“I can’t be pregnant,” I cried. “I can’t be.”
She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “Were you sexually assaulted?”
I gaped at her. “N-no, I wasn’t. I’m just, I mean, this wasn’t planned. Like at all.” I cupped my hands over my face. “I don’t know what to do,” I whispered.
“You don’t have to make any decisions at this time. Right now, we’re going to treat your kidney infection and get you rehydrated. Your mother said you have two children; did you have severe morning sickness with either of those pregnancies?”
I shook my head, still reeling from the news. “Uh, no, not anything like this.”
“Okay, well, we’re going to keep you overnight to get some fluids and antibiotics in you. We’ll also give you something for nausea. When you can keep food and oral antibiotics down, we’ll let you go home,” she explained.
“Thank you,” I said. “Um, I would like to keep the news to myself for the time being.”
“Absolutely. It’s against the law for healthcare workers to discuss your medical information without your consent.”
“Knock, knock. May I come in?” my mother called from the other side of the door.
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve just finished up. I’ll go put some orders in for you. We’ll also let you have some clear liquids and see how you do with those before letting you have anything heavier.”
“Thank you, Dr. Alvarez.”
“Well, what did she say?”
I sighed. “She said I have a UTI that has turned into a kidney infection and I’m severely dehydrated. They want to keep me in the hospital until they’re sure I can keep the pills down,” I explained.
“Oh, thank goodness it’s something simple.”
“Yeah,” I said solemnly. It was anything but simple.
10
Savior
Itried to make sure I stayed busy because, whenever I wasn’t, I found myself thinking about Avery Grace and her children. I would always look for ways to help the kids; it was just something I needed to do, but having any kind of relationship with her was out of the question—not that it was ever my intention in the first place.
I started hitting the gym hard. Coal began tagging along after the first week, and soon after, Grant joined us when he could. We hit the gym at least five days a week, and it was starting to show. The three of us were getting bigger, and my overall mood had noticeably improved.
I was just coming out of the locker room after my shower when a guy I didn’t know stopped me. “You got a sec?” he asked.
“Nah, man. I gotta be somewhere in a few minutes.”
“Wanted to know if you and your boys were interested in an opportunity to make some extra cash?” he asked, and I was instantly on alert.
“Appreciate the offer, but I’m good,” I said and moved to step around him.
“Really? You don’t want to know how you can make ten grand in less than an hour?”
“Nope. Cause chances are it’s not legal, and that’s not my thing,” I said and continued on my way.
“What did he want?” Coal asked when I stepped outside the gym.
“Wanted to know if I was interested in making ten grand in less than an hour.”
Coal snorted. “Shit. Are you serious?”
“Yeah, man. Told him thanks, but no thanks. Don’t think he liked my answer, though.”
“He’s a recruiter,” Grant said from the back seat.
