Page 14 of The Celtic Resolution
“Nothing that can’t be fixed. You have some severe bruising on your kidney which will be giving you a lot of discomfort, so I’ll prescribe some painkillers to help with that, and I’ll ask that you monitor your urine output as bruised kidneys are much more prone to infection.”
“Shit, okay. Is that why I fainted?”
“No, dear, you fainted because your iron is extremely low. Have you been taking your prenatal vitamins?”
“My what now?”
She moves closer to the bed. “Your prenatal vitamins. It’s very important to take these regularly because pregnancy is a very intense strain on the body, and given your busy work life, you’ll need some extra help in ensuring your child gets all the nutrients it needs without draining you too much.”
The world falls out of my ass. I can hear my blood roaring past my ears, taste iron on the back of my tongue, and suddenly, even the blanket around my legs is too heavy. “There must be some mistake,” I say with a nervous, humorless laugh.
“In what way?” She gazes down at her notes, confused.
“I’m not… I’m not pregnant.”
“What?” Her head snaps back up and her eyes widen. “Oh, goodness, Saoirse, I’m so sorry. I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“You… you definitely are pregnant. We… it came back on the blood tests and the urine sample we took while we were looking into your kidney.”
“How did you get my piss?”
“A needle. It's a common procedure that we?—”
“No, you’re wrong.”
“Saoirse, I’m not wrong. You’re pregnant. And your current lifestyle, plus the trauma of your injury and strain on your body, is why you fainted. I’m so sorry, I thought you knew.”
Pregnant.
How?
I know how.
But how?
The masked man from the closet. He’s the only man I’ve slept with in months. There’s no one else it could be, but I have no fucking clue who he is. This can’t be real.
“I have to go.” The doctor hovers around me as I pull the lines from my arm and stumble out of the bed while grabbing my things.
“I really wouldn’t advise that,” says the doctor. “We need to get your fluids up and you need to—Miss Gifford, wait!”
She calls after me, but I ignore her and hurry into the elevator as fast as I can. It doesn’t move fast enough so when the doors open on the next floor, I rush out and take the stairs instead. I have no destination in mind. I just need to get out of this building and away from the woman telling me there’s ababygrowing inside me.
How?
A baby.
Inside me. Of all people.
Oh, my God, I’ve been drinking. Not heavily, but I’ve had several scotches and bottles of wine since that party. I’ve eaten shellfish too! This makes no sense.
By the time I get outside, my head is spinning. So many thoughts crash together about my investigation, the fight, the party, and the stunning news that I’m pregnant.
Me.
“Fuck,” I gasp as I stumble out onto the street and start walking in no particular direction.
