Adored (Masters and Mercenaries #8.5)(17)

Now that she wasn’t hiding anything, she didn’t think twice about letting Lila take a look at her chart. She didn’t care. She wasn’t pregnant. She wasn’t carrying Mitchell’s baby and it was all over. That was a good thing.

Wasn’t it?

Barry turned the chart over. “Of course. At this point, I’m sure she feels a little off. Remind her to eat and to get enough rest. She’s healthy. The pregnancy is in its early stages, so she needs to eat and get enough water and rest and she’ll be fine.”

The room seemed to stop. Everything got very quiet, and slowly all three of her siblings turned her way.

Barry seemed to understand something had gone wrong. His eyes went wide. “Uhm, so no one knew she was pregnant?”

“I thought you said my blood work was normal.” She was pregnant. Knocked up. Having his baby. Oh, god. She was having Mitch’s baby.

He shrugged and stuttered as he started backing out of the room. “It’s perfectly normal for a pregnant woman. I assumed since you’re surrounded by medical people that someone would have figured out you’re pregnant. I mean, I haven’t examined you, but I thought you’re probably just a couple of weeks into your first trimester. Right?”

Will’s face had turned a nice shade of pink. “I don’t have to examine her. I’m pretty sure she’s two weeks pregnant. Is that about right, Laurel?”

Lila was combing through her chart. “How can you tell, Will?”

“Because that’s when she quit working for Mitch,” Will said, every word dropping like a lead pipe.

Lisa was the only one who didn’t look grim. “Whoa. You quit working for Mitch because you finally went at it like a couple of rabbits, didn’t you? This is some serious drama. We’re going to need more pudding cups. Don’t they keep popsicles somewhere?”

Will sent their youngest sister a stern glare.

Lisa simply shrugged. “Laurel isn’t the only one who had to skip lunch. I might not be eating for two, but I’m still hungry.”

“I’m going to get someone to run these results again.” Lila shook her head at the chart. “Laurel isn’t this foolish. There is no way she’s pregnant. I’ll call in Dr. Bates.”

Will nodded. “She’s who I would call. But you’re wrong about Laurel. She is that foolish.”

“No. She couldn’t be.” Lila squared off with Will.

Lisa hopped up on Laurel’s bed. “I think we’re about to get the mom lecture again.”

“Laurel wouldn’t be so completely irresponsible as to not use birth control. She saw what happened to our mother. She knows how terrible it can be for a child to not even know who her father is,” Lila said passionately.

“Oh, I know who the father is,” Will shot back. “Don’t worry. He’ll be in this kid’s life. Well, unless I kill him first.”

Tears streamed down her face. She had been irresponsible. So irresponsible. She was having a baby and the father didn’t want a child. She’d grown up without a father, depending on Will to take care of her when she was younger, and now she was putting her own baby in the same position.

Unwanted. Unloved. A mistake.

Lisa’s hand found hers. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, Laurel. It’s all right.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not.”

There was a brief knock on the door and Laurel was certain they were about to be asked to keep the noise down. They would have to move this party out of the ER.

She would try to sneak away, try to get back to her tiny apartment that would be terrible for raising a baby in. There was barely enough room for her. Babies required lots of stuff. Babies required love and affection and care, and how was she going to make it work?

The door opened and Mitch Bradford stood there looking like he’d run a couple of miles without bothering to change into sweats. He was still wearing his everyday armor, but his hair was windblown and he had a nice sheen of sweat on his brow. “Laurel, I just got the text from Will. Are you all right?”

Her brother had texted Mitch?

Before she could say a thing, her brother let his fist do the talking. Will reared back and Mitch went flying out of the room.

It looked like the worst day of her life wasn’t over yet.





Chapter Four



Mitch hit the nurse’s station with a crash, his spine slamming into the edge. It took him a moment to truly register the fact that Will had gone completely insane and was attacking him.

“Someone call security.” He heard the nurse’s voice behind him.

“No need,” Will said. “I can take out the trash myself.”

Will came at him, throwing another punch, but this time Mitch was ready. He ducked, narrowly missing getting clocked right across the nose. Will was serious. He wasn’t f*cking around. He’d obviously found out what had happened with Laurel.

Had Laurel told her brother it was all his fault? He certainly hadn’t expected that from her.

“Nothing happened?” Will asked the question in a mocking tone. “Earlier today you told me nothing happened. Want to amend that statement, Counselor?”

Mitch held his ground. If they were going to do this here, then he would take his punishment, but he wasn’t going to go out quietly and he wasn’t going to stand here and let Will beat the shit out of him. “What happened is between me and Laurel.”