~LAYLA~
The first thing I noticed was the white walls, ceiling, and fluorescent lights that made squint. Everything was too bright, clean, and sterile.
"Ah, you’re awake." A woman’s voice, which sounded professional and kind. "Welco back, Mrs. O’Brien."
I blinked, trying to focus. My head felt heavy, like it was filled with cotton. A doctor stood beside the bed, holding a clipboard. She looked to be in her fifties, with kind eyes behind wire-rimd glasses.
Behind her, I could see Axel and the Duke, both standing near the wall and looking worried sick.
"What happened?" My voice ca out rough and scratchy.
"You fainted at the morial service," the doctor explained, moving closer to check my pupils with a small light. "Quite dramatically, from what I understand. You’ve been out for about twenty-five minutes."
"Twenty-five minutes?" I tried to sit up, panic rising in my chest.
The doctor gently pressed back down against the pillows. "Easy now. You’re still weak. Your blood pressure dropped significantly when you fainted."
She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around my arm, pumping it up and watching the gauge. "It’s better now, but still lower than I’d like."
"I’m fine," I insisted. "I just need to..."
"What you need to do is rest," the doctor interrupted firmly. "But first, I need to ask you so questions. Can you tell when you last ate a proper al?"
I tried to think about it, but my mind was foggy and slow. "I... yesterday morning, maybe? I had so toast."
"Just toast? Nothing else?"
"I wasn’t very hungry," I admitted, feeling foolish now.
The doctor frowned, making notes on her clipboard. "And today? Did you eat anything before the morial service?"
"No. I tried, but I couldn’t. I felt too nauseous."
"How long have you been experiencing nausea?"
"A few days. Maybe a week?" I glanced at Axel, who was watching intently with tight jaw. "I thought it was just stress. Everything that’s been happening..."
"Mm-hmm." The doctor made more notes. "And have you been drinking enough water? Staying hydrated?"
"Probably not," I confessed. "I’ve been so busy with everything, I just... I forgot."
"That explains the dehydration." She set the clipboard down and looked at seriously. "Mrs. O’Brien, I need to ask you a routine question. Given your symptoms... the nausea, the fatigue, the fainting... is there any chance you could be pregnant?"
The room went completely silent.
I felt everyone’s eyes on : the Duke’s knowing gaze, Axel’s sudden, complete stillness, and even the air in the room seed to hold its breath, waiting.
"Ah," the Duke said softly.
"Layla?" Axel’s voice was barely a whisper, rough with emotion.
I looked at him, really looked at him for the first ti in days. I saw the confusion in his eyes, the sudden spark of hope, and the fear of what my answer might be.
I’d planned to tell him after the morial, after we’d had ti to talk properly, to work through our issues. Not like this in a sterile dical room with an audience. Not when everything between us was still broken.
But looking at his face, I couldn’t lie. The lie died on my lips before it could even form.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I found out yesterday."
Axel’s face went through a dozen emotions in as many seconds. Shock. Joy. Confusion. Fear. "You’re... we’re..."
He couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.
"The test I ran while you were unconscious confirms it," the doctor said, glancing at her tablet with a small smile. "Congratulations. You’re about ten days along, possibly a bit more. It’s still very early."
She looked at seriously, her professional deanour returning. "The fainting was likely due to a combination of factors: morning sickness, low blood sugar, dehydration, and stress. Nothing imdiately concerning for the pregnancy itself, but you need to take much better care of yourself moving forward."
"What do I need to do?" I asked, my hand instinctively moving to my still-flat stomach.
"Eat small als regularly throughout the day, even if you don’t feel like it. Crackers, toast, plain rice... anything bland that you can keep down. Ginger tea can help with the nausea. Stay hydrated, that’s crucial. Drink water constantly, even if it’s just sips." She paused. "And try to minimise stress, though I understand that’s easier said than done given what I witnessed in that ballroom."
"Thank you, doctor," I managed.
"I’ll leave so pamphlets with information about early pregnancy care." She headed toward the door, then paused, turning back with a genuine smile. "Oh, and congratulations again. Despite the dramatic circumstances, this is wonderful news. Your first?"
I nodded, unable to speak.
After she left, the Duke cleared his throat. "I should check on Prince Leopold. Make sure the press situation is under control. Can’t have them storming the dical room."
He moved to my bedside and squeezed my hand briefly, his eyes warm. "We’ll talk later, my dear. Rest now."
He gave Axel a long, aningful look before leaving, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
And then it was just the two of us.
Axel stood frozen by the window, one hand gripping the fra as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. He stared at like I was a stranger, like he was seeing for the first ti.
The silence between us lasted a long ti.
"You found out yesterday," he said finally. "And didn’t tell ."
"We’ve barely been speaking," I said, hearing the defensiveness in my own voice. "And I needed ti to process."
"Process what?" His voice rose slightly. "That we’re having a baby? This is huge, Layla!"
"I know it’s huge!" I pushed myself up to sitting, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over . "Why do you think I needed ti? I’m pregnant, Axel. Pregnant while our marriage is falling apart!"
"Our marriage isn’t falling apart." He moved toward the bed but stopped halfway, as if unsure whether he was allowed to co closer or whether I even wanted him near .
"Isn’t it?" I looked at him, seeing the pain and confusion and desperate hope in his eyes. "We haven’t had a real conversation in days. I’m sleeping in a different room. I don’t even know if I can trust you right now."
Pain flashed across his face. "But you’re pregnant. We’re having a baby."
"Yes. And I don’t know what that ans for us."
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