Page 61 of Act Like You Don't Care
"And when was the last time you had sex?" the doctor asked, making a note in my file.
"What does that have to do with anything?" I demanded, indignant. My heart sped up.No, it is not that.
"It's just a question, Tam. Part of the big picture." The doctor raised his eyebrows and peered at me over the rim of his glasses. "I'm simply covering all the bases."
I almost refused to answer, but I was here because I needed to know what was wrong, wasn’t I? "About a month ago," I said after a moment. It had been the second-last night in the safe house. I looked away from the doctor, my worst fear growing more and more concrete with each passing second.
"Have you tested yourself for pregnancy?" the doctor asked kindly.
Fuck, that’s what it was, wasn’t it? It perfectly fit, every single damn symptom down to being tired and food being revolting. Oh, fuck, and I’d been so wasted the night Miles and I had our break-up.
“I’m on birth control,” I reminded him, my last, vain hope.
“Nothing’s perfect. So you haven’t done a pregnancy test?”
I shook my head in a sharp no and leaned back in the chair in defeat.
My doctor nodded gently in my direction. "Let's do a preliminary test for that first. If that's negative, I'll want to send some blood tests out. But let's do the non-invasive thing first." He dropped the file on the counter and opened the cupboard above the sink. "Take this, go to the bathroom, and then wait for me here. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" He handed me a small plastic-wrapped container and smiled at me. "Don't worry, things have a way of working out."
Yeah, right.I nodded numbly and watched as the doctor left. The bathroom was right across the hall—I sat there and stared at it for a few moments, then shoved the little sample container into the pocket of my hoodie and grimly forced myself to my feet.
Maybe it would be negative. A guy could always hope, right?
But if it wasn't?
Unable to stand not knowing any longer, I crossed the hall, locked the door carefully behind me, and took the plastic off the container.
Tam
Positive.
I stared at the little blue lines. It couldn't be right. There was no way I’d gotten pregnant that fast.
I had to admit, though, that once I’d broken the no-touchy rule with Miles, I’d taken full advantage of it.
My doctor was writing in my file again. "I'll send out a blood test to confirm this—sometimes you get a false positive from these over the counter ones."
I latched onto that hope like Badness onto a catnip mouse. "So it might be something else?" My eyes followed the doctor as the other man went to his cupboards, this time coming out with the stuff he needed to take my blood. My heart raced, hoping the first test was wrong.
The doctor smiled kindly at me again. I did my best not to notice the certainty in his expression. "I did say sometimes, but it's in something like one percent of cases. Or less. This is likely a baby, Tam."
"But I can't have babies," I said stupidly. "I mean, I'm on birth control. You’re the one who gave me the shot.” I held out my arm so he could wrap the rubber band around it.
“Stress can make it less effective. And while it’s not something that’s been studied all that much, choice of partner too. Compatible physiology can sometimes trigger a heat even when you’re not expecting it.” He slid the needle in with hardly a pinch and I turned my head to stare out the window and worry.
When he'd taken all he wanted, he gave me a square of gauze and had me hold it in the crook of my elbow while he labeled everything and filled out the papers that would go with the little vials. "I'll send some other basic tests too, just to cover all our bases, and we'll have you back when the results come in."
"How long will that be?" I asked.
"I can put a rush on them if you're okay with the cost. Three business days."
I nodded. "Do it. If my insurance doesn't cover it, I'll pay."
The doctor ticked another box on the form and set everything on a tray. "Have the nurse make you an appointment for Friday and we'll go over the results then." He checked my elbow, nodded in satisfaction, and put a bandage over the tiny wound. "Take it easy for the next couple of days. Do you need a note for work?"
I shook my head. "We're in pre-production starting next week and I just finished the last one."
"That's good. Let me know if your schedule changes and when you’ll be starting physical training. If you're planning to continue the pregnancy, they'll have to make some adjustments to the physical aspect of your part, to account for your condition."
