Reckless With Their Hearts

by Terri Anne Browning

  The doctor arrived and Missy was quickly taken care of. She had a few scrapes as well as bruises, but thankfully had no broken bones or internal bleeding. Because of Missy’s many abrasions Cindy had to be checked over as well, but there was only a few scrapes and bruises on her arms. It was obvious that Missy had taken the biggest part of the beating.

  By lunch time Eve was bone tired. This work was draining, more emotionally than physically. And she felt like she could lie down and sleep for a month. Instead she grabbed a large cup of coffee from the kitchen on the first floor and a sandwich for lunch. She had her small meal with a group of the girls already there and spent an hour catching up with them and what was going on in their lives. Two asked to speak to her privately later in the day, and she assured them that her door was always open for them.

  Eve dropped down behind the desk in her small office and rubbed at her eyes much later in the afternoon. Her cellphone chimed letting her know that she had a text message and she grabbed it. Sebastian told her that he had landed safely and that he would be in meetings for the rest of the day, but that he would call her later. She sent him a kissy face and heart in return and tossed the phone aside just as her door opened with barely a tap on it.

  Sasha, a pretty little nine year old came in sobbing. “Eve…”

  She was around her desk and pulling the little girl into her arms within a matter of seconds. “Sasha, sweetheart what’s wrong?” She soothed the little girl, wiping at her tears with a tissue from her desk.

  “I’m…I’m dying!” She sobbed and tightened her arms around Eve’s waist.

  Concerned Eve coaxed her to sit in the chair in front of her desk. She let Sasha get her crying out of her system then once the sobbing turned into little hiccups she asked the girl to explain. “I…I’m bleeding and it won’t stop.” She mumbled. “It’s been two days and it keeps getting worse. And it hurts! I have never felt so much pain…”

  Eve bit her lip, immediately understanding what was going on with Sasha. The girl had no mother figure in her home life. Her father had lost custody of her due to his drug problem, but Sasha was lucky enough to have an older brother who had been old enough to take over as her guardian. He was a great guy, but had little time left over after working three jobs to support him and Sasha. It was little wonder that the poor girl didn’t understand what was happening to her, and Eve doubted her brother knew to even have such a talk with her.

  “Sasha, baby. You aren’t dying.” Sasha’s head snapped up, hope lighting her big brown eyes. “This is something that all girls go through.”

  “Really? You promise?”

  Eve smiled. “I promise.” She stood and held out her hand to the little girl. “Let’s go to the ladies room and I will tell you all about it.”

  Later, after Sasha was gone, with her own personal supply of feminine products to take home with her Eve started to pack up for the day. She could remember her own first experience with Mother Nature’s curse. She had been scared to death, but her mother had been awesome telling her about it all long before her very first period…

  Eve gasped and fell down into her chair, her knees shaking to the point that they could no longer hold her up. From her very first period she had had the most regular cycle of all of her friends…But she couldn’t remember the last time she had been visited by the cursed Mother Nature. Fingers trembling she reached for her phone and pulled up the calendar. She always put in a little reminder on the first day of her cycle.

  Heart racing, she went back through the weeks. Today was the ninth of February and she went all the way through January without a reminder. It wasn’t until the second week of December that she found what she was looking for. Nine weeks. She hadn’t had a period in nine weeks!

  --

  Around ten her cell rung.

  Eve was laying in bed with three pregnancy test sticks on top of the drug store bag beside of her. She had taken each one of them. All might as well as screamed PREGNANT at her, instead of just laying there showcasing their pink double line, or digital reading of pregnant. She had been sitting there staring at them until her head hurt and then she had to lay back on the pillows.

  She felt nauseas, but was sure it was anxiety and not morning sickness. She was well into her first trimester. Why hadn’t she felt any morning sickness? Tears burnt her eyes. Was her baby alright? What was she going to do? How was she going to tell Sebastian?

  The ringing of her phone startled her and she reached for it out of reflex rather than any real desire to speak to anyone. “Hello?”

  “What’s wrong?” Sebastian demanded after a slight hesitation. “You sound like you are crying.”

  Eve dashed away her tears with the backs of her hands. “No. No. I’m just getting a little bit of a cold. It’s going around at Girl Haven.”

  “Ah, babe. I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. Wish I was there.” His deep voice calmed her anxiety a little and she closed her eyes, hating that she had lied to him. But there was no way she was going to tell him the truth over the phone like this.

  First she had to see a doctor. She had to know the baby was okay. That was something she would do Monday morning, first thing.

  “I’m going out to dinner with my CFO, who is a friend from college. I don’t know what time I will get in, so I wanted to tell you good night now.” There was a delicious purr in his voice that caressed her spine.

  “Okay. Have fun, Sebastian. I love you.”

  There was a small pause and then he murmured, “Good night, babe.” Before hanging up.

  Her chest ached. She had told him she loved him every day, but he had never even hinted that he felt the same way. Did he love her and just couldn’t find the words? Or was it just plain and simple lust and affection that he felt for her?

  “Stop it, Eve!” She muttered under her breath. “You are just going a little insane right now. Don’t start questioning his feelings now, damn it.”

  Chapter 13

  Her weekend was kept busy with Girl Haven, which was when the place was the busiest. Eve barely had time for lunch on Saturday because of all the drama going on. Sunday wasn’t much better, but she went to church first and left feeling at peace with the world for the moment.

  That evening she called Quinn to check up on her. The past week she hadn’t received nearly as many texts as she normally would from her stepsister and suspected that something was up. When she answered the phone, even though Quinn was all the way in London, Eve could hear something in her friend’s voice. “Hello?”

  “What’s up? Are you okay?”

  Quinn gave a less than amused laugh. “Not even a little.”

  Eve sat back on her bed and hugged a pillow to her chest. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong and whose ass I need to kick.” Quinn laughed and it was just a little less forced this time. “Come one, Quinn. You can tell me anything.”

  “He’s getting married.” And it was like a dam opened because Quinn started crying, but talking nonetheless. Eve had a hard time understanding her more than a few times but she thought she got the jest of it.

  The guy that Quinn was seeing was a big deal. Like in ‘I run a foreign country and lives are dependent on me’ big deal. He had only recently told Quinn about it, but told her he wanted to keep seeing her. And then when she had opened last week’s Sunday paper there had been a wedding announcement inside. Quinn’s man was marrying someone else.

  “Some granddaughter of someone on his staff. It didn’t give many details; just that the two were engaged and that wedding plans were underway.” Quinn sounded a little stronger now. Her voice didn’t tremble as bad and her crying had stopped for the most part. “He’s not in London right now, and I don’t know how to get in touch with him other than his cell. Which he isn’t answering! The least he could do is text me back…” And the tears started up again.

  “I’m sorry, Quinn.” What else could she say? There wasn’t exactly a manual on how to handle this type of situation. Or a card that she c
ould give her stepsister to make her feel better about the whole thing.

  “I have to go, hon. I have work in the morning.” Quinn sniffled, causing Eve’s chest to ache. “I really just want to forget about him right now. Obviously he has forgotten about me.”

  “Good night Quinn. I love you.”

  A broken sob escaped her. “I love you too.”

  --

  Waking up from a wet dream that turned into the real thing was a delicious experience.

  Eve’s moan turned into a whimper when she opened her eyes to find Sebastian’s head between her legs. He was sucking on her clit, gently thrusting two fingers deep inside of her, and her fingers grasped his head, holding him just where she needed him most. Moments later she fell, her juices flooding his mouth and he swallowed every drop.

  Then he was inside of her, his lips on her own and she could taste herself on him. The feel of him so deep, the erotic taste of herself, and having him in her arms after two nights of separation made the desire in her kindle once more and she was with him every step of the way as he drove for his own release.

  Later, as they both tried to catch their breath, she snuggled deep against his side. “That was some ‘hello’ you gave me.” She grinned. “I guess you missed me, huh?”

  He was playing with her hair, seeming fascinated at the silky texture of the long tresses. He was quiet for a little while before answering. “I never want to go through another weekend like the one I just had, Eve. I can’t handle being away from you for that long.”

  A thrill went through her at his words and her arm tightened across his abdomen. “I promise to go with you next time.” She assured him, kissing his side. “I love you.”

  A shudder went through his body and he rolled her on to her back once more. “Have dinner with me tomorrow evening?” The look in his eyes was intense, full of some emotion that brightened his eyes.

  “I would love to.” She raised her hand and traced his mouth with her fingers. “Make love to me again, Bastian.” She whispered.

  His erection pulsed against her thigh at her command. “I hope you don’t plan on getting much sleep, babe.”

  Eve laughed softly. “Since when do we ever get much sleep?” The laugh turned into a loud moan as he sunk deep into her once more. “Oh, Bastian…You feel so good inside of me.”

  “This is where I belong.” His teeth bit into her neck, making her forget about everything but the man inside of her. “Say it, Eve. Say it!”

  “This is where you belong.” She got out breathlessly. “Always!”

  --

  “You can wait here for me.” Eve told Benoit as he assisted her out of the town car in front of the Medical Plaza.

  The Royal Guard gave her a concerned look. “Are you well, Mlle. Patel?”

  She offered him a reassuring smile. “Just a checkup, Ben. Nothing to drastic.” He seemed relieved and she gave him a wave over her shoulder as she entered the building.

  Inside she took the elevator up to the fourth floor and entered the offices of Dr. Claire Madison. She was one of the top rated OB/GYN’s in all of New York. Dr. Madison had been able to squeeze her in quickly when Eve had called that morning. The receptionist greeted Eve warmly and handed her an iPad to fill out some digital paperwork.

  Eve took a seat. The waiting room was half full and she ended up beside of an older woman in a wheelchair and what had to be her daughter and granddaughter. The granddaughter, well into her pregnancy sat between the two older females and was reading the articles of a celebrity magazine to the elderly woman.

  The older woman’s daughter shook her head at her mother and daughter. “I can’t see why the two of you like those trashy things. Most of it is made up anyway.”

  The grandmother grinned and Eve could tell that she was a feisty woman. “Don’t begrudge an old woman her few pleasures, young woman. Besides these things are better than my stories in the afternoons.”

  “Oh, Mother!”

  “We know that most of it isn’t true, Mom.” The pregnant girl sighed. “Besides, I like to look at the hot guys and imagine that I’m the gorgeous girl in their arms. I don’t really care about what they are doing.”

  A few minutes later the pregnant girl was called back and her mother went with her, leaving the grandmother alone. She was flipping through the magazine that the girl had left for her, but squinting as she attempted to read the articles. Eve offered to read them for her.

  The old woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh would you, dear? My granddaughter just bought this thing downstairs, and she usually takes them home with her. So I’m stuck wondering what happened next.”

  Eve laughed. “I understand. May I?” The old woman handed over the magazine. She read a few articles on celebrities and what they had planned for Valentine’s Day later in the week. It was a weekly edition and some of the articles talked about what some of Hollywood’s hottest new stars had done over the weekend.

  Eve was actually enjoying herself, what with the old lady’s commentary on each article that she read to her. The woman, who told Eve her name was Helen, was witty and had a dry sense of humor that made Eve forget about her anxiety for a moment…

  Still laughing with Helen she flipped to the next page and sucked in a deep breath at the picture that took up the whole of one page. Her heart stuttered and she nearly dropped the magazine because her hands began to shake. Helen gave her a concerned look. “Are you okay, dear?”

  Eve gave her a shaky smile. “Yes. I’m just suddenly not feeling well.”

  “Poor dear. Pregnancy is such a bitch sometimes, isn’t it? I had five children and every one of my pregnancies was full of up and down moments. One minute I would be right as rain, the next I couldn’t hold my head up.”

  “Yes…It is full of surprises.” She murmured, closing the magazine. “I’m sorry. I…I don’t think I can continue.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure that whatever is in that thing will be on tonight’s entertainment news.”

  A few minutes later Eve was seated in a paper gown in an exam room. The nurse told her that the doctor wouldn’t be able to do a full exam that day because, when asked by the nurse, Eve had told her that she had had sex the night before, which could affect the test results of a PAP. So she would have to make sure that she abstained before the next appointment. But the doctor could do the majority of the exam and give her a due date. Eve clenched her fingers together, her palms sweating. She was nervous, scared, and excited about seeing the doctor. But the emotional cocktail was making her stomach queasy.

  Her mind was still racing after seeing that last picture in the magazine. Question after question slammed through her head, making it ache. Her heart, however, felt like it had stopped and she wondered how the nurse had even felt a pulse when she had checked her vitals moments before.

  There was a small tap on the door just before the door opened and in walked Dr. Madison with an iPad in her hands. The doctor was in her forties with short gray-streaked dark hair and big hazel eyes. She was slim and tall, and perhaps the loveliest woman Eve had ever seen in her life. Dr. Madison gave her a smile. “Hello, Eve. How are you feeling today?”

  Eve grimaced at the question. “I think I need a shrink.” She muttered. “I can’t get hold of my emotions lately.”

  “Get used to it, my dear.” The doctor grinned. “That’s part of being pregnant. And just think, you have a good thirty plus weeks of this, which will only get worse.”

  She swallowed hard. “You aren’t helping.” She muttered.

  “How is the morning sickness?”

  “I haven’t had any.” Eve informed her. “Not even a little. Which worries me. All my friends have told me that it is horrible. They lost weight and could barely function for the majority of their first trimester.”

  “Every pregnancy is not like another. And it affects the mother differently. You might not experience any sickness throughout this pregnancy, while your next one will make you beg for it all to be over.” D
r. Madison’s smile was kind. “But we can run a few tests to make sure that everything is moving along as it should. Blood tests.” She wrote on her iPad. “And I would like to do a trans-vaginal ultrasound to see exactly how far along you are. I’m estimating you at nine weeks, so we should be able to see a heartbeat.”

  Eve’s heart clenched. “You mean I can see my baby?” She whispered.

  “Yes, and I’ll give you a few copies to keep for your baby book.” There was a knock on the door followed by a nurse entering with a little cart filled with needles and tubes. “Margo is going to get your blood work out of the way while I get the ultrasound ready.”

  Nothing will ever compare to seeing her child, a little blob on a screen. Tears leaked from her eyes as she watched in amazement while Dr. Madison pointed out a few things to her. “Heart rate is perfect. Measuring in at nine weeks, two days. Due date is going to be August seventeenth. You, my dear are going to hate summer before that baby gets here.” She teased.

  Chapter 14

  Once she was finished with the doctor Eve left the office with an appointment for her next checkup in four weeks along with a prescription for prenatal vitamins and three pictures of her little blob. She had the pictures tucked safely inside of her purse with her appointment card, but she stopped by the pharmacy on the second floor to fill her prescription.

  As she waited for the pharmacist to fill it she went straight to the magazine rack in the back and pulled the one she wanted off the shelf. Fingers trembling she flipped to the page she needed and read the caption in the bottom left hand corner of the picture. “Aria Bentley, 25, with ex-boyfriend Sebastian Savage, 32. Club Z over the weekend.” The article on the opposite page went on to tell about Aria’s new movie coming out next month and what was next for Hollywood’s new ‘It Girl’.

  Eve bit her trembling bottom lip. She remembered Aria. Sebastian had dated her for a few weeks, but Aria was more selfish than anything else and Eve had been glad to see the end of the relationship. Even then she had loved Sebastian…She still did, even if her heart felt shattered into a billion little pieces.