Spike’s Perdition (Saints Purgatory MC #7)

13. Ivory

CHAPTER 13

IVORY

TWO WEEKS LATER…

“Next!”

I swallow the lump in my throat and step toward the receptionist, wishing I would’ve let Megan come with me.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Stupid, stubborn ass pride.

“I-I-Ivory Whitman.” I clear my throat and steady my nerves. “I have an appointment with Dr. Wilde.”

The woman types feverishly on the computer before asking for my insurance card which I promptly hand over.

She grins at me as she takes it. “I see you’re here for your first OB appointment. You look nervous.”

“That obvious, huh?” I joke. The nametag on her scrubs says Aubrey. “You have a beautiful name.”

Aubrey blushes. “Thank you.” She hands back my insurance information. “I take it this is your first baby.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry,” she reassures. “This is a great office, and Dr. Wilde is one of the best.”

“Thanks, I needed to hear that.”

She hands me a stack of papers attached to a clipboard. “Fill these out and give them to your nurse when you’re done. You’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

I nod and take the paperwork. I find an empty seat and start filling out the forms. After fifteen minutes, I have to stop and shake the cramps from my fingers.

This could seriously be a new torture method. Who the hell needs all this information?

My breath catches when I reach Name of Father on the information sheet . The blank line mocks me, daring me to lie. With a shaky hand, I scribble Hunter Long . I don’t have his address, and I’m not about to give anyone his number so I leave the rest of his information blank.

“Ivory Whitman,” a nurse calls. I grab my things and hurry to follow her. “My name’s Paula. How are you today?”

Paula has a calming presence about her that automatically puts me at ease. “Good. Nervous, I guess.”

“That’s normal, but don’t worry. We’ll explain everything to you, and feel free to ask as many questions as you need to.”

“Okay.”

Paula stops in front of a scale. “We need to get a starting weight so we can monitor your progress through the pregnancy, and then we’ll get a urine sample.”

I slip off my shoes before stepping onto the scale. “Another urine sample?” I ask. “Didn’t Dr. Hardy forward my test results?”

“She did,” Paula confirms as she writes. “However, you’re pregnant, and unfortunately, you’ll be peeing a lot. We just need to make sure it’s from the pregnancy and not from a UTI. You’ll be asked to give a sample each time you come in to be sure.”

“Okay.” I slide my shoes back on. “As long as they’re no needles.”

“Oh, we’ll be getting some blood today before you leave.”

I stumble as soon as the word blood leaves her mouth.

Definitely should’ve let Megan come with me.

Paula’s hand shoots out to steady me before I faceplant. “Did you say blood?”

Paula smiles. “I take it you’re not a fan of blood.”

“Blood doesn’t bother me. Needles bother me.”

She pats my arm and leads me to an open room. “I promise our lab tech is very gentle. Is Dad out in the waiting room? We can bring him back.”

I shake my head. “My best friend was going to come, but something came up at work,” I lie.

“Tell you what, I’ll have them tell me when it’s time, and I’ll come back in and hold your hand.”

“You don’t have to.” I blow out a frustrated breath. “I’m gonna be a mom. Time to put on my big girl panties and get over the fear.”

“It’s not a problem.” She slips the blood pressure cuff on my arm. “To tell you the truth, most women who come in here hate needles.”

“Really?”

“Yep. In fact, you’re not my first one today.”

I giggle. “That makes me feel better.”

“Your blood pressure is a little elevated. Do you normally run high?”

“Nope, that’s your fault,” I accuse, and her eyes widen in surprise. “You said the word needle.”

Paula laughs. “Well, if that’s all it takes, we’ll come up with a code word.”

“Perfect.”

“Dr. Wilde will be right in.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll be back when the tech comes in,” she says as she opens the door.

Seconds later, Dr. Wilde appears.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Wilde.” She holds her hand out for me to shake.

“Ivory,” I respond.

“Let’s get to it, shall we?” she says before opening her laptop. “Is this your first pregnancy?”

“Yes.”

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

I’ve come to terms with being pregnant, but fear still swirls in my gut. Will I be a good mom? Can I do this on my own? I know I have Eric and Megan in my corner, but it’s not the same as the baby having its father in its life.

Dr. Wilde studies me. “Judging by the look on your face, I’d say this was a shock.”

“You could say that,” I mumble.

She squeezes my hand. “We’ll get you through it. I’m sure Paula told you that we will explain everything that is happening as it comes up?”

“She did. She’s great.”

“I’d be lost without her,” she says fondly. “Ask as many questions as you need to. If you can’t think of any now, you can always call, and we will call you back.”

“That’s good to know because my mind is a jumbled mess right now.”

She winks. “We get that a lot here. Today, all we’re going to do is an ultrasound and some other tests, along with your medical history.”

“Isn’t it too early for an ultrasound?”

“It is for an external one, but we’re going to do an internal one.”

“Internal?”

“I’ll insert a wand into your vagina and take some pictures.”

“Does it hurt?” I ask.

“Not at all. You might feel some pressure, though,” she explains. “When we’re done, you’ll have pictures of your little bundle to take home.”

For the first time, excitement builds. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Dr. Wilde completes my history and has Paula come back in when she performs the physical portion of the exam. The ultrasound doesn’t hurt, but it is uncomfortable having another person jam a probe up my hoo-ha and wiggle it around.

Tears prick my eyes when Dr. Wilde turns the screen toward me. “There he or she is.” She points to a blip on the screen. “See that fluttering?”

I nod because words are caught in my throat.

“That’s the heartbeat.”

“The heartbeat?” I whisper.

“Yes,” Dr. Wilde confirms as she pulls the wand out. “You’re right on track, and everything looks perfect. I’ll print the pictures for you while you get yo—” Paula shakes her head, interrupting her. “Ah, I see. Okay, I’ll leave the pictures up front for you to grab when you check out. And we’ll see you in six weeks, but call if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Dr. Wilde.”

True to her word, Paula stands by my side, gripping my hand in hers, as the phlebotomist gets to work. My mind wanders back to the beautiful scene on the monitor, and I don’t even feel the needle.

“All done!” Paula announces as she helps me up slowly, so I don’t get dizzy when I stand. “I’ll walk you out.”

I follow her out, and she informs a different receptionist that I need an appointment for six weeks out and hands me the first pictures I’ll ever have of my baby.

My baby. I’m having a baby.

After making the appointment, I walk out of the office and am oblivious to the world around me as I make my way to my car.

“What the fuck do you think you’re playing at?” a shrill voice says from behind me.

I spin around, clutching my heart and almost dropping my precious photos in the process.

“Aubrey?” It takes a minute for my brain to catch up with who spoke. “Did I forget something?”

“You have some gall putting Hunter Long down as the father of your bastard baby.”

“W-w-what are you talking about?” I stammer.

There’s no way she knows who Spike is. This is just a coincidence, right? Plenty of people have the name Hunter Long.

“Hunter Long… Spike,” she confirms. The blood in my veins runs cold. “ My fucking man.”

“You’re what?”

“My man!”

“This has to be a mistake.”

“You listed Spike as the father, so either you’re lying, or you fucked my old man.”

“I-I-I didn’t know. I promise.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “He never said he was taken. I never wou?—”

“Honey,” she says condescendingly. “Spike’s a biker. What did you expect? You were just another wet hole for him. You weren’t his first and won’t be his last.”

“And you’re okay with that?” My voice wobbles, but I stand firm.

Aubrey smirks. “I know the score. Bikers aren’t known for being monogamous.” She narrows her eyes. “What I want to know is what you want from him.”

“Nothing, absolutely nothing.” I hold her gaze so she can see the truth in my eyes.

She snorts. “I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true,” I affirm. “I haven’t even told him I’m pregnant.”

Her face flashes with a look I can’t decipher before she puts her mask back in place. “That’s probably a good idea… for your sake.”

“Why?” I’m genuinely curious as to what she’s going to say.

“Seeing how he’s mine , I fuck him every night,” she explains. “In fact…” Aubrey places her hands on her stomach, and my heart drops. It makes sense, though. If she’s his old lady, of course, they’re having sex.

Aubrey is having his baby, too. My child will have a brother or sister out there they’ll never know about.

My mind swirls with the information Aubrey hurled at me as saliva pools in my mouth, and my stomach somersaults. I bend over, hands on my knees, as I lose my lunch.

“Gross,” Aubrey says as she steps back. “Spike’s not gonna want to raise your bastard when he has our baby to take care of.” She eyes my stomach. “I’d keep that little secret to yourself, Ivory. You don’t have the backbone for the biker lifestyle.”

I wipe my mouth off. “I have no intention of telling Spike about this baby,” I vow. “I don’t want anything else to do with him, I promise.”

She spins on her heel, leaving without another word.

I knew he was a no-good lying piece of shit. That mother fucker better hope I never see him again, or I’ll rip his dick off myself.