Sophia

 

 

"Did my mom put you up to this?" I stare up at the doctor. He's older than me by a few years; the hair on his temples is giving way to gray from brown.

"Your mom?" he questions back. "I don't follow."

"You're good." I rest my head on the pillow. "She made a joke about me being pregnant when I was brought in. I know she's persuasive. You did a good job though. I almost believed you."

His mouth cuts into a wide grin. "Denial is a very common reaction to an unplanned pregnancy, Sophia."

"You can drop the act." I rub my belly. "There isn't a baby in here. I use the pill and my boyfriend always wraps it up tight."

"Neither of those is foolproof." He skims his fingers over a tablet in his hands. "I'll show you what is foolproof; the results of your bloodwork."

He turns the tablet toward me. I try to focus on the medical terms and the corresponding numbers next to them. "This is how you'd feel if I handed you the pattern for a dress."

He chuckles. "You're in surprisingly good spirits for someone who went through an ordeal like that."

"I'm alive." I sigh deeply. "I also think I'm in shock. It feels like a dream; almost like I was watching it all from the sidelines."

"I'm going to send someone down to talk to you." He moves closer to the bed. "She's skilled in dealing with situations like this."

"I have someone to talk to." I rub my fingers across my lips. "His name is Liam Wolf. He was in to see me earlier today. We talked about what happened yesterday. I'll talk to him more."

"Liam is one of the best." He turns the tablet back around. "He's a good guy and I think he'll be an amazing uncle."

"I'm not pregnant." I feel a stir in my heart. "I would know if I was."

"You are pregnant." He leans his hand on the bed. "You're not more than a few weeks along. It's early and anything can happen, but today, at this minute, you're pregnant."

 

***

 

"You didn't go home, did you?" I look at the clothes he's wearing. "You were dressed in that when I was first brought in."

"I've been sitting on a chair outside your door." Nicholas tilts his chin toward the door of my private room. "The doctor said you needed to sleep, so I camped out there. They tried to kick me out, but I pulled the 'I'm Nicholas Wolf' card out of my back pocket."

I stare up at his face. He's so beautiful. He's going to be an incredible dad. "Did that work?"

"Not at all." He half-smiles. "Apparently, the people who work here are too busy to read."

I pat the bed. "Sit. I want to talk about something."

He pulls on the thighs of his jeans before he sits next to me. He reaches for my hand. "We can talk about Franco. I want you to feel strong. I'm here to listen to you."
I can't imagine what he went through when I was missing. As much fear as I had, I knew that Franco wouldn't hurt me. He loved me. It was in a sick, demented way but it was the shield that kept me and Elroy safe.

"No." My hand goes to my throat. I feel my airway constrict when I think about the small apartment that Franco took us to. "I don't want to talk about him right now."

"If it's about Del, I'm sorry, Sophia. I wanted to explain it at Hibiscus, but I'm committed to being completely honest with you. The shit with Del is over. I need you to at least know that right now. There's more to the story, and it will take time to tell but that story is over. It has been for a long time."

"It's not about her." I appreciate the offering. I haven't given Del a lot of thought since Franco appeared in that alleyway. All of my thoughts about Nicholas the past few days have been about the moments we've spent together.

I imagined being back at his apartment. I closed my eyes while Elroy slept and thought about the things Nicholas has said to me. He loves me. I know that he does. Whatever took place between him and Del is in the past.

"Did I seem jealous at Hibiscus?" I squeeze his hand.

"Maybe a little." He holds his index finger and thumb an inch apart. "I don’t mind the jealousy."

"You don't?"

"It's part of you. I love every part of you, Sophia."

The weight of the past few days suddenly hits me like a freight train. I can't stop my emotions. They flow out of me quickly, violently. I sob while I cling to him. "I thought about you every single second I was gone. I kept thinking about how you would feel if I didn't come back."

"That was never an option." His voice is heavy with emotion. "I knew you'd be back. I felt it inside."

"I understand more now." I pull back to look into his tear-stained face. "You've been through so much."
"Me?" He taps his chest. "You're the one who saved a child's life, Sophia. You're the one who was held hostage by a lunatic."

"You're the one who saw the person you love after she'd just taken her last breath."

"Sophia," he whispers my name as he pulls me close to him. His lips press against my forehead. "I love you."

"I didn't know what to do." I shake in his arms, my breathing increasing. "Franco told me I could go but I refused. I couldn't leave Elroy in there. I'll never forget the look of terror on that little boy's face when I first saw him standing in the alley with Franco."

He exhales sharply. "That memory will fade. Weeks, months and then years will pass and you'll start to forget the details. It won't be as vivid and one day you'll have such a full life that the memory of yesterday won't be sharp or clear anymore."

"Do you promise?"

"I'll help you heal from this, Sophia. Let me do that for you."