by Young, Sage
“You really need to see a doctor Victoria, just to make sure you're okay.”
“I promise if I’m not feeling well by tomorrow I will go to the doctors before coming into the office.”
Victoria went straight home, made soup and got into bed. Victoria woke up the next morning feeling even worse than she did the day before. She got out of bed and had to run to the toilet to throw up. Okay I really do need to go to the doctors. She showered as she tried to get herself together. She called the doctor's office and they were able to squeeze her in at 10 o'clock. As soon as she entered the doctor's office and described her symptoms they gave her a cup to pee in and put her in one of the rooms to wait for her doctor. The doctor entered the room.
“So what's going on with you Victoria, I understand you are not been feeling well and have had a bout with nausea.” He said as he began to examine Victoria. She explained her symptoms and upon completing his exam he said “Victoria you can get dressed and meet me in my office.” Victoria hoped he had medicine to help with the way she was feeling because she was swamped at the office and really couldn’t afford to take off anymore time off after a two-week vacation. The thoughts of her vacation and Dominic invaded her thoughts. Cut it out! She chastised herself.
Victoria finished dressing and walked into the doctor's office. “So what's the verdict Dr. Cooper, am I going to live?” Victoria said joking. “You are absolutely going to live.” Dr. Cooper said smiling. “I do have some unbelievably amazing news for you. It appears that your pregnancy tests came back positive,” he said nonchalantly, she was so stunned that she was having a hard time understanding as she tried, unsuccessfully to regulate her breathing.
“There must be some mistake, I can't get pregnant, I’m sterile remember?”
“Well the initial test indicates that you are indeed pregnant my dear. We need to draw some blood and send it out for testing. You will need to make an appointment to come back in so we can see how far along you are. Here’s a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Congratulations Victoria, this is a blessing. He looked at Victoria when she didn’t respond. “It is a blessing Victoria.” Still in shock; it took a few seconds to realize that the doctor was speaking to her.
“Of course it’s a blessing Dr. Cooper, I’m just trying to get over the initial surprise. “
“Good, now make an appointment to see me in two weeks, we’ll check to see how far along you are and talk about what to expect during your pregnancy. Because you just turned 35 we will need to run some tests as a precaution, because you are technically a high risk age.”
Victoria could only nod as she walked out of his office. She headed home and got back into bed, how was she going to explain this; a chill ran down her spine. “Oh my God, what am I going to tell Dominic?” She said out loud. She decided to work from home on Wednesday and by Thursday Jacqueline was at her condo demanding to know what was going on. Jacqueline knew whatever it was, it was not good, because Victoria was still in her pajamas at two o'clock in the afternoon.
“Victoria what's going on, what did the doctor say?” Victoria looked at her best friend and business partner and began to cry. Jacqueline moved quickly to her side. “What is it see, you can tell me, please tell me, you're scaring me.”
“Jackie I went to the doctor on Tuesday and he told me I was pregnant.”
“What?” Jacqueline yelled, “how is this possible, you've been told for years you were sterile. How did this happen Victoria, didn’t you guys use protection?” Victoria looked at her best friend and the tears began streaming down her face again.
“It's a long story Jackie, but to answer your question no, we didn’t use protection. I was so certain that I couldn't get pregnant. Part of my arrangement with Dominic was that we both be tested because I wanted to have two weeks of barrier free sex. I feel like such an idiot now Jackie, what am I going to tell Dominic?”
“You will tell him the truth. You are both adults and both took part in that agreement, now he needs to be man enough to accept the consequences.”
“It's not his fault Jackie, Dr. Cooper and I assured him that I was sterile and unable to conceive. This isn’t fair to him and why does he have to know anyway, I am financially capable of taking care of me and my child.”
“You can't be serious Victoria, listen to yourself, you need to let that man know that he's going to be a father.”
“Jackie my careless decision is now going to affect his life, my life and the life of our child forever. I don't know what to do.”
“What you are going to do is, look at this as the blessing it is, take care of yourself and have a healthy happy baby that you will love and cherish, but you need to tell Dominic and let the chips fall where they may.” Victoria knew that Jacqueline was right. She was extremely happy about the pregnancy; she had been given a gift that she thought she thought was not possible. Victoria looked down at her stomach as she rubbed her hand across it, she was happy, truly happy and it was a blessing.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Over the next couple of weeks Victoria watched what she ate, made sure she took her vitamins and continued to exercise. Victoria had a serious baby bump, so she had to purchase clothes to accommodate her expanding body. Dr. Cooper scheduled an ultrasound for Victoria. She had finally gotten around to telling her other best friend Monica the about her pregnancy. Both Jacqueline and Monica accompanied Victoria to her ultrasound. They all waited in the room for Dr. Cooper. Victoria was concerned with her weight gain and wanted to discuss that with the doctor. As she laid on the table, Monica and Jacqueline stood by her side, waiting anxiously for the doctor.
Dr. Cooper walked into the room and was a little surprised to see the other two ladies standing there. “I see you have a lot of support Victoria. Now let's see was going on.” Dr. Cooper took the gel and squirted a generous amount on her belly. He took the fetal doppler and moved it slowly while looking at the screen. Dr. Cooper was quiet initially as his attention was focused directly on the screen.
“Is everything okay?” Victoria said concerned.
“Yes Victoria, give me a second.” Victoria looked at both Monica and Jacqueline who had concerned looks on their faces. She turned to Dr. Cooper when he began to speak “Victoria it appears that you are carrying multiple blessings. He turned the screen slightly, “can you see what I'm seeing? It appears that you are having triplets and you are about 13 weeks along. Do multiple births run your family Victoria?” Victoria's head bobbed back and forth between Jacqueline, Monica and Dr. Cooper “Are you serious Dr. Cooper, how is this possible?” Both Jacqueline and Monica looked stunned. Monica was the first to let out a loud squeal. “I can't believe you're having triplets this is amazing Victoria!” she said with a tear in her eye. “I am so happy for you Vic.” “This is truly a blessing Victoria,” Jacqueline said as she stroked Victoria’s hair. Dr. Cooper told Victoria to dress and he would talk to her in his office. He escorted the other two ladies to the reception area.
Dr. Cooper talked to Victoria about what to expect when having multiple births and adjusted her prescriptions
“So is the handsome young man, Dominic Moretti the father of your babies?”
“Yes he is.” Victoria said, not wanting to give Dr. Cooper eye contact.
“Is he aware that you’re pregnant?”
“Yes and he’s extremely happy. He's going to be even happier when he finds out that we are having triplets,” Victoria lied, she not sure why, it was not like her to be untruthful, but she didn’t want to discuss her decision not to tell Dominic about the pregnancy.
“That's great, you two will make wonderful parents.” Dr. Cooper said as he handed Victoria her prescriptions.
Victoria left the doctor's office feeling guilty about lying to Dr. Cooper but she intended to do this alone and didn’t want to hear a lecture about why she needed to let the father know.
*****
Dominic entered Kevin's gym totally stressed. The long hours he was working were taking a toll on
him, and when he wasn't working his thoughts were of Victoria. He could not get her out of his mind. After a two-hour workout Kevin walked over to Dominic “What’s going on with you man, you’re working out like a maniac.”
“I'm just relieving some stress; maintaining this business is more than a notion.” Dominic said. Kevin looked at his friend and smiled “yeah but you love every minute of it and you know it.” Dominic returned the smile “you are absolutely right, I wouldn't change any of it.” Dominic paused for a second.
“Hey Kev, what are you doing later, do you want to grab a beer, I need to talk to you about something?”
“No problem Nick, let me finish up with this client and we can head out.”
Dominic and Kevin entered their favorite watering hole, sat at a booth and ordered beers.
“So what's going on Nick, what's on your mind?”
Dominic took a sip of his beer and looked at his best friend “I don't know man; I can't get her out of my mind, it’s been three months and I find myself still thinking about her.” Kevin looked at his best friend and knew he was talking about Victoria.
“What's going on man, talk to me?”
“It’s been three months since I've seen or talked to her but I can’t get my thoughts to lessen, she’s in my thoughts daily.” Dominic took another sip of his beer. “Ahh, I need to figure out how to stop thinking about her.”
“Nick, you need to put this behind you and move forward. Have you even gotten laid since then?”
Dominic looked at his best friend and had second thoughts about discussing the situation with him “No, I haven’t.”
“I thought you and Anna started dating again?”
“Yeah, but we have not slept together, I’m trying to take it slow with her. She will not do me like she did the last time.”
“But that’s the problem man, you need to get back on the horse, as soon as you sleep with Anna, your thoughts of Victoria will start to fade.” Dominic thought about what Kevin said; maybe he just needed to get laid to forget about Victoria, but it was worth a try. Dominic and Kevin sat there for a few hours drinking beer and catching up on family, friends and work. They also talked about his workout regimen. Kevin suggested that Dominic see his doctor about a pain he was having in the shoulder when he lift weights.
The next day Dominic called Victoria’s physician, Dr. Cooper’s office. He felt comfortable when he was there last and decided to use him. The doctor’s office was able to squeeze him in that Thursday. A few days later, Dominic entered the doctor's office and was ushered into an exam room. Dr. Cooper entered the room and examined Dominic.
“Mr. Moretti you…”
“Please Doc call me Dominic”
Dr. Cooper smiled “Okay, Dominic you can meet me in my office and we can discuss options for your shoulder.” Dominic got dressed and entered the doctor office. Dr. Cooper talked to Dominic about his shoulder and discussed his options and next course of treatment. Dominic was about to leave when Dr. Cooper offered his congratulations.
“Congratulations, for what Dr. Cooper?”
“On the pregnancy of course, Victoria was just here last week, you must be excited.” He said as he looked up from writing his notes.
Dominic sat there unable to move, he felt like he had been punched in his chest and knocked the air out of his lungs. It took him a few seconds to recover.
“You were aware of the pregnancy, weren’t you?” Dr. Cooper asked, but could tell by his reaction that he was unaware of the pregnancy. “Victoria told me you knew and you two were excited,” he said trying to defuse the situation.
“Victoria’s pregnant?” his whispered, trying to comprehend what was just said.
“Victoria told me you knew, I’m sorry if this the first time you are hearing about this, she said she told you.”
“When...when did she find out? You told me this was not possible, that she was sterile?” Dominic was clearly angry.
“I think you need to discuss this with Victoria, I can’t give you any more information about her.”
“Ohh, I plan to fully discuss this with her.” Dominic was seething. Dr. Cooper was uncomfortable with their conversation. “If there's nothing else Dominic, I will see you at your next appointment.” Dr. Cooper said as he stood and handed Dominic his prescriptions.
Dominic needed to get out of that office; he needed to breathe. What the fuck is going on? Was it true, was she pregnant and did she plan on telling me? He was ready to explode. He needed to talk to her, but he first needed to able to just breathe and calm down. Marco, Dominic instantly thought of his brother, as he headed to his office. Marco was always able to calm him down before he had a chance to say or do something he would regret.
Dominic reached Marco’s building and pressed the button to the twentieth floor of his brother’s law firm. His mind was fuzzy; he was still having trouble processing the information.
“Hi Lisa is my brother in?” Dominic asked Marco’s secretary. She looked up and smiled brightly.
“Hi Dominic, how are you?” She said seductively.
“I’m fine, is Marco in?” he said almost dismissive.
Her expression turned solemn, “Yes, you can go in.”
Dominic looked at her demeanor and realized that his words may have been a little curt. “You look beautiful today Lisa.” The smile returned as she blushed and turned her head.
“Hey Marco you have a minute? I need to talk to you.” Marco looked up from reading to see his brother entering his office. Marco Moretti, at six foot two inches tall, was slightly shorter than his older brother, but had the same gray eyes and muscular build. Marco also wore his hair shorter and tapered; he was the picture of the corporate world. Marco rose, walked around his desk and gave his brother a hug.
“Hey big bro, to what do I owe this pleasure.” Marco sat back in his seat as Dominic looked out the window. “Whatever it is, it must be big, because usually it’s me calling you, trying to pull you away from your office.” Marco smiled but got concerned when his brother didn’t respond. “Okay Nick, I’m concerned, what is it?”
Dominic could hear his brother’s voice, but he was having difficulty speaking. Of all his siblings, Dominic was closest to Marco; they were only a year and a half apart and were inseparable as kids. How was he going to explain that he slept with a woman he barely knew and now that woman is pregnant?
Dominic began to speak realizing that no matter which way it was explained it was going to be bad. He walked over and sat on the sofa facing his brother.
“I have a problem and I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with it. I went out with this woman a few times and I just found out she’s pregnant.” He said staring at his brother. Marco waited for the punch line of the joke, when he realized that his brother was serious.
“What! How do you know it’s yours, who is she?” Marco said in disbelief.
“I know it’s my baby.”
“How do you know it’s yours Nick, you said yourself you only went out a few times. Some women will do anything to trap a man of your stature.”
“It’s not like that Marc, she’s not like that.” Dominic defended.
“Well then tell me what’s it like, when did she tell you?” Marco was furious; some whore was trying to trap his brother.
“She didn’t tell me, her doctor did.” Dominic realized that he gave more information that he wanted to.
“What a minute, why would her doctor discuss her condition with you? By law he is not allowed to talk to you without her permission and why would you be talking to the doctor of a woman you slept with a couple of times? What aren’t you telling me Dominic?”
“It’s complicated, I just found out and I have not spoken with her yet.”
“What do you need me to do?” Marco could see the pain in his brother’s face and did not want to press him for more information now, but soon he would find out all there was to know about this woman and god help her, if she was trying to trap his brother.
> “Nothing for now, I just needed to talk to someone and calm down before I speak with her.”
“Wait, she doesn’t know that you know about the pregnancy?”
“No, it appears she has known about it for a little while now and has neglected to tell the father?” Dominic said sarcastically.
“Who is she Nick?”
“You don’t know her, her name is Victoria Hart. I have to go, we’ll talk later.” Dominic said as he started walking towards the door.
“Call me if you need me and try to keep a cool head, I don’t want to be your one call from jail.” Marco said trying to make his brother smile but again it didn’t work. When Dominic left Marco wrote her name down, he wanted to check out the woman that was supposedly pregnant by his brother.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Dominic walked into the Melton Center high rise in Center City Philadelphia; he took the elevator to the thirtieth floor, in search of the woman carrying his child. His impatience grew with every passing floor. Victoria was in her office not feeling great, she was trying to keep a smile on her face as she listened to Mark Dylan, her obnoxious client, as he tried to impress her by boasting about his extensive car collection and all the properties he owned; she knew if it were not for his father and brothers, he would have nothing because he was definitely not the brightest of the Dylan clan. She only entertained the notion of weekly meetings because they were a new client, and she wanted them to feel comfortable with the new adjustment. Unable to stomach too many more meetings with him, she would soon pass him on to one of her associates, if he insisted on continuing these weekly, waste of time meetings.
Victoria was just about to tell Mr. Dylan that she had another meeting when she heard a disturbance outside her office door, she stood and Dominic walked in.