Escalation - Tessa Teevan Page 0,17
she was going to say is lost in the space between us, and with a heavy sigh, I push the door open and slip into the hall.
A sudden eagerness to get Brie home overwhelms me, and I storm off towards the nurses’ station. I tap my fingers on the counter, impatiently waiting for an update. How fucking long does it take to discharge a patient?
Finally, after far too long, the nurse behind the computer hangs the phone up and smiles at me. “May I help you?” she asks.
“The doctor mentioned releasing my girlfriend. It’s been over an hour and we’re wondering when we can get the hell out of here so she can rest comfortably at home,” I ask, succeeding at playing the part of the impatient, doting boyfriend.
“Which patient?”
“Gabriella Latham. Room four,” I prompt, becoming increasingly impatient by the second.
Her eyebrows narrow and she purses her lips, unamused by my attitude. “And you are?” she asks, apparently not having been apprised of the crazed boyfriend. Not to mention I just told her that Brie was my girlfriend.
“Her boyfriend. One who very much wants to get her home,” I insist.
“That’s strange,” she says mostly to herself. She types at the computer and then looks up at me. “The man that was just on the phone… He was calling to ask about her condition. He was very flustered when I told him we couldn’t give him that information over the phone. Not even to family members. It’s hospital policy.”
“Her family?” I ask, wondering what the fuck is going on.
She nods. “He said he was her father.”
Dread runs through me, chilling me to my bones. “That’s impossible,” I tell her.
“Why?”
“Because her father is dead.”
As if on cue, my cell vibrates from my pocket. But instead of answering, I hit ignore.
There will be hell to pay for that, I’m sure, but I don’t care. I’m tired of answering to him. I’m tired of being at his beck and call. I’m tired of so many damn things right now, especially when all I want to do is crawl into bed with a beautiful woman. My beautiful woman. I refuse to let him get in the way of that.
It’s time I start doing things my way.
RAFE’S CHANGE IN DEMEANOR was unsettling to say the least. As soon as he stalked across the room, I had to say something. Only, when I called his name out and he paused, I willed him to turn and look at me. He didn’t. Then I was at a loss for words. The air between us was tense and thick, and I hated it. I wanted to erase it all, the past twelve hours, but I couldn’t. And neither could he.
He’s been gone for at least fifteen minutes now, and I wonder what’s keeping him. I lay my head back against the pillow and stare at the clock on the wall. This is the first time I’ve had to myself since I woke up, and the events of the day start to seep in.
How have I ended up in my very own version of a soap opera? A clandestine affair. A kidnapping. A car accident.
And now, a pregnancy? All I need is a “who’s the daddy” storyline and it would be complete.
In all honesty, I did panic for a moment.
Before Rafe sauntered into the trailer yesterday and asked me to move in with him, I’d been studying the calendar. Only minutes before I had realized that I was late. Like, weeks late. The whirlwind of being with Rafe had rendered me temporarily mindless, and it wasn’t until then that I’d even given a second thought to my missing cycle.
I remember thinking that it couldn’t be possible. I’ve been on birth control since before I even met Adrian, and I’ve never missed a pill.
Still…there’s that one little percentage that is ineffective. Was I in that percent? And if I was, how did I feel about it? God, how would Rafe feel about it?
Then I calculated the timeline, and the prospect was suddenly as terrifying as it was thrilling.
It could be either man’s baby.
Even as a shiver ran down my spine, I shook my head, telling myself that I didn’t even know if it was true. That’s when Rafe came in, and well, everything after that is history.
With the doctor in the room, I wanted to know, but I didn’t want to freak Rafe out. It’s why I whispered my question. As soon as the doctor smiled down at me, I knew.
It