Natasha's Awakening (49 page)

The door to her room opened and her Mother walked in. “Oh baby girl, you’re awake.” She cried and rushed over to bend, kissing Natasha on the cheek. “Mum.” She smiled. “Mum, do you think you could give Eric and I a minute?” She asked her eyes moving over to him as he sat bent over, his head on her hand, the warmth of his tears still wetting her skin. Her Mother’s eyes shot up when she saw the state he was in, but a part from giving Natasha a questioning look, she said nothing and left the room again, closing the door quietly behind her.

“Eric.” Natasha said his name softly. “Eric, come on, look at me.” She ordered and his head slowly came up from the bed to look at her. His gorgeous blue eyes seemed even more intense as he stared at her. His long lashes were sticking together from his tears and her heart melted looking at him. God he was so incredibly sexy but so screwed up in so many ways. How could the man who was such a brilliant business man be such an emotional and psychological mess? He was showing sides to himself Natasha never realised existed and it was both overwhelming, but exhilarating that he was comfortable enough around her to show this vulnerable side of himself.

He wiped at his eyes, suddenly seeming embarrassed that he had broken down in front of her. Natasha reached up to cup his cheek and pulled him towards her. He came willingly and she touched her lips to his. With a low groan, Eric covered her mouth with his, coaxing her lips a part so he could plunge his tongue into her mouth. Her hand moved to his hair again, running her fingers through the soft and silky strands. When Eric pulled away, his breathing was short and choppy.

There was a knock at the door which interrupted them and Natasha’s Mother stuck her head around the door. “Can I come back in now?” She asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Yes Mum.” Natasha smiled.

“Kathryn.” Eric nodded and Natasha watched as her Mother and Eric exchanged some kind of knowing look. What was going on with them?

“Ok you two, what’s going on?” She asked. Eric and her Mother exchanged looks again and neither seemed to want to tell her what was going on. Finally Kathryn took a deep breath and turned to face her daughter.

“Natasha the doctor is concerned about your health baby girl.” her Mother started. “You got severely dehydrated and malnourished.”

“Yes, but I’m ok now aren’t I? The babies are alright?” Natasha asked.

“Your babies are fine baby girl, but you’re not.” Her Mother took her hand. “You need lots of bed rest and you need to be built back up again. I can’t tell you how upset I am with you that you didn’t tell me or Eric just how sick you were. When was the last time you ate and kept the meal down?” Natasha’s Mother asked accusingly. Natasha sighed. She thought back, but she couldn’t remember when she had eaten last and not vomited it back up. “Oh Natasha.” Her Mother said when she saw her daughter’s expression. “How could you baby girl? What were you thinking? You could have died. Those babies are like parasites. It’s true.” She said, when she saw her daughter’s expression. “They are beautiful and a gift, but they take and take from you baby girl to grow. If you aren’t getting enough fuel into your body to cope, you put your health at risk and the health of your babies.” Kathryn explained. “If you don’t get enough going into your body, your babies will still take what they need and then you become ill. You should never have allowed it to get so bad. What were you thinking?”

“I’m sorry Mum. I didn’t know. I thought the morning sickness would go away eventually.” Natasha tried to explain, but her Mother wasn’t interested in her excuses.

“Well baby girl, since you can’t be trusted to take care of yourself, Eric suggested that you go and stay with him and I think it’s a great idea.” She said and Natasha’s eyes widened with surprise.

“What the hell Mum? I don’t need to stay with Eric. I’ll be fine. The doctor’s made me better now. I don’t feel sick anymore.” She tried to reason with her Mother.

“You feel better because the doctor has you on a drip baby girl to rehydrate you and get some nutrients into you.” Natasha’s gaze shifted to the tube snaking down from the bag that hung above her and disappeared beneath a bandage into the back of her right hand. Finally it was starting to sink in just how sick she’d been but still, stay with Eric?

“I can’t stay with Eric, Mum.” Natasha started to argue, but her Mother put up her hand to silence her.

“Natasha this isn’t open to discussion. Eric wants to take care of you. I think it’s a brilliant idea. He’s your babies’ Father, let him do this for you.” Kathryn’s tone was firm, not really giving her daughter an option.

“You’re coming to stay with me Natasha,” Eric joined in backing Kathryn and Natasha groaned.

“Eric be sensible, you have to work, so I’ll be alone anyway. I can take care of myself at home, seriously.” She argued.

“Baby, I can take time off work, I am the boss and you didn’t do so well taking care of yourself otherwise you wouldn’t be in here.” He argued.

“Don’t be ridiculous Eric you can’t take the next six months off work.” Natasha continued, her frustration rising at the set faces on her Mother and Eric.

“I don’t need to baby. I have a live in house keeper and Alice has been notified that you are coming to stay and that you will require full time care.” He told her. “Alice is more than prepared to look after you and I have told her I will pay her generously for the increased work load, so hit me with your next argument.” He said, amusement shining in his eyes as he watched Natasha grind her teeth at his answer to every point she tried to make.

“Well, I’ll need to pack a few things won’t I since you two aren’t going to listen to a damned thing I say.” She grumbled and Eric grinned at her, seeing the reluctant resignation on her face.

“No need baby. I’ve had your entire wardrobe moved to my home.” He said and Natasha exploded.

“What? Everything? How the hell can you fit everything? I have a lot of clothes and shoes. Not to mention toiletries. Eric you can’t have taken everything.”

He raised an eyebrow at her outburst. “Baby, it’s all there and it fits. I just put all your things in the guest room robe ok? There was nothing in it so don’t worry. This is all for your own good and it will give me peace of mind, not to mention Kathryn’s. Stop fighting it, you’re not going home. You’re coming with me when the doctor feels you’re well enough to leave the hospital.”

Natasha looked from Eric to her Mother and sighed. She was up against a brick wall with those two. She’d run out of arguments, they weren’t going to listen to her anyway and at this point all she wanted to do was bang their heads together for trying to take over her life. She wasn’t sure how she felt about living with Eric, seeing him every day. Ok, they’d been together all the time when they’d stayed at the hotel and at his home in Tasmania, but this was going to be different. They were going to live together like a couple and a part of her was terrified that she could get used to it then he’d find someone else and her heart would be destroyed forever but a secret part of her couldn’t help but feel excited about sharing each day with him.

“There’s no reasoning with you two is there?” Natasha looked between the pair of them and they both shook their heads. Damn, when had her Mother become Eric’s closest ally? “Well, how much longer do I have to stay here?” She asked.

“I’m not sure baby.” Eric answered. “I’m waiting for the doctor to come through so I can ask that question myself. The sooner I get you home, the better. You are never going to do to me again what you did when you fainted at my feet baby. You scared the hell out of me.” Her told her, a fleeting moment of fear in his eyes as he remembered what had happened when he’d called around to see her after getting back from his overseas business trip. “There is no way in hell I’m risking that again Natasha. You’re coming home with me and I’ll take care of you. When I have to work Alice will be able to tend to your needs. You’re not spending any more time alone baby.” Eric lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her palm. Her Mother watched the exchanged and she met her daughter’s eyes over Eric’s bent head.

“I told you so. He loves you.” She mouthed to Natasha and Natasha gave a small shake of her head, still thinking her Mother was nothing more than a hopeless romantic and reading more into Eric’s behaviour than was really there. Ok, he cared about her that much was obvious, but love? Natasha didn’t think so. Eric had never loved any woman he’d been with. She was different, she was pregnant and she was probably more challenging than the clingy women he was used to, but she didn’t fool herself that she was the one he couldn’t live without.

She yawned, suddenly feeling very tired again and her Mother took one look at her before suggesting that she try and get some sleep. “You’re body has been knocked around baby girl, you need to rest.” She said. “I’ll go now and Eric you should leave her too. Let the girl sleep.” She told him.

Eric’s expression became stubborn and set. “I’m not leaving her Kathryn but I agree, baby, you need to get some rest.” He said and Natasha groaned to herself. If this is how it was going to be living with Eric, he was going to drive her nuts.

                                                      ……………………………………………………………

Two days later Natasha’s doctor decided she was well enough to go home. “You were very lucky young lady.” He told her. “Your kidneys took a bit of a battering and it’s taken a lot to get you rehydrated. I’ll be sending you home with medication to control the nausea but hopefully you’re over the worst of it now. I want you to get plenty of bed rest and I want you to eat three well balanced nutritional meals each day. If for any reason the nausea becomes too hard for you to control, you are to call me. You don’t want to risk permanent kidney damage Miss Barrington or put those babies of yours at risk.” He warned her.

Once Natasha had her instructions from the doctor and listened to his lecture about taking better care of herself, she had a question for the doctor, but she was embarrassed to ask it. “I was wondering.” She half whispered “Will I be able to have sex?” Natasha asked, flushing bright red when the doctor’s eyes settled on her. “Of course Miss Barrington. You’re babies aren’t at risk. You are the one who has been ill, not that your babies were in danger. There’s no reason why you can’t resume a sexual relationship, if you feel up to it.” He assured her.

Eric and Kathryn came into the room after that and once her bag was packed Natasha was ready to leave the hospital. Eric helped her out of bed and when she tried to stand, she realised that she was still very weak. Her legs felt incredibly shaky and she clutched Eric’s arm for support as he led her from the hospital and out to the waiting limo. Natasha looked at him in surprise. “You brought the limo?” She said. “I thought you would have driven.”

Eric grinned. “I thought you’d be happier with the limo baby. More room for you and if I don’t have to concentrate on driving, I can concentrate on you.” He told her.

Natasha shook her head in amazement. “Eric I’m going to be sitting down, in a car, not doing anything. I think I could have coped without any supervision so you could drive. Seriously, what could have gone wrong?” She asked.

Eric laughed. “With you baby, I’m not taking any chances.” He said and helped her into the back of the limo. He slid in alongside of her and Natasha’s Mother hopped in too, sitting in the seat that faced towards the back.

“You’re coming to Eric’s too?” Natasha asked her Mother and Kathryn nodded.

“I won’t stay long baby girl, you need to rest, but Eric invited me over to see where you’ll be staying and to help settle you in.”

Natasha rolled her eyes at them both. “Is this how it’s going to be up until these babies are born?” She asked them. “You two treating me like an invalid?”

Eric reached out and pulled her against his side, tucking her head in under his chin. “Of course baby. You didn’t do such a good job of it when you were supposed to be looking after yourself.” He said.

“Exactly.” Kathryn agreed and Natasha fell silent. She might as well just go along with them. She couldn’t fight either one of them and together they were pains in her butt.

She gave up trying to convince them that she was a big girl now and all grown up and settled for looking out the window as they passed through suburbs of Sydney on their way to Eric’s home. She wasn’t even sure where he lived as she’d never had reason to know or go to his home for anything work related.

Eric’s home was at Point Piper. Right on the water with views over Sydney Harbour. When the limo pulled up at the front of a huge 3 level white cement rendered house, Natasha could do nothing more than gape at it. She could see it was an older home which at some stage had been fully renovated and modernized. There was a fountain in the centre of the circular driveway that led to the front door. The large heavy looking door was flanked by massive white columns and other columns supported the full length verandah that followed the entire front of the home. Two centrally located columns rose up to support another smaller verandah on the upper level of the house. There were arched shaped windows from the floor to ceiling and Natasha just stood staring at the house in amazement.

“Come on baby, this is your home now, don’t just stand there.” Eric took her elbow to lead her up the few wide stairs to the front door. Once he’d unlocked it, he stood back to let her and her Mother enter before following them in and closing the door behind him. Natasha stood in the entry, not game to move beyond it, but Eric put a hand to the small of her back and nudged her forward. “Baby, what’s wrong? Go and have a look around. You’re looking very nervous. I haven’t booby trapped anything sweetheart. It’s safe to move around you know.” He joked.

Natasha cautiously moved forward, not just because she was overwhelmed by the sheer luxury of Eric’s home, but because her legs were still a bit unsteady. She moved from the large foyer through into a long, wide living area that spanned the entire width of his home. Huge french doors opened onto a paved terrace with a large outdoor setting. She could see stairs running beyond that which disappeared down to a lower level. From the windows the views of Sydney Harbour could be seen.