Page 18 of Sheikh's Quarantine Triplet Baby Daughters

Diane

Dr Ramamurthy was a consummate professional. When Samyar entered the examination room right behind Diane with no intention of being pushed out, she only raised an eyebrow and gave Diane the consent forms that would allow him to be there.

“Do you think she's surprised?” Diane asked on the way back to her quarters, and Samyar offered her a wry smile.

“Dr. Ramamurthy cares about the people in the palace very much,” he said. “She's worked here since I was a young teenager, and she takes client-doctor confidentiality very, very seriously. No one will hear a word from her.”

Diane nodded, because the palace was already a bit of a fishbowl. If word got out that she was carrying Samyar's children, she couldn't imagine how fast the gossip would spread.

At the door of her rooms, Diane hesitated.

“You should come in,” she said finally. “We have a lot to speak about.”

Once they were alone, however, a silence fell between them, and Diane sat on the couch, not sure what to say. Samyar was keeping his distance, as if he didn't want to crowd her, but right then, she thought she could have used some crowding.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away,” she offered, breaking the silence.

“How long have you known?”

It wasn't an accusation, only a question, and that somehow made her feel worse.

“Um. A little over two weeks. Do you— do you remember the last time we spoke?”

She could actually see the revelation pass over Samyar's face.

“That day in the greenhouse,” he said. “When we.... you were carrying a bag from the pharmacy, weren't you? I just thought that was your lunch and – and we spoke about...”

“Yeah,” she said with a wince.

“Well, I can guess why you didn't tell me then,” he said. “But why not since? Did you not want me to know? Were you planning to keep it from me?”

“No... I don't know!” she burst out, wrapping her arms around herself. “There's just been so much, and you're you, and you have this enormous weight on your shoulders with the country and everything that is going on and—”

Wow, they hadn't been joking when they talked about pregnancy hormones, had they? She had gone from being a little frustrated to being on the verge of a crying fit, and oh God, but she could not be like this...

Faster than she thought he could move, Samyar crossed the space between them, coming to kneel in front of her. His large hands were a welcome weight on her shoulders, and he pressed his forehead to hers, a gesture so fraught with tenderness that it made her heart ache.

“Samyar...”

“Breathe,” he said softly. “Just breathe. That's all you need to do for me right this minute, all right?”

Somehow, the idea of breathing for Samyar worked. She took long easy breaths in concert with him, and when she looked up at him, the smile on his face, gentle as he could be and so sweet, made her smile in return.

“There,” he said. “Feeling all right?”

“Yes. Thank you, yes, that helped.”

He reached up to brush her hair back from her forehead, and the simple gesture was so filled with love and care that for a moment, they were the only things that mattered in all the world.

It wasn't true, of course. The world hadn't changed because of this discovery. She was the one that had changed, or perhaps more accurately, there were parts of her that hadn't changed. She might never change. She might feel this kind of desperate longing for Samyar forever, no matter what passed between them. Perhaps it was something commendable, something to write songs about, but she knew in her heart that a one-sided love would only ever end in pain.

Some of Diane's desperation must have shone in her eyes because Samyar looked at her with concern.

"Love, what is it?" he asked, his voice soft and sweet. "Tell me. Tell me what you need."

The answer to that question trembled on her lips, and she knew she couldn't say it, because if she said it, it would all be over. She also knew in that moment that she couldn't stop herself from saying it either, and so she simply leaned forward and kissed him.

There was a single moment where she could feel Samyar pull back. He might have done it from surprise or from disgust or from any number of things, but the next moment, his hands had come up to cradle her skull and he was kissing her back with all the tenderness and passion that Diane had ever dreamed about.

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