Her Secret by Tara Fox Hall

might have been because
of Rh factors in her blood and mine.”
    “We don’t know that I’ll ever heal enough to
even make it possible.”
    “You have the same levels of virus you had
before,” Theo countered. “Danial’s slip might be just enough to let
us become parents.”
    Had he let me get together with Danial
because he’d been hoping this would happen? Resentment filled me,
mixed with anger. “Theo, I think we should go for marriage
counseling.”
    “What?” he said, shooting me a startled look.
“Why?”
    “Well, let’s see,” I said sarcastically. “You
were apart from me for a few years, were with another woman you
wanted to marry, and then another you were living with—”
    “I didn’t live with Aspen,” he
interjected.
    “It was close enough, yet you married me
without telling her first.”
    “You told Danial after the fact, too—”
    My volume ratcheted up a few notches.
“Meanwhile, I had a baby with another man, and raised your child
with him. We’ve both been nearly killed at least six times since
we’ve gotten back together. We both still work for my ex, who I had
sex with earlier today. You think we might have some issues we need
to discuss?”
    “Sar, I wasn’t saying that we didn’t have a
lot going on—”
    “I’m not sure I want more children, ever,” I
said emphatically. “No matter if I’m capable or not.”
    Theo’s eyes stared at me, but he didn’t
speak.
    “Will you go with me, or not?”
    “Yes,” Theo said flatly. “We’ll make an
appointment sometime today, once I find out some names.”
    Dr. Camlyn came in, and gave Theo a smile.
“Good news! Your blood is compatible.”
    “How is she inside?” Theo asked.
    “Doctor, tell Danial to come back in before
you answer,” I said quickly.
    “Sar, as I told Danial earlier on the phone,
please feel free to address me as Stephen. We’ve been through
enough in the last few years to warrant a bit of familiarity.”
Stephen opened the door. “Danial, please come in.”
    Danial entered and took up his position at my
side, flashing me a grateful smile as he took my hand.
    “That’s a little harder to answer, Theo,”
Stephen said. “Sar’s blood was always a little unusual. I have some
early records of when she and Danial were first together. Back
then, her blood shows little change.” He shook his head, and smiled
ruefully. “I should’ve checked Sar’s blood virus levels as soon as
Danial and she got back together, as soon as he began trying to get
her pregnant. But everyone, including me, believed that even if Sar
got pregnant, that it would end as it had for everyone who had
tried it, with the baby aborting.”
    “Thankfully, that didn’t happen,” Danial said
stiffly.
    “I apologize for my assumption,” Stephen
replied. “If I’d checked her virus levels then, I’d have a better
reference point now. The day I verified she was pregnant, her
levels were off the scale. Some of that was probably the baby’s
doing, because of its nature. Though her blood had dangerous
concentrations of the virus all through her pregnancy, they
fluctuated and she remained unturned. It was only after Sar had the
baby that I began to fear for her. Instead of the level of virus in
her system plummeting, as I expected it to, it rose a little. It
was already above the turning threshold, well above. That’s when I
told Danial to stop exchanging body fluids with her.” Stephen
paused. “Given all of that, Sar’s current levels aren’t bad. She’s
lower than she was after giving birth, much lower. You’re slowly
going back to normal.”
    I let out a sigh of relief. Danial and Theo
began talking at once.
    “If she’s not exposed any more, when will she
be back to human?” Theo asked.
    “What can you prescribe to help both Sar and
I fight our urges?” Danial asked.
    Stephen gave me an encouraging smile. “At the
rate the virus levels are dropping, you’ll be back to normal by New
Year’s, Sar. You’re mostly