Fiona whistled at the screen. “He’ll give you a fight, you cheating bag of Rice Krispies. Gaz will give you a grade-A Aussie arse whooppin’. Aye Teegs? Teegs...”
The sound had diminished all around Tegan the moment the announcer mentioned Owen again. She was now unable, or unwilling, to move. She wasn’t sure. She felt numb tingles at the base of her skull. It wasn’t until she felt moisture on her cheeks that she realized she was crying. It took a moment for her to understand why.
She rushed from the table and headed to the first bathroom she could find. She burst through the door and crashed to her knees at the toilet bowl, violently sick and sobbing. Her back arched as she gripped the slippery porcelain as best she could. A few seconds later Fiona was there rubbing her back.
She flushed and turned so she could sit next to the bowl, trying to catch her breath.
“Why did you bring me here?” Tegan asked, holding her head.
“Huh?”
“Why didn’t you just let me stay home?!” Tegan asked as more tears flowed down her face. “Why do you have to make me think about this fucking sport when all I want to do is move on and not think about him! I hate this!” she screamed, leaning her head back. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Forget what I said. It’s not your fault. This is so fucking stupid, me feeling this way.”
Fiona shushed her. “Babe, answer me honestly. When was your last period?”
Tegan raised her gaze to look Fiona in the face. “What if that was him? What if that was Owen just lying there...helpless? Sorry, what?”
Fiona touched her face and said softly, “I think you could be pregnant.”
The words didn’t really register, but somehow Tegan managed to come up with the only response that made sense. “I can’t be. He always pulled out. Well, not always.”
“We have to get a test,” Fiona said.
“No. I can’t be.”
“You just said he didn’t always pull out.”
“But when he left it in, you...can’t get pregnant that way.”
“You opened the back door for him?” Fiona was momentarily shocked and slightly impressed, but then concerned again in a flash. “Pre-cum can still do it. I know it’s scary, but it’s the only explanation that makes sense for how you’ve been feeling, and if you haven’t had your period for a while...”
“Oh, my God. What if I am? How can I tell him? What would I say?”
“We’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it.”
“How? How can I? Hey, how’s training? I think you left something when you were over last?”
“Let’s worry about that after we get a test, OK? We’ll go right now. There’s an all-night pharmacy around the corner.”
Tegan nodded, sniffling and wiping her nose. She flushed and washed her hands before Fiona led her out. They reached the street, and Fiona gave a friendly wave to the bouncers but quickly returned to supporting Tegan, both spiritually and physically, by holding her hand as they walked.
Tegan kept her gaze down, staring at the sidewalk and her feet. She didn’t even feel like she was moving. A sense of disconnect filled her. Like this wasn’t real. Or, maybe, she didn’t want to believe it. Lights ahead re-focused her attention, and within two minutes they had reached the pharmacy, and Tegan held the test in her hand. Fiona having ripped the box open.
“Here,” she said.
“What do you want me to do?” Tegan asked.
“You’ve never taken a pregnancy test before?”
“No. I know what to do, but...you want me to do it here? Right now?”
“Yeah, now. Drop your daks and let’s get this over with. Come on, let’s go around this corner. We’ll find a tree. It’s dark. No one will see you, and I’ll shield you anyway. Sisterhood and all that shit. Just think like we’re on a night out, and you’re desperate to pee. Find anywhere. Just...gotta aim this time.”
True to her word, Fiona never left her side. Standing with her back to Tegan as Tegan slipped her panties down, using one hand to support herself and the other to position the test. “You know, men have it easy,” Fiona started, as if talking to herself. “If they had to take pregnancy tests they could just...flop it out. Psssssst. That’s it. Chicks get so fuckin’ gypped by nature it’s not funny.”
Tegan rose and gripped the test hard, waiting for the correct time to check it. Fiona stopped trying to be funny. She stopped talking altogether. It was the longest three minutes of Tegan’s life. But then, finally, she used her torch phone to check the screen. That tiny square that held so much information. So much numbing fear.
Tegan dropped the test and went to her knees. Fiona rushed over to her, found the test, and picked it up, seeing what Tegan saw. She lowered herself and took Tegan in a soft embrace, trying to comfort her.
“Oh, God. What am I gonna do?” Tegan asked through tears.
Fiona didn’t reply, save for rubbing her back, letting Tegan cry.
* * *
Tegan clutched her bag tightly as the doctor, Lucy, walked into the office, closing the door behind her.
“So, Tegan, what can I do for you today?”
Tegan swallowed. “I took a home pregnancy test, and it was positive. So, I’m here to double check, I guess.”
Dr. Lucy nodded and tapped away on her keyboard, updating Tegan’s file. “You’re due for your next pap smear soon, did you want to get that out of the way too?”
Tegan shrugged. She was already going to have her legs in the air like a dead horse. Why do it twice if it could be avoided? “Sure.”
Tegan stripped, put the crinkly plastic gown on, and with Dr. Lucy’s help, placed her legs in the stirrups. Dr. Lucy pressed and kneaded her stomach, coming to a point just to the right of her belly button. “Ow!” Tegan hissed.
Dr. Lucy was silent, focusing on the same area, using her fingers in a different way. The pressure hurt, but not as much as a second ago. “Tegan... Have you been experiencing any nausea lately? Head spins?”
“Yeah.”
“For how long?”
“Um. I don’t know. Maybe two or three months? It’s gotten more severe lately though. In the last few days, which is why I took the test.”
Dr. Lucy moved from between her legs to by her side. “Ok, I’m going to just let you know, that the pain in your stomach you just felt then by me touching you? That was a lump, a reasonably big one.”
“What?”
“Have you been experiencing any discomfort lately around there? Do you check yourself regularly?”
“I check my boobs all the time, not my stomach. And I’ve been getting cramp-like feelings, but I didn’t think anything of it because my period has been off. And now I haven’t had it for a while, I just thought... Shit, I don’t even know what I thought—”
“Hey,” Dr. Lucy said, removing her glove and patting her on the shoulder. “I’m not trying to criticize. I just need a few facts to best determine what’s going on. I don’t want to worry you unnecessarily, but I won’t lie to you either. I’ve seen enough of these over the years to know we need to do further tests. Luckily, I can do most of them here and now. The ones I need to know what action to take anyway. We can do the pap, and we’ll need some further scrapings. I can do a quick biopsy to take some fluid and then upstairs for an ultrasound. We should have the results back in less than a week. I know waiting is probably the most horrible part, but it’s gotta be done. So, I really need you to clear your schedule for about two hours.”
The seriousness of what was being told to Tegan wasn’t lost on her, but it was what Lucy didn’t say that Tegan wanted to know. “Am I pregnant?”
For the first time, Lucy gave a small smile and gently pat Tegan’s forehead with her gloveless hand. “We’ll find that out too.”
Tegan lay back and stared at the ceiling. Focusing on a light above her head, anything to take her mind away from the steady jabs and pokes between her legs, making her wince.
* * *
A single light beamed down from the
ceiling, giving Owen just enough light to continue his third hour of training. Owen snapped three jabs at the bag, blinked, and shook his head as the sweat stung his eyes, but he didn’t reach for his towel. He barely broke stride. Punches hit the bag, one after the other. Each one slower, more powerful, before he took half a step back and unleashed a flurry of rights and lefts. Then a kick to what would be his opponent’s midsection. Then the head. Again. And again. Composed. Measured. Deadly. He repeated these things in his head. What was done in training camp was reflected in the match. Always.
Connor Williams was a striker, like him. Though Owen was equally as adept with his hands and feet, Williams favoured his kicks. Specifically, his right leg. Owen would, therefore, attack his left side. As the only time Williams would open himself up on his left, was at the exact moment he kicked with the right, when Owen himself would be vulnerable, it was a risky move. Fighters were taught to keep their non-striking fist up as a defence. There was no way Williams could defend both his midsection and temple at the same time. His timing would have to be perfect. Hitting the bag with punches was practice for the early exchanges. To toy with Williams, to chance an opening somewhere, with the aim of baiting him into using his right leg.
Everyone knew it was his go-to, but that didn’t make him predictable. It made him dangerous. Bruce Lee, the only man Owen idolised besides his own father, once said, “Never fear the man who has practised ten thousand kicks. Fear the one that has practised one kick ten thousand times.”
The one light above his head became many as Robert entered the room. “Do you realise you have to be at the airport in less than two hours? How long have you been up?”
“Dunno. Couldn’t sleep.”
“You’ve said the same thing every night for the past three weeks. What’s going on?”
“Nothin’.”
“That isn’t nothing. Don’t think I haven’t heard you, at early hours in the morning, in here or doing weights.”
“Since when does a little extra training hurt?”
“Since you’re doing triple the amount needed for a fight and running on next to no sleep. You’re burning yourself out.”
“I’m just tryna’ keep busy.”
“Yes, I know. What I don’t know is what you’re trying to distract yourself from.”
This, Owen couldn’t answer. Well, he could, he just wouldn’t. His father knew nothing of Tegan and what went on in Sydney. And Owen would like to keep it that way. He wanted her protected from this as much as possible. The closer she was to him, the more risk there was that she would be targeted by the media or his hardcore female fans.
It was bad enough having to deal with those risks as part of the profession, and she had no experience with it. Should her name or image be made public in relation to his, her whole life would turn upside down. As much as he hated texting here and there, it kept them in contact. Though not as much as he wanted.
Neither could deny there was something still there. Hell, less than a week ago she had wanted to video chat, and it led to a show and tell exercise in mutual masturbation. Their one-night, no, two-night stand was still alive even in different countries. It had disappointed him that in the week since he hadn’t heard from her. Sure, they were both busy, and life goes on. Neither had made any promises or guarantees. But it still bothered him. As much as the answer was probably too simple, it was the truth: he just missed her.
Before his training tonight, he had tried calling her, checking on his phone if it was a decent hour in Sydney, and got no response. He left a voicemail that he hoped didn’t sound like he was pressuring her. He could see the situation was strange. They weren’t dating, so it wasn’t even a long-distance relationship. Maybe she felt weird about continuing to chat. Maybe he should just cut ties and let her go?
“Hey! Snap out of it!” Robert yelled.
“Huh? Sorry, what?”
“You heard nothing I just said?” Robert said with a roll of his eyes. “I said get in the shower. I’ll get your bag in the car. And, for the love of God, don’t make a scene. Just do the commercial and come home. I organised this so you could have a small break from training plus fulfil your commitments. When you get back, we have maybe one or two days to get you over the jet lag, but then we are in the home stretch and can focus one hundred percent. We eat, sleep, and shit Williams. Nothing else matters, right?”
Owen shook his father’s hand, “Right.”
Chapter Eight
Tegan lay curled on the couch, sure she was all cried out. She had waited a few days to process her appointment with Dr. Lucy. Tomorrow she would get the results. She could make a better, informed, choice on a course of action then.
The only thing she still had to do was tell Owen. But, in this, she faced a dilemma. She had avoided his calls, sure that if she picked up, he would be able to tell something was wrong in her voice. She wanted to tell him for many reasons. Mostly as it was the right thing to do in her mind. But what was the point of saying anything unless she was absolutely sure? Why mention something to him if it turned out to be false?
He was half a world away anyway. When she thought of how she wanted him on that couch with her, her head felt like exploding. Fiona had been an angel, helping her during work. She was even willing to come to the doctor’s appointment with her, which Tegan took her up on. Whatever the result, Tegan didn’t want to be alone.
“Just a second,” Tegan called to the knock at the door, checking her watch. It was almost eleven pm. She wasn’t sure if Fiona had wanted to stay the night before the appointment. If they had made that arrangement, Tegan forgot in the madness. She opened the door preparing a greeting, but it wasn’t slender Fiona that stood before her.
“G’day.”
Tegan’s right hand found the wall. A fortunate thing, as the sight of Owen was almost enough to send her passing out. Seconds stretched and neither said a word. Tegan still hadn’t closed her mouth but bolted into him, burying her face in his chest. His arms encircled her gently, and he placed a hand at the back of her head, using his thumb to stroke her hair, shushing her at the same time.
“Was going to call but wasn’t sure if you wanted to speak to me.”
Tegan gave a mini-leap and pulled him down towards her mouth. “Shut up,” she whispered, parting his lips with her tongue, dragging him inside.
“Are you sure—” Owen whispered, but it was her turn to shush him.
Tegan looked deep into his eyes, after roaming his face with her hand. Was it this cold blackness eating away at her? Or was it his child inside her? This handsome, honourable man. She had so many things to say, one particular thing especially. But only one thing came from her lips. She wanted to forget her fear. She wanted the world to disappear, even just for a while. “Make love to me.”
Tegan moaned with the efforts of both kissing him and then undressing him. No more words were said by either. With a grunt, Owen carried Tegan to the bedroom.
Over an hour later, Tegan lay in his arms, her leg draped across his. His fingers slowly moving up and down her spine. “Why didn’t you return my calls?” he asked softly, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Oh, Jesus.
Nausea hit her, as well as panic and fear. She turned her back to him as a flood of tears came over her. She covered her mouth and nose with both hands. There was no help for it now. She couldn’t lie to him or drag this out.
“I think I’m pregnant,” she sobbed, looking up at the ceiling and blinking away more tears. “I’m so sorry, Owen. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I swear. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want you to think I was trying to trap you—”
Owen turned over and positioned himself over her, gently easing her hand away from her face. “Hey... Hey... Take it easy. Take it easy. It’s OK.”
“How can you say that? What about this is OK?”
“Because,” he said, gently easing her hands away so she would look at him, which she eventually did. “There are
plenty of worse things to happen to you.”
“Like cancer?”
Owen took that reasonably well, studying her intently. “Sorry?”
Tegan carefully told Owen all she knew, all she was told based on her appointment with Dr. Lucy. She had found a lump when checking Tegan over to confirm her pregnancy. She was terrified that was what explained how shitty she had been feeling lately. She had no idea if it was a normal part of pregnancy or...something else.
Owen let her talk, never taking his eyes off her. When she finished, she apologised for dumping all this on him, ruining his homecoming. He blinked for several seconds, appearing to take the information in.
“Be angry, be frustrated, be scared. That’s normal. But never be scared of what I’ll think or that I’ll think it’s your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It’s happened.”
“Why are you so OK with this? How are you so calm?”
Owen gently wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “Maybe because you’re freaking out enough for both of us.”
“Can you not? Please, don’t joke. I am terrified.”
“I’m not joking,” Owen replied, sitting up and spinning around so that he faced her, cross-legged. “Who says I have to freak out? You need support. Am I worried? About you and the baby, absolutely. But I...” Owen shrugged. “I’m happy. Pregnant or not. I choose to believe in happiness. Maybe that’s weird. But whatever. Look,” Owen took her hand and kissed it, placing his other hand on her belly. “I want to be there for you, regardless. I want to help you get through this. All freaking out included...you’re not alone. I swear.”
Tegan was silenced for a minute, unsure of how to take this. He was reacting far better than she imagined, than she ever would. He did look nervous. Worried. But she didn’t get the feeling it was the usual type of panic. He was worried about her, worried if things were alright. She told him about her appointment to find out the results, and he asked if she would want him there.
Of course, she wanted him there. Either way, positive or negative, it was right they find out together.
* * *
Undisputed (The Undisputed Series Book 1) Page 8