Page 68 of Dark Encounter
"Oh shit." She turned and opened the door. "I'm clocking out. We're going to the drug store."
"What? Why? I have a family doctor. Let's just go see him."
"Grace." She glanced back as we walked down the hallway. "When was the last time you had your period?"
"I don't know. A little while ago." I stood by the door as she scurried off. My mind went crazy trying to calculate exactly when I had my last period. Six weeks before.
"Six weeks!" I reached for her as horror rolled through me. "No. I can't be pregnant. You don't understand."
"Outside." She moved us outside and wrapped her arm around my shoulders as she half-pulled me toward the drug store down the street. "It's going to be fine. I'm sure we're overreacting."
I pressed on my breasts and cried out at the tenderness of both of them. "Oh my God. This is horrible. What am I going to do?"
"We don't know anything yet. We'll get the test and go back to my house. It's going to be fine. No freaking out until we know what we're dealing with. Okay?" She stopped in front of the store and stuck out her pinkie. "Pinkie swear."
"We're in our twenties." I snorted and for a moment felt some semblance of normalcy.
"Do it," she barked, looking more freaked out than I felt.
I wrapped my finger around hers. "Fine, but you go buy it. I need fresh air."
"Okay. Don't go anywhere." She gave me a stern look as if I was going to jump in the next windowless van that approached. She walked into the store, and I paced the sidewalk in front of it, going through the what ifs.
What if I was pregnant? There was no way in hell I was telling Erik, and yet to raise a baby without him seemed so insanely fucked up. He didn't deserve my honesty or my affection. He'd forced Cole to bring me to my brother's execution.
And he'd walked away without hurting Thomas.
Tears burned my eyes as Jenna walked back out and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Hey. It's okay."
I pressed my face to her shoulder and cried while she held me. It wasn't okay. None of it was. I'd be devastated if I was pregnant and destroyed if I wasn't.
A baby sounded like a horrible idea, and yet it sparked something inside of me. If Erik found out... he'd come back to me. No matter what it cost him.
* * *
"Grace. You need to take it. Seriously. We have to know." Jenna followed me around her apartment with the pregnancy test in her hand.
"I realize that, but give me some space. Shit. You don't know what it would mean if I found out I was pregnant."
She moved in front of me. "And you're for sure it's Erik's?"
"Yes. I've only slept with him." I turned away from her and walked back into the kitchen. "It's been weeks, but he was the last person, and the only person I opened my legs for."
"Then take the test and let's find out." She stopped at the edge of the kitchen, and I turned and screamed at her.
"Lay the fuck off!"
She sat the test down, lifting both her hands and nodded. "Sorry." She walked out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there alone.
"Jenna."
The sound of the front door closing caused my heart to ache. I shouldn't have yelled at her. Another door closed, I grabbed the pregnancy test and poked my head in the living room.
"Um... what's going on?" Nate walked in and gave me a curious look.
"Have you seen Erik lately?" I moved to stand in front of him.
