Page 94 of Sugar & Shadows

“No.”

“Any drug use?”

“Only caffeine and shopping,” I admitted.

She felt around my abdomen for a moment, her lips pressed together in concentration.

“I’m going to draw some blood. We won’t get results until Monday since the lab’s in Rutland, but that’s a good start.”

She picked up her tablet and tapped at the screen for a minute or two.

“But based on what I’m hearing and seeing, I think you may be pregnant.”

Heart jumping into my throat, I sat up on the exam table, the paper crinkling violently this time. “Not possible.”

She continued inputting information, impervious to the panic in my voice.

“I have an IUD,” I said.

She nodded. “Got it. But we need to check anyway. When was your last menstrual period?”

“No idea,” I said, my words shorter than they should be. “I have an IUD. I don’t really get periods.”

She nodded again, still focused on my digital chart.

A shiver worked its way through me. It wasn’t possible. Was it?

“Like I said, we’ll do bloodwork. But I think I felt the fundus above your public bone.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Fundus? What the fuck did that even mean? It sounded like a disease.

“Can’t I just pee on a stick?” I asked, suddenly struggling to breathe.

“Sure. You could pick one up at the pharmacy. But if you’d like, we can do an ultrasound to check.”

“Yes,” I said sharply. “Just check please.”

She surveyed me, her face full of compassion. “I’m just being thorough. These symptoms could indicate many things. But let’s at least confirm you’re not pregnant before we start narrowing down the cause.”

I let out the breath I was holding, and my shoulders sagged. It wasn’t possible.

I had an IUD.

And I didn’t even have sex anymore.

She directed me to follow her, so I got up, pulling the gown closed around me, and shuffled across the hall to another room.

Halfway there, my feet came to an abrupt halt. Wait.

I had had sex recently.

Mentally, I flipped through my calendar to nail down the timeline. When had we gone to Montpelier?

A month ago? Or had it been longer?

“Here.” Doctor Storrow gestured for me to lie down on another table, and once I had, she draped a white sheet over my bottom half.

“We could start with the external ultrasound, but honestly, we’ll see more with a vaginal ultrasound.”