Emily's beach house
"How is she?" Daniel asked anxiously after the doctor had examined Emily.
"I gave her a mild sedative," he said. "She'll sleep for a while."
"And the baby?" Charlotte asked concerned.
The doctor looked at her thoughtfully. "That's what I'm worried about. Stress for the mother also causes stress for the baby, which can lead to a premature birth." He looked at Daniel sympathetically. "A baby born in the 24th week of pregnancy has little to no chance of survival."
"Can we help her somehow?" Conrad interjected.
The doctor nodded. "Now that you can never tell when she will get another memory flashback, it would be good if someone was around all the time. If she gets into this state of shock once more, medical help is required," he emphasized again.
"Maybe it would be better if she moved back into the manor." Charlotte quickly looked at her parents. "Mom, Dad, what do you think?"
"As far as I'm concerned." Victoria shrugged her shoulders casually. "She can sleep in the guest room again." She looked at her son. "Daniel, do you agree?"
He nodded tiredly. "Yes, I think it's better if she's not alone. I'm often busy in the editorial office and can't always leave immediately."
The doctor nodded contentedly. "Very well then. There is our solution." He looked at Daniel with a serious face. "It's important that every stress is avoided. She needs rest."
"Then the wedding falls through," Charlotte said visibly disappointed.
"It was a crazy idea anyway," Victoria interrupted, rolling her eyes. She threw back her long hair. "Do you already have a name for your son?" She turned to Daniel.
He shook his head mechanically.
"Well, I think you should find one soon, given the circumstances, that she can lose..."
"Victoria!" Conrad interrupted his wife. "I think we should leave Daniel and Emily alone now." He took her forearm. "And you, Charlotte, please come along, too!"
She nodded devotedly and then leaned forward to give her brother a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, Danny! Emily and the baby will be fine," she said consolingly.
"And I'll go, too," the doctor said, reaching for Daniel's hand. "If you need me, give me a call!"
"Can I ... see her now?" He asked reluctantly.
The doctor nodded. "Before she fell asleep, she had asked for you." He smiled. "I think she'll be happy to see you when she wakes up the next time."
Daniel exchanged a meaningful look with Charlotte. Both of them probably thought the same thing. Had Emily seen who shot her? When everyone had left, he went slowly upstairs to the bedroom. She lay there like Sleeping Beauty. Her long blond hair, fanning around her rosy face. She looked peaceful, presumably because of the sedative that the doctor had given her. He sat hesitantly on the edge of the bed and stared down at her. How could we go on with our lives when her memory would return completely? He asked himself. Would she still want to live with me at all? And what would happen to the baby? He carefully pushed the blanket back and laid his hand gently on her protruding belly. "I'm so sorry," He murmured. "It's all my fault." Startled, he jerked as Emily put her hand over his.
"Daniel?" She whispered asleep.
"I'm here." He held onto her hand. "How are you?" He asked, then, in a slightly trembling voice.
"I don't know ..." She blinked at the light. "Somehow ... dazed."
"It's the sedative that the doctor gave you," he said quietly. "You fell asleep afterwards." He gently caressed her forehead. "Can you remember what happened before?"
She nodded. "Yes, I suddenly had images in my head," she began hesitantly. "I believe those were memories."
"What kind of images?" He asked, noticing his heart beating faster with fearful anticipation.
"I don't know exactly ..." She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense much. But you told me how we got to know each other ..." She smiled all of a sudden. "I really spilled my drink over your jacket."
Daniel nodded, feeling his throat getting tight. What had she remembered? "Anything else?" He asked reluctantly.
"Nolan had told me I was in the juvie. I saw the prison bars in front of me and ..." She stopped short and looked up at him. "... blood," she stammered. "My hands ... full of ... blood ... and ... a boat and ... water ..."
She had that stiff look again, and Daniel could feel cold shivers running down his spine. She could remember, he thought. Although she didn't know who the shooter was apparently. He grabbed her arms and pulled her to his chest. "Stop it, please!" He begged urgently. "The doctor said that any kind of stress can hurt the baby!"
"I ... I can't control what I think," she said distraught, leaning against his chest. "But I don't want anything bad happening to the baby."
He laid her down gently. "The doctor said it would be better if you moved back into the manor. My parents agreed."
"But why?" She looked at him blankly. "I like it here in our beach house."
Daniel nodded, sighing. "Yes, me too. But there should be someone with you, when your memory comes back like that. You saw what happened now. And I'm not always there. My mother and Charlotte, on the other hand, are always available."
She nodded and placed a hand on her belly. "I'll do anything to protect the baby," she said firmly.
Daniel put his hand over hers. "I saw the baby names book on the bed." He smiled all of a sudden. "Have you and Charlotte found a name already?"
She shook her head. "No, not yet. But we're still working on it."
He got up and went to the wardrobe. "When you're over there in the manor, you have enough time to pick out a few suitable names. We both go through them and decide for one. "He pointed to the clothes. "Shall I pack some things for you?"
Emily sat up. "No, it's okay. I can do it myself." She looked at him thoughtfully. "What about the wedding?"
"Postponed." He looked at her sympathetically as he saw the disappointment in her face. "We'll catch up on it later. I promise! But at the moment the stress would simply be too much for the baby."
She rose and then put her arms around his neck. "You'll be a great father," she said softly, kissing him tenderly. "You're already protecting him."
"And you are going to be a wonderful mother," he returned the compliment and then kissed her again.
"Are you done with it?"
Startled, they broke apart as they saw Charlotte standing in the doorway. "Yes, we are." Emily slipped out of Daniel's arm and went to the wardrobe. "I'll pack a few things," she said, pulling out her travel bag.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?" Charlotte whispered to Daniel.
He nodded. "We're waiting downstairs," he called to Emily, before he left with Charlotte.
"Spill it out!" She said impatiently, when they were standing in the living room. "Does she know what happened on the wedding day?"
Daniel shook his head. "Not entirely. She remembers fragments, but nothing precisely." He sighed frustrated. "I hate myself for that! Quite frankly, Charlotte, I should be happy about the progress and instead I'm standing here and fear that I could lose everything."
She nodded. "You could lose everything," she emphasized. "What do you want to do now?"
He lifted his arms helplessly and then dropped them. "Nothing," he said. "I can't do anything but wait and hope she will forgive me."
Charlotte placed her hand on his shoulder. "She will forgive you," she said convincingly. "Only because of the baby."
He looked at her skeptically. He wasn't as certain of that as Charlotte. But he hoped she would be right. He raised his head as he saw Emily coming down the stairs with her baggage. "Give it to me," he said, taking her bag.
Charlotte gently took Emily's arm, and together they went over to Grayson manor.