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Ruby
My nerves did a jig under my skin as Melanie and I sat across from Tucker at the lab. Marjorie had elected to continue shopping and not join us. She was afraid she couldn’t take hearing the results for the first time.
I wasn’t sure I could either.
“This is Dr. Melanie Carmichael,” I said to Tucker.
“Steel,” Melanie said.
“Yeah, of course. Sorry. Dr. Melanie Steel.”
“We appreciate you getting these results so quickly,” Melanie said, her voice stiff.
“Not a problem. Turned out all the samples were great. Very viable. This is a first for me. I’m normally asked to test for paternity. I’ve never been asked to test for maternity, though I’ve heard it’s becoming more common these days with surrogacy and egg donation.”
“Let’s get to it,” I said, biting my lip. “I can’t stand the suspense.”
“I’m getting there. As you know, a child inherits half of his DNA from his father, half from his mother, so his DNA should show similarities to half of his mother’s DNA. We look at twenty-five different genetic markers.”
“Tuck, I know how DNA testing works, and Melanie is a doctor, for God’s sake. Just tell us. Is WM the mother of RS or not? I can’t stand this anymore.”
Tucker nodded. “She is his mother.”
My heart dropped into my stomach.
Melanie let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t think anyone will be surprised.”
“No one but Ryan,” I said. God help him.
“As to the other samples, JS, TS, and MS are full-blooded siblings. The RS sample contains roughly half of the same genetic markers as the siblings’ samples, which means the four all share one parent—in this case, the father, since the DNA sample matching RS’s other markers is from a female.”
Thank God. I had allowed my thoughts to go a little crazy after Wendy had called the Steels “all of her boys.” It wouldn’t have surprised me if Tuck had said all three of them were Wendy’s kids. In fact, I’d actually hoped in some crazy way that would be the case. At least then, Ryan wouldn’t be alone.
He wouldn’t be alone now. His family wouldn’t desert him because he was only their half brother. I knew that. And I wouldn’t desert him, even though he might desert me.
But in his mind, he’d be alone. Oddly, though I hadn’t known him long, I knew that was how he’d see it. I couldn’t bear it.
“Thank you for doing this so quickly,” Melanie said again.
“I have a printout showing the results,” Tuck said, handing it to Melanie. “This explains everything. Roo knows how to read it, and I’m sure you do too, Doctor.”
“Yes,” Melanie said, “though I wish it said something completely different.”
“I’m sorry this isn’t the result you were hoping for,” Tuck said.
“It is what it is,” I said. “In my business, results are always a crapshoot.” But in my business, I wasn’t usually personally involved. “Thanks again, Tuck. You’re a lifesaver.”
Though he had probably just ended any life I might have had with Ryan.
Melanie and I left the lab.
“What now?” I asked.
“I take this to Jonah and Talon, and they decide.”
I turned and looked Melanie straight in the eye. “No, I’m going with you. I’m in up to my eyeballs now. I care about Ryan as much as the rest of you do. Whatever goes down is going down with me involved.”
She sighed. “Fair enough. Let’s go.”
