Celine laughed. “I want to check your blood pressure and listen to your heart and lungs. I’d also like to do a physical on you to make sure there isn’t anything we need to be more concerned about.”
Claire nodded. “There’s something I need to tell you, but I don’t want it getting back to Ben yet. I want to tell him when I’m ready.”
“Of course. Nothing you say will leave this room. It’s between us.”
Claire set a hand on her stomach. “I’m pregnant. I think I’m around three months. Charles, my…” She hesitated on how to describe him. “… baby daddy, did this when he found out. He tried to force a miscarriage.”
She lifted her shirt and showed Celine the line of bruises around her midsection from where she had been kicked repeatedly.
Celine’s arms wrapped around Claire and held her, being careful not to squeeze. Claire hadn’t realized it, but she was crying.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this. I think it would be wise for us to file a police report, so you have it on record in casehe ever comes back. But for now, let’s get you checked out and then I’ll ride with you over to a clinic to check on your baby.”
Claire nodded and wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve when they pulled apart.
Celine did a thorough exam of Claire and asked several questions. She told Claire that she thought her ribs were badly bruised and possibly fractured, but there wasn’t much they could do for it as they would heal on their own in six weeks.
Then Celine made a phone call and an appointment for a clinic in town to get Claire checked out. She also warned Claire that the clinic would call the police when she arrived because of her condition.
The two of them stepped out of the room to find all the guys leaning against the walls in various positions. They all stood up straight and waited like dogs for a bone.
“Well, hello, men,” Celine said. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Claire knew immediately she liked Celine, but now she liked her even more. She bit her lip to hide her smile. They knew exactly why the guys were there.
“So?” Ben asked.
“So, what?” Celine said.
He gestured wildly at Claire. “Is she okay?”
Celine mimed zipping her lips. “You know I have a doctor patient confidentiality agreement. It’s up to Claire what she wants to tell you. But she doesn’t have to say a thing if she doesn’t want.”
Celine gave them all a meaningful look with an eyebrow raised.
The guys all grumbled before turning their attention to Claire.
Claire only shrugged. “I’m good.”
Ben’s hands planted on his waist. “You’re… good? Good?” He gestured wildly at her face and then the rest of her body. “You’re not good.”
She caught Jake’s eyes over Ben’s shoulder, and the worried look on his face softened her heart. Despite not wanting to give them all the information, she knew she couldn’t keep them completely in the dark. Showing up the way she looked after four years of near silence, she had to give them something.
Liam, Theo, and Will also stood back, watching patiently. They were all like brothers to her. They had all grown up in the same school district, and while they had been Ben’s friends, they had all treated her like their younger sister. The concern on all of their faces had her briefly closing her eyes before opening them again.
“Celine thinks my ribs might be fractured, if not just badly bruised, but there isn’t anything they can do for it. They’ll heal on their own. Otherwise, everything else is just surface wounds. I’m okay.”
A collective sigh went through the group. Lonnie stood off to the side listening, and his eyes seemed to bore into her as Will shuffled the guys off toward the elevators to get to a radio interview they had scheduled that morning and were now running late for.
Claire’s eyes snagged on Jake’s as the elevator doors closed, and his question of asking if they could talk later nagged at the back of her mind.
“All right. Now that we’re rid of the peanut gallery, shall we go?” Celine asked.
Lonnie raised an eyebrow. “You know I’m coming with, right?”
“Of course,” Celine said as she threw an arm around Lonnie.
Claire smiled at the two of them and followed them over to the elevator. When the doors closed, Lonnie looked over at Claire.
