Chapter 31

Half an hour later, Liz woke up startled, asking about her father, and saw a man sitting in the chair holding her hand. She closed her eyes and opened them again, not believing what she was seeing. Suddenly, she realized that Henry was by her side, holding her hand and asking how she was, saying he would call the doctor to let her know she was awake.

Liz asked him to stay by her side and not leave her alone. "What are you doing here?" she asked, still half asleep.

He replied that after they talked and she told him about her father, he got worried, bought a ticket for the earliest flight he could get, and came to be near her. When he arrived at her parents' house, her aunt told him where they were, so he came to be by her side in case she needed him.

At that moment, she realized she was in a hospital bed. Frightened, she asked, "What happened? Why am I in this room? I need to see my father." Liz said anxiously. Henry replied that she had fainted but had already been treated. She became even more worried and panicked, remembering her pregnancy. She asked Henry, "And the baby? Is everything okay with him? Answer me quickly..."

Henry, not understanding, asked her what baby she was talking about. Liz replied, "The baby I'm expecting..."

Henry asked her, "Liz, are you pregnant?"

"Yes, Henry, we are going to have a baby. You are going to be a father. I'm sorry you found out this way."

Still in shock, he asked how long she had known this. Liz, in tears, explained she had just found out as well. She was two months pregnant, from the night they spent together. That's why Penne had come to see her; she hadn't been feeling well, and Penne came to accompany her to the doctor, where they discovered she was carrying his child.

"I was waiting for my birthday to come. You would be here, and I would tell you everything, and also tell my parents. And now, my father won't even know he's going to have a grandchild."

"Liz, are you sure about this?" Henry asked, very surprised.

"Of course I am. But don't worry, I'm not asking for anything. It happened, it wasn't planned. But I've decided I'm going to have my baby, a part of you with me."

"But what are you talking about, Liz? You know how much I love you, that you are the woman of my life. And we are only apart because you didn't want to be together. And now, knowing we are going to have a child, I can't wish for anything more than to form our beautiful family."

He hugged her tightly and kissed her, feeling both joy at the news of becoming a father and a sense of comfort for his beloved, who would need his support now more than ever.

"Henry, I imagined the perfect day to give you the news, but nothing went as planned. And now, I'm here, not knowing how to act, scared. I'm so scared that something bad might happen. And I don't want anything to happen to him. Ask the doctor if everything is okay with our baby. Call her here, please. I need to know how he is. And my father? My mother? Tell me everything, Henry." Liz was very agitated. Henry went to the door and called a nurse, spoke with her, and shortly after, the doctor who had treated her came along with her father's doctor. Seeing them together, Liz started crying again. The doctor said he was very sorry. Liz understood everything with those words.

Henry hugged her and said he would be by her and her mother's side for anything they needed.

"And the baby? Is everything okay? Can I leave now? I need to take care of my mother."

Dr. Lincoln said that she had been given a sedative and was now calmer. "So, I need you to stay calm and think about your baby inside you. You can't be this agitated," he said. Henry asked the doctor if everything was really okay with her and the baby. She replied that it was, that it was just the stress, but Liz needed to stay calm, even though the situation would be difficult for her now. "Don't leave her alone," she added.

"I won't. Thank you very much," Henry said, returning to Liz's side.

Liz asked Henry to find her mother and bring her to her room. She said he could go without worry since the doctor was with her, and the doctor nodded in agreement.

As he left, Henry called Penne and told her what had happened to Liz's father. She asked how Liz was doing. He replied that she was better now but had given them all a scare. Penne said she would get the first flight she could and would be there soon. She asked what he was doing there, and he said he would tell her when she arrived because Liz would need her a lot. They said goodbye, and Penne assured him she would be there soon.

Henry found Liz's mother sitting next to her sister and her nephew, Liz's cousin. He approached and hugged her, saying Liz wanted to see her. She left her sister and went to see how Liz was doing. Upon entering the room, she saw her daughter lying down, crying, and went to her, hugging her, and they cried together.

Henry left them alone for a while and went to get some coffee.

Liz's mother told her how much her father had loved her. Liz replied that she loved him very much too, loved both of them dearly, and felt terrible for not visiting more often. Her mother said she understood, as her father had also traveled a lot for work. Now, they would be fine.

Liz told her mother she needed to tell her something important. She had just discovered she was pregnant and had planned to give them the news in person in a few days, telling Henry and them on the same day when they were all together. "I haven't even had time to reflect or enjoy it since I've been feeling so bad these days. But I didn't want to worry you, and I didn't want to give this news over the phone. I wanted to share and enjoy this moment with you, my family." She said she had told her father in his room, "I told him he would be a wonderful grandfather, the best of all. Do you think he heard me?"

Her mother replied, "I really hope he did."

"But now, is everything okay with you? With my grandchild? He came at the right time to give us the strength to move forward." They hugged again, crying and promising to always be there for each other.

At that moment, Henry entered the room and saw they had fallen silent. He asked if everything was okay. Liz replied that it was and said she had just told her mother about the pregnancy. Her mother said they had many things to resolve but that once this was over, they would sit down to sort out their situation.

Henry nodded in agreement.