2
"You should go back."
The rain was hard now, the slick ground throwing up nasty brown sprays with every step.
Angela shook her head, winded. "Not... maxed out yet."
"Fine." Marc picked up the tempo like he always did for the last ten minutes, and was surprised when she managed to keep pace. The sit-ups and pushups had been hard on her, as were the meditation positions, but she hadn't complained once, and he'd enjoyed her quiet company.
Angela winced as she stumbled against a muddy rock, catching herself awkwardly, and masked her discomfort.
"You okay?"
She nodded, not using her breath for talking, and he frowned. "Damn, stubborn woman."
It made her smile, gave her the last bit of determination she needed to hang the full hour with him. When the pain began to radiate through her abdomen, she hid that too.
Marc knew she was struggling as they went over the garbage obstacle course he'd set up, but he didn't realize how badly until they hit the end and were done.
Angela closed her eyes, body suddenly cold and foreign, and she swayed on her feet, hands going out to clutch at the nearest support. Brady.
He saw her legs start to fold and swung her into his arms, ignoring her feeble protest as he headed for their vehicles. "Angie? You okay?"
She muttered something indecipherable, but gave a nod against his shoulder. "...can walk."
He ignored her mutters, putting her down only when he got to the door of her 4x4. Her hand grabbed at the handle for support, missed.
"Angie?"
Her lashes fluttered briefly, then she was falling and he was scrambling to catch her.
3
Marc's handsome face was the first thing she saw as she came to, and his deep frown sent Angela to other waking moments - of not knowing what to expect. Fear flashed in her eyes, and her hand tried to grab at her gun, before she controlled it. Brady wouldn't hurt her. She had to believe that.
Marc waited for the fog to leave her hazy eyes, relieved she'd woken so soon but still very worried. She looked weak, the heavy bags under her eyes purple and black, and he felt his heart clench. One of the things that caused her symptoms was pregnancy. If she was carrying her man's child, this had just gone from bad, to not winnable.
"I'm not."
Marc met her eye. "Say it again and mean it."
Instead of the anger he wanted, there was only unfathomable grief and he knew before she spoke. There had been another child. She'd been pregnant and her man still hadn't come.