Chapter 4
The incandescent lights of the pharmacy shined down on me as Joey stood nearby, trying to suppress his amusement at the situation. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” I muttered to myself as I glanced at the boxes in front of me. The entire shelf was pink, purple, and blue. Results as soon as ten days early.
Next to it sat a row of condoms, and I puffed out a breath, inflating my cheeks. Guess it’s a little too late for those. I swiped one of the pink boxes and threw a twenty-four pack of condoms into my small basket. I felt like a teenager who had been caught doing something bad and was trying to conceal their purchase as I grabbed a pack of gum and a soda. Joey laughed at me as I walked to the front of the store and placed the basket on the counter. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would buy the largest bottle of wine I could find.
I glared at him before smiling at the cashier, an older woman in her seventies. She seemed bored as she rang up my purchases, and I slid my card. When she handed me my receipt, I shoved it into the bag before walking away. By this point, Joey was cackling so hard that tears streamed down his face. I wasn’t sure what was so funny as I jerked open the car door and threw the bag into the back seat. “This is a secret,” I told him. “I have no problem killing you and hiding the body.”
The truth was at over six feet tall and over 200 pounds, dragging Joey into an undisclosed location would be difficult by myself. Plus, I would miss him. I just didn’t want the guys to know anything yet.
He just laughed harder at me, clutching his sides. “I’m not telling anyone, I swear. I’m not sure why you look so angry right now. If you’re pregnant, the only thing that changes is that you’ll have a baby. I need you to take a deep breath for me.”
I knew he was attempting to apply reason and logic to the situation, but I didn’t want that. Not with my brain going in a million different directions. A child would change everything. It was someone to look after and ensure they were fed, clothed, happy, and loved. It was also someone else I needed to worry about. The what-ifs plagued my mind. If the wrong person found out, they wouldn’t have any issue kidnapping a child for revenge. Or worse.
The drive back to the penthouse was a blur, and so was ripping open the packages. I read through the instructions as quickly as possible, trying to figure out how long I needed to wait before I found out. It turned out not that long. Less than a minute after I placed the stick on the counter, the word pregnant popped up on the digital screen. Without thinking, I snatched the pregnancy test off of the counter and placed it in the bottom of the bathroom trash, hoping that no one would find it. At least not before I could talk to the guys.
I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower, feeling like I was in a daze. The hot water cascaded down my skin, soothing me. My thoughts were nothing but a fog. Everything felt like I had been thrust into a dream.
But this wasn’t a dream; it was real life.
I sank to the shower floor and pulled my knees to my chest. How had I somehow missed the signs? How was everything going to work? What would everyone think? I poured some of Hunter’s body wash onto a cloth and lathered it against my skin. Slowly, the numbness faded as reality set in. There was a tiny life growing inside of me.
When I arrived at the office, it felt like everyone could sense the anxiety radiating off of me. The nurse behind the desk of Helping Hands gave me a warm smile as I walked into the clinic. I had been there before, but usually in a work capacity. Things like delivering medicine or dropping off funds to help keep the clinic on its feet. A few years ago, I would have been able to drop in unannounced at Strathmore General. Things had slowly changed. The small clinic Nia had set up to help the surrounding neighborhood was flourishing, and she seemed happy—no more night shifts.
Plus, marriage to Enzo agreed with her. I struggled to remember how many children they had now.
“Is there any way that I can see Dr. Renzetti?” I murmured to the nurse, trying to keep my voice down. She glanced at the waiting room before nodding and standing. As she beckoned to me, my heart raced behind my ribs. I walked down a hallway, staring at the white-speckled tile beneath my feet.
“She’ll be with you as soon as possible,” the nurse said as she ushered me into a small room with a desk and two chairs. It wasn’t one of the exam rooms, and I realized I had never told her why I was there. She assumed I was here in a business capacity. I sat down and waited, staring at the clock on the wall.
Finally, the door opened, and Nia walked in. Her stomach was slightly rounded, and I again wondered how many children she had. Was Enzo keeping her pregnant? Did I want to ask that question? “This is unexpected,” she said as she collapsed into the chair across from me. “No one told me you were stopping by, and I don’t see any bullet holes or blood. Is everything okay?”
I grimaced at her mention of blood, knowing the number of times she had patched me up when things had gone wrong. The room suddenly felt too hot, and I pulled at my shirt collar. “I need you to keep a secret for me.” She cocked one eyebrow up and waited for me to continue. “I took a pregnancy test earlier in the day, and it said that I was pregnant. However, I’m sure that it was a false positive.” I didn’t bother telling her I had taken all three in the pack, and they had all said the same thing.
She rested her chin on her fist and stared at me. “Rayne, I have known you for at least three years now. You’re intelligent. Did you know false positives occur less than one percent of the time?”
I clasped my hands together and looked at the ceiling, pondering those odds—less than one percent. Every word she spoke confirmed what I already knew, but desperately was trying to ignore. A tiny baby was growing inside me, and my life was about to change. “Can you just check for me?”
She closed her eyes for a moment before standing. “We’ll do another urine test and a blood test. How many periods have you missed?” I shook my head at her. I hadn’t missed anything. They had just been lighter than usual. “Right. Remember when you had an upper respiratory infection two months ago and took a course of antibiotics? I warned you then that you needed to use backup contraceptives.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek and let out a slow breath. She had told me about that, and we had used condoms. Still...
Nia placed her hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get you taken care of. I’m sure everything will be alright. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared briefly, and when she returned, she was carrying a stack of items. She shoved a sterile cup in my direction. “First, I need you to pee in this. Let’s just confirm what we both already know.”