The wait was probably only a few seconds, but it could have been a lifetime, considering the anxiety consuming me.
“You’re pregnant.”
My stomach dropped so hard that I nearly threw up on the spot, and I was pretty sure it was sitting in the crust of the earth.
Pregnant?
“I’m onbirth control!” I squeaked.
In fact, I was real damn religious about taking it just to maintain my heat cycle and not because of my love of a good dick… Preston had broken a rather long dry spell. That was the entire reason I’d gone out, because it’d been so long, and I wanted a moment to have fun.
And now,this?!
In hindsight, I should’ve tried online dating like everyone else.
The doctor nodded. “Yes, but as a medical professional, you know that isn’t always effective. We can give you a scan to figure out how far along you are…”
“I know exactly how far along I am,” I muttered, absentmindedly running my hands over my knees.
The alleyway sex had been theonly timeI had sex in the last year, so it was most certainly that.
“I’ll be a little over three months.”
“The father is the alpha you’ve bonded with?”
“Yes. It was a one time thing.”
“In that case, you need to think long and hard about what you want your treatment plan to be. If the alpha is not in the picture, you need to seriously consider either finding pack members of said alpha, if he has them, or bonding with someone else. You cannot be on your own, dealing with separation sickness while pregnant.”
“I mean, I could alsonotgo through with this…” My mind was spinning, too many thoughts and questions running through me at the speed of light.
The doctor sighed. “Okay, we’re going to want to take more blood samples and run a few more tests before you decide anything. We're going to need to monitor your condition closely. I'm going to get you a bunch of information, then you can take a day or two to decide what you want to do. There are medical options, but they're not fun. I would congratulate you, but given the circumstances…”
“Yeah, thisisn’tgood news.”
Babies were amazing. I loved babies. Had I been feeling better, I would’ve been at Sunny’s house every other day, getting in some baby snuggles with her daughter.
But right now? Under the current circumstances? No.
My life wasn’t really conducive to having a baby. I lived in a tiny apartment, and the neighbors weren’t exactly quiet. My job was nonstop, with hours that were wildly unpredictable. I didn’t have a pack that could support me—I wasn’t sure Nolan and Wilder counted, could I even trust them? I was all on my own.
Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I refused to break down in front of the doctor. Even worse, I couldn’t let Merrick see me with red eyes. That would lead to questions I was in no way ready to answer.
“Well, let's schedule you to go get the other tests in a week or so, and I’ll send you off with some information. Take some time, and then…we’ll go from there.”
I didn’t say anything. I just nodded and left the office on autopilot.
Everything had changed, flipped on its head—again.
As I hauled myself into Merrick's giant truck, I did my best to act normal, despite the pamphlets burning a hole in my handbag.
“How did it go?” he asked, turning to me with concern on his face.
“Good,” I said brightly. “It’s just a nasty bug; they’re going to prescribe me some antibiotics, and I should be able to get over it with some rest and fluids.”
Merrick didn’t look convinced at the bullshit coming out of my mouth, but I kept the smile on my face and looked forward. He didn’t press after that, which I appreciated.
The entire drive back, I was quiet. My mind was spinning at full speed with no direction.
