Page 245 of Mountain Men Heroes

The door to the exam room opened and the doctor who ran the small clinic where Amber volunteered stuck her head in. “Oops. Sorry, I didn’t know you had a patient in here.” Her eyes skimmed over me where I sat on the end of the exam table and then came back and rested more fully on me. “Oh, hey, Gabriella.”

“Hi, Dr. Walker.” I smiled.

“Everything okay?” Dr. Walker’s gaze darted between the two of us.

“Actually…” Amber started while bugging her eyes out at me.

I knew what she wanted—permission to talk to Dr. Walker about my “condition.”

I shrugged.

“Gabriella has been having some symptoms so I had her come in today. I hope that’s okay?”

“Of course. That’s what we’re here for,” Dr. Walker said. “Do you need help?”

Amber opened her mouth, but before she could speak, I jumped in.

“Yes. Please.” I shot an apologetic smile toward Amber. I didn’t want to step on her toes, but in this particular case, I really wouldn’t mind a second opinion. “I was telling Amber I’ve been having weird headaches that come out of nowhere, nausea on and off throughout the day for the last few weeks, and I feel like I can never get enough sleep. I’ve only had very spotty periods, but that’s not totally out of the ordinary for me. I’ve always been irregular.”

“And I did all the standard stuff. Blood pressure, weight, medical history, and,” Amber shot me a look loaded with meaning, “a pregnancy test. I wouldn’t normally do based on what I know about Gabriella’s history, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

Dr. Walker stepped more fully inside the little exam room and closed the door. “Sounds like you did all the right things.”

“Except for the fact she gave me the wrong diagnosis,” I said. “Amber thinks I’m pregnant. But it’s impossible.”

“I don’t think you’re pregnant, Gabriella. This isn’t my opinion. Your pregnancy test came out positive, sweetheart. And I ran it twice to be sure. Two positives do not make a negative.”

I shrugged. “Faulty tests?”

“Can I ask why you think it’s impossible, Gabriella?” Dr. Walker asked.

Mild embarrassment sent a tingle of heat across my cheeks. “I haven’t had sex in, three months. I would know by now if I were pregnant. Right?”

Instead of calming my fears with a ‘you’re absolutely right’ or maybe a ‘true, you’re good to go’ the doctor shared a look with my friend causing my stomach to bottom out. Her next words didn’t help.

“I see.”

“But how would we get two positive results?” Amber asked.

Dr. Walker looked at me and an odd expression flashed in her eyes. “Gabriella, did you and your last sexual partner use protection or are you on the pill?”

Images of my night with Captain Mac Becker flashed through my mind. There had been something primal about the way we were together. Wild. But we’d used protection. Through all the passion and mind-blowing sex, we were clear-headed enough to grab protection.

“Condoms.” The single word was pulled from me like molasses pouring from a bottle. I could feel my cheeks burn before I made my next confession. “I never, ever, ever have one-night stands, but well, I might have just that one time. But we were safe and we used a condom.”

Actually, we’d used condoms. Many many condoms. Which is one of the reasons the night was so memorable. I might not have been my usual self when it came to hooking up with a guy I just met. But I absolutely, positively did not let go of my number one rule when it came to sexual partners—no glove, no love.

Dr. Walker gave me a kind smile. “No judgments here. Do you mind if I do an ultrasound? At three months we will get a definitive answer for sure.”

I glanced at Amber and she gave me a nod. I turned back to the doctor with a shrug. “I guess that’s okay.”

She pressed her lips together for a second, her expression delivering an apology. “I’m sorry, but I think our best bet is to do a transvaginal ultrasound so we can check thoroughly and on multiple points at once, okay? I’ll need you to change into a gown. You can leave your bra and socks on.”

Who cared about socks right now!

I had no clue what a transvaginal ultrasound was and I’m pretty sure I’d be happy to get through the rest of my life without that knowledge. I opened my mouth to share that with Dr. Walker, but Amber locked eyes with me and headed me off.

“I’ll get her set up, Dr. Walker. No worries.”

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