Standing and straightening his jacket, he threw the ring on the bed and walked away.
Chapter 17
Sophie sat in her cubicle feeling like the walls were closing in on her. Tomorrow would be a week since Mark walked away from her in the hotel room. She didn’t blame him at all. She had destroyed their relationship in one morning when she had chosen Caleb over him. Her chest hurt and breathing was the hardest thing in the world. She had been attempting to edit the same book all week and was making very little progress. She put her head onto her desk, shut her eyes and took a deep breath.
Molly was on her honeymoon so she didn’t have her best friend and her only connection to Mark. Layla was pretty quiet. A handful of text messages had done little to reassure her that it wasn’t her against the world. Caleb had withdrawn, closing his office door during the day and leaving work before her to avoid confrontation. Her only saving grace had been a dinner the night before with Ryan. She had cried on his shoulder for hours. Despite his womanizing, he had been warm and caring. He was a lost soul and understood she had screwed up. He had been clear about never taking sides and had told her Mark was pretty destroyed. But somehow knowing he had spoken to Mark made her feel better knowing he was out there and OK.
She looked down at her hand. Yes, it had been stupid to put the ring on. But it was on her right hand so she told herself there was no harm in enjoying it. Knowing Mark and Layla, the two most important people in her life, had picked it out together meant so much to her. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. She knew one day she would need to take it off. It wasn’t right to keep it. One day Mark would forgive her and maybe there was a chance they could be friends again. When that day came, she would give him the ring back to give to the next woman that stole his heart.
The wave of nausea hit her hard. Her head spun and she gripped the side of her desk. She stood to run to the bathroom but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. Her cubicle blurred and her balance was destroyed. Her last thought before she passed out was of Mark singing at the reception. A song she knew had been for her.
****
Caleb paced the hallway outside the exam room. The smell of alcohol and antiseptic would be permanently engrained in his brain. Sophie had been awake for about thirty minutes and so far, no one had come out to talk to him. The double doors opened and Ryan rushed forward to join him.
“What happened?” His eyes shot in every direction, trying to make sense of the scene before him.
Caleb ran his hand down his face. “I don’t know. She had been leaning on her desk and when she stood up, I saw her go down hard. I thought maybe she just tripped but when I came out, she was totally out of it. She was soaked with sweat. The doctor said that she was extremely dehydrated and her pulse was erratic. They are giving her fluids and running some tests but they won’t let me in there right now. She is exhausted and hasn’t slept for almost a week. I haven’t seen her eat anything either.”
Ryan put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Have you called Mark?”
Caleb shook his head. “He won’t take my calls. I don’t blame him.”
Ryan grabbed his phone from his pocket. On the second ring, Mark’s voice came through loud and clear. “Marko, we are up here at Cedars. We don’t know anything right now but it’s Sophie.” The line went dead in his hand.
****
Dr. Garrett Reynolds looked at Sophie and back at the chart in his hands. Clearing his throat, he spoke slowly and quietly. “Ms. Barringer, I am Dr. Reynolds. How is the nausea?”
Sophie looked up from her crackers and attempted a smile. “It’s better. I am still pretty dizzy but I think the fluids are helping a lot.”
“I have your test results. Your electrolytes are out of balance but the saline should help. Have you been eating?”
Shaking her head no, Sophie spoke. “I have been so nauseated that I haven’t eaten much. I have been trying to drink water but even that makes me sick.” As Dr. Reynolds took a seat on the stool next to her, Sophie continued. “I just went through a really tough breakup and I guess it just caught up with me.”
“We can give you a little something for the nausea. But I am afraid there isn’t much else we can do.” Clearing his throat, he put her chart down and looked her in the eye. “Sophie, you are pregnant. Our tests show you are only about four weeks along but I would like to do an ultrasound to make sure everything is going as expected. It’s very important that you eat a balanced diet right now. This isn’t just about you anymore.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Your blood work confirms you are four weeks pregnant. Is that the father in the hall?”
Sophie shook her head and tears ran down her cheeks. “How is this possible? I am on the pill. I have been for years.” Her hands ran over her belly and she froze. A baby. Oh God, oh God.
“Ms. Barringer, the pill is not 100% effective. And believe it or not, we see a lot of this. I want to do the ultrasound now. Is that ok with you?”
Sophie wiped her face and nodded. A baby. Butterflies erupted in her stomach. A baby. A sob escaped her throat, followed by a laugh. “Yes, I am ready.”
****
Mark ran through the door and skidded to a halt in front of Ryan. His face was pale and his hands shook. “What’s happening? What happened?”
Caleb rose from the line of chairs across from the exam room and spoke softly. “She passed out at work. We don’t know anything else.”
Mark spun and faced him. “Oh fucking fantastic. Of course you are here.”
Ryan gripped Mark’s forearm. “Don’t do this here. If he hadn’t seen her pass out, who knows what would have happened. We are all here for Sophie and no other reason. Let’s put this to rest just for today.”
“They haven’t told us anything other than she is dehydrated. She looked terrible man. She scared the hell out of me. She wasn’t responsive at all. I’m sorry man. I really am. I did a terrible thing to you and to her. She just needs to be ok.” Caleb broke and put his hands on his knees. “She just needs to be ok.”
Mark shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “Thank you for finding her. I mean it. Thank you.”
The exam room door opened and a nurse stepped out. “Mr. Allen?”
Caleb stood up. “Yes, that’s me.”
“She is asking for a Mr. Moretti. Could someone call him?”
“I’m Mr. Moretti. Is she ok?” A tear fell down his cheek.
“Yes sir, come with me please.” The nurse led Mark into the exam room. “Please have a seat. It is very important not to upset her. Ms. Barringer, are you ok?”
Sophie shook her head and looked at Mark. The flood gates opened and she sobbed. Mark sat on the bed and pulled her into him. “Whatever it is Soph, we can deal with this. Please don’t cry.”
“I will give you guys a minute. The doctor will be back shortly.” The nurse shut the door, shutting Caleb and Ryan on the other side.
Mark looked at Sophie. She was pale and the dark circles under her eyes and her sunken cheeks scared him. “You aren’t sleeping.”
“Either are you.”
Mark kissed her knuckles and sighed. “No. I’m not. It’s been a pretty hard week.” He wiped another tear from his cheek. “Please Sophie. Please tell me what’s happening.”
She took a long breath and looked down. Her hands shook. She needed to tell him. If the doctor returned with the ultrasound machine and she had kept quiet, she would be betraying him again. “Mark, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how else to tell you except to just say it.”
Mark’s spine stiffened. “Just say it Sophie. Whatever it is, for the love of God, just say it.”
“I’m pregnant.”
The room went completely silent. Mark’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. The sound of his panicked breathing and his heart beat was all he heard. Sophie’s gaze bore into him trying to gauge any kind of reaction. He had a million. His mind raced. How? When? He should have been more careful. He was pissed. He was thrilled. He needed to forgive her. He couldn’t trust her. She was carrying his baby. A baby. No. It couldn’t be true. He would die if it was. He would die if it wasn’t. He loved her. He was furious with her.
The sound of the door opening again caught his attention. Dr. Reynolds walked through the door with a machine that looked very official. “Sophie, we are going to make sure everything is going according to schedule. Would you like this gentleman to step out?”
Mark stood. “I’m the father. I’m not leaving.” The father. Holy shit.
“I’m Dr. Reynolds.” He shook Mark’s hand. “Our Sophie here has had quite the shock today, as I am sure you have as well. We are going to be doing an ultrasound. Right now the fetus is only about the size of a poppy seed but we should be able to see the gestational sac. The first twelve weeks of the pregnancy are the most important. If we can get you through that, you have a very good chance of bringing home a healthy baby in about 9 more months. The nurse will make you an appointment with an OBGYN before you leave today so you can ask specific questions at that visit. Shall we get started?”
The ultrasound was invasive and Sophie tried to relax. Mark stared at the screen on the machine. His body was rigid and his breathing shallow. She took his hand and he looked at her. His half smile was more than she expected. Her heart leaped in her chest. This was something that they had created out of love. No matter what was happening to them, they would always be connected and share something so precious. She couldn’t hold back her tears..
Dr. Reynolds froze the picture and pointed to the screen. “There. Do you see the gestational sac? That is your baby. And everything is exactly as we expected it would be at four weeks. I will print this for you.”
Mark stared. Tears flooded his cheeks. “Our baby.” His hand moved to her stomach. “Our baby.”
Still in shock, Mark stood and took the black and white grainy image from the doctor. He walked to the doorway and opened it slowly. Ryan and Caleb jumped up from the chairs and froze when they saw his face.
“What’s happening. Is she ok?” Caleb rushed to him with Ryan at his heels. “What did the doctor say?”
Without saying a word, Mark handed Ryan the picture and walked to the line of chairs. Ryan stood staring at the picture with wide eyes. Caleb grabbed it and studied it with tears in his eyes. “Holy shit.”
Chapter 18
Mark sat at the bar in his new kitchen reading the newspaper. The last few weeks had passed by in a blur. Sophie had been extremely sick but the doctor continued to reassure them this was a good sign. Mark had battled his demons with Caleb and had forgiven him. He understood how easy it was to love Sophie and he couldn’t blame his friend for having good taste.
The road to healing with Sophie had been a little harder. Mark knew it would be. His life had been busy with a large contract at work and moving into his new home. Sophie had spent a week on the road with Molly promoting a new book and with her exhaustion, there had been little time to spend together. He had attended both appointments she had with their new doctor and he had called her every night. He still loved her fiercely but his heart was much more guarded. Forgiveness was one thing. Being in love again was something completely different.
Ryan came in from the back porch where he had been on the phone with his boss. “They want me to do an ad campaign for the gym. That’s crazy, right?”
Mark looked up from the paper. “Why is it crazy? Do it man. You work hard. Have some fun with it.”
Ryan looked around the new kitchen and then back at Mark. “What’s with the new ink? You’re going to look like me pretty soon.”
Mark chuckled and put the paper away. “Molly calls it my mid life crisis.”
The front door slammed and they both jumped. “Hi honey. I’m home.”
“Layla?” Mark walked to the kitchen doorway. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”
As Layla entered the kitchen, Ryan sat up a little straighter. Something about this woman made him speechless and he did not like being vulnerable. He took a deep breath and smiled as their eyes met.
“How are you Ryan?” Layla winked. She walked to the refrigerator and took a bottle of water from the top shelf. As she shut the door, the ultrasound picture caught her attention. She removed it from the door and stared dumbstruck. “What the hell is this? Why does it have Sophie’s name on it?” When Mark didn’t answer, her voice got louder. “What the hell is this? Is this real?”
“Sit.” It was a command and Layla followed it. “You are here early. I wasn’t expecting to have this talk right now. Or at all.”
“Oh my God.” Layla’s eyes filled with tears. “Mark, is this real?”
Ryan reached over and held her hand. The jolt of electricity was unexpected and Layla stared at him with a blank expression. Mark stood across from her and took the picture back. Placing it back on the refrigerator, he ran his hand over it and smiled. “I thought Sophie would have told you by now.”