The Doctor's Pregnant Bride? by Susan Crosby Page A

“It’s moving along. We’ve gone back five years so far. The statistics haven’t been analyzed yet, and I think Ted wants to take it back further before we do. To uncover patterns, if there are any, before he comes to any conclusions. He wants a once-and-for-all conclusion. Don’t you?”
    “Of course. So, let’s do this. I want you to free up more time, as much as you can manage. We need to get to the bottom of this now .” Her hands were clenched, her knuckles white.
    Sara Beth studied her, the way she wouldn’t make eye contact, the lack of a smile. “What’s going on? There’s more than just what Ted and I are trying to learn, which is bad, but not enough to stress you out to this degree.”
    “There are some money issues….” Lisa put her hands over her eyes and groaned. “Oh, God. I didn’t mean to say that. Sara Beth, you can’t say a word to anyone. No one.”
    “I won’t. You know I won’t.” Fear whipped through her—about the institute, her job, her future. Everyone’s future. They’d helped so many people to have babies. That couldn’t end.
    And then there was Ted, so close to making that dream a reality for even more people.
    “Do you need me to tell Ted that I’m increasing your hours?” Lisa asked.
    “I will. He’ll be glad.” She wished she could confide in her best friend, tell her about last Saturday and get her opinion. Tell her that Ted was on her mind all the time. All the time. Maybe the distraction would be good for Lisa, too. “Please come to Shots with me, Lisa. You need a break.”
    “Not tonight.” Her phone rang, and Lisa picked it up, signaling the end of their conversation.
    Sara Beth headed to the lab, urgency in her step, worried for Lisa, fearful for the institute…and anxious for the opportunity to get into the vault much sooner than she’d anticipated. Through the lab window she saw Ted and Chance in an intense discussion, not arguing, just extraordinarily serious. Chance didn’t smile once.
    She hesitated, then finally opened the door and stuck her head in. “Is this a bad time? Should I come back later?”
    “That’d be good. Give us ten minutes, please,” Chance said.
    Ted turned and looked at her but didn’t seem to register her.
    She backed out, letting the door shut on its own, and leaned against the wall beside it. It seemed everyone was having some kind of crisis. And secrets.
    Annoyed at being left out of the loop, she wandered away, deciding to get a cup of coffee from the break room. As soon as she’d poured a cup, she got a text message from her mother:
    Hvng wndrful tme. Styng xtra wk. Love.
    Which reminded Sara Beth that her mother had never sent an itinerary. She’d said that she wouldn’t be out of cell-phone communication range, so what more did they need?
    Which possibly meant her mother wasn’t where she’d said she was going. Maybe she was with a man. More secrets.
    She typed Have fun in the text box and sent it to her mother, not asking the questions she wanted to, not calling her, either, figuring it would go to voice mail.
    Sara Beth sipped her coffee. Her life had gone from routine to unpredictable. She’d wanted to recapture some adventure, but the fun-and-games kind, not all this serious stuff.
    After ten minutes, she returned to the lab, dumping her mostly full coffee cup, since food and drink weren’t allowed. Ted and Chance were standing next to the centrifuge. Chance elbowed Ted, as if trying to get him to laugh, so Sara Beth felt free to go inside.
    “Thanks for waiting,” Chance said.
    “No problem. Is everything okay?”
    “Yes,” Ted answered, still looking serious, but not grim—or somber, or whatever that was she’d seen on his face before. “Good morning, Sara Beth.”
    “Hi. I have good news.” She didn’t know what to do with her hands, so she slipped them into her pockets. “I’ve been cleared to give you a lot more time so that we can finish up as soon as possible.”
    “That’s