“Of course.” Hadley stood up and walked over to meet them. She gestured at the doctor. “Please, come in.”

“Thank you.” The doctor nodded politely and stepped inside.

Eric stayed close behind. But as he passed Hadley, he quietly linked his pinky with hers, his eyes steady on her face.

“What are you doing?” Hadley’s cheeks flushed, and she lowered her voice. “There are so many people here.”

She gave his hand a small, half-hearted tug. “I need to go back and stay with Elissa.”

“I know,” Eric said, lips pushing into a small pout.

Hadley raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Are you upset?”

“No.” Eric forced a smile and tried to play it off. “I’m not petty enough to be jealous of Elissa. I just missed you and wanted to hold your hand for a bit.”

The truth was, he hadn’t needed to come himself. Bringing the doctor was Quentin’s job. But Eric had taken it anyway, just for a few minutes near Hadley.

He leaned in closer and asked, “You haven’t forgotten about our upcoming date, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” Hadley assured him with a nod. “Don’t worry. I remember.”

“Good.” Eric, now satisfied, let go of her hand. “Go ahead and stay with her. I need to check in with Ernest. See you later.”

“Got it.” Hadley turned back and quickly smoothed out her expression. Elissa was grieving. The last thing Hadley wanted was for her to catch even a flicker of happiness on her face.

By the time she returned, the doctor had finished examining Elissa.

“How is she?” Hadley asked as she entered.

“It’s just normal pregnancy-related nausea. Nothing out of the ordinary,” the doctor explained calmly.

Elissa frowned. “But I wasn’t throwing up before.”

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“Every pregnancy is different. Such morning sickness can appear at any time—early, mid, or even late term. Some women deal with it the whole way through.”

Hadley, drawing from her own experience, spoke up. “Can you prescribe something for the nausea? Constant vomiting will wear her out.”

The doctor nodded. “Of course. I didn’t bring any medication with me, but I’ll write a prescription. Mr. Flynn can have someone pick it up later.”

“Thank you,” Hadley said with a grateful smile.

Once the doctor left, she turned back to Elissa. “Are you feeling any better?”

“A little.” Elissa nodded and propped herself up to stand. “It’s about time, isn’t it? We should head out.”

“Take it slow.” Hadley quickly moved to support her. “Lean on me.”

“Alright.”

Just as they were about to leave the lounge, Ernest and Eric arrived.

“Elissa.” Ernest stepped forward and reached out to take her from Hadley. “Let me help you.”

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