The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance #1) - Dianne Duvall Page 0,12
to that kind of intimacy. And the fact that she was self-conscious about her skinny, less than lush figure made it even harder. Hell, it had taken her almost two months to sleep with Phil, a customer who frequented the bookstore she worked at, after her mom died. And she had not enjoyed it. So no way in hell would she just suddenly jump into bed with Brad no matter how nice he was or how comfortable she felt around him.
“How long have I been married?”
“Five and a half months.”
Which implied she had married him as soon as she found out she was pregnant.
Even if she had done something completely contrary to her nature—gotten drunk and had a one-night stand with Brad—she wouldn’t have married him as soon as she found out she was pregnant.
Doubt rose. Would she?
She thought about it a moment.
No. She’d had too many friends over the years whose parents had gone through bitter divorces. She wouldn’t have risked marrying a man she didn’t love. And even though Brad was attractive, she had never felt that kind of spark with him.
The nurse smiled and patted Lisa’s arm, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I can see you need some time to adjust. I’ll be back with lunch in an hour.” She headed for the door. “Oh. And your physical therapist will stop by soon to help you.”
Lisa frowned. “Help me with what?”
“We’ve been using neuromuscular electrical stimulation to prevent the muscle atrophy prolonged immobility can cause. Your physical therapist will want to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment and your mobility.” Without another word, she opened the door and slipped out into the hallway.
“Wait. What hospital is this?” Lisa called after her.
The door closed.
There were no windows in the room to help her determine where exactly she was. Nor was there a telephone.
She stared down at her belly.
It just didn’t make sense.
Two days later, it still didn’t make sense. Lisa slowly paced the confines of her small room. Apparently the neuromuscular electrical whatever they’d used on her while she was in the coma had worked. Though weak, she had no difficulty walking. She just tired quickly.
A hard cramp rippled through her belly.
Lisa grimaced and leaned on the edge of the bed until the pain passed. She had freaked out the first time one struck, thinking she was going into labor. The nurse had assured her she wasn’t. And Lisa figured if no baby had arrived after forty-eight hours, the nurse must be right. She had only seen one doctor. He had been abrupt, unfriendly, and not at all helpful in clearing up her situation, either evading her questions or ignoring them entirely.
“Yeah,” the nurse had whispered after he left. “He really needs to work on his bedside manner.” She had smiled when she said it. But again, the smile hadn’t reached her eyes.
“Bedside manner my ass,” Lisa grumbled.
The nurse evaded Lisa’s questions, too. First she encouraged Lisa to relax and try not to think about things. Stress wasn’t good for the baby. Then she offered half-assed responses that only heightened Lisa’s concern.
As if summoned by her thoughts, the nurse entered the room, carrying a tray. “Up and about again, are you?” she asked with a smile. Her sharp eyes scrutinized Lisa.
“Yes.”
“That’s good. It will help you rebuild some of the muscle you’ve lost. How are the pains?”
“Still coming. Still hurt like hell.”
“That’s why so many pregnant women panic when they feel Braxton-Hicks contractions.” She placed the tray on the rolling cart by the bed. “Here’s lunch when you’re ready.”
Lisa nodded. “Can I have a telephone in my room?”
“I’m sorry. We don’t allow phones in patient rooms anymore.”
Lisa forced herself not to frown. “Not even cell phones?”
“Not even cell phones. Too many patients complained about calls interrupting their rest.”
In this electronic-device-dominated world? I don’t think so. The average adult spent over three hours a day on his or her phone. If patients complained about anything, it would be about not having a phone in their room.
“Can I use one at the nurses’ station then? I just want to call Brad’s parents to let them know I’m okay.” And confirm you’re telling me the truth, that I actually did marry their son and that this baby is his.
The nurse waved a hand and busied herself with pressing buttons on one of the machines beside the bed. “We’ve already tried to contact them for you.”
“Tried?”
She nodded. “We couldn’t reach them. They’re out of the country.” She shrugged. “I guess