As promised, a team of specialists awaited her arrival. Questions were thrown at her left and right. She changed into a gown and was whisked away, carted off into a surgical suite. She was laying on the gurney, when the team began to prep her, flipping the bottom of her gown up over her swollen abdomen. There was cold fluid splashed along her belly—betadine, drapes placed over and around her—
“Stop! I didn’t know I agreed to… what is this?”
“Amniocentesis.” The doctor confirmed.
“I can’t. I Can’t do it. Stop. Now.”
Two nurses stayed at her side and comforted her. “It’s not that bad. No pain really. Just a sting and a burn.” The nurse to her left side knelt and rubbed Daniella’s shoulder.
“That’s not it. I don’t want to do the amniocentesis.” Daniella sat up. “Don’t try to talk me into doing it either. I won’t do it.” She rubbed her belly.
“Weren’t you supposed to have this done tomorrow? We have your signed agreement on file. Your OB doctor confirmed it and your lawyer stated you’d agreed to the procedure.”
“Yes, I had an appointment. No, I didn’t agree to this. I don’t recall my lawyer mentioning it, other than my appointment that was scheduled tomorrow. I meant to cancel it. I just hadn’t had a chance to.”
“Can I ask why you’ve changed your mind?” The doctor asked.
“I’m sorry. It’s not safe. My friend’s baby died because of this procedure. And… and I don’t want to deal with… with my soon to be ex-husband. He… wanted this, to confirm he’s not the father,” she whispered. “But it’s not what you think. I didn’t… it was the insemination. All b-bad.” And I don’t want to confirm it’s Blake’s, even if all odds are against me.
“No need to explain, Daniella. We understand. Nobody here will judge you. We’re fully aware of the investigation and know the basics about your pregnancy, and the insemination. Your lawyer talked to the appropriate people and that’s why you’re here.”
“Okay.”
“We can still proceed with the ultrasound. There is a lot more we can learn at this point. Top notch equipment and we can practically give you, with great accuracy, the exact due date.” The doctor said.
“I’ve had a lot of ultrasounds already. In the beginning, and then one when I was fourteen weeks.”
“Yes, we have your records. Your ultrasounds were located and given to us to review. I’ve reviewed them. There are some serious discrepancies with those ultrasounds, and to be truthful, we can’t be certain the ultrasounds are legitimate.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I cannot give you any information until they’ve been thoroughly combed through by our top notch radiologists.”
“Please, tell me something more. I think I deserve to know. And you should tell me, or you shouldn’t have said anything to begin with.” She cringed inwardly.
“Ah. True, true.” He tapped a finger lightly against his lips, obviously deciphering what or how much he should share with her. “What I’m about to tell you has not been proven yet, but we have reason to believe your ultrasounds are demos.”
“Demos?”
“Yes, demonstrations. They use them to train students.”
“So… all my pictures are… not my baby at all?” Tears filled her eyes. She rubbed them away fiercely, reminding herself that she wasn’t keeping the baby anyway.
“Precisely. But… we’re about to change that right now. You’ll be surprised to see the progress of the developing fetus. Ah. And you’ll get 3D imaging, so it’ll be like looking at your baby through a camera.” He smiled and patted her hand. “Ready?”
“Mm-hm.” Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. To see the baby, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to keep it. Unless she wanted to fulfill one of Blake’s other stipulations. And living with him was never going to happen. She stirred over the mention of the previous ultrasounds. How could Meg do such a thing? What kind of swamp did this woman crawl out of?
Warm goop slathered over her abdomen and the tech dragged a wand across her pelvis. Daniella could hear the swish, swish, swish of a rapidly beating heart. It was a beautiful sound, and she wanted to look, but didn’t because if she did, it might make her indecisive about adopting. But then, she suddenly recalled what her lawyer said. Cruz had put a halt on the adoption. The adoptive parents would be crushed. Worse than that, Blake would probably follow through on his threat. Would he? Could he actually shoot us? No. He can’t. I promise you little baby, if it comes down to that, then I will beg him to let us live with him. Come hell or high water, I will find a way to save you. I promise—
“Look at the baby, Daniella,” a nurse to her right interrupted her moment. “Over here, honey.”
Daniella couldn’t stop herself. She turned her head and glanced at the monitor.
“See here,” the ultrasound technician, pointed to a spot on the screen. “Baby has a thumb in the mouth.”
She sucked in a breath. “Oh, that… that’s precious.” Her voice crumbled. It’s... oh, Lord. Cruz used to suck his thumb. She remembered looking at his baby pictures before she married him. His mother apparently thought sharing those pictures would somehow bring her grandchildren right after the wedding. If only it had….
“This little one is a spitfire. I can’t get a shot of the genitals.” She glanced up at Daniella. “Did you want to know the gender?”
“No.”
“Ah. Well, this little bugger won’t budge. Legs are crossed and tucked,” the tech said and then called out measurements of the femur, abdominal girth, size of head, fluid levels, and several other things. She kept moving the wand, then examined the screen, and then a chart, and back to the screen several times. She glanced up at the doctor, pointed to a section on the chart and asked, “Is this accurate?” The doctor took over, running the wand over Daniella’s abdomen, repeating the sequence.
“What? Is there something wrong?” Daniella could feel a knot forming in her throat. She gulped hard at the ache and forced the tears back. Another round of bad news would do her in.
The doctor ran the wand over her abdomen and measured several areas again. “No worries, Daniella. This baby is perfect, but by the size and measurements, I can certainly tell you that the due date stated is about six or seven weeks short. This is not a twenty-six week gestation. This is about a thirty-two to thirty-three week old fetus.”
“What?” Daniella held up her hands and calculated the weeks on her fingers.
“You’re much further along.” The doctor nodded.
“Are you saying… I only have maybe seven weeks to go?”
“I am certainly saying just that, but nothing is final. We will have the ultrasound viewed by the best of the best. They will examine every detail. Results are almost spot on, but nothing, other than DNA is a guarantee. Well, other than the time of conception is more than a month off.” The doctor turned to the nurse. “Send the ultrasound to be read STAT. Time of conception and fetal age is crucial for more than one party.”
“I’ll send it out now,” the nurse replied as she wiped the goop off Daniella’s belly.
~~~
The staff and the doctor left the room, allowing Daniella to get dressed. She numbly slipped the navy blue sundress on, raked her fingers through her hair, slid her feet into her matching sandals. Sitting for a moment, she replayed the information over and over in her head. What the doctor said could only mean one thing. This baby was conceived before Cruz’s business trip, before Meg’s scheme, before… but what would it mean now that Blake wanted his revenge? Flinging her purse over her shoulder, she pushed forward, opened the door and stepped into the chilly hallway.
“Daniella, wait.” She heard Cruz’s voice. He stood just outside the door she’d just emerged from. “Please. I just want to talk to you.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I bypassed the amniocentesis, so please, just leave me alone. I can’t handle any more stress! I have limited time to prepare and no time
to deal with your questions or accusations anymore.” She broke down because she really wanted to fall into his arms and tell him everything. This was his child. HIS CHILD!
He reached for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back as she attempted to walk away from him. Before she could react or push him away, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, pressing his cheek against the side of her head. She stood, arms hanging at her sides, not wanting to return the gesture because it would only make her wish. Wish for everything to be okay with them and that maybe they could work things out. But wishes didn’t work in her favor and she needed to find a way to move forward with her life, with or without this baby. And Blake!
His body started to tremble and it startled Daniella.
Is he… he’s crying. But why?
And then he took in a deep breath and slowly released it. “I… I’m sorry. And I miss you so damn much. I don’t know what to do… who or what to believe. I think I believe you, but—”
“But? But what, Cruz? But. What! You don’t understand why your precious Meg would lie to you. Well, I do.” No, she wouldn’t go there. It was too dangerous.
If he learned the truth, what would happen to him?
“Are you sleeping with her? Or not? Oh, wait. There’s no evidence. What a pity she didn’t go to lengths to prove you were all hers. No. Because that would make her look bad, make you look worse.”
“I’ve never slept with her. Not even when I dated her in high school.”
“Save it. It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.” She walked backward, away from him as tears threatened to spill. She couldn’t let him back into her heart, not that he’d been close to leaving it, but she wasn’t letting any more of him back in. Absolutely not. Because, that might end her and the baby.
~~~
The drive home was a blur but the couch was pure comfort. Daniella was exhausted, not only from the ultrasound, but from the added stresses she was forced to deal with. Seven weeks was all she had left and her life was still in disarray. There were a lot of things she needed to do before the baby’s arrival. But, here she lay and thoughts of her and Cruz resurfaced. Everything they shared, the love they had, the talks about having children… up to the day she went in for the stupid procedure. But she’d used all those pregnancy tests Meg had given her and they were all negative. It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t sure what to think. Maybe the baby was just bigger than the average baby. There were so many questions, very little answers.
The information kept niggling at Daniella. She’d felt sick before she ever had the Artificial Insemination. Meg had been acting strange, and secretive too. The missing letters from Blake in her year book… at the cabin. Meg.
Patting her belly, Daniella said, “You’re not going anywhere little one. I’ll keep you no matter what. Cruz’s or… it doesn’t matter. You’re mine. All mine.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. She grieved, ashamed of herself for wanting to give up this baby, sad for the adopting parents, but they could find another. She’d figure out how to deal with Blake once she had the results, confirming he was absolutely not the father.
Five days had passed since the ultrasound. She needed to do some shopping, but feared she’d see that stupid black SUV outside, waiting. Waiting for that one moment she exited and then? She shivered at the thought of what Blake would do to her and the baby.
~~~
Daniella wondered how much longer it would take to get detailed results from the specialists. It was already Friday and she didn’t want to go all weekend waiting.
The apartment was spit shine clean by midafternoon, and she had all of her designs and contracts in check. She really needed to go shopping for baby stuff and promised herself she’d find a way once the doctor called to give her any results.
A ringing cell phone startled her. “Hello?”
“Hello, Daniella. Dr. Mark, here.”
Finally! “Hello.”
“We have the final results. Would you mind coming down here to discuss them? We could do a phone consult, but I think it’s best that you come to the clinic. There is a whole team of Radiologists and specialists who are ready to answer questions, if you should have any, here in the clinic.”
“As long as Cruz isn’t going to be there, I’ll come.”
“I guarantee he and his lawyer will not be here. They’ve already contacted me. They’ll meet with me and the team later this afternoon.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, when can I come?” Daniella started to shake.
“Your lawyer will be here shortly. Can you come now?”
“I’m on my way.” She ended the call, grabbed her purse and keys, and then headed out to her car. Deep within the very core of her existence, she already knew the results. The insemination and this whole mess nearly made her retch. She inserted the key into the ignition.
“Huh!” She gasped and inhaled something—a horrible chemical that burned her nose and throat. She clawed at the massive hand pressed hard against her nose and mouth, but suddenly went limp. Her vision dimmed, faded into a dark abyss.
23 - Hush Little Baby
There were blurry flashes of streetlights and rocky walls whizzing past the windows as she fought through the haze and tried to comprehend where she was. She turned her head to catch the digital display on the dashboard.
What happened?
The muffled sounds of voices closed in. It was getting louder as the vibrating motion stopped.
Back seat of a car. It smells like… leather.
A face popped in front of her. “Meg,” she mumbled. She felt a pinch at the crease of her elbow and then a burning sensation traveling up her arm.
Oh no! What did she inject into my vein?
“Well, well, weh—” Meg’s voice faded.
Time evaded her. Brief moments of wakeful periods, though hazy, never lasted long. The only thing Daniella had been certain of was that she had been in the backseat of this car for much too long—two, maybe three days at the very least.
~~~
Daniella woke in a panic. Her breathing turned rapid and wild when she tried to sit up, only to discover she’d been tied down to a… hospital bed? She writhed and twisted, but only caused the throbbing pain in her head to intensify. No. No, no, no, no, no!
A shrill cry erupted from her chest. She glanced in all directions, taking in what she could of her surroundings with the small amount of sunlight filtering into the room. All of the walls, including the ceiling, were made of logs. A log cabin. Meg and Falcon’s cabin? In the far left corner, a figure sat in a recliner staring directly at her.
“MMeg? Is that… you?”
“No. It’s the president of the United fucking States.” She uncrossed her legs and stood.
“Wh-what’s ggoing on?”
Meg cleared her throat. “Let’s start off with a little history lesson, shall we?”
Terrified, Daniella could only stare at her.
“SHALL WE?”
“Okay,” Daniella whispered.
“History: I dated Cruz in High School. He broke up with me because he couldn’t handle the attention other men gave me. But over the years, all those issues had resolved. And that is your history lesson for the day.
“Current Events: YOU entered the scene. Make no mistake, Cruz still loves me, but now you’re in the way. And I want revenge against the both of you.
“Fact: I have no choice but to get rid of you. It’s what’s best.” She had the audacity to smile. “FYI: Just to be clear, so you know, we, meaning Cruz and I, will be proud parents of that little baby in there. It will bring us back together.” She tapped Daniella’s belly. “Thought you should know.”
There was a very long silence. Meg stared, tilted her head from side to side, as if she were pondering over what might be going on in Daniella’s head.
“Haven’t you got anything to say?” Meg sounded agitated.
“Why. Why are you doing this?”
Meg did a one-eighty. “What? Don’t act like
you don’t know. I had to do what I had to do to split you two up. You might still live if you hadn’t tried so hard and got yourself knocked up before the procedure. Ah. If all had worked out as planned, you, my dear friend, would be sharing your life with Blake—having his kid. You do know he still loves you, right?”
Daniella shook her head in denial. “But… but all those pregnancy tests were negative.”
“Holy fuck. Do you have absolutely no medical knowledge? Shit. I have to spell it all out for you. Very simply put, Daniella, those tests I gave you were duds. Yes, duds, as in negative controls. Oh, and all the bloodwork? Yeah, I just swapped your samples with mine. Now you know, so don’t go flipping the fuck out and racking your pissy little pea brain.”
But… you’re pregnant, too? She stared at Meg, dumbfounded, and then she noticed a familiar sparkling diamond on Meg’s ring finger.
Meg glanced at her hand, a smile stretched ear to ear. “Do you like it?” She lifted her hand and admired her ring finger. “This ring was really meant for me, not you, Daniella. I bet you’re wondering how I ended up with the ring, huh? Well, too bad I’m not going to tell you. But I must say, it stood out nicely in that little hidden video of me and Blake. You were too easy to blackmail. I did tell you I was fucking him, didn’t I? Oh, the hotel. Remember my little invite, Daniella?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Yes, well. So happens Blake rented the room. Yes, and you left your wedding ring on the table and you didn’t even miss it! Silly fool. That musty smell you complained of,” Meg sniggered. “Blake and I had sex before you got there. Yes, it was on video. But then you left your ring, and so after you headed to the pool room, oh the tape was a rolling! I made sure to flash your ring by digging my nails into his tight little ass. Damn. It was so easy… and… climactic.”
Of Love and Deception Page 25