Page 17 of Merciless Monster

“You shouldn’t have let it go on for this long, Mia.”

“I feel a little better, Mom.”

“Well, you don’t look it.”

“The doctor will see you now, Miss Martin,” the assistant says after she takes my vitals and gives me a cup to urinate into.

Mom waits outside while I go in.

“Hi, Mia. It’s good to see you again. Please take a seat. What’s troubling you, Mia?”

“Hi, Doc. Mom’s being a little overly dramatic. I feel okay. I'm just having the darndest time shaking this tummy bug.”

“I see.”

The doctor looks down at the chart on his desk and flips over a page. He takes a few moments to read and then looks up at me.

“Well, I can see what the problem is,” he says.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Nothing a few months won’t sort out.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand. A few months? What kind of crazy bug is this?”

“You’re pregnant, Mia.”

* * *

“You’re what?”

Gina is staring at me as if I just told her I was abducted by aliens. I know how she feels. I thought I was going to pass out when Dr. Flowers broke the news to me. I’ve been in a daze ever since.

“Oh, Lord. It’s Dante's, isn’t it?” she says again, looking quite pale.

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh, Mia. How did this happen?”

“I would have thought you of all people would understand, Gina. You were the one who told me to let down my hair, live a little, blah blah blah.”

“I did. But I didn’t mean for you to come home with a permanent reminder of your joyous holiday. And, Dante. Oh, my…”

“Okay, I have to ask. Why do you keep saying his name like that? What’s wrong with him?”

“There’s nothing wrong with him. It’s just. Well.”

“Well, what?”

“I hate to tell you this, M, but he’s the ‘bad boy’ of the family.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s just say his business practices are a tad on the fringes of the law.”

“I hate it when you talk in code.”

“I’m sorry. Just forget about it. Are you going to tell him?”

---