“It’s not really any of my business, but have you been …”
“Fucking two different guys repeatedly without protection? That’d be a yes,” Ro quipped. “I’m such an idiot. What the fuck was I thinking? How did I let this happen?” Her face burned. She hadn’t thought about the possibility of pregnancy or STDs. At her age, she should be backhanded for being such a moron.How do you forget something like that?Her only excuse, and it was a tenuous one, was that she was still trying to get back into the habit of taking her pill every night. Without the alarm on her phone …fuck.
“Okay. Don’t panic. Do you remember when your last period started?”
Ro took a few deep breaths, thinking back. She laughed humorlessly. “Yeah. It started and ended not too long before I left the city.” It started the morning after the Evelyn-Charles incident. Ro remembered thinking that if it had started just one day earlier, she wouldn’t have been in that situation.
“Well, I’m going to suggest you take a pregnancy test, just in case, even though it’s probably too early to tell.”
“What about STDs? Do you have any way to test for those, too?”
Beau hesitated before replying. “Ro, I’ll be straight with you on that—as far as I know, Graham and Zach have never been with a woman without wrapping their shit up. It’s standard operating procedure for all of us, and quite frankly, I’m pretty fucking surprised they weren’t doing the same with you. It’s not like there’s a shortage of condoms here to be concerned about. We prepared a little … over-zealously on that score. Even so, I hit you pretty hard with broad-spectrum antibiotics, so I’d say you’re probably good. If you notice anything, let me know, and we’ll figure it out.”
Ro laughed maniacally. “How did pregnancy tests make the list of necessary supplies?”
Beau smiled, his eyes sympathetic. “Allison and Jonah were trying to get pregnant before everything happened, so I stocked up just in case.” He stood and headed to the cupboard and pulled out a plain white rectangular box. He nodded toward the tiny bathroom. “I’ll help you move the IV pole.”
“If I’m pregnant, would the infection … hurt the baby?” she asked, starting to freak herself out.
Another sympathetic smile. Which, coming from Beau, just added to her freak out. “It shouldn’t have any effect, especially not this early.”
Ro took the test, trying to ignore the fact that Beau was in the next room. He helped her maneuver the IV pole back to the cot and tried to distract her with funny stories about the team while Ro sweated through the next three minutes.
It was negative.
“That’s what I expected, given the timing we’re talking about, but you should really take another one in a week or so,” Beau said.
“I’m not going to be here in another week,” Ro replied, her words quiet and directed at her lap.
“Zach told me he’s going with you.”
Ro looked up, meeting his blue gaze. “Does everyone know?” How would they react? Would they be pissed? The thoughts only added to her fatigue.
Beau shook his head, one side of his mouth quirking. “I think he was waiting to tell you first.” He rolled his stool to the desk and pulled open the skinny center drawer and held up a deck of cards.
“Would you like to play?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
Beau frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“One, you were kind of prick to me before, and two, I’ve done nothing but cause trouble since I got here.”
He grinned, and they both turned as Erica opened the door.
“Hey, sister, how’re you feeling?” Her focus shifted to Beau. “Damn, youdoknow how to smile.” She plopped onto the edge of Ro’s cot. “So, when you going to spring her?”
Rowan had been wondering the same thing.
“Will it matter what I tell you this time? Or are you going to ignore everything I say?”
Ro squirmed. “I’ll take it under advisement. How about that?”
“Good enough, I suppose. I’d like to see you stick around the clinic with the IV for another night, and not head out for at least a few more days, although a week would be better. You need some good home cooking from Allison and a shit ton of rest. You have to take every injury more seriously when you don’t have a trauma center a few minutes away.”
Erica pointed to the deck of cards. “We playing, or what?”
Beau nodded, and Ro settled in as he dealt. Then she proceeded to watch Erica hustle them both at five-card draw.