Chapter 10
Alanna
Present Day.
Today I had a doctor’s appointment, something she’s never missed. This was the first time I was going alone, and I was terrified.
Nerves had my hands shaking and my feet growing cold. I wanted to chalk it up to low circulation, anything but admitting I was terrified beyond the realm of normal.
I could do this? I asked myself, but that little voice whispered, can you? Self-doubt was a powerful thing.
Looking down at myself and took in my appearance. I was wearing my tight shirt, and tight jeans and my bare toes were painted pink.
My stomach grew a few inches, or six, but it was just enough that if you looked at me from the side, you would see it. My pants were barely hanging in there, and I couldn’t even button them. Although, I wasn’t ready to wear the maternity clothes.
Climbing from my father’s old truck, I climbed the steps to the little building which housed the only doctor in this small town.
The door made a creaking sound as I pulled it open. The waiting room was empty, like always, and the old receptionist was chewing gum and twirling her short gray hair.
I took small comfort in the fact that it was the same. Walking up to the window, I waited for the receptionist to finally look up at me.
“Yes?” she asked, her voice was husky and cracking.
“I’m here to see Dr. Mitchell,” I tell her.
“Name?” she asked.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I’m sure she remembered me, I was here enough.
“Alanna,” I replied with a tight smile.
She blew a bubble, it was something that I didn’t expect at all, and it popped loudly.
“Have a seat dear, and I’ll let him know you’re here,” she replied with a hand wave in the direction of the seats.
I wanted to say something like it’s not hard to find the seats considering they are right behind me. But, I refrained, damn pregnancy hormones had me all riled up.
Sitting heavily in the chair, I looked at the woman behind the desk. I was silently pleading with her to tell the doctor, so I could get the information that’s been eating at me for months.
But instead of moving, she turned back to her soap. I squinted my eyes trying to guess which one it was. My mom used to love these things.
My foot tapped impatiently, and the sound of it connected with the linoleum covered floor. I smiled as the receptionist looked away from the tv to glare in my direction. I give her a little wave to remind her that I’m still here and she needed to tell him I’m out here.
With a huff of annoyance, she finally left her post and headed into the back of the building.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I placed a hand over my slightly extended stomach. I rubbed it and felt small little movements under my hand.
Every day I was losing the courage to go and tell Reyes that I was pregnant. The fear of him laughing or giving me the cold shoulder kept me here in my little cocoon.
“Miss Alanna?” Dr. Mitchell called out.
Turning, I scanned the room and laughed a little. It was almost like the doctor thought he needed to be heard over a large group of people.
“Here,” I replied, fighting the urge to raise my hand like a school girl.
“Good, good. Please come back this way,” he tells me.
Again, I fought the need to laugh. I mean there were only three places to go, out the front door, into the bathroom, and of course down that hallway.
Rising slowly to my feet, my hands shook with excitement, knowing what was coming. I was about to see my baby again and find out if it was a girl or boy. Something was telling me that it was a boy.
My feet connected with the hard floor. The sound echoed slightly as I made my way to the room that the doctor just walked through.
“Here, lay up there and lift your shirt,” the doctor pointed to the exam table.
He handed me a small towel, and I climbed up on the table. I laid back lifting my shirt while tucking it under my breasts, so I was still covered. Slowly, I put the towel over the top of my pants, giving me a barrier between the waist of my jeans and my stomach.
“Lift your legs dear,” Dr. Mitchell said quietly.
Slowly, I lifted them up a few inches, and he pulled out a table extender to rest my legs on, so they weren’t dangling in an uncomfortable position.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
I nodded my head even though I don’t think anyone could be comfortable on this horrible contraption.
Dr. Mitchell wheeled over a little cart holding the small computer. It also had some other items like the blue jelly that I knew he was going to squeeze on my stomach as well as the wand that he would press against it.
I watch as he sat down on his little-wheeled stool and reaches for said jelly. I winced as he squeezed a large amount on my skin.
“Sorry dear, but it will only be cold for a moment,” he tells me.
I wanted to tell him that it was a little late for the warning but wisely kept my mouth shut. The wand appeared and slowly lowered to my stomach. My eyes went immediately to the screen as I held my breath.
Grainy black and white images appeared on the screen, and soon I could see the baby’s profile. I saw its little feet kick, and hands wave like he was saying hello.
Dr. Mitchell started taking measurements slowly making his way over the baby, moving the wand and pressing down harder in some spots giving a little shake, hoping the baby would move when he did.
“Perfect, everything looks perfect,” he tells me with a gentle pat to the leg.
“Now, my dear do you want to know what you’re having?” he asked me kindly.
“Yes,” I breathed the word.
“Ok dear, let’s have a look,” he replied with a smile.
Pressing the wand back against my stomach he moves it around some more before pausing and using the mouse in his other hand to circle the area that my eyes were now glued too.
“Congratulations, you are…” he starts, but then the door slammed hard against the wall.
My eyes focused on the one person that I never expected to see. Judging by the shocked look on his face, he didn’t expect to see what he was seeing.
“It’s a boy,” the doctor finished as he turned to the intruder with a startled look.
Reyes’ eyes lock onto my small stomach, and his face darkened in anger. For a small moment, I felt fear rise inside me. Then I remembered as angry as he was, Reyes would never physically hurt me.
“What the fuck, Alanna?” he shouted.
“I’m afraid you need to leave, sir,” the old doctor told Reyes.
His eyes never left me as he shouted at the doctor, “Get the fuck out, now!”
“It’s okay Dr. Mitchell,” I told him quietly.
“Wait,” I shouted at the doctor, “Please, can you print those before you go,” I begged him.
He nodded and went back to the task at hand, not bothering to look at Reyes or me.
Soon a roll of blurry black and white images was placed in my hand, and the doctor was closing the door quietly behind him.
“Reyes...” I started before he cut me off.
“What the fuck is going on?” he demanded coldly.
“I…um… well… I…” I was at a loss for words.
“You’re pregnant,” he stated.
“Yes,” I whispered.
There was no sense in denying it, not that I would have.
“Is it mine?” he asked darkly.
“What kind of fucking question is that? Of course, it’s yours, asshole,” I snapped at him angrily.
Just because he fucked around didn’t mean I was going too.
“When were you going to tell me?” he demanded.
“I was going to tell you. I was just… I didn’t… look, Reyes, I wasn’t ready to come home and see the parade of women that warm your bed,” I tell him truthfully after stumbling over a few words.
“Alanna…” he started.
“NO! I don’t want to hear it,” I snapped.
I couldn’t and wouldn’t have him tell me the truth and I sure as fuck didn’t want to hear the lies.
“You’re coming home with me,” he told me. It wasn’t a question, it was a demand.
I felt like telling him to go fuck himself, but I just nodded. He had the right to be angry, I should have told him the moment I found out.
Wiping the blue jelly that was smeared all over my stomach, I lowered my shirt and sighed when I remembered it was his t-shirt the one I stole months ago.
His eyes took it in, but wisely he doesn’t say a word.
“Let me help you,” he said while he walking over and held his hand out so I could use it to lift myself off this horribly, uncomfortable contraption.
“Thanks,” I tell him, grasping it and allowing him to pull me up.
Slowly, I stood and tossed the towel in the trash-like container that said not for trash.
“Can you ride?” he asked me skeptically.
“No,” I was pregnant, didn’t he get that?
“I’ll put my bike in the back of the truck,” he replied with a nod. He grabbed my hands and pulled me out of the room, down the hallway, and out of the building.
“Wait,” I tell him.
He turns to look at me. It was as if he expected me to fight with him.
“I need to go back to the cabin and get some stuff,” I tell him quickly.
“Let’s go,” he said.
I climbed into the passenger seat with his assistance. It was something that I protested greatly.
“I don’t need your help,” I snapped at him, “I’m not an invalid, just pregnant.”
“Fucking humor me,” he says.
Sighing, I sat in the seat and allowed him to buckle me in as if he was a nursemaid fussing over a patient.
I watched as he walked to his bike and hefted it up like it weighed nothing and placed it in the back of the truck. His muscles bulged under the weight, and my eyes strayed to his arms and stayed there. I couldn’t help myself, the man was fucking hot.
Ratchet straps were pulled from the truck’s toolbox, and slowly he secured his bike in the truck bed. He gave it a testing shake, and when it doesn’t budge, he walked to the driver side door and opened it.
“How did you find me?” I asked him when he finally climbed into the driver seat.
“Bianca was damn near climbing the walls,” he said.
“And?” I asked. I knew there was more to it than that.
“She was getting more and more upset as the morning progressed, so I finally told her if she didn’t tell me I was going to have Ryan transferred to another club,” he replied with a shrug.
I should have been upset that she relented so easily, but I didn’t blame her. I knew how she felt about Ryan.
“You’re an asshole,” I told him.
“I know,” he replied quietly.
For some reason, I didn’t think he was just referring to this morning’s bullshit.