“And lions, and hyenas, and snakes, and spiders, and elephants … crocodiles,” Kiara grunts and pivots her head from side to side, chin still resting on my shoulder.
“Gmf,” I clear my throat. “Bitch. Can you be a little more supportive?”
“I’ve always wanted to go to South Africa,” she then says in her forced happy voice.
“I know, right?” South Africa sounds awesome right about now. I’ve never been, but I always wanted to go.
“But,” she continues, “Before you put on your spotted kitty-cat loincloth, maybe you should tell the man that he sired the next generation of Reaper champs, don’t you think?”
I sigh softly. It’s not that straightforward. Firstly, I’m not sure how to tell him that in the not-so-distant future, he’ll be holding his procreation in his arms; secondly, will he be happy about that prospect; and thirdly, we might not be alive to see the birth of our baby after my family finds out. Lastly, I need to make sure no harm will come to the little bean.
“If the doctor confirms that everything is alright, I will tell him tonight.” I think.
I put a hand over my stomach as if I can draw some strength from the little bean.
“But until D and Chloe are out of our lives, no one else will know … not even my brothers.”
“And what happens when your tummy starts to show?” Yeah, I will think of something.
“That’s where South Africa comes in. I will hide where they won’t find me.” She takes my hand and squeezes it softly.
“I’ll be there for you, you know that. We all will.” Yeah, I know. I’m lucky that way.
She chuckles. “I think I will pull off that spotted loincloth like a frickin pro.” And now I’m stuck with that image in my mind.
We look up from the magazine when the nurse calls my name. Kiara doesn’t leave my hand as we walk over to her.
Turns out, my new OBGYN, Dr. Burden is in the same hospital where Ilkay works. Luckily my brother is not on call today, so the chance of us running into him is slim. And I didn’t state anything about the pregnancy on the forms I filled in. I’m just here for a regular checkup.
“Oh, my gosh, you’re both so pretty.” I smile at the friendly middle-aged woman who leads us into a consulting room.
“Thanks,” I say nervously. She hands me a gown. “Doctor will be with you shortly.”
I undress and get on the hard bed, feeling almost sick with anticipation. Will everything be alright? Will my baby be fine? Kiara walking up and down in the small space is not helping.
“Hello.” I jerk when the doctor bursts through the door and rush to the dustbin, hurling out the puke I was trying so desperately to keep in.
“Shame, dear, don’t be scared, I don’t bite.” The middle-aged doctor’s neighborly face lights up with a big cordial smile. She hands me a wipe and I clean the spew from my lips before I manage a sordid simper and crawl back onto the bed.
She looks at my chart and up again, her chocolate eyes warm and kind. I think I like her.
“So, Melaena Blackburn, I’m Doctor Elena-Mari Burden.” I only nod, not trusting my voice yet.
“Hello, I’m the best friend, future aunt, here to help.” Kiara holds out her hand over-eagerly, and I smile at the notion that she’s seemingly more anxious than me. The doctor, probably used to stupid-acting counterparts, greets her with another loving smile. Then she looks at my chart again.
“Aunt?” she asks surprised. “It doesn’t state here that you’re pregnant.” She looks back at me over the rim of her glasses.
“Yeah, about that …” I start anxiously wringing my hands together. “I was wondering if we could keep the pregnancy a secret …” I take a deep breath, remembering that holding it might suffocate my bean. “Just between us. No mention of it on any system … you know … old school.” Her face morphs from warm to firm, those brown eyes calculating.
“May I ask why?” she asks with a hint of worry.
My hands wrap over my stomach, and tears form in my eyes. I’m an emotional mess because of this little thing inside me. Hormones.
“It’s complicated. My boyfriend … eh … my family …” Where do I start? “If word gets out … eh … it … this …” I stutter, “The baby will be in danger.” Her eyes grow wide.
“The father … he’s very famous … and people are stalking us. Crazy people who definitely won’t like my little bean.” She seems spooked.
“And you’re scared that they might hack into the system?” I nod.
“I haven’t even told the father … or my family … and -” I blush, not sure if I should confess the next part, but I do. “And some family members are working in this hospital. I don’t want them to find out the wrong way.” She ponders for a moment.
“Blackburn.” She’s getting it. “Doctor Ilkay …”
“Is my big brother,” I finish the sentence for her.
“An excellent student and doctor, not to mention, his sexy broodiness drives all the nurses bonkers.” I can believe that, but Ilkay is still smitten with the Amy girl who disappeared from his life a while ago.
Too bad the teacher from Maryland was not her – but Ilkay is not giving up. Even though the girl said she doesn’t know anyone named Amy, my brother believes she’s lying and hiding something.
But I’m inclined to think that the doctor said this just to calm my nerves a little. Well, give the Doc a bar of chocolate, cause it worked.
She pouts her lips. “And the others? You said, family members.” She’s rather observant, this Gyno.
“Eh … the father’s dad …” I cringe and go pink. She’s knocked for a six.
“Oh,” she vexes and pulls her face into a deep scowl. “The father’s father is also a doctor?” I nod wildly.
“A doctor with a famous son …” she ponders. I bite my lip. Should I tell her? Or is it safer if she doesn’t know?
I look at Kiara, who, by the way, hasn’t been of any use so far. She shrugs. Still no use, the bitch.
“Right,” the doctor smiles, “Maybe it’s better if we just call him Mr. Complicated for now.” She gloves up.
“First, we need to check if the little bean is okay. So you just lie down and relax. I’ll explain everything as we go.” She puts a sheath, that looks a lot like a condom, on a small, narrow tube, and then rubs it with some kind of gel.
A condom, how ironic … if only the freaking jack-ass used one, but no. You should expect that a gigolo like him would know to use a fucking condom at least. I feel mad, but I’m not, my emotions are just all over the spectrum these days. Hormones. Raging hormones.
“This is called a transducer and I’m going to insert it into you. It might be a little uncomfortable, but it’s the only way to make sure everything is as it should be. So bend your knees and keep your eyes on the screen. Ready?” I nod and try not to think about anything else than what appears on the screen. It’s just a lot of black and white and some gray static and blobs, but Doctor Burden seems very interested and she stares at the screen for ages before speaking again.