Page 20 of Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno 4)

Rachel blinked her gray eyes, slowly. And then she stared. The air around her seemed to turn to water, muting sound and causing all physical movement to slow down.

Richard resumed his seat while Rebecca served breakfast.

When she served Richard, he leaned over and said something to her and she laughed.

Rachel blinked again and turned her head in order to examine Gabriel and Julia. They were oblivious.

Rachel’s eyes narrowed on her father.

A minute later, everyone at the table turned to look at her.

She bristled. “What?”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “I just said that we’re having Clare baptized this week, before you go home and Katherine returns to Oxford.”

“Great.” Rachel’s shoulders straightened.

“I hope Aaron will come.” Julia shifted closer to Rachel, a wide smile on her face. “We want you to be Clare’s godmother.”

Rachel nodded, but her expression grew clouded.

“Please eat while it’s hot,” Rebecca admonished with a smile. She turned to Richard. “I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee for you.” She took his mug and returned to the kitchen.

“Thanks, Rebecca.” Julia lifted a bite of casserole to her mouth and began eating.

“Rachel?” Gabriel interrupted her thoughts.

“You’re having Clare baptized Catholic, but I’m Protestant.”

“So?” Julia exchanged a look with Gabriel, who shrugged.

“We’ll make an appointment with the priest.” Gabriel sipped his coffee cheerfully. “And we’ll tell him not to bring up the Council of Trent.”

“Whatever that means.” Rachel rearranged the food on her plate, but not a morsel entered her mouth.

* * *

“My assistant sent over a copy of your chart and we rushed your blood work, so I have those results as well.” Dr. Rubio, Julia’s obstetrician, bustled into the examining room.

“I’m glad you were the obstetrician on call.” Julia sat nervously on the examination table, dressed in a hospital gown, while Gabriel cradled a placid Clare in his arms.

Dr. Rubio was an accomplished obstetrician of short stature who had dark hair that was striped with gray and dark, lively eyes. She was originally from Puerto Rico and was much tougher than her small frame made her appear. In fact, she had often clashed with Professor Emerson during Julia’s pregnancy, particularly over the medical directive that he not perform oral sex on his wife. (He had accused her of going to an anti-oral-sex college. She had cursed him in Spanish.)

“So, what’s happening?” Gabriel’s tone was grim.

Dr. Rubio sat in an available chair and faced Julia, holding her chart. “Your stitches are healing nicely and the lochia discharge is normal. I know you tend to faint at the sight of blood, and that may have played a role this morning.

“You have fibroids, as you know, and one of them was cut during your cesarean section. Because we had to give you a transfusion, I rushed your blood work just now in case you had a reaction. But your blood work looks fine.”

Julia breathed deeply. “What about the fibroids?”

“We’ll continue to monitor them, but as I told you, we aren’t inclined to remove them unless they become a problem. However, I’m concerned about your weight.”

Julia touched her slightly rounded abdomen. “My weight?”

Dr. Rubio leafed through the chart. “I reviewed your weight gain during your pregnancy. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight since the delivery, much more than normal. Breastfeeding uses up an extraordinary number of calories. Are you eating well?”

“She’s hungry all the time,” Gabriel interjected. “She seemed extra hungry this morning after she fainted.”