My team traded glances and nodded to the general.
“How has your first month been?”
“Uneventful…sir,” I said.
“Oh? I heard you found your way to Echo. As we discussed, that is a restricted area.”
“We like to be thorough when making rounds, General,” I said. “That includes sweeping the entire corridor, up to the blast doors. The security team on the other side has stopped pissing themselves every time they see us coming.”
Martinez let out a small chuckle, but the general didn’t find humor in my comment. “Abrams.”
“Sir?” Naomi said.
“You’ve officially completed one-sixth of your probation. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” she said, unsure. She searched my expression for a clue, but I kept my face smooth. The general, for whatever reason, was trying to destabilize my team.
Without another word, the general turned and left the room, Bianca in tow. I closed my eyes, waiting for Naomi’s wrath.
She grabbed my shirt by the collar. “What the fuck is he talking about, Trex?”
I opened my eyes and looked straight at my friend. Even when your men are right, they still have to know their place. “Turn me loose, Lieutenant. Now.”
She let go, surprised at her own reaction. She didn’t like losing control any more than she liked being surprised. “Excuse me, sir.”
I straightened my shirt. “For the record, I protested. They didn’t like your record, Nomes,” I explained. “That’s all it boils down to. Has nothing to do with you being a woman.”
She snarled. “My record is impeccable.”
“Your previous record leading one of your father’s largest militia companies, and the fact that you joined after Matt’s KIA.”
“It makes sense, Naomi,” Harbinger said. “We all knew your history with the militia would be an issue at every turn. This is just one of them. Just ignore it.”
Naomi tossed her tray onto the counter and frowned. “Something ain’t right, Trex. I can smell it.”
I sighed. Omission now would be too close to a lie. “Nomes, you’re safe. They can’t fire you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
I hesitated, then decided to just say it. “We were all brought here for you.”
It took her seconds to figure it out. She paled. “Peter.”
“The junior senator?” Harbinger asked.
Naomi shoved her hands in her pockets. “I knew he…he has a thing for me. He always has, but even when I saw him…I didn’t think he’d go that far to…” She looked at me. “Tell me he didn’t.”
“He did.”
“Did what?” Martinez asked.
Naomi went from unsure to pissed. “He brought us here? The whole team? It doesn’t make sense, Trex. He hasn’t even tried to talk to me.”
“Wait. What?” Harbinger said. “That punk kid is why we were brought here? Because he has a crush on Naomi?”
“Since we were kids,” she said with a sigh. “I met him when his dad was in talks with mine. They’re both Arizona congressmen.”
“So, what happens when he figures out she doesn’t like him?” Martinez asked. “Are we out?”
“He knows,” Naomi said.
Six weeks before, I wouldn’t have cared, but now I had a reason to stay in Colorado Springs. “If he knows, why did he pull so many strings to get us here?”
“He pulled me from contract work,” she said. “He wasn’t happy when I was deployed. He warned me that he’d stick me behind a desk.”
“Why didn’t he?” Harbinger asked.
“I threatened to permanently cripple him, and he knew I meant it,” Naomi said, her voice cold. “I’m going to talk to him.” She zipped her vest and took a step before I grabbed her arm.
“Hold on. Let’s think this through. Do you want to leave?” I looked at Harbinger. “Does your wife? Your kids?”
“The kids weren’t thrilled at first, but they’re warming up. We went to the Garden of the Gods over the weekend. They loved it.”
Naomi frowned. “So…we just let him get away with it.”
“We’re settled, Nomes,” I said. “We had a choice. We’re making six figures a year, better pay than we’ve ever had, and it’s a day job. Harbinger can go home to his family every night; we can all have lives now.”
“And you falling for a local has nothing to do with this, I’m guessing.” Naomi smirked.
“What does it matter? It’s done. I see why you’re pissed that he set this all up for you, and if he becomes a problem, you bet your ass we’ll deal with it.”
“I’m more pissed that you knew about it,” she said. “We don’t keep shit from one another. Ever.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have kept it from you. From any of you. That’s not how we work. I knew better.”
“So, the general knows?” she asked.
“He informed me. And he’s not happy about your stalker changing things up in his facility. I assume that’s another reason for your probation—to keep Bennett on his toes.”
“All right. Break’s over, let’s get moving,” Kitsch said.
I patted Naomi on the shoulder. “Want to fuck with the Echo team again?”
She smiled. “It’s the best part of my day.”
I gave everyone else assignments, and Naomi followed me to the mouth of Delta corridor. I looked up at the ceiling, the moisture collecting on the pipes and electrical lines, dripping intermittently. If the water didn’t hit us, it fell through the metal grid we used as a path down the Delta corridor to Echo. The stench of mildew grew thicker with each step, the further we pushed into Delta toward Echo.
“I have to say it, Trex. You and Darby, it’s fast for anyone, but especially fast for you. You never fall so quick for anyone. Not even Laura, and I thought you two would get married,” Naomi said.
“Exactly. My hesitation with her was spot-on. She married Brad, remember? No hesitation this time.”
Naomi nearly choked. “What? You’re already thinking long term? Trex,” she protested.
“It’s headed that way. I’m not even ashamed to admit it. She’s the one, Nomes, I know it. We went on our first date last week. We’ve spent every evening together since. It would be more if she didn’t work eleven at night to seven in the morning.”
“Well, well…I guess she likes you, too.”
“God, I hope so. This is everything I was missing with Laura.”
“I was going to ask why it was different.”
“It’s just better. Way better.”
“Because of the sex?”
“Not there yet.”
“What? You’re falling for this girl and you haven’t bedded her yet? She must have some sort of spell over you.”
“No, and I can’t explain it. I just can’t wait to get back to the hotel to see her. I want to spend every second with her. I make up excuses to visit her at work. She works nights and I have to force myself to go to bed instead of hanging out with her.”
“That explains why you’ve been so tired lately.”
“You know, with Val, she had the whole still-married thing, and I didn’t want anywhere near that.”
“And now you’re speeding toward insta-Daddy at a hundred miles per hour and that’s A-OK. It must be love.”
As crazy as it sounded, I didn’t deny it. We approached the blast doors at the end of Echo corridor, and as usual, the yellow lights began to spin, and a single, low alarm sounded. Security on the other side stood in formation, pointing their rifles at the door, even though we could only know that from watching the screen.
“Step away from the doors, Trexler,” the officer on duty said through the speaker.
“Did you miss us?” I asked.
“You have ten seconds,” he said.
Naomi tried not to smile, but failed. “You look forward to this every day. Admit it.”
“Five seconds,” he said, unamused.
“Isn’t that…”
she began.
Dr. DuPont and Dr. Philpot were standing fifty yards behind the security team, in a heated discussion.
“Yeah, but we should move,” I said.
We made a wide U-turn, and walked in the other direction, our boots clanging against the metal floor.
“They’re so cranky,” Naomi said with a chuckle.
“I hope the general never asks us to take their place. I’d hate to be that pissy all the time.”
“Or stuck in there,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Do they ever leave?”
“I don’t know. For their sake, I hope so. If the doctors are going in and out, they must.”
“Boss, come in,” Kitsch said over the com.
“Go ahead,” I said.
“We’ve got some weird shit on the south side.”
“You’re exterior?” I asked, confused.
“Rounds completed. Saw something on the camera. You should come see this, sir.”
I met Naomi’s gaze. “On our way.”
Chapter Fourteen
Darby
For the first time in weeks, my body didn’t fight me with every step, and I didn’t feel like at any moment I would throw up whatever happened to be in my stomach at the time. My energy was back, and so was my appetite.
The feeling that an alien had taken over my body was beginning to go away. That, of course, brought on new worries, so I was glad Health Services could push through my assistance and I could make an appointment with Dr. Park right about the time I was beginning to stress about Bean.
I sat in the waiting room, watching updates about the fire scroll across the bottom of the television screen. I’d filled out a dozen forms, stepped on a scale, and peed in a cup, now all there was to do was wait. Not a first-timer at the gynecologist’s office, I was used to seeing the mix of very pregnant women, either miserable or obnoxiously happy—there was no in-between—a few toddlers playing with or fighting over toys on the floor, a chatty grandmother, and a small handful of women like me, there for an annual, infertility, or just not showing yet. Most of the husbands looked uncomfortable, but there was always the super-supportive one. And, of course, the one mom-and-daughter duo, trying not to speak to one another while they wait for the teen’s first gyno appointment, both very nervous.
A nurse in lilac scrubs stepped out. “Darby,” she said. Her full cheeks rounded when she smiled. I stood, looking very much unpregnant and single, surrounded by women with skin barely fitting over their perfectly round middles, their noses and ankles puffy, their husbands’ hands on the babies they’d helped create.
“Hi, I’m Shannon,” the nurse said, closing the door behind us. Her sun-kissed spirals hovered just above her shoulders, her curves filling out her scrubs. She had silver rings on all eight of her fingers, a tiny diamond in the crease of her nose, and a tan that boasted any spare time was spent in the summer Colorado sun. “You’ll be in room two, second door on your left.”
I stepped into the room, deciding in the moment where to sit. The wax paper pulled over the table for sanitary reasons made a sound that was worse than nails on a chalkboard to me. So I skipped the table and sat in the chair.
“Hi, Darby. It’s nice to meet you,” Shannon said, standing next to a tablet on a stand. She tapped it a few times and then smiled at me. “The lab confirms it. You’re pregnant. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you remember the first day of your last period?”
“Uh…May sixth.”
She tapped the screen a few more times. “Okay, looks like you’re due February first.”
I grinned and nodded, not knowing what else to say.
“Any questions or concerns?” she asked, slipping a small clip on my finger and a blood pressure cuff over my arm.
“I’ve been feeling a lot better. The nausea, dizziness, and vomiting let up finally. I just want to make sure everything’s all right.”
“Was the morning sickness pretty intense?” she asked.
“It wasn’t fun.”
“I’m so sorry. If you have any issues again, don’t hesitate to call. Even if we can’t get you in right away, the doctor can prescribe something to help. We got you in today because of cancelations for the holiday…yesterday being the Fourth and all that.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Did you do anything fun despite the firework ban?”
“Spent the evening with a friend.”
“That sounds fun! Everything okay at home? Do you feel unsafe? Stressed? Are you eating properly? I see no drugs or alcohol. You don’t smoke…”
She was going down the list of things I’d answered in the paperwork, sometimes talking to herself, sometimes asking me questions. I wasn’t sure if she’d peppered in the tough questions with the easy ones to trip me up or if it was typical.
“I feel safe. I’m a little stressed. I just moved here, but I work at the Colorado Springs Hotel, and I live there, too. My boss is great, but he doesn’t know I’m pregnant. I’d like to keep it that way for a while. Just trying to get my prenatal care started and figuring out how to pay for everything is a little stressful. I don’t have a car, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Shannon blinked. “You moved here alone?”
I nodded.
“From where? Do I hear a Texas accent?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where is the father?”
“Back in Texas. He doesn’t know, either. I didn’t feel safe there.”
“But you do now?”
“Yes.”
She smiled. “Great! Dr. Park will be in shortly.”
Shannon squirted a gel onto a napkin on a silver tray, and then she left me alone. I tapped my nails on the wood arms of the chair I sat in, looking around the room.
“Good afternoon!” Dr. Park said, breezing in. Her blond hair was pulled into a low bun, her glasses sat low on her nose. She sat on a rolling stool, her white lab coat over a pair of light gray slacks and white blouse. “Vitals look good. Labs look good. I hear you’ve had the barfs. That’s no fun. But you’re feeling better?”
“Um…yes. The past couple of days have been good.”
“Shannon tells me you moved here from Texas, and that maybe you weren’t in the best situation before.”
“Correct. But I’m good here now.”
“No family, though? No emergency contact? And you don’t have transportation, correct?”
“No.”
“Okay, good to know. We’ll need to get a plan together when we’re closer to”—she checked the chart—“February. Can I have you sit on the table? Any allergies? Latex?”
“No. None.” I climbed up, and she warned me before leaning the seat back.
“We’re going to take a look, is that okay? See what we can see?” she said. The way she asked multiple questions at a time made me feel more overwhelmed by the minute. “It’s a little early, but we can try it.”
“We’re going to see the baby?” I asked, surprised.
“Is that okay? Can you lift your shirt for me?”
“Yes, I just wasn’t expecting that, I guess.”
She tucked a napkin into my jeans and squirted gel onto my stomach. “Just going to squirt a bit here, and…” She dabbed the microphone-looking thing in her hand in the gel, spread around what she’d put on my stomach, and then stopped down by my pelvic bone, pressing down.
“Well, hello there, baby,” she said, smiling at the monitor. It was black and white, and not much of anything. She pointed out the sac to me, showing me the tiny grain of rice that was my Bean. My eyes filled with tears as she measured and tapped out data, cooing to Bean like he or she was already here.
She pushed a few buttons, and the room filled with a fast but rhythmic beat.
“Is that…?”
“The heartbeat. Nice and strong.” She pulled the probe away and wiped off my stomach with a clean white rag, leaving it for me to finish up. Just like that, Bean was gone.
/>
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Everything looks wonderful. You’ve got a few weeks of your first trimester left, then we’re on to the fun stuff like feeling the baby move for the first time, showing, maternity clothes. Exciting stuff! Have you started prenatal vitamins? They have some great over-the-counter ones. They might make you start feeling icky again, so just play around with it. Try to take them right before you go to bed, or maybe after a meal…everyone is different. We’ll find something that works for you. It’s important to find something with folic acid.”
I nodded. My brain felt full, and I was beginning to get a headache.
Dr. Park laughed. “I’ll have this all on paper for you, no worries. Want a picture?”
“A…?”
“Copy of what’s on the screen,” she explained.
“Um…yes?”
She pressed a few buttons, and a series of pictures began to spill out from the ultrasound machine. Dr. Park took off her gloves, tossed them in the trash, and stood. “Okay. You’re all set. We’ll see you in four weeks.” She tore off the photos and handed them to me.
Dr. Park closed the door behind her just as I said thank you. I sat in the room alone, then looked down, wiping the remaining gel carefully off my stomach. The fluorescent light above glinted off the pictures in my hand, catching my attention. What was supposed to be my baby looked like a mess of black and white. I didn’t really see anything. I put the pictures in my back pocket, said good-bye to Shannon, and checked out at the front desk with Michelle.
“See you next month!” Michelle said with a bright smile.
The walk home was hot and felt like it took longer than it did to get to Dr. Park’s office. The wind was blowing the smoke into town, and my throat felt dry and scratchy. By the time I reached the hotel, I was coughing, and went straight to the bar for a glass of water.
“Darby?” Stavros called. “How are you feeling?”
“Great,” I said, clearing my throat.
“Good, because Tilde had to leave early. Maya is covering, but she’s already put in forty hours this week. Can you come in early? Like…soon?”
“I can,” I said.
“You look nice,” Zeke said with a smile.
From Here to You Page 16