The Sheikh's Miracle Baby Daughters Read online

  “Why? You didn't even believe me before.”

  “Well, unfortunately we will still have to prove the truth of your claims. That's what the doctor is waiting for. But I believe you now.”

  “What changed—? You know what, no, I don't care. What makes you think you have the right to kidnap me? I am an American citizen—”

  She saw Khaliq's green eyes go opaque and turn to stone. Her words trailed off, and she suddenly felt very cold. There was something remorseless about Khaliq's expression just then. It told her that she did not want this man as her enemy.

  “You may be an American citizen. If your children are mine, as you say and as I now believe, they cannot be.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You're carrying in your body right now the possible heirs of Beian, my heirs. The future leaders of my country. If they are to fulfill their destinies, they must be born on Beian soil.”

  Frannie stared at him. “Heirs, destiny... What the hell? You're speaking like you're in some fantasy novel.”

  “I am speaking like the ruler of Beian. Our ways are not the ways of the West. My family has been given a sacred trust to care for Beian. I will not let my responsibility go so very easily.”

  “They're just babies! They're not even babies yet!”

  “And yet, here we are.”

  Frannie felt very cold. In the face of Khaliq's declaration, she suddenly sensed how truly small she was and how powerful he was. She had no choice, and that meant her daughters didn't either.

  “You're a monster. You didn't ask my permission at all. You just...kidnapped me.”

  A trace of something that might have been regret flickered across Khaliq's eyes, but he nodded. “I am afraid so. I hope in the time to come that you forgive me.”

  “How can I do that?”

  She couldn't look at him in that moment. Instead, she heard him rise, felt his eyes on her. When he spoke, there was something soft in his voice.

  “By remembering that I am the father of your children, and I swear to you that I will do my utmost best by you and by them.”

  A part of her wanted to demand how in the hell he could say that when he had literally kidnapped her just a few hours ago. She felt naked without her phone, her passport, all of the paperwork that allowed her to travel through the world as a United States citizen with proper documentation. Right now, no one in the world knew where she was. Since she had taken a leave of absence from Lombard, no one would even notice she was gone from work.

  “I don't believe you,” she whispered, and she looked up just in time to see Khaliq flinch.

  “You will.”

  He walked to the door of the bedroom, and when he closed it behind him, she was alone.

  ***

  Frannie realized she must have slept longer than she thought. In just a few hours, she was watching the sun rise from the window. She felt as if she were made of wood and stone. She had slept for hours, but she felt exhausted. She hadn't cried any more, but it felt as if she had.

  The plane landed, and Frannie waited for what would come next. Surely there was someone she could appeal to. Could she make a scene at the airport? Could she contact the American embassy in Beian?

  Frannie could hear soft voices in the next room, and she stood. No matter what was coming, the last thing she wanted to do was to face it rolling around and messy in her bed. She was painfully aware of the fact that she was still dressed in the drab dress she'd worn to the clinic, that her hair was hanging limp and greasy around her ears, that her eyes were likely red from all the crying she had been doing.

  To her surprise, instead of Khaliq, the person who entered was a short, gray-haired lady with glasses and a friendly smile on her face. She wore a familiar white coat, and she greeted Frannie with a friendly wave.

  “Good morning, my dear. You can call me Dr. Rai. Khaliq has asked me to come and do a preliminary examination for you. Anything more complicated we can handle at my clinic back at the palace, but it's good to get a baseline.”

  “Baseline? But I'm fine... Is he just worried from how out of it I was with the anti-nausea pills?”

  Dr. Rai's face grew stern. “Yes, and he was right to be so. That was an exceedingly strong dose. There is nothing a good doctor should give a woman pregnant with twins that should have acted that strongly on you. Here, come sit at the table with me, please.”

  As Dr. Rai took her pulse, temperature, and blood pressure, Frannie felt some of her panic and fear about the situation ebb away to be replaced with a fear about the medication she had taken. Was it really too strong? Had she hurt her babies? Suddenly, she felt even more helpless than she had, and very young.

  “Well, your blood pressure is higher than I like to see it, but... Oh my, dear, why are you crying?”

  “I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this, it's just all the hormones, and the nurse at the clinic said that my nausea was just normal, but I insisted, and maybe she wouldn't have given me anything that could hurt my babies if I hadn't insisted...”

  Frannie gasped with relief when Dr. Rai took her in a firm hug.

  “There, dear, it's all right. It's all right, I promise. The nurse was perhaps more liberal than I would prefer with a drug like that one, but you only took a single dose, and it is out of your system now. The chance that you did any harm to your children is very small. I was more concerned about what it might do to your pulse and blood pressure.”

  “They're all right?”

  “Very likely. As I said, I can learn more at the clinic where we will do a full examination. When was the last time you were fully examined?”

  “Um, maybe last month at the ultrasound? That's when I learned I was having two girls.”

  “All right, then it's high time you were examined. Don't worry, my dear. I am in general practice, but I have worked with some of the best midwives in the country. We will see you right as rain.”

  Frannie felt almost faint with the relief that coursed through her. For a moment, she was nearly grateful for Khaliq's care, but then she straightened up, shaking her head. She was not going to be grateful for the sheikh of Beian kidnapping her. She refused.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Frannie

  The examination was thorough, and it was clear from the way that Dr. Rai worked with Melani, the midwife, that the two were consummate professionals. Somehow, even while the examination was going on, they managed to make Frannie feel completely comfortable and at her ease.

  That ease was only threatened when Dr. Rai produced a long needle.

  “Wait, what's that for?”

  “For a DNA test, my dear. Do not worry, it is perfectly safe. This test is normally not available until after birth, but we are dealing in a slightly more advanced environment, you understand.” Dr. Rai paused. “Do you not consent to this procedure?”

  “What would happen if I refused?”

  “Then it would not be done. I may be a subject of the sheikh, but I am still a doctor. However...I do know something about your position. Would it be better if the truth were known?”

  Frannie knew in her heart that this entire situation was not going to go away if she simply refused the test. It would only make the doubt stretch out further. She lifted her chin. After all, she had done nothing to be ashamed about.

  “Yes, you're right. Please proceed.”

  As. Dr. Rai promised, the DNA sampling was nearly painless. Afterwards, the only indication it had happened at all was a small Band-aid on her abdomen.

  “You did very well, my dear. Now all you need to do is rest.”

  Of course, that was much more difficult when an older man and older woman burst into the room just as Frannie was getting dressed again. She yelped, taking a step back, and the older woman, gray-haired, thin, and with heavy gold jewelry hanging from her neck, fingers, and ears strode forward.

  “You! Are you the London girl?”

  For a moment, Frannie was confused. She was American, but then her brain caught up. “Um, ye
s. I'm Frannie. I was in London just a little while ago...”

  The woman stood back and raked Frannie up and down with one of the most scathing glances she had ever felt. Somehow it made her feel both about an inch high and incredibly defiant.

  She started out in Arabic, but when she switched to English, it wasn't as if the sentiment got friendlier.

  “Look at this! This woman, this seductress thinks that she is carrying the heir of Beian! She comes slinking in in the middle of the night like a jackal carrying offal in its jaws!”

  “Begging your pardon, ma'am, but I was kidnapped. If it were up to me, I'd still be in London figuring things out.”

  The woman glared at her. “You expect me to believe you? You seduce my son, and then you trap him with a hope of children? There is nothing lower than a woman who lies about her children.”

  “I seduced no one! And I am not lying!”

  “Silence, it does not do for women to speak so in the presence of the former queen.” The man spoke at last, and for a moment, Frannie was shocked by the fact that his eyes were the same translucent and lovely green as Khaliq's. Where Khaliq's eyes were kind, though, this man's gaze was scornful.

  Frannie glared at him. “Then the former queen shouldn't come barging into a hospital room shouting at a woman who's been in the country for less than a full day!”

  Obviously neither man nor woman had thought she would dare do something as crass as speak up for herself. They stared at her with shock, and a laugh rolled through the room like a summer breeze.

  “I could have told you not to pick on an American girl,” Khaliq said, coming in. “You'll find that Americans tend to shout right back when they think things are unfair. One of my favorite things about them.”

  Frannie stayed silent as the pair started speaking at once in rapid-fire Arabic. She could get the gist of it, anyway. So what if she had made an ass of herself in front of Khaliq's relatives? They had made asses of themselves to her.

  She had to admit that she had a bit of anxiety as Khaliq raised his hand for silence. She was still in a foreign country with no allies, and she had a feeling she might have made two very powerful enemies.

  When Khaliq's male relative continued to speak, Khaliq's eyes narrowed.

  “Enough!”

  His mother and relative jumped, and he glared at them. Even when it wasn't focused on her, Frannie shivered.

  “This woman is my guest. She may be carrying the heir of Beian. She may not. In any case, she will be kept comfortable, respected, and honored. If you cannot speak to her kindly, do not speak to her.”

  His mother started to speak, but under the weight of her son's glare, she fell silent. Without another word, she swept out, the man on her heels, and it struck Frannie that the pair looked more chastened than angry or resentful.

  Khaliq sighed. “I'm sorry. I would have prepared you for my mother and uncle, but there really is no preparing for either of them.”

  “I think they called me a rather lot of unpleasant names.”

  “They will not be doing so again. That I promise you.”

  She eyed him warily. “This isn't some kind of plot, is it? Some kind of good cop, bad cop routine? Because I'm still angry with you....”

  “You should be furious with me. I know that.”

  That frank and simple admission shocked her more than anything else could.

  Khaliq smiled at her, just a little with half his mouth. “Will you come walking with me?”

  “Does it matter if I say yes or no?”

  Khaliq nodded. “I deserve that. If you say no, you may stay where you are. Dr. Rai and Alima, the head of my household staff, can help you get settled. They are very competent, and you will not want for care.”

  Having the choice calmed her a little. Having a choice at all made her feel more in control, even if she knew that control could be wrested away from her in a heartbeat.

  “All right. I'll come with you.”

  Like some kind of knight in a fairy tale, Khaliq offered her his arm, and bemused, she took it. She knew from the way he paused that he felt it too, that electric current that ran between them and could shock them so thoroughly when they weren't expecting it. The night they had spent together hung over them like a specter that neither of them wanted to accept or look at.

  They walked from the completely modern clinic into another world. The sheer luxury of the royal palace of Beian made Frannie's eyes open wide, from the gorgeous tapestries on the walls, to the marble floors, to the high and lofty ceilings. They walked along a hall where one wall was entirely glass, and Frannie paused with awe at the lush green gardens beyond.

  “Did you think all of Beian was deserts?”

  “Er, maybe a little. Sorry. But those gardens are amazing.”

  “They are something of a family heirloom. One of my ancestresses started it centuries ago with saplings and flower seeds taken from northern Africa and southern Europe. Each generation has added something, even if it was just another few trees or flowers.”

  “You should all be very proud. It's gorgeous.”

  “I was going to take you to your rooms, but would you like to see?”

  Frannie could feel her body's immediate response to the idea of being alone with Khaliq, which shocked her. She hadn't thought of anything in that vein for months, but now apparently when her nausea had backed up, when she had finally gotten some sleep, things seemed very different. As much as her body thought it would be amazing to be with Khaliq in a dim place with a bed, she quickly decided that was not going to do any favors.

  “Um, yes. I would love to see the gardens.”

  To her surprise, Khaliq merely stepped forward and opened one of the enormous windows. There was a drop of some five feet to the soft green grass below, and Khaliq leaped down before turning around to face her.

  “That seems a little high...”

  “Sit down on the ledge. I'll help you down.”

  For a moment, she wanted to say no, but then something told her to do as he said. It wasn't fear; instead, it was a strange feeling of joy and pleasure. Something in her, wrong as it was, felt that she was right back where she belonged, and she slid down on the ledge, letting Khaliq bear her gently to the ground.

  For a moment, they were very still, Frannie's hands on Khaliq's broad shoulders and his hands securely around her hips.

  Good...he feels so very good...

  The electricity was still present, but there was a low and lovely heat to it, something at once enduring and urgent. She wondered for one mad moment what it would be like if she cupped the back of his neck with her hand, pulled him down for a kiss...

  Disaster. Just disaster.

  Self-consciously, she stood back, noting a moment of wistful longing from Khaliq as she did so.

  “So you were going to show me your garden?”

  “As you wish.”

  Frannie was grateful for the chance to stretch her legs and be outside of the clinic and the pain, but she tired quickly. Soon enough, she was slowing down, and when they came across a low stone bench, she sat down on it. Instantly, Khaliq was kneeling by her side, a frown of concern on his face.

  “Are you all right? Did I push you too hard?”

  His earnestness made her laugh a little. “No, I just tire faster than I used to. It's funny, you know.”

  “What is?”

  “You're so...kind and considerate right now. If I told you I need to be carried to bed, I bet you would.”

  “Of course.”

  “And yet you loaded me on a plane as if I were just a piece of cargo.”

  “Frannie...”

  “You know that I've got nothing in the world, and you use that against me to make me do what you want. You didn't even ask.”

  He at least did her the courtesy of nodding. “I did all of those things.”

  “And yet, you are still so kind. You defend me from your mother and uncle. You take me walking, and you look at me like—” She broke off, and Kh
aliq looked at her inquiringly.

  “Like?”

  “Never mind. But it's like you're two different people.”

  “Sometimes it feels like I am. I am both the sheikh and a man. Most of the time these things do not quarrel. Sometimes they do.”

  “Does the sheikh always win?”

  “For the sake of my country, yes.”

  Khaliq sat back on his heels, and a small part of Frannie's mind noted that he was kneeling in front of her. It felt beyond strange, that such a powerful man should be on his knees in front of her.

  “That is the crux of it, isn't it? If I were merely a man, I would have acted differently. I am not, so I did what I had to do. You must realize how important this development is for my country.”

  “And you need to realize that I am going to be a mother, and I will not let you take my children. I am not of Beian. I am not your subject or your wife, or your girlfriend.”

  “I know that. So what I want to do is to appeal to you as a mother.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Khaliq hesitated, and in a flash of insight, Frannie realized why.

  He was holding back because he didn't want to embarrass her, and something about that made her warm towards him. Frannie reminded herself that she could not really afford warmth towards Khaliq right now, however, and gave him a direct look.

  "Come on. I've already been kidnapped. What else could you tell me that would be as bad?"

  "Very well. I saw your apartment, and I know something about the neighborhood you lived in. Is that a place where you want to raise your children?"

  "It's a place where children live."

  "But can you honestly tell me that's what you want for them?"

  Pride warred with truth, and finally Frannie had to shake her head. "No."

  "And the care that you received...the medication allowed me to kidnap you, but they could also have led to you falling or to a medical emergency. Is that the care you want to give the children in you now?"

  "You know it's not."

  "Then...let me give you that care."

  "Khaliq..."

  "Listen. No matter what Dr. Rai says, no matter whose children you carry—"