Page 69 of Tech

My consultant clears his throat and rasps, “Dr. Carter, what can I do for you? I’m currently in the middle of a consultation.”

Doc nods, and my eyes ping pong between the three men, the room getting heavier.

“Really? For a cancer diagnosis, correct?” Doc asks, and Dr. Heart clears his throat but nods, his eyes looking between the two club brothers with worry.

Doc smirks. “I bet the board would love to hear how you're going above and beyond in a specialty you’re not trained in. If I had known you were the doctor my sister-in-law was seeing,” Dr. Heart's face pales, and my reality sets in, my thoughts from a moment ago coming in full force as my stomach moves again. Doc finishes, “then I would have set her straight.”

My eyes tear up, and I ask the man who gave me my diagnosis, “Do I have cancer, Dr Heart, honest truth right now…. Or am I really pregnant like James believes? The sensations I’ve been feeling, are they my baby?”

I keep my eyes on Dr. Heart as he croaks, “I’m so sorry. Mrs. Richardson, we, uh, we’ve been in a relationship for over a year, and she uh, she came to see me when you were brought in….”

I narrow my eyes—he’s lying…. I know Carol doesn't like me much for reasons I'm starting to think have nothing to do with me and everything to do with how some men in the club treat women, but she loves her husband. I've seen it in her eyes when she looks at him; besides, who would call their lover by their married name?

He continues, “She saw your report on the desk confirming you are indeed pregnant, but you have a severe case of pre-eclampsia, which has been causing your symptoms. Mrs. Richardson a-asked me to-to end your pregnancy. The-the surgery would have been a-an abortion.”

Pregnant.

I’m pregnant….

My hand goes to my belly as James rounds the doctor’s desk and punches him in the face, growling, “You were going to kill my baby, my fucking child, putting my girl at risk!”

Tears stream down my face as the shock kicks in.

They wanted to kill my baby….

No, not they, him, and I'm guessing flipping Nina. Carol would never, and I mean never, hurt an innocent child, heck, after the things Sarah has explained with how James has treated her, believing she’s the reason for my ordeal, she wouldn’t even lay a finger on him. I know I believed she could at one point, but I'd just gone through an ordeal, and she was named and so was Nina, but my mind focused on her.

God, has Nina been behind everything, hoping Carol would be the fall guy?

“Doc, stay with Brook!” James snaps and storms out of the room before I can stop him, and I gasp, looking at Doc.

"He’s lying.”

Doc shakes his head. “I read over the results he wrote up before I came in here, darling; your symptoms don’t match his diagnosis, but pre-eclampsia does. The movements you’ve been feeling aren’t in your mind like this fucker tried to say, it’s your baby moving.”

I shake my head vehemently. “No, I don’t mean that, I mean about James’ momma.” I look back at the dick whose pressing tissues against his nose. “What’s James’ momma’s first name?” The man freezes, his eyes going between me and Doc with panic. I sneer, “If you had a relationship for over a year, you’d know her name. It was Nina, wasn’t it? She’s the one you’ve been screwing, all while she tries to get her hands on another man. She’s been using you, and like the pathetic weasel you are, you allowed it, and then allowed her to drag an innocent woman down.”

His cheeks redden, and I look at Doc, who curses, and then states, “I brought my truck after Ken gave me a lecture.” He looks at the dickhead and storms over to him, wrapping his hand around his throat. “If I was you, I’d fucking run and run far, because if I catch you, then you’re fucking dead.”

Dr. Heart’s breathing picks up, his eyes widening, fear pulsing off him as Doc shoves him back. Doc drops something in the man’s briefcase, confusing me.

Walking my way, he helps me stand, and I whisper, “The baby?” I haven’t been taking care of myself as though I were pregnant. No checks, no meds—which might have made my condition worse.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and states, “Your baby will be okay, I promise. I’ll do a full workup once we’ve caught up with Tech.”

I nod and allow him to walk me out.

Concern shoots through me, the process of understanding that I’m actually pregnant and high risk not hitting home yet. James is the only person I can focus on.

His ex tried to have our baby killed and planned to use his momma as the fall guy….

Did she even have anything to do with my near rape?

Has Nina shoved a wedge between Carol from her family, and we all allowed it?

Oh God.

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