Level Up: Violent Circle: Book Five

by Shade, S. M.

  After a few moments, I remember what he said before. “Trey?”

  “Hmm?” He runs his hands through my hair, still holding me close. “Do twins really run in your family?”

  His chest shakes with laughter. “They do.”

  * * *

  As nervous as I am about my current situation, the sight of Trey’s big body perched on the edge of the plastic chair in the exam room makes me smile. He looks as out of place and uncomfortable as I feel.

  Granted, he isn’t the one wearing a paper gown and sitting on a steel table that seems to be stored in a freezer when not in use. The walls are plastered with posters and diagrams showing the female reproductive system.

  Trey stares at the detailed diagram of a breast that shows the mammary glands and ducts. “I could’ve gone my whole life without seeing that view of a titty.”

  “I’m sure the inside of your balls isn’t all that attractive.”

  “I don’t want to see that either, but I bet it’s not as complicated as female…equipment.” He nods to another diagram that shows the whole reproductive system. “It looks like a map of the college campus.”

  Giggles spill out of me. I’m glad he’s here. I nod at the plastic model on the table across from me. “Look at the model. It’s simpler. Uterus, ovaries, vagina et cetera.”

  He gets to his feet and approaches it. “That’s kind of a short vagina.” He grins at me and puts a finger inside the plastic cavity. “See, not even knuckle deep and I’m hitting bottom.”

  “Trey,” I hiss, as the door opens. A doctor and nurse walk in.

  Panic registers on his face for a second and he jerks, knocking the plastic model to the floor where the removable pieces scatter. “Sorry!” he exclaims, to the doctor who pauses just inside the door.

  The doctor’s lip twitches up at the corner watching Trey scramble to gather the pieces. Trey’s foot comes in contact with one of the ovaries and it shoots under the chair. While he chases it, the nurse puts the other pieces back together.

  Trey holds out the blue oval to her. “Sorry, here’s your ovary. The ovary, not your ovary. I’m…going to sit down now.”

  My chest aches from trying not to laugh as I regard the doctor. “Intelligence comes from the mother’s genes, right?”

  “It never hurts to hope,” the doctor chuckles.

  The appointment goes well. The doctor is thorough. They take blood and go over some basics with me like prenatal vitamins and do’s and dont’s while I’m pregnant.

  “Based on the date of your last period, you’re around six weeks along, but we’ll get a more specific due date after your first ultrasound,” he tells me after the exam. “Do you have any questions?”

  Trey’s talk of being a twin has gotten in my head, and I have to ask. “Trey’s father is a twin. Does that mean I have a chance of having twins?”

  “Do twins run in your family as well?” he asks.

  “No.”

  Closing my chart, he explains. “Then your chance is no higher than the average person’s. The twin gene can get passed down to men, but it gets expressed through women.” He turns to Trey. “You may pass the gene onto your daughters, and raise their chances of having twins, but your chances of fathering twins is unaffected.”

  “Thank you,” I breathe.

  Trey grabs my hand as we exit the office into the bright sunlight and bitterly cold air of the parking lot. “Are you okay?” I ask. He looks pensive.

  “I’m good. It just…feels more real now, doesn’t it?”

  “It does,” I agree.

  “When do you want to tell our friends and your family?” We climb into the car and sit for a moment while it warms up. I realize he only mentioned my family.

  “They say to wait until you’re three months along, and I’d like to wait until then with my family, but Becca knows, and I really don’t want to keep it secret with our friends.”

  “Yeah, it’d be hard, and I kind of want to yell it at people on the street.”

  He’s so sweet. There’s no doubt he’s as scared as I am, but he’s also genuinely excited about being a father. “What about your parents?” I ask, as he pulls out of the parking lot.

  He sighs, and glances at me before returning his gaze to the road. “We need to talk about my family. I’m not sure how much I want to be involved with them, to be honest. They aren’t…good people. To them, children are just another thing to own, to show off, and I’m not letting our baby get treated that way.”

  He really hasn’t talked a lot about his home life. I squeeze his knee. “We can talk whenever you want.”

  “Are you hungry?” he asks, changing the subject.

  “Starving. The little parasite has taken a couple of pounds off of me already.”

  “You can’t call it a parasite!” he laughs.

  “Well, technically.”

  Chapter Ten

  Trey

  Everything is changing so fast, I feel like I have whiplash. I was sure Sasha was getting ready to break things off when she started pulling away from me again. The absolute last thing I expected was for her to be pregnant.

  Dad.

  I’m going to be a dad.

  This year has been unbelievable. Sasha is in love with me, I have a baby on the way, and my game is growing more viral by the day, still raking in the money. It feels like someone else’s life.

  Until the moment she told me the news, I thought I had the next few years somewhat planned out. Instead of trying to find a job, I’d give self-employment a run, spend my time on the next projects I’d like to make while I lived off the profits of Cluck Chuckers. With a baby on the way, that’s just not a viable option anymore.

  I need a stable job with benefits. We’re already going to be paying a small fortune through the pregnancy because Sasha has very limited health insurance, and my health insurance is state funded only because I’m a student. I’ll lose it when I graduate. I need to make sure the baby is covered as well.

  As much as I hate the thought of the fifty to sixty hour work weeks Harper describes, I’ll do what I have to do to take care of my baby.

  I’m not complaining. I’m incredibly lucky to have this much in my bank account. Enough to buy a house without a mortgage if that’s what I decide to do. I’d be a lot more terrified if I was faced with the prospect of raising a kid on Violent Circle without knowing whether I’ll be able to find a job in my field.

  Cluck Chuckers has done that for me as well. Being the creator of a game with this level of popularity will open some doors. The first comes not even a month after I find out I’m going to be a father.

  An email appears in my inbox from Midon Development, the same company Harper works for. I’m surprised to find an invitation to submit my resume for a position coming available after graduation. In addition, there’s a phone number to arrange an interview. Wow. The position they’re looking to fill is quite a few levels above Harper, though I’ll be graduating with the same degree. Thank you, Cluck Chuckers.

  I haven’t started searching for career opportunities yet, so I can’t say I won’t get similar offers or better elsewhere, but at least I know where to start.

  Our friends were probably as shocked as we were to find out about the pregnancy. Sasha and I haven’t been together long, and our start was rocky, but things are going great now. She spends most nights with me at Frat Hell and heads to work during the day while I complete my coursework and work on some new projects. I want to get another game out this year while Cluck Chuckers is still hot, and hopefully lightning will strike twice.

  Graduation is months away, and I swear time moves faster every day.

  It’s a weekend, but there’s no partying going on at our place. Sasha, Becca, and Jani sit at the kitchen table, looking at baby stuff on a laptop while Noble and Denton help me beta a new mobile game. We all sit on the couch, phones in hand, playing through the levels, while I take notes on glitches to fix and ideas to add to the game. You start as a baby and make
choices from the beginning that can affect your life, sometimes in funny or devastating ways. Just like real life, some things get thrown at you for no reason. It still needs some work, but it has potential.

  “What? I’ve been married two years and she cheated on me. My wife is a whore!” Denton exclaims. “I’m divorcing her.”

  A few seconds later, he glares at me. “Seriously, she gets the kids, the house, and all my money, plus she gave me Chlamydia? This game is fucked up.”

  Noble laughs and grins at him. “I had a horrible gambling problem that destroyed my marriage but then I hit the lottery so now I’m married to a supermodel.”

  “I’ll show her,” Denton grumbles, and Noble looks over at his screen, then back at me.

  “You can switch your sexual orientation?”

  “That’s right. I’m going gay. Just bring on the cocks.”

  “We should get you a T-shirt that says that,” Noble says.

  “Something you want to tell us, Dent?” I taunt.

  Denton curses and tosses the phone aside. “Fuck, I got hit by a train and died.”

  The girls walk in, and Sasha sits on the arm of the recliner. “Do we even want to know what you’re talking about?”

  “The new game, and Denton’s budding homosexuality.” I pull her down into my lap, and she snuggles against me. My hand slides over her belly. She doesn’t really have a bump yet, but I love to lay my hand there.

  “I was a successful lawyer who skydives on the weekends. I did get mono but recovered fast,” she tells them.

  “I want to play,” Jani insists, and Sasha hands over her phone.

  “Here, it’s on my phone. It’s called Adulting.”

  Denton snorts. “I guess those who can’t do, teach.”

  “I’m adult as fuck,” I argue. “I’m dad level adult.”

  “Only because you buy those dollar store condoms. Now, you’re going to have little smart assed, redheads running around, eating everything in sight.”

  Laughter flows through the room.

  “Oh shit. That reminds me,” Noble says, tapping his phone screen a few times, then handing it to me. “Sasha is famous.”

  A gif plays on the screen and Sasha shrieks, “I’m going to kill that little bitch!” She leaps off my lap, snatches her phone from Jani and stomps off to the kitchen. Seconds later, she’s laying into her little sister, calling her every kind of bitch there is.

  “What is it?” Becca asks, and the phone gets passed around the room. On the screen, Sasha stands holding two schnapps bottles for a second before looking down. Horror dawns on her face as she sees the condom attached to the hem of her shirt. Just before the gif ends, she plucks it off. It loops, and we watch it again. And again.

  “There’s a video on Youtube where she says, “It’s not used!” Noble chuckles.

  She’s going to murder her sister.

  * * *

  My hopes have never been driven so high, just to be shoved back down in the dirt. I’m glad I didn’t tell Sasha or the others about my interview with Midon Development. Yeah, they want me, and they’re offering a substantial salary and benefits package, but the devil is in the fine print.

  They want Cluck Chuckers.

  As in, they want me to hand over all the rights and let them publish the game. The same would be expected for games I’d create in the future, which makes sense since I’d be creating them for their company to sell, but Cluck Chuckers is mine. And it’s not like they’re offering to buy it from me or even pay royalties, they’re including it as part of my employment contract, which could easily be ended by them for little to no reason in the future, leaving me without the job or my game.

  Shady shit.

  It’s everything I can do to remain professional throughout the interview and their offer. After telling them I’m going to take some time to consider my options, I spend the evening pacing my room. It’s simple, really. The answer is no, not if it means signing over my game. There’s really no reason to mull over it too long.

  If it wasn’t for that, I would’ve probably accepted the job. I’m not thrilled about the amount of working hours required, but that wasn’t unexpected. I’d have made it work for the health insurance alone. I’m not going to be taken advantage of by some corporate assholes who see a young, stupid kid just out of college.

  It occurs to me that I can counteroffer, see if they’re willing to cede that part of the contract, but I’m not going to. They aren’t a company I’d want to work for, and I think I can do better. Without any further hesitation, I send them a professional email rejecting the job offer and thanking them for their time.

  Over the next week, I submit my resume to a few more companies. One offers a work at home option that would be a big bonus in my situation. They’re my first choice, especially because the other two are quite a commute.

  Just as I’m closing my laptop, I get a call from Sasha.

  “Trey,” she says as soon as I answer. Anxiety rattles her voice. “I think I need to go to the hospital.”

  My keys are in my hand in record time. “Where are you? What’s wrong? Are you bleeding?”

  “I’m at home. I left work a few hours ago to lie down. I’ve had a stomach ache all day, but it’s…really bad now. Something is wrong.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Sasha is one of the strongest people I know and the look of fear on her face when she opens her apartment door goes straight through me. “Is the pain in your stomach the only symptom?” I ask, walking her to the car. “No bleeding or fever or…anything?”

  “No, it’s just some sharp pains and my stomach feels so hard.”

  Those words add to my terror. I have multiple what to expect during pregnancy books at home and hard stomach sounds too much like a contraction. What if she’s losing the baby?

  It’s too late for Sasha’s doctor to be in, so we head to the emergency room, and when we explain the situation, they take her right back.

  A nurse has her strip to the waist, and lay back on a table, covering her with a paper sheet. I grab her hand as she answers all the nurse’s questions. The nurse scribbles on her chart. “This is a teaching hospital, so if you have no objections, we may allow students to be present during the exam.”

  “Fine, I don’t care,” Sasha says. It’s clear she’ll agree to whatever to move this along.

  “The doctor will be right in.” The nurse gives her a kind smile before stepping out.

  Sasha looks up at me. “We could be losing the baby.”

  I lean and press my forehead to hers. “It could be a lot of things, sweetheart. We’ll know soon.”

  The door opens again, and the doctor enters with four medical students in tow. “Hi, I’m Dr. Long. You’re having some abdominal pain?” she says, approaching the exam table.

  “Yes, it’s off and on, but it’s been getting worse,” Sasha explains.

  “Where exactly are you feeling the pain?”

  Sasha gestures to her abdomen just below her ribs and the doctor palpates the area, then gives Sasha a reassuring smile. “Have your bowel movements been normal?”

  Sasha quickly glances around the room. “Uh, not really. I’m a little…backed up.”

  “More than a little,” the doctor says. She runs her hand along her abdomen again. “You can feel how hard this area is? That’s from constipation. It can cause severe pain. I’m confident that’s all that’s going on here, but I’d like to do a quick pelvic exam and ultrasound just to be cautious.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Sasha says. Her cheeks are starting to glow pink.

  Relief starts to seep into me, and I squeeze her hand. The doctor wastes no time, putting her legs in stirrups and her hand disappears under the paper sheet. She regards the medical students as they crowd around, looking under the sheet as well.

  “Can everyone see okay?” Sasha cracks, covering her face.

  A few chuckles bounce around the room, but quiet as the doctor starts explaining a few things to the stu
dents. The lesson continues when the nurse wheels in the ultrasound machine. Sasha’s eyes well up and our gazes meet when we hear the strong heartbeat. “Is it okay?” I ask, unable to bear it anymore.

  “Your baby looks healthy and strong.”

  “Is it too early to determine the sex?” Sasha asks.

  The doctor moves the wand around for a few moments. “It’s a bit early. I wouldn’t want to make a determination yet.”

  “It’s fine,” Sasha says. “As long as everything is good.”

  Removing the wand, the doctor wipes the gel off of her belly. “Everything looks fine. You can get dressed, and I’ll have the nurse bring in a list of over the counter laxatives that are safe during pregnancy.”

  “Thank you.”

  The room clears out, and Sasha hurriedly pulls on her clothes. Sitting on the edge of the exam table, she flashes a grin at me before covering her face. “I can’t believe this. I came to the emergency room for constipation.”

  Hugging her, I murmur, “I could’ve told you that you were full of shit for a lot less money.”

  “We will never speak of this,” she says, squeezing me.

  “I’ve already forgotten.” Tilting her chin up, I drop a kiss on her lips. “It wasn’t a wasted trip. We know the baby is okay. Better safe than sorry.”

  * * *

  Sunlight strikes my eyelids, waking me, and I lie in Sasha’s bed, watching her. Unaware I’m awake, she stands in front of her floor length mirror, naked, running her hand over the curve of her belly. It’s been two months since our panicked trip to the emergency room and there haven’t been any more problems. Now over four months along, she’s really starting to show, and I swear, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

  The look of awe on her face is followed by a soft smile as she admires the bump. She catches me watching her in the mirror and turns around. “I think I’m going to have to get some maternity pants. My jeans won’t fasten anymore.”

  “Do you want to go shopping today?”