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“Then he could have had them with someone who wanted them,” Regina said. “He keeps harping that Dakota never wanted children; that she felt burdened by them but then he shouldn’t have insisted she go through with every pregnancy.”
“None of this is relevant to the case,” Leo said trying to keep her on track. “What he should have or could have done won’t make a case against him. You need to see how you can protect your client from getting a murder sentence that she claims she didn’t do.”
“Why do you have to be reasonable when I just want to rant?” Regina accused.
“One of us has to keep a level head,” he said tucking a stray curl behind her ear.
“Don’t forget,” Regina said pinching his thigh, “my level head got you out of jail.”
“It also got me out of a nasty dry spell,” he said nuzzling her neck.
“Mind the children!” Mia warned them in a sing song voice as she walked by.
“No,” Leo took Regina’s bamboo skewer wielding hand and held it down.
~*~
Regina did not feel too well. She blamed the bacon wrapped shrimp but mostly she blamed Mia Hudson with her chipper smiles and prophesies of doom. She felt like there was a ball of wriggling worms trying to push up her throat but nothing came out.
She spent the morning in bed, being ministered to Anita. Leo called after every forty five minutes to check if she was okay. Regina felt a little better by the afternoon. She waited till Anita was busy doing the laundry then she slipped out of the house. She stopped at the pharmacy on her way to the office to pick up some antacids.
Florescent lighting always gave Regina the feeling she was under water. It dulled her senses and she was already feeling battered. She picked up a bottle of grape flavored antacids and was headed to the counter to pay when a sudden thought struck her.
She looked through the aisles till she came to the one she was looking for. There were many choices, but feeling like a thief in the wrong part of town she grabbed the first one she saw and rushed to the checkout counter.
The woman at the cash register didn’t even look at her and for that Regina was grateful. She felt like an imposter, a silly little girl who was making a ridiculous mistake. She was sure she’d be laughing later but at the moment she felt like a naive fool.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Jeffrey greeted her when she walked in. “Rick’s bored me half to death with pictures of his son’s birthday party, Clowns! I mean, why?”
“I know, right?” Regina said. “You’re the only one who gets me.”
“Plus, wow, that kid is ugly!” Jeffrey said. “I mean his sister is cute but poor Bradley. He should be grateful his Dad’s making a ton of money so some woman somewhere will find him attractive.”
Regina tried not to laugh but this was exactly what she needed. It was a relief to know that she wasn’t the only one who thought things like these, that they couldn’t be that horrible if one other person agreed.
“Did you cancel all my appointments?” Regina asked.
“Yes,” Jeffrey said. “At least this way you can concentrate on that Simpson case. God, you’re going to need a miracle with that one.”
Regina closed her office door then headed to the bathroom. She took out the pregnancy test from her hand bag, her heart pounding against her chest. She didn’t really think it was true but Mia’s words had gotten to her and she had to make sure. Regina felt like an absolute idiot as she peed in the stick.
She washed her hands vigorously biting on the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t ever felt this nervous waiting for a jury’s verdict.
Two garish pink lines stared back at her.
What the hell does that mean? Regina though but she knew what it meant, she had read the literature twice before she took the test but she glanced at it again hoping that she’d got it wrong but there was no mistaking it.
Regina was pregnant.
Chapter Three
Choices
“Did he ever hurt the children, or threaten to hurt them,” Regina asked.
“Well, you know Frank,” Dakota said absently. “He was controlling. He loved the kids but he demanded discipline.”
