Page 14 of Badger
I breathed a little easier, knowing she wasn’t mad, even if I hadn’t been completely honest with her.Yeah, I did need to make that call, but the other call was just as important.If I was even going to think about having sex with her, I needed to find out from her doctor whether or not it was safe.Just because she said she was okay didn’t mean she really was.I’d had a concussion before and knew the side effects could be a pain in the ass.She might not realize just how badly she needed rest right now, but I did.
My parole officer wasn’t as much of a dick as I’d feared he would be.He actually seemed nice and wasn’t upset that I was rescheduling.He’d even given me an extra three days to come in, even though my parole agreement stated I needed to meet him today.It made me wonder just how well he knew Griz and what the story was there.I knew the club had people they relied on, like my lawyer, Dr.Larkin, and even a warden at one of the state prisons.Unfortunately for me, it hadn’t been the prison I was sent to.Hell, I thought even our town mayor was one of Griz’s contacts.Griz had tried to get in good with the local judges, but it hadn’t happened, at least not that I knew of.A lot had probably changed over the last ten years.
I hated to call Adalia’s doctor behind her back, but I needed to know for sure if I would hurt her if we had sex.I wasn’t going to take any risks with her.
“Dr.Larkin’s office,” a chipper woman said as she answered.
“I need to speak with Dr.Larkin or his head nurse.It’s about Adalia.”
“Oh, that poor girl.Dr.Larkin is in his office on a break.I’ll put you through.”
The line clicked and then started ringing again.
“Dr.Larkin,” the man answered.
“This is Badger with Devil’s Fury.I’m watching over Adalia and I need to know what she can and can’t do while she’s recovering.”
The line was quiet for so long I’d thought he hung up on me.
“She needs to rest, if you can get her to.She can even go to sleep if that’s what she wants.For the longest time, it was believed that sleep was bad when you have a concussion, but now we’re being told the opposite is true.”
I cleared my throat.“She, um, wants to have sex.”
“I see.”Dr.Larkin cleared his throat.“Well, her head bouncing around wouldn’t be a good idea right now.At least not for a few days.She’ll likely have headaches off and on over the next few months, maybe some dizziness, and she might be tired more often than usual.If I had to guess, I’d say she has a headache now.”
“Should I give her something for it?”I asked.
“A cold compress might help, but if she needs more relief she can have Tylenol.Until we know for certain if she’s pregnant, I don’t want her to take anything else.”
I felt like the floor had fallen out from under me, and I collapsed onto the nearest chair.Pregnant?Adalia had told me she didn’t think she could get pregnant.Had she lied?
“Pregnant?”I asked.
“Yes.With her condition, it’s not as likely, but it’s still a possibility.I don’t want to take any chances.If Adalia is pregnant, this could very well be the only baby she ever has, and it might not even make it to term.I’ve had several patients with endometriosis who tried for years to get pregnant, and none of the babies made it past the first trimester.”
Holy hell.My chest felt tight, and the room spun a little.Adalia pregnant, with my kid.I had no doubt she’d be an awesome mom, if she ever had the chance, but just thinking about her carrying my baby made it hard to fucking breathe.
“In a few weeks, we can do a blood test,” Dr.Larkin said.“If she skips a period before that, she can come in, but she’s never been regular.She might not know when her next one is due.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it a moment.Was he seriously telling me about Adalia’s periods?What the fuck?All I knew about that time of the month was that you threw chocolate at the woman and ran as fast as you could, unless you wanted to be missing a few limbs.The sweetest woman in the world could be a raging bitch when it was that time of the month, and I’d always made myself scarce during those times.
“Thanks, Dr.Larkin,” I said.“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“If she loses consciousness at any time, seems confused, or has memory problems, or starts vomiting, take her to the ER.Don’t wait.”
I swallowed hard, hoping none of those things happened to Adalia.I knew brain injuries could be fatal, and I hoped that wasn’t the case with the woman I cared about more than I should.I thanked Dr.Larkin again and hung up.There was a knock at the door once more, and this time I recognized it.Before Adalia could call out, I went to answer it.Max stood on the other side, several bags in each of his hands, and a grin on his face.
“I got everything on your list,” he said, stepping into the house.“Well, I got all the clothing and stuff.The groceries are being picked up by another Prospect and will be delivered within the hour.Griz called while I was out and needed me to take care of something, so I had to come back sooner than I’d planned.”
“Thanks.”I reached for the bags, surprised they felt as heavy as they did.Then my eyes narrowed when I saw two of the bags were from the Harley Davidson store.The others were from department stores at the mall.What the hell?I’d figured he’d just go to one of those cheap twenty-four hour places.Should I have been more specific?I wasn’t exactly hurting for money, but I didn’t need to drop a grand on this shit either.
“Griz said all this stuff was on the club.You saved his daughter, and he said it’s the least he could do.”Max paused.“I’ve come to care about Adalia.She’s like a little sister to me, and for what it’s worth, I’m glad you beat the shit out of that guy.He deserved what he got, and you got a shit deal when they sent you away.”
Fuck me.Why the hell did everyone around here act like I was some sort of fucking hero?I was just an asshole ex-con who got into trouble more often than I walked the straight and narrow.There wasn’t a fucking thing that was special about me.
“Thanks,” I said.
Max nodded and stepped back out onto the porch.“Adalia has my number programmed in her cell.Call me if you need anything.Unless I’m on club business, I’ll be here as fast as I can.”
