by Bella Jewel
“Thank you so much,” I chirp.
She puts me on hold and I look to Lucy, shrugging. She bites her bottom lip, waiting in anticipation.
The nurse comes back on the line a few minutes later. “Hi there, Indiana. Are you sure it was this hospital you came to? We have no record of you in the system.”
I knew it.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Let me check again. What’s your full name again?”
I give it to her. I pray she doesn’t ask for a date of birth, because she’ll catch me out. She puts me on hold again, and I say to Lucy, “No record.”
“I knew it!” she yells out. “She’s such a liar.”
“It’s looking that way, yes,” I whisper.
The nurse comes back on the line again. “I’m sorry, you’re not in the system at all. You must have mistaken the hospital you came to.”
“Of course, I’ll double check, baby brain. Thanks!”
I hang up and look to Lucy. “No record of Indi in the system, but that’s not solid proof.”
“No, it’s not. You say that the picture she had, didn’t have her name, but had the hospital name on it?”
“Yes, at the top, but it wasn’t on the actual picture, but above it.”
“Let’s Google it.”
“Google?” I ask her.
“Yep, Google. Sonogram photos. You’d be surprised how many people steal them off Google. Do you remember what it looked like?”
“Sort of, probably not enough to recognize it. But Finn has a copy.”
“We need to get that picture.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “No, we’re not going to do that. That’s exactly what got me into trouble last time. No, this time, this time Indi is going to tell the truth.”
Lucy purses her lips. “And how exactly are you going to get her to do that?”
I smile. “I’ll make her. In the nicest possible way, of course. Finn deserves to know. He deserves not to be taken for a ride.”
“Well.” Lucy claps. “You’re a better woman than me, I’d be unable to help myself.”
“Feel like coming for a drive?”
Lucy grins. “Hell yes I do.”
We both get up and then head out and get into my car, making the drive to Indi’s apartment. I’m not going to be nasty, or cruel, but Finn deserves to know she’s lying, and while I’m still not 100% sure, I’d nearly bet my left arm on it. I think with what I know, it’ll be enough to get her to admit it.
And hopefully do the right thing.
Finn is a good guy, the absolute best.
She is taking him for a ride.
When we arrive at her house, we park and get out of the car. I hesitate when I see Finn’s car in her drive. It feels like a damned punch to the stomach, like a thousand hulk fists slamming into me. Jealousy, red hot jealousy, and pain, so much pain. Pain I thought I could deal with. I thought I could get over this without any issues, but right here, seeing his truck, knowing he’s with her, makes me want to scream and cry and vomit.
“Shit,” Lucy mutters. “Let’s go. You don’t need to be seeing or knowing what they’re doing in there. Come on, honey.”
I can’t move.
My feet are stuck to the ground.
Did what we had mean absolutely nothing at all to him?
Is he really that empty inside?
I know he broke it off, I know he got angry, but it has to hurt just a little, right? If he cared about me at all, then surely he would have some feelings toward the matter. Instead, he’s over here, with Indi.
This is exactly how she wished it would work out.
The ugly part of me wants to go up and slam my fist on the door, telling her I know that she’s lying, forcing her to prove it, and watching as it all comes crashing down for her.
But, the good part of me, the part that isn’t ugly, says that’s childish and immature. I was going to give her the option of telling Finn herself, but I can see now that it really isn’t my place, or my business.
I mean, if she’s faking a pregnancy, she can only fake it so long, right?
Or is the plan to actually get pregnant.
Now I’m second guessing myself again.
Before I can think, or do anything else, Finn and Indi appear on the sidewalk, heading toward Finn’s truck. She’s seemingly in pain, either that or she’s putting on a damned good show. They both look to us, and Finn’s eyes widen with surprise when he sees us on that sidewalk, standing there, just staring stupidly at them.
“What are you doing here, Erin?”
Shit.
What good, logical reason would I have for being here?
Seriously? What?
“I wanted to apologize for how I spoke to Indi,” I say, and sure, it sounds mostly right.
Not at all like a big fat lie.
“Especially, you know, with what’s … ah … going on.”
God.
This is a risk.
I don’t know what’s going on.
I don’t, but judging by the way she’s acting, it’s something to be concerned about.
If she’s actually pregnant, that is.
“Slater told Ellie,” Finn mutters.
Yes.
“Yeah,” I say. “I wasn’t here to cause a problem. Hope everything is okay.”
Lie.
Lie.
Big fat lie.
“It’s fine, I’m takin’ Indi to my house until her next doctor’s appointment. She’s not supposed to be doing anything.”
Oh, god.
His house?
He’s taking her to his house?
This cannot be happening, right?
Honestly, is she really that good?
Or is she really pregnant?
I feel like I’m going to collapse right here on this sidewalk. My stomach hurts, my heart aches, the idea of them two together, him taking care of her, it bothers me. It truly bothers me. God dammit, why did I ever let myself get involved with Finn Knight? Why? I should have trusted my gut and gone the other way. I should have done something, anything, to avoid him.
“Anyway,” Lucy adds in, saving the day because I’m just standing here, looking pathetic, feeling even worse, “that was all. We’re going to go now.”
She tugs my arm, and I move, hesitantly.
My eyes meet Finn’s, and for a second, he looks like he wants to explain, to tell me everything is fine, like he’s genuinely concerned with how I’m feeling.
But then I look away.
And let Lucy pull me out of there.
Thank god.
~*~*~*~
“You didn’t say anything,” Lucy says to me in the car as we’re heading back to my apartment.
“I’m not a monster,” I say, staring almost blankly.
She’s driving.
I couldn’t.
My heart, it aches.
“She’s playing with his heart, honey. He deserves to know.”
“And what if she’s not? What if there is some tiny tiny chance that she’s not playing and I go in there, carrying on, only for it to be wrong. He can’t possibly hate me anymore than he does already, so why would I make it worse?”
“He doesn’t hate you, that much I can promise you. The way he was looking at you, honey, Finn Knight has strong feelings for you.”
“Not enough for him to hear me out, to give me a chance when I needed one. He has Indi to worry about now, he doesn’t need me.”
“Indi could be lying, and if she is, I really think he deserves to know before this goes any further. I mean, god knows what she’s capable of. She’s managed to get herself into his house, what will she do next? Drug him and steal his sperm?”
We both glance at each other, because that’s a scary thought, because it could be a real one. How far is Indi willing to go? I was going to say something to her, but how can I do that now that she’s staying at Finn’s? Do I go over there when he’s at work? Say something then? I don’t know. I d
on’t want anything more to do with this, but Lucy is right, Indi could be taking this far further than what’s healthy, and it could get Finn into a lot of trouble.
Real trouble.
Not fake trouble.
“What if I’m wrong?” I mutter. “What if I’m truly wrong about this?”
“If I thought you were wrong about it, and just being some jealous woman, I’d tell you. You’re not wrong. There is something off about the whole thing. The way she looked at you tonight, victorious, almost. She’s got something wrong with her. We should have seen it from the start. I think we need to talk to her, still.”
“Yeah, I think so, too,” I admit.
“Tomorrow, we’ll go over there and talk to her. See if we can get her to come clean herself, then it’s not on you.”
“Do you think he’ll still be angry at me?” I ask her.
“Who cares?” She shrugs. “If it’s the truth, and it saves him from getting tangled up in shit, then who cares.”
I laugh softly. “I don’t know where I’d be without you, you’re so brutal.”
She laughs. “Not all the time, believe me.”
I do believe her.
I think Lucy puts on a big front. Don’t get me wrong, she’s definitely wild, and crazy, and she does things sometimes that make even me stand back and wonder if she’s losing her mind, but she’s also kind, and caring, and the first to come to your rescue if you need. She loves her sister, loves her family, and is a hard worker. I think, deep down, Lucy is a whole lot softer than she lets on.
I’d almost bet on it.
She drops me home, and after a little more of a chat, she leaves and I go to sleep, wondering what the hell I should be doing about this situation.
It comes to me in the middle of the night.
I should ask the one person who knows him. The one person who can tell me what the best approach would be.
In the morning, I’m going to go over, and ask him.
Right now, I’m going to sleep, and pray that this empty ache in my stomach disappears.
Because right now, it really hurts.
~*~*~*~
“Not every day I get two visitors,” Damon says, shoving the door to his apartment open and letting Lucy and me inside.
Lucy hugs him, and he says something to her, something so quiet I can’t hear it, but she nods and tells him, “Later.”
“Are you two having sex, because it wouldn’t be weird if you are …” I blurt out.
Both of them look to me and then burst out laughing.
“What?” I mutter.
“No, we are certainly not having sex.” Damon chuckles. “Lucy is like my sister, kind of, let’s go with best friend.”
“When did this happen?” I ask. “Because it’s all new to me.”
We all knew they were friends, but since when?
“We’ve been talkin’ a while.” Damon shrugs. “Now, you two going to tell me what you’re here for, or do I have to guess?”
“Go on and take a guess while I make us a coffee,” Lucy says, walking around Damon’s house like it’s her own.
“Are you sure you two haven’t got something going on?”
“Do you and Lucy have something going on?” Damon asks me.
I blink.
“What?”
“Well, do you?”
“God no. We’re friends. That’s just weird.”
“Well,” he says, grinning at me, “what makes it so different that Lucy and I could be just friends? Just because I have a dick doesn’t mean we can’t have a friendship without wanting to rip each other’s clothes off. It’s no different to you. If I was a girl, you wouldn’t question it.”
Damn.
He makes a valid point.
I nod, laughing. “Well, okay, you got me. You win.”
“I always do.” He laughs. “Now tell me, is the reason you’re here because of a man whose name starts with F and ends with N?”
“Who told you about Franklin?”
Damon laughs. “I knew I liked you!”
I giggle, and then exhale. “Yes, it’s about Finn.”
“Well, take a seat and talk to me. Let Damon fix all your problems.”
“That sounded more than creepy,” I point out to him.
“It was meant to.”
We sit down and Lucy brings us all a cup of coffee. Then, I get straight to it.
“I think Indi is lying about being pregnant. I think she’s taking Finn for a ride, and I don’t know how to approach it without causing more problems.”
Damon raises his brows. “No shit. I mean, I know Finn had some doubts but I figured it was all confirmed considerin’ he’s been helpin’ her out.”
That’s the best part about Finn. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t want it, he won’t let anyone do anything alone, if he can help it. Even if sometimes he acts like he is the coldest person in the world.
“I don’t know if it has been confirmed, to be honest, but last time I spoke to him he told me that she peed on the test, but he didn’t see it.”
“Is it that easy to fake a test, though?” Damon asks.
“It is if you’re prepared for it.” Lucy shrugs. “She just needed either a test that was already positive, from a pregnant friend or relative, or, if you’re truly screwed up, you can borrow their pee. I’m not even joking, girls do it all the time.”
Damon looks disgusted. “You’re joking, right?”
“Wish I was,” Lucy says, “but no, all she needs is a friend who is on her side, who happens to be up the duff. Not that hard, most people have pregnant friends.”
Not really, but okay.
I mean, the more Lucy says this out loud, the crazier we’re beginning to sound. The chances of Indi having a pregnant friend, or family member, that is actually willing to give her either a positive test or urine, seems absolutely impossible, now I think about it.
“There is also the sonogram,” Lucy continues, unfazed.
“Sonogram?” Damon asks, looking to me.
“Yeah, she gave one to Finn, saying it was hers. I took note of the hospital name when he showed me, because honestly, Damon, something feels very, very off. Anyway, turns out she never went to that hospital. She isn’t even on record.”
“Hmmm,” Damon says, rubbing his chin. “That is weird.”
“Yeah, just a bit.” Lucy nods. “She is up to something, and now she has herself where she needs to be, right in Finn’s house. It’s alarming to think what she could do next, if all these things are true.”
“And if they’re not?” Damon asks.
“Then we look like the worst human beings on the plant,” I tell him. “But, I’m willing to take that risk, in the off chance I’m right, because Finn doesn’t deserve to be taken for a ride. Right now she’s at his house, doing god knows what, her mind clearly isn’t stable, and that’s alarming.”
Damon nods. “You’re right. Look, Finn can be very … sensitive to people that point out when he’s wrong. If he believes her, and we go barreling in there telling him it’s a lie, he’s going to look at it as us all talking behind his back instead of coming to him, and he’ll also not appreciate being made to look stupid or wrong. So, we have to approach this carefully.”
“How do you suppose that is?” I ask.
“He cares about you, Erin. Do not doubt it. More than you think. Know my brother, he’s never cared for another woman in his life. He cares about you. Because of that, I think you’re the best option at callin’ her out, in the most careful way.”
“I don’t honestly know how that can be done carefully, I really don’t.”
“I do,” Damon says. “You go over there, tell him you want to talk. If Indi is there, and she thinks you’re going to get back into his life, and she truly is lyin’, she’s going to screw up. She’s going to make herself known. Make yourself present in his life again.”
“You’re forgetting that he told me it’s over and doesn’t want me in his life.”<
br />
Damon shakes his head. “No, he does. He’s just too scared to admit it. Show up, don’t take no for an answer; it won’t take long for him to come around.”
“You want me to go against everything I’ve ever taught myself and show up at Finn’s door basically refusing to leave?”
“Yep,” Damon says.
“It’ll turn him off.”
“Not if you do it right. Be yourself, Erin. He likes that sassy side to you. Tell him you two are goin’ to remain friends, whether he likes it or not. Take charge. Finn likes a person who knows what they want.”
I exhale. “This is a bad idea.”
“Do you care about my brother, Erin?”
I look to Damon and hold his eyes. “Yes.”
“Then he deserves not to be taken for a ride.”
“I’m not sure this is my place …” I hesitate.
It’s true. I’m not sure. I’ve done enough damage. I was hoping Damon had a better option, something other than having to go to Finn and force myself onto him.
“Okay,” Damon says, “let me put this to you in another way, then. If you knew a man was taking Lucy for a ride, would you hesitate in telling her?”
Dammit.
“No.”
“Then why shouldn’t Finn deserve the same respect? He’s your friend, at the very least, he doesn’t deserve what he’s gettin’ from Indi right now. He’s a good man. He’ll do right by her, but not if there is nothin’ there for him to do right by. You don’t have to take the brutal approach, you can go in easy, but he needs to know.”
Dammit.
I’m not sure I like this.
“Can’t you just tell him?” I plead.
“No, he’ll never know I know. You want to know why? Because it’ll kill him to know we’ve all been talkin’ about him, instead of doing something about it. So, Erin, do somethin’ about it.”
Shit.
Damn you, Damon.
For being right.
20
FINN
“You should go get some rest,” I say to Indi as she hobbles in after work.
She insists on working, saying she only sits down so it isn’t strenuous, but all the same, doctor said she needs to be taking it easy, and that doesn’t seem like she is. Something about this whole situation puts a heavy weight in my gut, I can’t put my finger on it, but it bothers me a whole fucking lot. Either way it goes, I owe it to Indi to be a good man.