Page 39 of After-Hours Heir

She realized just then that there was another person not wearing scrubs or a medical-type coat standing there as well. A woman with her hair tied back, her features plain. She was holding…the Bible.

“Is this the minister?” she asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m…on standby.”

And nobody seemed to think that their conversation was out of the ordinary. Or at least, nobody cared enough about any of it to defy Christos in any way.

“We’ll get set up in here,” the doctor said. He was a genial man in his midforties. Soft and pleasant-looking in comparison to Christos.

Who was all granite, harsh angles and too much beauty to take in.

That was the problem. She was outraged at him. She genuinely might hate him. And she still thought he was gorgeous.

“First we have to take a cheek swab from both of you and then a blood test from Miss Jones as well.”

She felt a little bit persecuted, but she knew blood tests were part of pregnancy anyway, and she looked forward to winning here. To him finding out that he was being an ass by implying she might be lying.

Maybe he would even feel guilty.

As she sat in the plush chair, got swabbed and had the blood drawn, she looked at him. And wondered how it was possible she felt like she’d never met him before in her life.

The nurse squeezed her hand. “I’ll take you into the bedroom and provide you with a gown.”

Tears pressed against her eyes as she realized that Christos had never seen her in any state of undress, because when they’d slept together it had been entirely in the dark. And now this was going to be the first time that he saw her…

“I need to be entirely covered before Christos is allowed in the room,” she said.

“A sonogram doesn’t necessitate—”

“Then, he needs to stand somewhere where he cannot see my skin.”

She waited. She waited for everyone to defer to him and defy her.

“I will stand by, please,” said Christos.

The doctor looked at Christos directly. “I’m afraid I must defer to what the patient has requested.”

“I am paying—”

“Regardless of pay.”

The nurse held her arms steady. And she felt supported then. She could see Christos doing mental gymnastics like hewas trying to figure out… Did he really not understand why she might not want him to witness it? It was hard to imagine that he was so…naivewas the wrong word. He could never be called naive. And yet… There was something missing. In personal relationships of people. She had never noticed it in the context of business, because he was always one step ahead of everyone. But ever since he’d had to attempt to deal with her, he had been a step behind. And that really was baffling.

She was taken into the bedroom and given a gown and also a sheet. Then the nurse left the room and entered again a moment later. “He has left the room. We will get you positioned on the bed. The only part of your body that will be exposed is your stomach. But we can keep him standing by your head.”

“Thank you,” she said.

It meant something. Knowing that at least here she had found allies.

“I don’t know what the nature of your relationship is with him,” the nurse said, “but if you ever feel unsafe, it doesn’t matter how powerful he is. We would try and help you.”

“I don’t feel unsafe,” she said. “I’m just angry at him.”

She knew that Christos would never hurt her. Not physically. She hoped that he didn’t possess the power to hurt her emotionally.

She truly, truly did.

She lay down on the table, the ultrasound machine set up and ready to go.