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“Um...okay. Yeah.” I forced a nod, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear nervously. “Whatever you think is best.”
“Are you taking prenatal vitamins?”
“Yeah, but they make me feel sick.”
“I recommend the gummies rather than the pills. Some women find them easier to swallow. It’s strongly recommended that you take them. Prenatal vitamins are crucial for the baby’s development and they’ll also help you feel a bit better.”
“I’ll try the gummies then,” I nodded, desperate to do anything that would ensure the well-being of the life growing inside me.
“That’s a good start. Keep a focus on your diet too; protein, calcium, and iron are vital. And hydration is key. Drink plenty of water,” she advised further. “Also, try to cut down on any stressful factors. Home, work…try and take it easy. Your mental health is the most important thing right now.”
Dr. Hawthorne’s words hung in the air like specters, their meaning sinking deep into me. Stressful factors. Home…work…try and take it easy. If only she knew the kind of life I was living, she wouldn’t be suggesting I take it easy. She would know it wasn’t possible.
“Are you going to be in town in a week? I’d like to schedule you for an ultrasound then. We can do one now, but from the date of your last period, we won’t be able to see enough yet.”
“Yes,” Tristan replied for me. “We’ll be here.”
“Great, I’ll have my nurse schedule it,” Dr. Hawthorne said, her attention already moving towards the computer on her desk. She turned back towards us, her professional mask slipped back in place. “Just one more thing, Adriana. I need you to understand that early pregnancy is a delicate time. I meant it. You need to take care of yourself and avoid any stressful situations.”
Stressful situations…maybe like the dead guy we’d thrown in a lake this morning?
How was I supposed to avoid stress when we were on the run? When I had been kidnapped by a man who refused to marry me? When I was pregnant with his child?
“Got it,” I replied, trying to hold back tears. “I’ll do my best.”
Tristan squeezed my shoulder. “Right. That’s what you have me for.”
Chapter Eighteen: Tristan
Adriana looked tired when we got out of the doctor’s office and I drove her to the nearest hotel. I did have a house in Delaware, but if we’d been made, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to go there.
I decided to take her to a hotel first, before I went to scope it out for myself.
If it was up to me, we would have gone to a nice hotel, but we were on the run and I had to use cash. Cash in hand, we checked into a nondescript motel on the outskirts of town. Grey paint peeled from the low, squat building and neon vacancy signs buzzed in the quiet street. Not my first choice but it would do for now.
Once we had settled into our room, Adriana crossed over to the window, yanking the thin, off-white curtains apart. Her eyes held a shimmer of excitement as she peered out at the desolate parking lot. It seemed like this inhospitable place did nothing to dampen her spirits about the life growing inside her.
“The last time I stayed in a hotel like this was spring break, senior year,” she said.
I gave her a sidelong glance, leaning against the doorframe. “I find that hard to believe,” I teased, my voice rough.
She shot me an amused side-eye. “Well, it’s true. We were stupid kids with no money, trying to have a good time.”
“Your dad didn’t give you money?”
“My dad didn’t know I went to Key West,” she replied, a smirk on her face.
She had that spark in her eyes, the one that reminded me of wild nights and reckless abandon. I found myself grinning at the thought of an eighteen-year-old Adriana letting loose, experiencing that kind of freedom. For a moment, I envied her those memories.
I’d never had anything like that. When I was eighteen, I was learning the family business from my murderous father, and I had two kid brothers to raise. I’d had to be father and mother to them–a single parent barely out of childhood myself.
It was fucked up. I wouldn’t let our kid have that experience.
It was why Adriana had to survive at any cost.
“I guess we’re out of luck then. No wild spring break parties in our near future,” I said mockingly, breaking her stroll down memory lane.
Her grin faltered slightly, reminding me of our reality; the looming threat to our safety and the life we were trying to protect. But even amid all this chaos, Adriana seemed to carry an unyielding grit that I admired. Fuck, she was sexy.
