Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss(74)
Her nervousness grew as she got into a cab to go to the doctor’s office. The only person who knew what she was doing today was Pippa. And well, now Tabitha and Carly would know as well, but she was counting on them to get her through either scenario. Pregnant or not pregnant.
At the clinic, she filled out the paperwork and waited impatiently for the nurse to call her back. After answering a myriad of questions, she was asked to pee in a cup. They drew blood and then she was asked to wait in the reception area.
For twenty of the longest minutes of her life.
She fidgeted. She flipped through a magazine. Finally she got up to pace as she took in the other women in various stages of pregnancy.
Finally the nurse called her back. Ashley hurried toward the door and was escorted to a private sitting area outside one of the exam rooms.
“Well?” she blurted, unable to remain silent a moment longer.
The nurse smiled. “You’re pregnant, Mrs. Carter. Judging by when you say your last period was, I’d say maybe six weeks at most. But we’ll schedule a sonogram so we can better determine dates.”
Ashley’s stomach bottomed out. She broke out in a cold sweat and her head began pounding until her vision was blurred.
“Are you all right?” the nurse asked gently.
Ashley swallowed rapidly and nodded. “I’m fine. Just a little shocked. I mean, I suspected but maybe secretly I didn’t really believe I was.”
The nurse gave her a sympathetic look. “It takes time to adjust. It can be a little overwhelming at first. The important thing is for you to rest, take it easy. Take a little time to let it sink in. We’re doing lab work and will check your HCG levels to make sure they’re in an appropriate range. If there’s any cause for concern, we’ll call you. Otherwise, set up an appointment with the receptionist on your way out for your first visit to the doctor. We’ll do your sonogram then.”
Ashley walked out of the clinic a little—okay, a lot—numb. Again, it wasn’t a huge shock. She and Devon hadn’t done anything to prevent pregnancy at all. In fact they’d openly embraced the idea—at her instigation—but now she wondered if he was even as open to the idea as he’d let on. How could she be sure he hadn’t said whatever was necessary to get her to agree to marry him?
Her mouth turned down in an unhappy frown as she laid her head back against the seat of the cab. She should have asked the nurse what she could take for a headache now that she was pregnant.
But she doubted even the strongest pain medication would help the roar in her ears and the nerves that were balanced on a razor’s edge.
The cab dropped her off half a block from the restaurant where she was meeting her friends and she bundled her coat around her as she pushed through people hurrying by. She ducked into the bright eatery and scanned the small seating area for the girls.
In the corner, Pippa stood up and waved. Tabitha and Carly both turned immediately and motioned her over with a flurry of hands.
Ashley nearly ran, desperate to be surrounded by the comfort of her best friends in the world.
“So?” Pippa demanded before Ashley had even had a chance to shrug out of her coat. “Tell us!”
“Are you pregnant?” Tabitha asked.