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A soft knock on the slightly ajar door pulled my attention away from my grief. A woman appearing to be in her early fifties with blonde hair to her shoulders smiled at me.
“Hi, Giselle. I’m Dr. Mankin. I’m a friend of Sutton’s.”
“Hi, thank you for coming.” I gave her a weak wave as my stomach considered rebelling again.
“I’ll leave you two alone. Call me if you need anything, Giselle.” Sutton squeezed my hand, then left me with the doctor.
“Sutton explained a bit of your situation. She said you collapsed on the way into the house, then fainted after your shower. I know hot water can drop your blood sugar sometimes. Most of the time it happens in a sauna or jacuzzi, but if your water was hot enough, it might have done the trick. What symptoms are you having?”
“I’m dizzy and weak, and I just vomited.” I nodded toward the trashcan. “Sorry. I know that’s gross.”
“I’ve seen a lot worse.” She offered me a genuine smile. “Can you sit up, hon? I want to take your blood pressure.”
I cautiously sat up, gripping the edge of the iron headboard. Once my feet were on the floor, the doctor slipped the cuff around my biceps.
“Your blood pressure is good. Are you okay if I do some lab work?”
I nodded. “How long have you known Sutton?”
“Since she married Pierce. I take care of those guys when they get busted up.” She chuckled. “I don’t think boys ever grow up. They’re always into something that leaves them banged up.”
I tried to smile, but I couldn’t. She pulled on a pair of white latex gloves and gathered a needle and three tubes.
“You look like you have good veins.” She placed the vials in a little rack, then grabbed a blue elastic band. “Let’s use the nightstand to lay your arm on. The light is favorable from the lamp, too.”
I did as she asked, and a few minutes later, she was done. “I’m going to process these, so I’ll be back when I have some answers. Why don’t you rest? Whatever the reason for your dizziness, the stress you’ve endured has been extreme and that can affect every body differently.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” I reached for the toothbrush and toothpaste Sutton had left and stood. I really wanted to clear the yuck taste out of my mouth.
After I returned to the room, I laid back, stifling a yawn. A sudden, heavy exhaustion swept through me, and my eyes fluttered closed.
48
Giselle
“Giselle?” A quiet voice broke through my dreamless sleep.
My eyes fluttered open and focused on the doctor standing at my bedside.
“I’m sorry to wake you. Hopefully you can rest again, but I can’t share your test results with anyone else due to doctor-patient confidentiality.”
I sat up, blinking the sleep from my vision. “Do you know what’s wrong with me?”
Kindness flickered through her dark gaze. “I do.”
I listened to the shocking words tumble from her lips. For some fucked-up reason, I thought the worst was over, but karma had just slapped me on the ass and walked away like the cackling bitch she was.
“I’m sorry, what?” A burst of energy had me jumping out of bed. “That can’t be right. I’m on the pill.”
“Women using that method of birth control find themselves pregnant all the time, Giselle. As you grow older, the hormone levels change and can throw your birth control off. If you took antibiotics recently, that could also cause the pill to fail.”
I frowned so hard my head hurt. “Or someone tampered with it. The man I lived with for the last year managed and controlled all of my medications. If this is his baby, it would be another way to control me.” I sank to the edge of the bed, feeling the blood drain from my face. My hands trembled as my thoughts flitted around like Tinker Bell on speed. Was the child Donovan’s? Zayne’s? Ashkov’s?
Grabbing the trashcan, I hurled again, cursing my body for betraying me in the worst way. No way in hell could I bring a baby into this world that shared DNA with Donovan Lambert or Ashkov Butrick. I refused to raise another monster.But if it were Zayne’s?It would be a piece of him that I could hold onto forever.
“I should get a DNA test as soon as possible.”
“I think Sutton is your girl. Talk to her. In the meantime, you should start on a prenatal vitamin in case you decide to keep the baby.”
