious.”
There were dozens of things he might have stated that wouldn’t have shocked her as much as that statement.
Kostas turned, his features anything but jovial. “Yes, Calla. We get married. You’re carrying a prince or a princess of Palaío. There is so much that comes with that. So many responsibilities.”
“Ones you want to run from! Our child will never sit on the throne of Palaío. Our child will be even farther down the line of succession.” The words spilled out; her fears gripping her as she tried to wrap her mind around all that had changed in the last few hours.
Kostas crossed his arms and raised his chin. In this moment, he looked just like the prince he claimed not to want to be. Determined. “You’re right that they will never sit on the throne, but they will always be royal. That is something they can never get away from, as I have so clearly demonstrated.”
His features softened as he sat beside her on the exam bed. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or the surprise of finding herself pregnant. Or maybe it was the weeks spent apart from the man she craved to be close to, but Calla couldn’t keep her head from leaning against his shoulder.
Kostas wrapped an arm around her and, for just a second, the world felt right. Like this was where she was meant to be. Like everything, even the disastrous five years she’d spent with Liam, had led her here. To Kostas.
“Calla, the baby will be in the line to the throne. I cannot change that. Nor can I change that people will talk, that cameras will chase them. Leaving the island gave me a feeling of freedom, but I dealt with my royalty there too.”
He squeezed her tightly. “Anyone they meet will discover the truth and that leads to people wanting to take advantage of them, or desperately seeking to join the fairy tale. I can protect them...and you.”
She hadn’t wanted the fairy tale, just Kostas. But she knew others who’d have been thrilled to play princess. Hell, the bride Liam had chosen had wanted to join his family because of the prestige of belonging to Seattle “royalty.” To a man whose family owned so much property and controlled so many politicians.
Calla had never cared, but that didn’t mean people wouldn’t think she had. Or treat her child differently because of their status.
And I can’t protect them.
It was a truth she didn’t want to acknowledge, but it didn’t make it less true. She was living in a furnished apartment. After setting aside a sizable portion of her paycheck to repay Liam, she had less than a thousand dollars to her name.
She shuddered and started to move away, but Kostas pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. Her body floated with need for the man.
“Marriage.” Calla whispered the word. Kostas could protect their child. Could give them everything Calla couldn’t. Her bottom lip trembled. This wasn’t how marriage was supposed to work. Wasn’t how she’d pictured accepting a proposal...
Though Kostas hadn’t proposed. He’d simply stated they would get married. It was too much after the day they’d had. She needed time to figure out her next steps. “I’m going to go home and get some sleep.”
She expected him to argue, to demand an answer to his statement. But he let her go.
“Good night, Calla.”
She heard the words as she raced from the room, her body letting her flee while her heart screamed for her to race back into his arms.