Chapter 22 Harper
HARPER
The beep of alarms and the poke of a needle going into the back of my hand so the nurse could set up an IV kept me wide awake and on edge.
“You shouldn’t have called an ambulance.” I hated the fuss that came with being wheeled into a room and having doctors and nurses fussing over me.
Lila crossed her arms and glared. “You passed out and I couldn’t get you to wake up.”
I shifted on the uncomfortable hospital bed and tried to ignore the pitch in my stomach. My mouth filled with saliva as nausea rose thick and hot. “I’m fine now. I’d like to go home.”
The nurse setting my IV smiled warmly and patted the back of my hand where twin strips of tape crisscrossed to hold the IV in place. “I’m sure you’ll be out of here in no time. Better to get checked out.”
“But I feel fine. A little nauseous. Probably because I haven’t eaten much today.” I caught the glance that went around the room. One of the nurses hanging a bag of fluids eyed me, then the nurse on my other side.
The shared look sent heat rushing into my face as they examined my body, no doubt making silent judgments about my size.
Even big girls had to eat, and I was within my rights to feel faint if I hadn’t eaten all day.
I could say all that. I should say all that.
“Stop looking at me like you think I should skip a meal or two and be fine. You don’t know anything about me.
I like my curves, and I’ll be damned if I let you make me feel ashamed of how I look. ”
“We’re not concerned about that.” The nurse behind me shook her head and squeezed my shoulder. “But you didn’t list nausea as one of your complaints.”
I huffed but stopped arguing. I wouldn’t get anywhere with the nurse, and the doctor had already been through. He’d made a list of tests he wanted done and rattled them off to me so fast I probably didn’t hear half of them. The nurse’s words cut through the fog taking over my brain.
They didn’t care about my size? Bullshit.
I knew that look with enough intimacy that it clenched my heart into a vise. Fuck them.
I meant what I said. I liked my curves. Dante, Alexander, and Julian had taught me not to be ashamed of who I was or how I looked. They enjoyed my body exactly as it was, and they’d taught me to love myself. I did not have to be skinny like Lila or Bethany to be beautiful.
I lifted my chin and met the nurse’s eyes full on. My jaw set, and I dared her to give me that look a second time. I was healthy and happy, and up until today I’d never had a health scare in my entire life.
The door opened and the doctor strolled in. His smile widened when he looked my way, and I broke off the staring contest with the nurse. “Good news, Miss Harper, I have most of your test results back.” He waved a tablet side to side. “You’re quite healthy.”
I couldn’t help arching a defiant brow at the nurse before scooting up in the bed. “Great. That means I can go home, right?”
“Yes, we’ll have you out of here in no time.
” He swiped his finger across the tablet and sat on the foot of my bed.
“It appears that the catalyst to your fainting spell was low blood sugar. That’s something you should really try to avoid now that you’re expecting.
” He rested a hand on my calf and patted twice.
An expectant hush fell over the room. Lila covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes going wide.
My brain stopped working. His words made sense but also skipped right over my head. I processed each one individually. Low blood sugar. Yep, I understood that phrase.
Now that you’re expecting.
Expecting? Expecting what?
My breaths shortened, my heart kicking hard against my ribs.
The two nurses gathered up their supplies and headed to the door, the nicer one offering a quiet “congratulations” as she rounded the foot of my bed.
It hit all at once, and my mouth fell open with a pop. “Are you saying I’m pregnant?” My voice rose with every word, until I nearly shrieked the last bit at ear-piercing levels.
The doctor winced, but his smile never faltered. “Congratulations, Miss Harper, you’re pregnant.” The door opened at the same time, and a series of lights flashed in the corridor.
Oh shit. My head whipped in that direction. “Is someone taking pictures of me?” I swung my legs around at the same time the man in the hallway fired off another series of pictures.
The doctor stood and blocked his view, but the damage had already been done. “I want that man removed from the hospital immediately. And I demand to know who let him up here? That is a violation of patient privacy.” He continued to rant while stalking toward the door.
Pregnant. Paparazzi. It was all too much. I might have been able to handle one or the other, but being faced with both at the same time caused a complete body and brain shutdown.
“I just want to go home.” I fell onto my side and curled into a ball. “When can I go home?”
The doctor was too busy fussing with the man in the hallway to hear and answer.
Lila stepped up to the side of the bed and took my hand between hers. “Harper, your hand is freezing. Do you want another blanket?”
I shook my head. Tears burned the back of my throat and slid from the corner of my eye into the pillow. “I want to go home.” At home, I could bury my head in the proverbial sand and forget any of this had happened. At home, none of this was real.
The door closed, and soft footsteps approached. “I’m so sorry about that. We’ll take care of everything. You have no reason to worry.”
“Can I go home?” I locked my arms around my chest and hugged them tight.
A pat on my calf joined with a chuckle. “Yes. As long as you are no longer dizzy, I’ll let you go home as soon as you finish that bag of fluids.”
I eyed the bag over my head. “Thank you.”
“I’ll have the nurses prepare your discharge papers and print off some documents for you. From your reaction, I believe this is an unexpected pregnancy, which leads me to believe you may not yet have an OB. I can recommend someone, if that helps.”
“Yes.” I managed a nod.
Lila remained at my side and continued holding my hand. Once the doctor left us in peace—with a promise to have me out of the hospital soon—she scooted a chair over and sat directly in my line of sight. “Wow.”
I snorted. “No kidding. This wasn’t supposed to happen, Lila. I’m on birth control.”
“It’s not always effective.” She held up a hand and patted my head. “I know. That doesn’t help your current situation. But there’s not much else you could have done to prevent it except wear condoms too, and where’s the fun in that?”
I choked on a laugh. “Only you would figure out a way to make this more sexual than necessary.” But the laugh did its job. I relaxed from the fetal position and stretched my legs. “I need to get dressed.”
“Not before the IV is out.” Lila tapped the back of my hand. A thoughtful expression tightened her eyes. “Do you know who the father is?”
My vision blurred with a new onslaught of tears.
“No. It could be any of them.” We’d been together so many times that it would be impossible to work out.
My earlier laugh fizzled out as reality took hold.
I was pregnant and I had no idea who the father was, except that no matter who it turned out to be, they were off limits.
My already complicated situation grew worse by the minute.
A machine behind me beeped, and a different nurse walked in.
She smiled at me, then Lila. “Well now. Let’s see about getting that IV out so you can head home.
I hear you’re anxious to leave us.” She chuckled to herself.
“I don’t blame you. If I didn’t work here, you wouldn’t catch me coming through those doors unless absolutely necessary.
” She worked through removing the IV and covering the back of my hand with a small bandage.
“Now, I have some papers for you. Sign here, and these are for you to take with you.” She handed Lila a stack of papers and retreated to the doorway.
“We have wheelchairs available if you’re in need. ”
“I’m fine.” I waved off her concern and swung my feet around to the edge of the bed.
Lila nudged my shoes over so I could reach them and shoved the papers into her bag. “I’ll call for an Uber.”
It took concentrated effort to bend and pull on my shoes without letting them see how the rush of dizziness returned in full force. My ears rang loud enough to block out whatever else Lila said.
I tied my shoes and stood, using the edge of the bed to brace myself.
Minutes later, we made our way down the empty hallway to the side door with bright red lettering that announced the ER exit.
The automatic doors whooshed open with a blast of cold air and the acrid odor of hospital and downtown New York. Both smelled awful, but the combination threatened to complicate the nausea rising.
Lights flashed in my peripheral vision.
“Harper. Harper Bloom.” A dozen people shouted my name.
Questions came afterward, but they tangled up in so many voices that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other.
Until one man stepped to the front of the line and shoved a microphone in my face.
“Harper, I have it on good authority that you’re having sexual relations with the CEO at Elevate. ”
A woman joined the man. “I’ve been told it’s more than one. Can you confirm that rumor, Harper?”
My jaw worked into a tight knot. Words failed me, which was a good thing because I had absolutely no idea how I would have answered if I could.
“Are the rumors true?”
“Are you sleeping with your bosses?”
“Why were you in the hospital?”
“Is it true you’re pregnant?”
“Do they know you’re here?”
The questions came faster and faster, with no end in sight.
I shut down. My brain simply refused to accept that this moment was real. It had to be a dream. They couldn’t possibly know about my relationship with Alex and the others. They were making assumptions…based on complete facts.
But how had they gotten those facts?
I hated that I had no answer.
Lila hooked her arm around mine and pulled me to the side. “Ignore them. They can’t hurt you. It’s just a bunch of stupid questions. Look straight ahead and ignore everything else.”
How? How could I ignore the truth staring me in the face?
Our secret had been busted wide open.