33. Callie
Callie
Ironically, after having a bunch of blood taken for testing, I’m back to my normal self the very next day. I forgot all about the results until they called me and asked me to come back in. So here I am, a week later, back at the doctor’s office. Only this time I’m joined by Marcus and Felix as Blake is stuck in a meeting all day. I leave them in the corridor outside the examination room, which, of course, they aren’t happy about. They grumble about leaving me alone until I point out that nobody can get past them without them seeing. Eventually, they concede and sit stoney-faced on the hard plastic chairs facing the exam room.
I understand their worry, more so than anyone, given the circumstances. But there is being cautious, and then there is just being crazy overprotective. That’s the category most of the men fall into at the moment. I almost wish Christian would make his move just so this shit could all be over with.
As I wait for the doctor, I sit on the edge of the exam table, swinging my feet. I kill time by reading the numerous posters decorating the room. By the time my doctor walks in, I’ve learned more than I ever needed to know about STDs and how to correctly check for lumps in my boobs.
“Afternoon, Callie. How are you feeling today?” he asks kindly.
In his seventies, Dr. Abbotts has a thin, wiry body and a shock of white hair that makes him look like an eccentric professor from a movie I once saw. He also happens to be permanently upbeat, something I never experienced in the overworked big-city doctors.
“Hey, Doc. I’m actually feeling great. I haven’t thrown up since I was last here, and I finally managed to eat some real food again, thank god. I’ll admit, I was getting pretty salty about not being able to eat a taco without puking it back up.”
“Well, that’s all perfectly normal, given the circumstances. Despite what the books seem to say, morning sickness can, in fact, occur at any time of day. It can also last the entire pregnancy, though most people find it drops off once they hit their second trimester.”
“So, I’m not dying?” That’s good at least.
“No.” He chuckles. “You’re not dying. You’re pregnant.”
“Wait, what? I’m pregnant? Like with a baby?”
He chuckles. “Well, it’s not a goldfish.”
“I don’t understand. I’m on the Depo. I don’t even get periods anymore, so it’s not possible, doc,” I tell him something he should already know.
“Well, the blood test revealed elevated levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG.”
“That can’t be right,” I say nervously, thinking this has to be a mistake.
“You know no method of contraception is a hundred percent effective. Lie back for me for a moment and let me have a feel.”
“That’s what got me into this mess in the first place,” I mutter, but I do as he asks, swinging my legs up onto the bed before lying back and fidgeting around on the scratchy paper until I’m somewhat comfortable.
“Can you pull your jeans down a little for me?” I pop the button and slide them down a touch.
Slipping on a pair of gloves, the doctor offers me a reassuring smile. He stands beside me and moves his hands over my stomach, pressing with his fingers in some spots.
Any minute now, he’ll realize this is all a huge mistake. Any minute now.
“Hmm... any tenderness here?” he asks, pushing down just above my pubic bone.
“Only when you push down like that.” I frown.
“Any other issues than vomiting and being tired?” he asks as he slides the blood pressure cuff up my arm.
“Not that I can think of, but I’m only really just feeling like myself again after recovering from my attack,” I tell him quietly, listening to the puff, puff, puff noise as he squeezes the balloon end of the tube.
I spent weeks feeling and looking like a giant bruise. Some parts of me had been sore and tender for months. Thanks to the pulling and clawing, even my hair and nails hurt. Some days, it was a miracle I made it from the bed to the sofa, the short journey between the two wiping me out for the rest of the day.
“Okay, this looks good.” He removes the cuff from my arm and places it down before picking up an electronic thermometer and sticking it in my ear. He waits for the little beeping sound. “Well, this is all good too. And you’re in luck. We have an ultrasound next door, so we can take a look to see what’s going on. Give me a moment to grab it.”
I just lay there in a daze, wondering how the fuck this happened. Well, I know how it happened, but seriously? After the broken condom fiasco, I thought getting the Depo shot was a smart move, but apparently, I got jabbed in the ass for nothing.
The doctor returns with the ultrasound machine, pulling it close to the bed before lifting my top to just under my breasts.
“Can you pull your jeans down a little more?” I wiggle them down to the top of my bikini briefs before the doctor rubs gel across my stomach.
Pressing the wand to my stomach, he moves it around, clicking a button on the machine, before moving it around some more. He’s moving it around so much that I start to relax, realizing he can’t find anything. I must have been right—the test was nothing more than a false positive.
I wait for the relief to rush in, only it doesn’t. I’m not ready for a baby. My life is in chaos, and Blake is busy having to temporarily run his business from home. Adding a baby to the mix would be a stupid idea, and yet... I don’t feel relieved like I should. I feel disappointed and sad. Maybe the timing is all wrong, but the thought of holding a baby with Blake’s eyes looking up at me fills me with an intense longing.
“I…” I open my mouth to speak when a loud, whooshing sound fills the room.
“There it is. Congratulations, Miss Ward, you are definitely pregnant.” He chuckles. “Let me do some measurements.”
“Oh my god! Wait, is it okay? Would the Depo have hurt it in some way?” I worry my lip between my teeth as panic sets in and the what-ifs flood my brain.
“Let’s not borrow trouble, Miss Ward. Most babies under these circumstances will be absolutely fine. Some might experience low birth weight, but most babies grow up happy and healthy without any lasting side effects.” He’s quiet for a moment as he works, and I lie there staring entranced at the screen. A baby. Holy fucking shit, there is a baby in there. I’m going to be a mom. Tears prick my eyes at the thought. What if I mess this up? What do I know about being a mom? I never had one I could look up to and use as a role model. What if I fuck my baby up like my parents did with me?
“Well, Miss Ward, you are measuring about fifteen weeks, which would have made you pregnant before you even started taking the Depo. And yes, before you say anything, I’m aware the pregnancy test we did back then came back negative. That can happen if it’s too soon in the pregnancy to pick up the elevated HCG levels.
“Let’s get you cleaned up. I’ll print out some pictures and write a script for prenatal medications I want you to take. The sickness you’ve been experiencing and the tiredness are all normal side effects of pregnancy, but come back and see me if you have any other concerns.”
I nod at his words, or I think I do, but I’m mostly in a daze.
“Wait, fifteen weeks means I would have been pregnant when I was attacked,” I choke out in a whisper, swiping at my tears as they begin to fall. “Are you sure it’s okay? They didn’t get hurt, did they?”
The doctor smiles kindly at me and gives my hand a squeeze. “Your baby is perfect. I’ll send your details over to OBGYN and get them to monitor you a little more frequently, just to keep an eye on things. But I don’t foresee any issues. It seems your child is as strong as their mother.”
Mother. I’m going to be a mother. Fuck. I look up at the doctor, whose face is blurred by my tears, and offer him a watery smile. “Thank you.”
I wait for my script, then follow him out of the room to Marcus and Felix.
“Everything okay?” Marcus asks worriedly, obviously noticing my pale, tear-streaked face.
“Yeah,” I cough to clear the squeak from my throat. “Everything’s perfect.” My smile is big and genuine, making him relax beside me.
“Blake just texted to say he will be out of contact for the next hour,” Felix says, quietly studying me as he holds the door open for me to pass through.
“Where is this meeting, anyway?” I ask, not that it’s uncommon for them not to answer their phones, particularly if they’re in court.
He’s quiet for a minute, running his eyes over my face, assessing if I truly am okay before answering. “He’s over at the government building with a couple of FBI agents and a senator, I believe, but you didn’t hear that from me. I can’t say anything else as it’s all very hush-hush. That’s why he won’t have his phone with him. They’ll take that when he enters. Only way to reach him will be by contacting the building, and only if it’s an emergency.”
“Gotcha. Any news on what you guys want to do about the office yet? Have you decided if you’re going to rebuild it or relocate?” I ask distractedly, my mind still thinking about the baby.
Marcus looks at me with a smirk as we climb into the SUV.
“I don’t remember you being around when we had the conversation about rebuilding or relocating, you little eavesdropper,” Felix teases, making me roll my eyes.
“I’ve hardly been let out of Blake’s sight, and you know it. I’m pretty sure you guys just forget I’m there now. Besides, I only heard you guys talking about what you might do, not about any decisions you might have come to.”
“Blake wouldn’t make any big changes without talking to you first, Callie. You are the most important thing to him right now,” he tells me, making me smile.
I know he’s right, despite everything going down, we’ve been blissfully happy. I just hope he’s as happy when he finds out about the baby.
We make the trek home, idly chit-chatting with each other before pulling up to the apartment.
My mind is in such a chaotic swirl about how best to tell him that I climb out of the car and head up through the garage to the first floor on autopilot. It isn’t until I’m halfway up the steps that a weird feeling, like a shadow of foreboding, washes over me. Pausing, I almost make Felix collide into the back of me as I shiver, feeling like someone just walked over my grave.
“What’s wrong?” Felix asks, making Marcus, who is ahead of us, stop and look at me in concern.
“Jesus, you’re as pale as a ghost,” Marcus comments.
I open my mouth to tell him it’s just my imagination running away with itself when Marcus’s phone rings. He pulls it from his pocket and frowns. Catching a glimpse at the screen before he hits answer, I smile as Marcus puts it on speakerphone.
“Hey, June, is everything okay?” I call out.
“There’s someone in my house,” she whispers, making my blood run cold as my eyes snap to Marcus.
“What?” Marcus barks as Felix pulls out his phone and dials the police.
“I can’t get a hold of Blake—” Her voice cuts off when we hear the sound of glass breaking.
I turn my eyes to Felix, who is still on the phone, and whisper-scream at him, “ Go !”
He hesitates for a second, looking torn, but then June screams through the phone, so I shove him and yell, “Go, fucking go!”
He nods, turns on his heel, and bolts back down the stairs.
“Upstairs, now. Head straight for the safe room,” Marcus orders, yanking me up the remaining steps and shoving me through the door.
“Wait, what’s happening?” I don’t understand what the fuck’s going on. He pushes me in front of him, yelling at me to run, so I do, with Marcus hot on my tail. I yank open the closet, shove the clothes aside, and step into the safe room I thought was unnecessary, my body freezing solid when I hear a pop, pop, pop, and a crash. I turn and see Marcus drop to the floor behind me.
“Get the fuck in there now,” he yells, firing off a round of his own. I hear someone curse, and something fall, but my attention is on Marcus. I bend and grab him under his arms and pull with all my might, dragging him along the floor with what little aid he can give me.
“Callie, go.”
“I’m not fucking leaving you, so help me,” I scream when he fires again, losing my grip for a moment before finally managing to get him the last few steps over the threshold of the panic room.
I stand up to close the door and feel a burning pain in my shoulder that has me staggering back, but I don’t fall, especially when I see the outline of a figure approaching. No fucking way. I have too much to lose.
With one hand protectively over my belly, I grip the door with the other and slam it shut just as someone crashes into it from the outside. They’re too late though—the door automatically locked tight.
I turn to Marcus to ask him what the fuck is going on and find him unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.