Ridge holds up his hands. “Wouldn’t think of it.”
Cash shrugs. “I wasn’t even here, so you can’t pin this one on me.”
I think those are jokes. I think they have jokes right now. My God.
In the ambulance, I start to hyperventilate. “I need to go to Bellamy.”
Zane shakes his head, nodding to the paramedics. “She’s going into shock. This is why she’s in the ambulance with me.” And then to me. “Ridge will take care of Bellamy. She’s with Luna, and Luna’s not letting her go. Right now, you need to come with me.”
And then I start crying.
At the hospital, Zane gets stitches, and some imaging to make sure he doesn’t have any internal bleeding.
Once he’s cleared, everything pivots to me.
Jasper wants to take a statement.
Dr. Tailfeathers won’t let him, although she’s not exactly sure why. She’s exchanging silent looks with Zane over my head, holding off the cop.
Finally, she holds up her hands and snaps for everyone to get out.
“That means you,” Zane growls to the cop.
“I can’t leave you together to get your stories straight,” Jasper snarls back.
“Both of you, get the hell out of this room,” the doctor says. “Argue about this in the hallway.”
After she closes the door behind them, she sits on a little rolling chair and comes closer to me. “So this is the second traumatic thing that’s happened to you in a week,” she says softly. “That’s a lot.”
“He was my ex,” I whisper. “And he was abusive.”
“Ah. I’m sorry.”
I nod and start crying again.
“We can take as long as you need in here.”
“I’m…” I swallow hard. “I think I’m pregnant. I mean, I’m pretty sure… I don’t know if it’s still… But I…”
“Why don’t we check?”
I clench my fists together. Thinking of people in town, thinking of how to contain this part of the story. Thinking so hard it makes my head hurt. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
“I understand. It doesn’t feel medically relevant to the moment, does it?” She takes a deep breath. “How about you give the sheriff your statement, andthenwe’ll do an ultrasound? If you don’t knowyet if you’re pregnant, then there’s nothing to mention to him.”
I must nod again, because she opens the door.
“Five minutes,” she says to the sheriff. “Then I need to treat her for shock.” She takes Zane with her.
Jasper’s questions are straightforward.
I answer them honestly, but I don’t offer any extra details.
I make it exceptionally clear how violent Derek was when he was rampaging through the house, before Zane came to rescue me.
I don’t tell him about the pregnancy.
And then it’s over.
