Chapter 8
AVA
Ava slid her eyes closed as she felt the mattress shift next to her. She’d been awake for an hour, tossing and turning as worry filled her mind.
As pale moonlight filtered through the shades, she’d lay on her side staring at Alex as he slept.
All of the moments they’d spent together while not being a couple had seemed so easy compared to what they’d experienced since he’d admitted his feelings. And with hers out in the open now, too, everything felt more real, heightened.
The reality that they could lose each other at any second in this battle weighed heavily on her. Nightmares of laying alone in this very bed when he’d been held prisoner by The Board taunted her.
She never wanted to go another minute without him at their side, but what if that wasn’t the biggest concern?
She’d nearly died in a plane explosion, and now she had some sort of strange symptoms that seemed to pop up randomly. What if something was wrong with her?
She didn’t want to lose Alex, but she didn’t want to leave him alone either.
With her lips pressed together, she stifled a sob. She had to keep this quiet for now until she knew what she was dealing with. Telling Alex would only upset him, and potentially over nothing.
She shifted to face away from him, letting her mind talk her down off of the proverbial ledge. This had come on too suddenly to be anything serious. It was probably something simple. Kyle would be able to figure it out.
Then, she’d laugh about it, telling Alex she’d been worried over a vitamin deficiency, or a virus that wasn’t that bad.
Ava exhaled a shaky breath, reminding herself that it would all be okay.
Her heart leapt into her throat as Alex moved next to her. She slid her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Within a few minutes, he climbed from the bed slowly. She opened her eyes to slits to see him tiptoeing across the room to slip out.
He’d likely make her breakfast or at least coffee. She waited a few moments to make sure he wasn’t coming back before she snapped into action, throwing back her covers and darting to the door as quickly and quietly as she could.
With her heart hammering, she inched it open and peered into the hall. Clear.
She slipped from their bedroom and scurried down the hall and around the corner to Kyle’s door. After softly knocking, she shifted her weight from foot to foot in a nervous dance. Had he heard her? Should she knock louder?
Before she could answer her question, the door popped open. Kyle squinted at her as he yawned. “Good morning. I have it.”
“Good. Now I can prove it to you.” She slipped into his bedroom and crossed to the en-suite bath, sticking her hand out.
He rummaged through a dresser drawer before pulling the pregnancy kit from under a pile of clothes and thrusting it forward.
“Did you read the directions?” she asked as she swung the bathroom door shut.
“No,” Kyle called in a sleepy voice. “But it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out. Also, this is weird.”
“It’s not weird,” Ava said as she clawed open the box and pulled out one of the packages. “Why is it weird? Is it weird when you discover a pregnancy in the ER?”
“No, but it’s weird for someone else’s wife to be taking a pregnancy test with me and not her husband.”
Ava tugged open the door as she tore the package open to reveal the pregnancy test stick. “I’m not pregnant, so it’s not going to be a big moment. Just…” She glanced down at the test. “One pink line.”
“See?” he said as he collapsed back into his pillows. “Didn’t need the instructions.”
“Yeah, but how long before I’m in the clear?” she asked.
“Like five minutes maybe?” Kyle answered.
“Five minutes?!” She grabbed the directions from the package and tossed them out the door. “Read those.”
“Honestly, Ava,” Kyle answered, the paper crinkling as she took the test and popped the cap onto it. “Five minutes. Just like I said.”
She stared at the test, her hands trembling. If it was positive, at least she'd know. But doubt gnawed at her, leaving them to scramble for another explanation.
A cold sweat formed on the back of her neck. The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as she waited, every beat of her heart echoing the fear that something was terribly wrong.
She puckered her lips at the test before she pulled the door open. “Okay, I hope you’re timing this.”
“I wasn’t,” Kyle said before glancing at his watch. “Now, I am.”
Ava bit into her lower lip as she tapped the test against her palm.
“Maybe you should tell me when the last incident happened, your symptoms, and how long it lasted so I can get a better idea of what we’re dealing with here if this is negative.”
She licked her lips, nodding. “It was when we were going to meet Chris and Sebastian. It started on the beach. Sudden heat building, tension at the temples, just didn’t feel right all over. It lasted all the way until we left, practically. I thought I might pass out.”
“You sat down on the bed just before we left,” Kyle noted. “I remember.”
“Yep. That’s why. I was sweaty, my legs were wobbly. I’m surprised I didn’t pass out. Same thing happened at the carousel.”
“So, tension may be playing a factor here. This could stress-related. There’s a lot going on, Ava. Maybe your body is just adjusting to it.”
“I’ve never had this before.”
Kyle rubbed his chin, wrinkling his nose at her. “Have you ever been chased by a criminal organization before?”
She shot him an unimpressed glance. “That’s very funny, Doc. If this whole doctoring thing doesn’t work out, you could take your act on the road.”
He offered her a grin. “I thought it was funny. I’m being serious, though.
I mean…Ava, this is well beyond the stress levels that any normal person goes through on a regular basis.
Your lives are being threatened, you don’t know who to trust, and on top of that…
you’ve just started a long-term relationship. ”
Ava fluttered her eyelashes as she stared up at him. “With a man I couldn’t live without.”
“It doesn’t matter, Ava. Relationships are stressful.
You’ve upset the balance of your current relationship, and you’re navigating through a new normal in a situation that is anything but normal.
Even after you’ve dealt with The Board, you’re going to have some stress while you and Alex settle in to this. ”
Ava raised her eyes to the ceiling. “I hate it when you are a grown-up doctor.”
“Yeah, well, I’m just saying this may not be anything more than a bad reaction to stress.”
“Well, I don’t exactly have time for a bad reaction to stress. What am I supposed to do about this? Ask The Board to make sure they leave me meditation time?”
“Maybe they can cover the cost of a meditation app for you. You could ask Shadow.” He grinned at her. “It’s been five minutes.”
She sucked in a breath, her stomach flip-flopping as she glanced down at the sticking her hand before she twisted it to face him. “Not pregnant. Just like I said. Now what?”
“Now, we do some blood work. I can grab a sample now, I’ll send it to the lab, we’ll see if there’s anything going on there that can give us a clue.”
Ava bobbed her head as he crossed to his medical bag. “What if it doesn’t give us a clue?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t worry about that just yet.” Kyle returned to her, tying a tourniquet around her arm. “Sit down.”
“I’m fine.”
“Sit down. I don’t want you passing out. Then I’ll have to drag you back to your bedroom and risk getting caught.”
She plopped onto the edge of his bed, keeping her arm extended. “Okay, I can’t stop thinking about what happens if my bloodwork is normal. I mean…what then?”
“There are options,” he said as he slid the needle into her arm.
“Like?”
“Like a CT scan to see if anything is showing up anywhere, like symptom tracking to see if this is related to stressful situations or maybe even a food you’re eating.”
“Gosh, I hope it’s not the orange soda and cheeseballs. I love those.”
“Those are kind of gross, Ava.”
“Didn’t you eat like seventy of them last night?”
Kyle shrugged as red blood poured into the vial from her arm. He released the tourniquet as he waited for it to fill. “Yeah. But I have an extreme desire to fit in and be accepted with little regard for my own wellbeing.”
She screwed up her face. “Seriously? Do you even like them at all?”
“They’re okay,” he said as he pressed a piece of cotton against her arm and slid the needle from it. “Hold that.”
“They’re okay? You seriously ate like half a jug of something you don’t even like just so Alex and I would accept you?”
Kyle shrugged as he marked the blood sample.
“Doc! Please stop doing that. Alex and I don’t care if you eat cheeseballs. We like you because you’re you.”
“You thought I liked cheeseballs.”
She pressed her lips together. “Don’t eat the cheeseballs. We’ll get you something else to snack on. Oh my gosh.”
He grinned at her. “Aw, thanks, Ava, that’s sweet.”
“How long for the blood results?”
“Maybe a few hours, some stuff will take a few days. I’ll send it over right away.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Ava rose and pulled the cotton away, hoping the needle didn’t leave a mark or a bruise that she’d have to hide.
She tossed the cotton into the trash in his bathroom before she crossed to the door.
“Hey, Ava…”
She twisted to face him.
“Just a thought that maybe you want to clue Alex in on this.”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Not until we know what we’re dealing with here. He doesn’t need to know yet. He’s a worrier. Leave him blissfully unaware.”
Kyle pressed his lips together, his brows knitting in concern. The decision clearly didn’t sit right with him, but he nodded his acquiescence. “Okay. It’s your call.”
“Thanks, Doc,” she said with a smile. “You’re the best.”
She hurried back to their bedroom, finding Alex already inside. Her heart rose into her throat as she explained her absence away before settling in to eat the breakfast he’d made her.
After a long conversation with him about her feelings for Chris and her commitment to him, he left her behind to clean up the kitchen before a morning gaming session.
She finished her meal, rose from the bed, showered, and changed. A quick check of her phone told her nothing new.
She eased onto the side of the bed, scrolling through her messages with Sebastian. She hadn’t heard anything from him since the meeting with Miranda.
That was unusual. Her mind wandered from scenario to scenario as she tried to determine why he wasn’t answering.
She chewed her lower lip, vetting the idea of sending another message to him. As she stared down at her screen, her thumb hovered over the call icon.
In a moment of impulsivity, she pressed it. The line trilled as she waited, wondering if she’d get his voicemail or something else.
The line clicked as someone answered.
“Hello?”
Ava’s breath caught in her throat, her blood running cold as the voice on the other end sent a shockwave through her. It wasn’t Sebastian. It was Miranda. Her heart pounded in her ears as the implications of this realization hit her like a tidal wave.
Why was Miranda answering Sebastian’s phone?