Page 12 of The Doctor

I can’t be pregnant. Life wouldn’t do that to me. I don’t want to be pregnant and alone.

I sleep off and on through the rest of the day and night, dreaming of my night with Kade and Kade holding a dark-headed baby while smiling down at it adoringly. Then I had nightmares of being alone with a baby and both of us crying on a constant loop.

By the time I get up in the morning, I’m full-on freaking out. Plucking my phone up, I shoot off a quick text to Lexie.

Raine: Please buy me a test and come over ASAP.

I’m sitting on my couch staring at the wall when there’s a knock on my door. Lexie used to live in the building and actually got me my apartment. Since she knows the doorman, he lets her up without calling. Which, at this moment, I’m thankful for.

In fact, I wish she had a key to my apartment, so she could let herself in. I don’t want to move as reality slowly starts to settle in.

Opening the door, I fall into Lexie’s waiting arms. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Lexie runs her hand up and down my back. “You know it’s not the end of the world if you’re pregnant. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in the same situation.”

I pull back and let her inside. She holds out a bag from the pharmacy, and with shaky hands, I take it. Unable to wait, I head straight for my bathroom with Lexie hot on my heels.

Leaving the bathroom door open a crack, I pull out the test and sit on the toilet.

“You know our situations are not even close to the same,” I finally say as I wait for my body to get with the program and pee on the stick.

“You were the one to guess I was pregnant,” she says from the bedroom.

“Yeah, but you had a relationship with Ryder. And you loved him.”

“True,” I hear her murmur.

“I know nothing about Kade except he’s good in bed, and he liked your pictures.” I let out a sigh of relief when my bladder finally gives up control, and I start to pee on the stick. Once I’m finished, I set the stick on the box, wash my hands, and go out to my bedroom to find Lexie sitting on my bed, her gaze on me.

Reaching for my hand, Lexie holds it between hers. “And now we wait.”

“I apologize for not being more sensitive when you were going through this. I feel like I’m about to jump out of my skin at the possibility of being pregnant. We had to concoct an entire plan to get you and Ryder in the same room.”

“But it all worked out in the end, and if you are indeed pregnant, we’ll find Kade.” Lexie leans her head against mine. “And if he’s an asshole about it, you’ve always got me.”

“Thank you for being here with me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“It’s a good thing you’ll never have to find out.” Pulling away, she looks down at me. “Did you set an alarm?”

My body deflates. “No, my entire focus was peeing on the stick. Do you think it’s been long enough?”

She looks into the bathroom like she’s calculating the minutes since I left. “You should probably give it a couple more minutes.”

“What am I going to do if I am, in fact, pregnant?” I whimper.

“Well, if you are, I’ll call my doctor’s office on Monday and see who will take you on as a patient. If you want, I’ll go with you, and from there…,” she shrugs. “We’ll see.”

“That’s not very comforting,” I grumble. “I thought you were here to make me feel better.”

“I’m trying, but I’m also trying to keep it real here. I won’t give you false promises, but I will promise to always be here for you.”

Tears well up in my eyes, and I bury my face in my hands. “Oh my god, I’m pregnant.”

Lexie laughs. “Why do you say that? You haven’t even looked at the test.”

“Because I’m never emotional like this, and look at me.” I point to my eyes. “I’m on the brink of tears.”

“It’s a very stressful moment, but it doesn’t mean you’re pregnant.”

“You were the one who told me not to lie to myself, and now I finally see the light. The light is shining brightly in my face, blinding me to the fact that I’m pregnant and I only know the father’s first name.”

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