Page 91 of Under His Guard

He offers a sympathetic grin and gestures to the special seat off to the side.

“Step into my office.”

With a laugh, I follow him over, getting a whiff of some of the chemicals. They’ve never bothered me before, but my stomach clenches.

I just ignore it, and Ben goes about taking my blood. When he’s finishing up, a tiny dot of crimson sits in the crook of my elbow.

All at once, my gut pinches again, and I can’t look. Nausea swims through me like a tsunami, and I struggle to breathe evenly.

“Whoa, you okay there, Clara? You’re awfully pale.”

Ben offers me his arm to stand and move away from the blood draw station to his desk chair.

The ill feeling backs off some as I sit, and I release a long exhale.

“Sorry, that was weird. I…” I look down at my bandaged arm. “The sight of blood bothered me. What the hell?”

He laughs, stepping away to bring the blood vial to the centrifuge.

He thinks I’m kidding.

But I’m not.

What in the absolute fuck?

“Um, thanks, Ben. Could you run that quickly for me? I want to be sure everything is okay.”

Benjamin nods with a smile. “Of course. I’ll have the results to you in a half an hour or so.”

“Thank you.”

I hurry out of the lab and go straight for the break area on this floor. I need to get my head on straight.

Feigning wellness is going to be a bit of a challenge if I’m getting squeamish about blood.

Not nearly quick enough, the minutes pass by, and I get a message on my pager from Ben. My results are ready.

The walk over feels like running through water. My steps drag, and the hallway tilts a bit, making me feel dizzy and off-balance.

But I manage to get there, and Ben is at the door waiting for me when I arrive.

“Well, this feels super weird being the one to tell you because it doesn’t usually go like this, but you’re not sick.”

Ben is smiling, and there’s that look of expectation in his eyes, like he’s holding something behind his back to show me.

“Then what’s going on, Ben? Please, I need to get back to work.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He holds out the printed results.

Taking it, I scan over the lines of nearly all negatives and normal results. But then I see it. A spike in my HCG level.

I shake my head. “This can’t be right.”

Ben nods, his brows knitting together as he holds up his hands, defending himself.

“I ran it twice, Clara. Just to be sure. You’re?—”

“Pregnant?”

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