Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“We haven’t taken the X-rays yet. The doctor needs to talk to you first.”
She whisks away and I lay back and close my eyes, too tired to protest when Logan fusses over me.
“You’re shivering,” he says, sounding worried. “Are you cold again?”
“A…a little,” I admit.
He wanted to buy me a warm coat when I started working, but I refused and insisted I could just borrow one of his—he has several. I swim in them, but they’re warm and they smell like him, which I secretly really like—his scent makes me feel safe. However, I left the coat I was borrowing today in the break room at the back of the Dollar Tree. And being wheeled around the drafty hospital in the wheelchair has leeched away all the warmth I gained when he carried me and held me to his chest. So yeah, I’m cold.
Logan finds a blanket for me and he’s tucking it in when the doctor comes back.
“Well, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes,” he says, smiling. Clearly he’s mistaking us for a couple since we have the same last name. I’m too tired to correct him and Logan doesn’t either.
“Is there some reason you haven’t done Poppy’s X-rays yet?” he asks, frowning. “I thought we were worried about some kind of skull fracture.”
“We were—a little. But now we have a different problem,” the Doctor informs him. “Did the two of you know that Poppy is pregnant?”
This jolts me out of the daze I’ve been in. I sat bolt upright in the hospital gurney and then wish I hadn’t. My head is throbbing and my heart is pounding. I look at Logan in terror. Oh God, it wasn’t just a cheap test—I really am pregnant!
Now what will he do? Will he kick me out? Bad enough to deal with his destitute sister-in-law…now there’s a baby in the mix. No man wants to raise a baby that’s not his—right? Right?
“Easy—take it easy, kitten.” Logan puts a hand on my arm, he looks concerned and a little stunned but he’s not angry. At least not so far. He looks at the Doctor. “Excuse me but I’d like a little time with my, er, wife—alone.”
“Sure. I’ll be back in a while, and we can discuss treatment options.”
The Doctor nods and draws the curtain, giving us semi-privacy, which is the best you can get at the ER.
“Poppy?” Logan looks at me with a frown on his face. “Did you know about this?”
I feel tears stinging my eyes, but I try to push them back.
“I…I had an idea,” I say, hoping he won’t get mad. “Dirk, he…he flushed my birth control pills right after we got married. He said he wanted to…to start a family right away.”
His face twists.
“Shit! That fucker!”
I’m frightened at once.
“I’m sorry!” I exclaim and my hands go instinctively to my belly, which actually, is still pretty flat. Or as flat as it ever gets for me, since I’m a curvy girl. “I should have said something, but I was so afraid you wouldn’t let me stay with you. And…I was afraid to know the truth,” I end, my voice sinking to a whisper.
He takes a deep breath and rakes a hand through his hair.
“Of course you were afraid,” he says at last. “I just can’t believe my brother. Getting you pregnant on purpose and then abandoning you!”
“Are you going to kick me out?” I ask, and my voice is tight with fear. “I know I should have said something, but I was hoping it wasn’t…wasn’t true.”
“Kick you out?” He looks both surprised and horrified. “Of course not, sweetheart! Why would you think that?”
“Because you might think I’ll be a burden,” I blurt. “But I won’t be—I swear! I can pull my own weight. I can—”
“You’re not going to do anything unless the doctor says you can,” he says firmly. “And you’re not leaving my house, either. You’re going to stay with me no matter what. You’re under my protection. Nothing can change that.”
I feel a rush of relief—it’s almost too good to be true.
“Really?”
“Really, kitten. So don’t cry.” He reaches for some tissues from a box by the bed and passes them to me. “You’re not going anywhere,” he tells me. “You’re staying with me.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I just…I don’t know what to do. Should I keep it or…or get rid…get rid…” Somehow I can’t make myself finish the sentence.
“Look at your hands,” he says quietly.
I look down and see I’m still rubbing my belly protectively. Like I’m trying to keep the little spark of life that’s taken hold inside of me safe.
A burst of realization hits me. Oh God, I want this baby—I really do. I know it sounds crazy after my husband left me with absolutely no money to take care of it. I ought to hate it for being part of him but somehow I don’t.