Die For Me (The Consumed Series Book 2)

Hana

I tossed and turned in bed that night. Jack had told me he would edit the video of us and then send it to Michael the next day. I glanced over at him watching it on his MacBook, his erection growing as he watched us having sex on the screen. He side-eyed me with his dimples slowly emerging, igniting a mixture of guilt and arousal in my belly; that was a common feeling I had the last twelve weeks. I enjoyed myself with Jack, I enjoyed our life, our banter, our creativity allowing us to paint and write together all day and then fuck each other all night long. I usually forgot about how we had gotten to that point, and then the guilt would start to weigh in again. I felt guilt for staying, for not running that first time with Billie before things got really fucking complicated. Now I knew I was stuck forever, and I knew this because I didn’t want to live without him. I needed him as much as he needed me—we were so codependent on each other. And I didn’t want to leave him. I loved him despite everything he had done. How fucked up was that? How was I ever supposed to live a normal life again after this? I wasn’t. My life was always going to be with Jack, and he was far from normal.

Jack somehow got an appointment for us at 10 a.m. the next morning at an OB-GYN office in south Williamsburg. I was terrified and could hardly speak or think as we took the train and walked toward the office. I knew that if this baby was Jack’s, I was going to have to keep it. If it was Michael’s…I don’t know how I would feel. Jack wouldn’t allow me to keep it. Why have an opinion on it when I didn’t even have a choice in the matter?

We walked into a small office where a couple of other women sat. Jack signed us in and started to fill out paperwork—he knew everything about me, about my health and height and weight and even my last period. Wait, how the hell did he know that?

“My last period was February 23? How do you know that?” I questioned quietly as he checked off that I didn’t take any medication.

Jack looked over at me with widened eyes. “That was the night of our wedding party.”

My stomach dropped before he continued.

“I won’t ever forget a single detail from that night, sweetheart.”

His voice was low and deep. Even talking about the night that he had hurt me like that, the way he called me sweetheart gave me butterflies.

“Oh.” I nodded, biting my lip.

“Sign here.”

He held the last piece of paperwork to me; I sloppily signed my new name. Hana Maynor. I didn’t have a lot of experience doing it and it still felt odd writing a new last name. Not even a minute later, a nurse opened the door and looked down at a clipboard.

“Hana Maynor,” she called out, looking between me and the two other women.

I quickly stood and reached for Jack’s hand. I let Jack lead the way as we followed the nurse down a hall and into a patient room. It looked like a typical OB-GYN room with stirrups at the end of the patient bed that had a doppler and wand attached to one side. The nurse quickly took my vitals: everything was normal. She was very straightforward and not really friendly, which only made me more nervous.

“So you’re here to confirm a pregnancy, is that right?” she asked me, looking down at my paperwork.

“Yes.” I nodded, wringing my hands together as I sat on the patient bed.

“Okay. The doctor will be with you shortly.” She smiled quickly then left the room.

I looked over at Jack and sighed; I was shaking as I continued to wring my hands together, feeling sick to my stomach. Great, am I going to have morning sickness? Or is this just my anxiety going through the roof?

“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.” Jack walked over to me and put his hand atop mine. His voice was so soothing and calming.

“Is it?” I asked nervously, tears forming in my eyes.

Jack flashed his dimples at me. “Yes, Hana. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.” He gazed at me lovingly.

How was he so confident?

“I know this because you’re caring, loving, and nurturing. You take care of me, even when I’m at my worst,” he went on, putting his hand to my cheek.

I started to cry. “I love you, Jack,” I said through hiccuped breaths.

Jack’s face turned somber before he held me in his arms, letting me cry and shake as I held onto his waist.

Someone cleared their throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” a woman’s voice said behind Jack.

Jack and I both looked over at the doctor, a middle-aged woman with kind brown eyes and graying hair, as she smiled at us.

“Sorry.” I laughed, letting go of Jack and quickly wiping the tears from my eyes.

She chuckled. “No need to apologize. You’re not the first woman to cry in these offices,” she said lightly.

I smiled and wrapped my arm around Jack’s waist; he started rubbing circles on my back.

“Nice to meet you, Hana. I’m Dr. Levin. And you are?” She looked to Jack expectantly.

“I’m Jack, Hana’s husband,” he answered politely.

She nodded and took a seat on a wheeled circular stool near the countertop with a sink and medical supplies that lined the wall. She began to read over my paperwork with a pen in her hand.

“Hana. You’re twenty-five. Very healthy, it seems. And you suspect you’re pregnant?” She looked up at me.

I nodded. “I got a positive pregnancy test. Three of them,” I admitted, almost embarrassed.

“Okay.” She nodded, scooting herself over to the patient bed where I sat. “Let’s have a look. Any idea how far along you are?”

I looked over at Jack then back at her. “No. Maybe…six or seven weeks,” I guessed.

“Hmm. Okay. If you’re that early I’d recommend a transvaginal ultrasound. It’s just this little wand that I’ll place in your vagina that takes a better look at your uterus. Are you okay with that?” she asked, holding up the wand.

“Okay. Sure.” I nodded, looking at Jack again.

He smiled warmly at me. Ugh, if this is his kid, he better get those Maynor dimples.

“Great.” Dr. Levin smiled. “I just need you to undress on your bottom half. Go ahead and put this over you.” She pulled out a little paper blanket. “I’ll give you a few moments to undress.”

She smiled at Jack and then exited the room.

I quietly started to take off my shoes. I knew Jack was staring at me.

“Perhaps we can manage a quickie in here after this.” He smiled deviously at me.

My heart fluttered. Of course he would manage to turn me on in a doctor’s office.

“You think?” I asked flirtatiously; I was desperate for any kind of distraction from our current reality.

Jack flashed his dimples at me again. “Oh yes, sweetheart. I bet I could make you come in less than sixty seconds,” he teased as he pulled down my leggings.

“I bet I could do the same to you,” I quipped back, quickly sitting back up on the bed.

He licked his lower lip and gazed at me longingly. “I’ll take that bet,” he said quietly in his tone that he knew would turn me on.

I gave him a crooked smile and placed the paper blanket over my lower half. Then there was a knock at the door and Dr. Levin appeared again.

“Let’s take a look.” She sat back down on her stool and set up the stirrups, guiding me through how to place my feet on them.

Jack stood next to me and firmly held my hand; I was starting to realize that he might be nervous as well.

Dr. Levin turned on a little screen, lubed up the wand, and then inserted it inside of me. I tensed up and began to squeeze Jack’s hand.

“Just take a deep breath, Hana. Try to relax,” she assured me.

I nodded and glanced at the screen that showed a fuzzy black and white image. It looked like all of the typical ultrasound pictures you see on pregnancy announcements. I had no idea what I was looking for. Dr. Levin moved the wand around a little more before she stopped and started to take pictures with a tap on the screen.

“So…right here,” she started as she pointed to the still image of my uterus, revealing a little black circle with a tiny gray dot on the bottom of it. “That is the fetus. You’re about six weeks along, Hana. Congratulations.” She smiled, gently removing the wand.

I immediately started to cry as I stared at the tiny gray dot on the screen. Holy shit. There was a baby inside of me. That was my baby. Holy shit. Dr. Levin printed something out and handed it to Jack.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” There was a smile in his voice. “I have a quick question, doctor.”

I tore my eyes from the screen to Jack and Dr. Levin. She discarded her gloves and began to wash her hands.

“Yes?” She looked to him.

Jack glanced at me and then back to the doctor. “How soon can we get a paternity test?” he asked. He sounded nervous, or was that shame?

“Oh.” She dried her hands, not seeming bothered by the question at all. “Well, I would wait another week or so. You two can come in next week and we can do a blood draw on Hana, and we’ll need to sample your saliva. Is there another party that needs to provide a saliva sample?”

Jack looked at me and shook his head. “No. If it’s not mine, we know whose it is.”