I take a few breaths, wash my mouth out, and brush my teeth. "I'm okay. I feel fine now."
"Zoe, something isn't right."
"It's just my nerves from everything that has happened. Give it a few days, and I should be back to normal."
"Zoe—"
My stomach growls. "I'm starving. Let's go eat." I push past him, throw on clothes, and open the door.
He raises his voice. "It's not going to hurt you to see a doctor."
I raise mine. "How are we going to do that? We're on the run. Let's get to Bermuda, and if I'm still having these episodes, then we can find one."
"No. You need to see one now."
"It's not a good idea, and I told you I'm fine. My nerves are shot right now."
"Which is why we should see a doctor."
"No. We aren't."
Silvia walks down the hall. She grimaces. "Sorry. Don't mind me."
"No sorries needed."
"Silvia, we need a doctor."
Worry crosses her face.
"No, we don't."
"Zoe's been throwing up every morning. We need to get her checked out."
I sigh and roll my eyes. "Silvia, I'm fine. I think it's my nerves. I have quick little episodes, and once I toss my cookies, I'm good for the day." I spin on Dirk. "I'm even good enough to have sex multiple times during the night, so I doubt anything is wrong." My stomach growls again. I ignore Dirk's gape and turn back to Silvia. "Any chance I can make some breakfast? I'm starving."
"Next time you wake me up in the night, I'll tell you no if it will get you to go to the doctor," Dirk barks.
Silvia puts her hand over her mouth, hiding a smile.
"What's so funny, Silvia?" Dirk annoyingly asks.
She hesitates.
"What?" he repeats.
"Zoe looks like she's glowing, doesn't she?"
He studies me. "She always lights up the room. What's your point?"
"Yeah, but she's a little brighter than normal, don't you think?"
He focuses on me again. "What are you getting at, Silvia?"
"Are you guys using condoms?"
"Excuse me? Why do you need to know that?" Dirk asks, all insulted.
"Well, I'm kind of an expert on this but Zoe, if you're throwing up then fine, glowing, hungry all the time, and feeling the urge to saddle up on Dirk at all hours of the night, I'm pretty sure you’re pregnant."
Silence.
Dirk and I both gape at her.
She takes my hand and pulls me through her bedroom and into her bathroom and takes a pregnancy test out of the cabinet. "Take this."
I stare at the box with my heart pounding.
"I'll leave you two alone."
I hear the door shut when I finally gaze at Dirk.
"Is it safe to say that neither of us ever thought about birth control or anything beyond STDs?"
"I...I..."
He steps forward and wraps his arms around me. "Take the test, and let's see if this is why you're getting sick."
"What if I am?"
He tilts my head up. "I'd be okay with a little Zoe running around. What about you?"
"What if it's a little Dirk?"
He strokes my cheek. "I'm good with that too. You?"
"I...I kind of thought I was too old to have a kid."
"You're only thirty-eight."
"Yeah, but I'm almost forty."
"I'm forty-two."
"But you're a guy. It's hip for you. Except you were supposed to impregnate a twenty-year-old during your mid-life crisis."
He laughs. "Is that so?"
"Yep."
He kisses me. "Take the test. Let's see what the situation is before we get all excited."
I pee on the stick, then Dirk and I pace around Silvia's bedroom for five minutes. When it's time to look, I freeze. "You look and tell me."
"You don't want to?"
"No."
"Okay." He goes into the bathroom and comes out with a big grin on his face.
"What does your grin mean?"
He puts his arms around me. "We're having a baby."
"We are?" I whisper.
"Yes."
I blink as tears come to my eyes.
"Are you happy or upset right now?"
I nod. "I'm happy."
"Good. So am I." He kisses me, and my stomach growls again.
"Okay, mama. Let's go get you fed."
27
Dirk
I'm going to be a father.
The sun is about to rise, and I can't help but smile and stare at Zoe, who's asleep. It's been over a month since we found out she's pregnant.
Silvia went to the store and bought prenatal vitamins and folic acid. I want Zoe to see a doctor, but she's still insisting that we do it in Bermuda and not take the risk in Mexico. Silvia claims that as long as Zoe isn't having any issues, then she should be okay. According to Silvia, all they do at this stage is 'pump you full