469 Chapter 469

"We have to tell him when they return," Pearl said as Erik held her in his arms. They hadn't made it out of bed before night fell, which made them perfectly content.

Erik placed his hand on her tummy and then ran it up her body, past her breasts and to her mouth, moving his fingers over her soft lips, tracing the line of her jaw and back to her mouth again.

"Yes, I know we have to tell him about the baby. And we will. I want to tell everyone." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "But will we tell him about… about me being his father?" He choked a little on the words.

"He will do what's right if we tell him. He will step down from the throne." Pearl had raised him to be honest and good.

"No," Erik said. "I don't think he will."

"We will know what to do when we know." Pearl pulled him closer.

"I missed the smell of your skin," she said as she nuzzled into the crook of his arm. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair.

"Lavender," he said.

She looked up at him.

"Your hair has always smelled of lavender. I avoided it for years. Every where I went there was bloody lavender scented everything."

"I've used the same shampoo for years," she said.

"Good. Please don't ever stop using it." He pulled her tighter and held her until they both fell asleep.

***************************

"Nora, listen to me, I don't want to be a nag but I really think you should listen to this lovely chap's advice about this." Christian put his hands on his hips and made clear his obvious frustration.

"He said he has heard no issues with it! That we should not go only if we feel worried about it. I'm not even that far along." Nora crossed her arms.

"Nora, listen to me. I just want to be careful. That's all." Christian shook his head at the instructor.

"I'm going." Nora walked over to the fitting area. "I've always wanted to go and I'm not going to let you miss out on this experience because of some off-chance I might hurt the baby. It's snorkeling. I will be fine."

Christian threw his arms up and walked with her to the equipment fitting. A woman assisted them and Nora asked her about pregnancy contraindications.

"No dear. It's fine. It's a great way to exercise and float while seeing some amazing and calming parts of the ocean. I assure you, you will be fine." Nora smiled and gave Christian a look of "I told you so."

"Fine. Let's go and have a lovely time, then," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

The ocean was as beautiful as Nora imagined. They spent hours floating in the warm, clear water, looking at the bright and colorful corals. Whatever reservations and objections Christian had prior, they were long gone by now. He was in paradise and he was so thrilled to be experiencing it all with the woman he loved.

On their way back to the landing where the snorkeling equipment needed to be dropped, it had gotten noticeable dark out.

"I can't believe we were out that long!" Nora said with a big smile. "Thank you for going with me." She stood on her tip toes and kissed Christian.

"You are welcome, my love. I had a wonderful time." Just as they rounded the corner to the equipment house, the slippery wood plank decking around it caused them both to lose their footing and Nora began to slide. Christian caught her but his lack of clear vision in the darkness cause him to not have enough grip on her arm and she tumbled onto the decking and off the side, hitting her body against the side of the platform and falling several feet to the sand below.

"Nora! Oh my god!" Christian cried. The bodyguard with them had already ran down to attend to her as the employees at the rental shack also began to run to her aid.

They quickly had medics on scene as Nora was lifted onto a stretcher.

"I'm fine, really. I think it's just a sprained ankle." She said calmly, trying to shoo them off. Christian couldn't stop shaking. "Nora, it's your head, he whispered, barely getting the words out. She lifted her hand to her forehead and felt liquid running along her face and down her neck.

"What? The water?" She said as she extended her arm, now covered in blood. She looked at the crimson liquid covering her hand and became faint. She lost consciousnesses before they made it to the local hospital.