Chapter Thirteen #2
Nadine paused, studying me carefully. She didn’t look alarmed, so I let it go.
“OK,” she said, easy as ever. “That’s good.
I think Pain’s running the blood test. Our machine is more basic than we could get at a hospital or doctor’s office, but it’s really all we need here.
He’s checking your blood for anemia and the very basics. ” She smiled. “Shouldn’t take long.”
Nadine stayed with me, chatting lightly as she offered me a cold bottle of water from the fridge and handed me a pill.
“What’s this?” I looked up at her questioningly.
“Just a multivitamin. I can tell by looking you’re at least slightly anemic.”
Pain came back into the room and I automatically checked his expression for a clue as to what he had to say. I had no expectation there was anything wrong with me other than stress. So why did I feel like I was missing a big piece to the puzzle?
He nodded to Nadine, and she reached for a small gadget with a little probe on it that kind looked like a fucking pocket rocket.
“Uh, Nadine?” I looked up at the other woman. “I really like you, but I don’t swing that way.”
Nadine barked out a laugh and Pain actually had to turn away and covered his mouth with his hand. He still chuckled.
“It’s a doppler. I just want to take a look at something, if you don’t mind?”
I probably had a blank look on my face. “No. Not at all, but what are you looking at?”
She gave me a faintly amused look before turning to grab a tube of KY Jelly and I really got worried. “Just raise your T-shirt up over your belly button and unzip your pants. I just need to get to your belly.”
I blinked up at her, not following exactly, but my whole body broke out in a sweat and my heart raced.
“Lie back. You got this.” Nadine smiled, gentle as she patted my shoulder, urging me to lay down on the exam table.
The gel on my belly was cool, but not unpleasant. Nadine moved the little probe over my tummy, right above my pubic bone…
From the tiny speaker in the device, there was some static as Nadine settled the tiny microphone firmly against my skin. There was some more static and squelch… Then a rapid thump thump thump of an unmistakable heartbeat. Inside my belly.
“Um, Nadine?”
She pursed her lips and I could tell she wanted to smile. I had the feeling it wasn’t at the situation but at my reaction. “Um?”
“My heart is beating awfully fast.”
“Well…” She shifted the probe again, not much but enough that it picked up another heartbeat.
This one was still fast, but much slower than the first. “That’s your heartbeat.
I’m picking that up from your abdominal aorta.
This…” she shifted the probe back to the other spot and the faster heartbeat sounded again, “is not.”
My breath caught. I felt my face flush as the pieces finally clicked together. “Well, fuck me.”
She giggled. “Tessa, honey. You kinda already did. Yeah?”
I laughed. Or maybe I cried. I think it came out as some strange combination of both.
I pressed my hand flat over my mouth like I could hold the sound in even as the tears overflowed.
Joy hit first, bright and enormous, followed by pure, abject terror.
A baby. Antonio’s baby. Growing inside me while men who wanted us both dead were still out there somewhere, licking their wounds and waiting for round two.
“Hey.” Nadine gripped my hand, smiling at me. “You know you’ve got a village here to help you, right? No matter what happens, you’re one of us now, Tessa.”
I gave her a watery smile. “Yeah. I see that. But I’ll be fine.” Looked from Nadine to Pain. “Thank you both so much.”
“Do you want me to get Antonio for you?” Pain spoke softly but smiled at me kindly. “Nadine wouldn’t mind staying with you.”
“What? No!” I shook my head. “No. I’m not afraid of Tonio or how he’ll react.” I waved them off. “If he doesn’t give me the answer I want, I’ll bust his balls.”
That got more laughs. Yes, I knew everything wasn’t magically going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but, given Tonio’s need to control his environment and everyone in it, maybe this was a chance to redirect some of that protective energy away from me. Well. Eventually.
Ten minutes later, I found Antonio in my apartment in the compound. He looked up from whatever he was reading when I came in. He sat up straighter and put his tablet down. As I approached, he stood and met me halfway.
“Tessa, honey. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong!” I smiled at him, but tears leaked steadily now from my eyes to roll down my cheeks. “Really. I’m fine.” I sniffled and swiped at my eyes, still with what was probably a really stupid look on my face.
“Clearly you’re not,” he snapped before scooping me up and sitting on the couch with me in his lap.
“Did Pain find an injury? What do you need?” He shifted and pulled out his phone.
“I’m calling that bastard,” he mumbled. “Knew I should have just gone with you. Whatever’s going on, I’ll take care of it, honey. ”
“Tonio, I’m pregnant.”
For a second he didn’t move at all. Then, a slow smile spread across his lips.
Watching the joy and what I could only describe as hope play across Tonio’s face was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Wonder softened every hard line until he looked ten years younger than the man I’d first met.
He reached up to stroke my cheek with a hand that shook.
“I didn’t get a chance to get to know Darby or to love her as a child.”
“You will with this one.” I smiled at him, leaning in to brush his lips with mine.
“I’d be lying if I said wasn’t expecting this.
” He rubbed my nose with his continuing to hold me on his lap.
God, I love being in this man’s arms. “I don’t want you to think I’m stifling you or trying to control you, but, Tessa, I need to get you back to my mountain.
I can’t let these men get you.” He kissed me. “Nothing can happen to you.”
“I know,” I said, and I meant it. I put my hand flat over my stomach, over the place where that fierce little heartbeat lived. “I’ll go, Tonio. Not because you’re telling me to. Because I want this baby safe more than I want anything else in the world.”
He kissed my forehead, then my mouth, gently tasting and teasing lightly. Just because he could.
Instead of making love -- like I wanted -- Tonio ate me to orgasm. Three times. He insisted he wanted to talk to Pain before he did anything else but promised to make it up to me later.
He pampered me and cuddled me and treated me like a princess. For several hours, I pretended we were a normal couple.
Then things started happening.
Knight called with an update and, from Tonio’s side of the conversation, I knew they’d found someone.
I listened as Tonio and everyone else made plans.
I tried to pay attention, but it was all mostly white noise.
I nodded in the appropriate places as I tried to come to terms with my life now and wanted it with everything in me.
Tonio and the baby. And this crazy club.
“You look like hell,” Carrie said to me, cheerful as anything. “Good hell. Glowy hell.”