Page 51 of Strike Zone

“I’m pregnant. Those are the words. Pretty simple. I’m not a fucking monster. The night we obviously conceived, I was begging you to give me a chance. I wanted more. I was right there. You didn’t think that two weeks later you could’ve called me, and I’d come running?”

“I treated you badly.”

“No shit, Sherlock! You’re a pain in the ass. It’s not exactly breaking news. You have berated me since the day we met, and I still wanted you. Didn’t that tell you something? But this… you left me in the dark all this time, fully expecting me to move on. Hell, you asked the question tonight. How many women?”

“And you said no one.” She reaches for my hand as I pace past the bed, but I keep moving.

“It’s not the fucking point, Diana. You set us up to fail. What if I had gone off and slept with five women in that time?”

“I don’t know.”

“And what if I liked one of those women enough to start a relationship? Did you stop for one second to consider that scenario, or is it just a given that no woman in her right mind would want to date me?”

“No. Please sit down.”

“I can’t.”

“Linc…” The anguish in her voice is a dagger to my heart, but her betrayal is a deathly blow to my fucking soul.

“If I were dating someone, and you eventually told me we were having a kid together, what then? I get to see them on weekends? That’s bullshit. I’m the dad. I want to be there. I have the right to be involved. You don’t get to take that away from me, Diana. You don’t want it, fine, then I’ll raise it alone, but I suppose I have to wait for you to tell me if you’re keeping it first.”

“I’m keeping it.”

Relief washes over me—or rather slams into me like a tsunami. I can finally meet her gaze, but what I see breaks my heart. Her eyes are glassy as she struggles to hold back tears, and I crack like a pair of cheap stripper’s heels.

Perching on the edge of the bed, I pull her into my arms and hold her for the longest time before whispering in her ear. “Thank you.”

Her entire body shudders as the tears I suspect she’s been holding in for a while trickle down her cheeks. I don’t move, giving her the dignity of crying without my eyes on her. I know she’d hate that, and as conflicted as I feel right now, I don’t want to hurt her. I’d never want that.

We sit in silence, locked in this embrace until the doctor reappears.

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Still pretty rough, if I’m honest.”

“As I explained to your boyfriend…” Her body stiffens as she realizes how I came to know I’m going to be a father. I’m going to be a father. “You have something called hyperemesis gravidarum. It’s a severe form of morning sickness. I called your OBGYN, and she will follow up with you.”

I’ve been googling this shit while Diana was asleep, and it can get nasty. I’m worried about her, and I’m mad that she has been dealing with this alone. I’m just angry and terrified.

“Luckily for you and baby, you were in peak physical condition before pregnancy, so with some added dietary supplements on top of the regular prenatal vitamins, your OB can monitor your electrolytes and hydration. At this point, I can let you go home on bed rest, but I want you to be aware that you may end up with a hospital stay if it gets any worse. As I said before, your previous healthy lifestyle has gone a long way to keep you going up until this point, but once your own stores are depleted, the baby will take everything first, and you’ll be running on empty. We need to get you doing better.”

“Bed rest? Really?” She can’t even protest with any gusto, she’s that weary.

“Where do you think you’re running to, southpaw? I had to carry you in here, and the toilet bowl was holding you up prior to that. If bed rest is what’s needed, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“We?” The doctor chuckles as Diana’s eyes bug out of her head.

“I’m going to be watching you like a hawk. Get used to it. If I cook, and you puke, then…”

“We’re in a bad Dr. Seuss book?” There’s a little spark of the Diana I know and, she saved my ass there. I didn’t have anything to rhyme with that.

“So, I can take her home, doc? Are there certain foods she can eat that may be easier for her to hold down?”

“I’ll have one of the nurses bring down the medication and some information on things you guys can try. Make sure you follow up with your OBGYN. It’s vital they monitor you closely from here on out.”

“I’ll call them myself,” I interject. I’m aware Diana is probably rolling her eyes at me right now, but I don’t care. I’ll be making sure she and the baby are healthy whether she likes it or not.

Once we have the prescriptions and my reading for the night—or early morning now—I drive us back to Diana’s parents and slip inside as if nothing ever happened. The lights are out, and the house is quiet.

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