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 healthyand 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 takingpicturesof 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?”
