Ruthless (17 page)
Authors: Shelia M. Goss
Chapter 39
Sheba lounged around in bed. The door opening startled her. She had been at David's for two months, yet she still wasn't used to having someone available to her to help her do everything.
“Ms. Bathsheba, you have a guest downstairs. She says she's your sister,” one of the maids said.
“Send her up please,” Sheba said.
She hadn't told David that Delilah would be visiting, so she hoped he didn't mind. He did tell her prior to her moving to Dallas that she could have visitors. Besides, David had been out of town for the last few nights and their conversations over the phone had been brief. She slid out of the bed. Her hand automatically went to her belly. She had more than a pudge. It was obvious to anyone looking at her that she was pregnant.
Sheba went to the bathroom to freshen up. When she returned, Delilah was sitting in the long chaise near her window. They hugged and exchanged greetings.
“You're glowing,” Delilah said as she pulled back from her to get a good look.
“Dallas air agrees with me.”
Delilah looked around the room. “You were not lying when you said this place was like a mansion.”
“David didn't spare any expense.”
“To think he was living here all by himself. I knew he had bank. From now on, I'm calling him King David.”
Sheba laughed. “His head is already big enough, so please don't call him that.”
“Doing good, li'l sis. You're doing real good.”
Sadness swept across Sheba's face. Delilah apparently noticed, because she said, “What's wrong?”
They each sat on the chaise.
Sheba said, “I feel bad about my pregnancy. I'm excited about this baby. David's been a sweetheart, and I'm enjoying his company.”
Delilah placed her hand over the top of Sheba's. “Uriah's gone. There's no sense in you sitting around in Shreveport, moping, when you can be here and be treated like a queen.”
“But I don't deserve all of this. I cheated on my husband, and I'm having another man's baby.”
“A man who seems to adore you. Do you know how many women wish their baby's daddy would set them up like this? You're living the life of royalty, so, Sheba, stop complaining.”
Sheba heard what Delilah said, but it still didn't make her feel comfortable to enjoy life after losing her husband only a few short months ago. “Things would be so much different if Uriah was alive.”
Delilah reached her hand out and gently rubbed her belly. “You would have had to tell him about this little one. This may sound morbid, but at least he was spared the pain of knowing you were bearing another man's child.”
Sheba could always count on Delilah to keep it real with her. “I think I'm cursed,” Sheba admitted.
“Why do you say that?” Delilah asked.
“This pregnancy is wearing me out. I thought the morning sickness should have subsided by now, but it hasn't. It's like the baby is playing tug-of-war in my belly.”
“What does the doctor say?” Delilah asked.
“He's confined me to bed rest, like the one in Shreveport did. I can't take too much more of it. I'm just having to bear with it. I look at it as my punishment, so I'm trying not to complain.”
“Oh, Sheba, don't look at it like that. Having a child should be a joy. There are plenty of women who wish they could have children.”
“I wish you were having this one,” Sheba said.
“You don't mean that. Give it some time.”
“Lord, forgive me. I love my baby. I really do. I just hate that Uriah's not the father.”
“How's David been treating you?” Delilah asked.
“Like a queen. He's giving me my space, but he's attentive to my needs at the same time. I've actually gotten a chance to know him, and if the memory of Uriah didn't stand in the way, I could see myself falling in love with him.”
Delilah placed her hand on top of Sheba's again. “I see me coming here was perfect timing. Let's look at your situation. If David wants to be more than just your baby daddy, give him a chance. Look around you. Do you really want to give up all of this?”
“I'm not into material things.” Sheba knew that was a lie the moment she said it.
Delilah did, too, and that was why she laughed. “Not Ms. Got-To-Have-It-Even-If-It's-Not-On-Sale. I'm Delilah. You can keep it real with me.”
Sheba whispered, as if someone else could hear them. “Okay, I have to admit that I love the fact that I can buy any and everything I want without having to worry about how much it costs. Since I'm really not supposed to be on my feet much, guess what happens? David sends personal shoppers here, and I just tell them what I want.”
“Say what? So someone actually has a job to shop. I need to apply for that position.”
Delilah and Sheba laughed.
“Check out my walk-in closet.”
Delilah got up and went into her closet. She walked out, holding a nice evening gown. “This would make me feel like a princessâcorrection, a queenâbecause you know I'm the queen in my world.”
“That you are, sis. But I wore it only once, because the next week my stomach had grown.”
Delilah twirled it around. “You don't mind if your older sis borrows this, do you?”
“You can have it. In fact, the clothes on the left side, you're welcome to them if you want them. It'll be a while before I can fit into them again.”
“I feel like a kid in the candy store. I want them all,” Delilah said.
Sheba and Delilah spent the rest of the morning talking and laughing. David called to alert Sheba that he wouldn't be returning until next week, so the two sisters were home alone.
Over dinner one night, Delilah said, “I hate to bring this up, but I think you should know that your in-laws are all convinced that you're pregnant and the child isn't Uriah's.”
Sheba shrugged her shoulders. “It's that Joyce. If she had kept her mouth closed and had stayed out of my business, folks wouldn't be talking.”
“You leaving Shreveport when you did didn't help the situation, you know,” Delilah said.
“Right now the most important thing to me is my baby. Those gossiping heifers can say what they want.”
“That's the spirit. I've never cared about what folks say about me. Most of the time, it's just jealousy, anyway. So what if Uriah's not the father? He's gone on to glory now. You just worry about your baby and yourself. Let them deal with the aftermath.”
Sheba wished it was as simple as Delilah thought it was. The truth was, she did care what folks said. She didn't want them to look at her in a negative light. She wanted to hold on to her upstanding position in everyone's eyes. She didn't want Uriah's memory marked by the shame of her infidelity.
Delilah and Sheba didn't discuss the rumors floating around Shreveport anymore and enjoyed each other's company for the rest of Delilah's visit. Sheba felt sad when it was time for Delilah to return to Shreveport. She had been there a week, but now it was time for her to return home.
“I wish you could stay longer,” Sheba said after hugging Delilah.
Delilah and Sheba hugged one last time before she left. Sheba watched her get in the car. The house now felt empty. Delilah's visit had made her see that she had to move on. She would never forget Uriah, but she had to provide a family for her unborn child. It was time she moved on and gave David a chance.
Chapter 40
David eased his chair into the upright position after his pilot announced over the intercom that they were about to land in Dallas. He had purposely kept his distance from Sheba these past two months. It was becoming harder and harder to do so as he watched his baby grow in her stomach. He loved Sheba and the baby more than anything else in the world.
His butler had alerted him that Delilah had been there for a week. He was glad that Sheba hadn't been home alone. He sometimes wondered how she coped when she was there alone. They had developed something of a friendship. Sheba rarely gave him attitude, like she had when she first moved there or before. Now they had civilized conversations and spent time not just talking but also laughing together. Sheba had introduced him to a world of reality TV, and he had introduced her to his world. She had adapted to the life of the rich quite well.
He hadn't seen her in two weeks, so he couldn't wait to get home to at least hug her. She did allow him that luxury. He had been tempted to kiss her so many times, but he didn't want to ruin their newfound relationship.
About an hour later, his driver pulled up to his house. After showering, David went to Sheba's room. He called out to her but got no answer. Her door was ajar, so he walked in her room.
David panicked when he saw Sheba passed out on the floor next to the bed. He rushed to her side and scooped her up. “Sheba, oh no! What happened? Somebody call nine-one-one!” David yelled.
The maid rushed in. “Mr. King, what happened?”
“I don't know. Have the driver come back out front. I'm rushing her to the hospital myself. We don't have time for an ambulance to come.” David rushed downstairs while carrying Sheba in his arms.
On the way to the hospital, David prayed. “God, please don't take the two most important people away from me.”
The driver broke all the traffic laws but got them to Presbyterian Hospital safely.
“I found her passed out, and we need to see a doctor right away,” David explained to one of the emergency room nurses. He watched as they placed Sheba on a gurney.
“Does she still have a pulse?” the nurse's aide asked another nurse.
She has to be all right
, David thought to himself. “She's pregnant,” David told the nurse.
, David thought to himself. “She's pregnant,” David told the nurse.
“Sir, just stand back,” one of the nurses said.
“Does she have insurance?” one of the hospital staff asked.
David pulled out his Visa Black Card. “This should take care of any expenses.”
The clerk took David's card and handed him some papers. “Fill this out please.”
After David filled out the papers and got his Visa Black Card back from the clerk, he went to the waiting room. Unable to sit still, he paced back and forth. He checked his watch every five minutes. He was impatient. He walked up to the nurses' station.
“Can you give me an update on Bathsheba Richards?”
“Let me check.” The nurse scanned through the computer. “She's been taken to a room. You can go straight through those doors.”
David didn't breathe until he saw Sheba. By now she was awake. He rushed to her side. “Sheba, I was so worried. I found you passed out by your bed.”
She looked at him with sleepy eyes. “I don't know what happened. I felt queasy, and when I got up to go to the bathroom, I got dizzy. I tried to make it back to the bed, but I guess I must have fallen before I could.”
David reached for her hand. His eyes filled with tears. “I thought I had lost you and the baby.”
Sheba said, “I'm fine. But I don't know about the baby.”
The doctor came into the room at that time. “Mrs. Richards, your sugar dropped. That's why you passed out.”
“My baby?” Sheba asked.
“Well, things aren't looking too good. You were dilating.”
“I can't be. It's too early.” Sheba started crying.
David squeezed her hand to let her know he was there.
“Mr. Richards, she's going to need round-the-clock care.”
David looked up at the doctor. “I'm David King, and I'll make sure she gets it. In fact, I would like to find out how I can get a private nurse.”
The doctor said, “Are you
the
David King?”
the
David King?”
“Yes.” David was annoyed. It wasn't about who he was. Right now he needed to make sure that his child, whom Sheba was carrying, was going to be okay.
“I'm sure I can get someone reliable to come out to your house and check on her daily.”
David looked at the doctor. “No, you don't understand. I need someone to come stay with her until the baby is born. I'm willing to pay whatever it costs.”
The doctor pulled out a card and wrote a number down. “Then, this is who you need to call. She'll be able to get you someone.”
“Thanks. I'll make sure I leave a sizable donation to this hospital,” David said.
“Thank you, Mr. King.”
David's attention was now back on Sheba. He wished he could wipe the sadness from her face. “Sheba, I know I said I wasn't going to pressure you, and this is the last place I had planned on doing this, but in light of almost losing you and our baby ... I want to know if you would do me the honor of being my wife. Bathsheba, will you marry me?”
Sheba squeezed David's hand. She blinked her eyes a few times. “Yes, David.”
David had to ask her to repeat herself, because her response surprised him. “What did you say?”
“David, I'll marry you,” Sheba said, with a gleam in her eyes.
David didn't realize he had been holding his breath. He exhaled loudly. “Sheba, I promise you will never want for anything. You and our child will be well taken care of.”
Sheba said, “All we need is your love.”
David touched his heart. “You already got that. I love you, Sheba. I always have. From the moment I laid eyes on you.”
David planted a kiss on her mouth. Sheba kissed him back.
The nurse walked in. “Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt anything.”
David smiled. He was finally getting the woman he wanted. Sheba would be his, and now he had to make it official. While the nurse helped Sheba get dressed, David sent Nathan a text message, informing him of his upcoming nuptials. David wanted Nathan to marry him and his queen.
David said a silent prayer to God, thanking him for saving Sheba.
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