I almost nod before recalling why I left my grandparents’ ranch this morning. As far as Dimitri’s enemies are concerned, we’re over and done with, his annoyance about my ‘supposed’ pregnancy the cause of our breakup. “No, I haven’t.”
“Great!” Dr. Bates’s shouted word startles me. “So, there shouldn’t be any issues with your test.”
Panic and fear roll through me at the same time. “Test? I thought you didn’t need to examine me today?”
You could class Dr. Bates’s smile as cute if he didn’t have the markings of a psychopath. “Not a physical test. A pregnancy test.”
I gulp back my sigh when he stands from his chair to gather the jar the receptionist handed me five minutes ago. “You can use my private restroom.” He presses his palm against a wooden panel next to his desk before moving to stand in front of the doorway leading to the hall, blocking my only exit. “Then you won’t have any worries about stage fright.”
“I don’t really need to go.” When the humor on his face evaporates, I switch tactics. “But I guess there’s no harm in trying.”
After snatching the jar out of his hand, I make a beeline for his private washroom, ensuring the door latches shut behind me.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologize to my reflection in the mirror. “I didn’t think he would do a test.”
My lack of knowledge can easily be excused. Up until a few weeks ago, I was a virgin. It doesn’t make me naïve, but it most certainly has me on the back foot when it comes to things like babies and pregnancy tests.
“Please tell me you’re not going to watch me pee.”
Dimitri can’t answer me. The radio frequency Smith needed to track any calls coming in and out of Dr. Bates’s office means I couldn’t use the fancy bead-like listening device I did when my virginity was auctioned.
Confident Dimitri is too possessive to let anyone see me in a vulnerable state, I walk to the toilet, hook up my dress, yank down my panties and tights, then pee into the jar Dr. Bates was kind enough to open for me.
With my knees shaking in disappointment, half my pee lands on my hand instead of the jar. It frustrates me, but it has nothing on how annoyed I’ll be when my ruse backfires in my face in a couple of minutes. When my test comes back negative, Dr. Bates may become suspicious we’re onto him. If that happens, he may shut up shop for the fifth time this decade. Then our chances of finding Fien will be even lower than they already are.
Once my hands are scrubbed clean, and the panic is washed from my face, I exit the bathroom. Dr. Bates appears as if he hasn’t moved. I know that isn’t the case. He not only has a pregnancy test in his hand, but there’s also an outline of a cell phone in his pocket.
Sorry, buddy. Your bank accounts aren’t about to become overloaded with funds,I mumble in my head while handing him a jar of pee.
While Dr. Bates dips the end of the pregnancy test into the jar, I conjure up an excuse to leave. “How long do these things take? Should I wait outside while you do your magic?”
Light hair falls into his eyes when he peers at me over his shoulder. “No, that isn’t necessary. They only take a minute at the most.”
Knowing what the results will be, I gather my belongings from the examination table before hovering near the door. My nervous bob shifts to a shake when Dr. Bates says, “Or in your case, only thirty seconds.”
I feel my pupils dilate to the size of saucers when he lifts a positive pregnancy test in the air a mere second before he peers into an obvious camera in the corner of the room. Then, not even a second later, I feel someone creeping up on me.
Thirty
Dimitri
“Get her out.” I leap up from my chair, too bristling with unease to sit for a second longer. “Get her out now!”
I’m stunned I can talk. My brain is fried from taking in Roxanne’s positive pregnancy test. It makes the ruse I was certain was just about to bust more authentic, but I’ll be fucked if I let my enemies get another one of my children.
I also don’t want Roxanne to go through what Audrey went through. I could barely stomach it when it happened to my wife. I won’t handle it occurring to a woman I love.
As Rocco leaps into action, I dart my eyes between the many monitors in front of me. Roxanne appears as shocked by the results as me. She stares at the now-blue stick with her mouth hanging open and her eyes bulged. Her expression is the same shocked one Audrey wore when her test came back positive. However, she isn’t being subjected to the verbal tirade I spat out upon discovering the news I was about to be a father.
Back then, I thought my world was crumbling.
Now I know it most definitely is.
Even with my wish to kill the highest it’s ever been, I keep a rational head. Flying off the hinges won’t help anyone right now. It won’t help me, it won’t help Fien, and it most certainly won’t help Roxanne.
“What was that?” I point to the monitor, the quickest flurry of black darted past. It could have been the shadow of one of the many pregnant women mingling in the hallway, but it seemed wider, more deviant.
It feels like the world caves in on me when the dozen monitors surrounding me suddenly plunge into blackness. It’s a total communication blackout, leaving Roxanne utterly defenseless.
