CEO'S Secret Baby: A Standalone Surprise Pregnancy Romance - Iona Rose (which ebook reader .txt) 📗

chill. It truly was the time that signaled death and impermanence, and the very thought turned me into a spineless bastard. I picked up my phone and texted Tracy. ‘Has she returned? How is she?’

It was now almost four am in the morning, and at the hectic day that loomed before me, I wondered how I was going to face it with such a lack of energy. With the resolve to chase sleep down, I turned around to head back into the bedroom and just as I did, my phone began to ring.

It was an odd time for a call, but when I looked down and saw that it was Tracy, my heart skipped a beat. “Hello?”

“Carter, good morning.” she said politely. “What do you mean by ‘has she returned?’ Isn’t Leah with you?”

My sigh was heavy. She hadn't yet told her friends about what had happened. It was either that, or she hadn't yet arrived back home in Indianapolis. The latter possibility immensely disturbed me. “No, she isn't,” I replied. “There was a misunderstanding, and she left before I could get to her.”

“Dear Lord,” she muttered under her breath. “Is she okay though? I mean… is everything okay between you two?”

I took a seat on the bed. “That’s why I texted you. Please check up on her for me.”

“She’s not answering your calls?”

“She isn’t,” I replied.

“Alright,” she said.

“Thank you, Tracy.”

Leah

I gripped the edges of the bed, as the doctor walked in with a nurse behind her… a thin woman with severe bangs, and red rimmed glasses. Behind the lens, I tried to see what I could from her hazel eyes as she went through my chart in her hands.

“Miss Peters…” she began.

I felt my soul begin to leave my body. “Did I lose the baby?” My voice quivered.

It was only at her long silence that I realized my eyes were clenched shut. I reopened them, and met her gaze.

“Calm down,” she said. “You did not. Your baby is fine. How do you feel?”

My gasp for air was soundless but no less painful as my eyes blurred with tears of relief. I patted my stomach in consolation.

“How do you feel,” she repeated.

All I could do was nod in response.

She went on, “We still have to figure out why you’re bleeding so much, and the source of the abdominal pain. Your ultrasound wasn’t as conclusive as I’d hoped, so I’m going to schedule you for a Hysteroscopy.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a procedure that’s going to allow me to look inside your uterus, so that I can diagnose the source of your bleeding.”

I nodded to her in complete submission. “W-when will it begin?” I stuttered. “C-can I call someone beforehand?”

“Sure,” she said. “I’ll schedule you down for the test later in the morning. Try to get some rest before then.”

“Thank you,” I said. I immediately found my phone, and called Tracy. I couldn't do this alone. The worst seemed to have passed, but from now onwards, I just could not deal with all of this on my own. Just then, my phone began to ring, and seeing that she was the caller, relief washed over me.”

“Hey,” she said. “I know it’s early but I just thought to check on you. How are things going with Carter?”

At the mention of his name, and at her care, just when I was about to reach out to her, my throat constricted again. I couldn’t hold myself back as the sobbing began again, and it didn't stop until she arrived.

When she did, I told her all that had happened with Carter.

She sat in silence on the edge of the bed.

Chapter 38

Carter

I was in the middle of my scheduled meeting with Chicago, when I received Tracy’s text message.

‘You can call now.’

I immediately got up and excused myself, to the surprise of the other executives seated.

After finally giving up on sleeping, at the crack of dawn, I had tried contacting Tracy again, concerned at the lack of updates.

At first, my multiple dials had gone through, and then, the line had become completely unreachable. I had been out of balance ever since.

“Hey,” I breathed out anxiously into the receiver. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is not okay,” she sniped. “You told me that there was a misunderstanding. What is to fucking misunderstand when she saw you with another woman? What is wrong with you Carter?” She cried. “Don't you care about her? She finally opens up to you, lets you into her heart and then you go and do this? Do you freaking know that she’s pregnant, and because of you she almost fucking lost the baby. She’s in the hospital right now, alone, and terrified because of this damn mess that you’ve put her in—”

“What did you just say?” I asked, but she couldn't hear me over her enraged shouting. “Tracy!” I roared into the phone, and it instantly shocked her silent. I sensed a quiet also settle over the office floor I was on, as no doubt the employees were startled out of their minds at my sudden explosion. “What did you just say?” I asked. “She’s pregnant? She’s in the hospital?”

She finally calmed down enough to respond to me, “Yes,” she replied, “And I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

“What hospital?” I asked.

“She doesn’t want anything to do with you Carter. Just… just stay away for a little while. When things settle, you both can come together and decide what’s best for—”

“Tracy,” I said through gritted teeth. “I wasn’t the one that Leah saw at the door. That was my twin brother, Andrew. She mistook me for him. Do you fucking hear me?” My voice shook.

She went silent.

“Where’s the hospital?” I asked again.

“I’ll send you the address,” she said quietly.

I ended the call.

Leah

I was served a late breakfast after my return from the hysteroscopy test.

Seated upright on my bed, I regarded the meal of eggs and toast, and didn’t feel too keen on consuming any of it. But I was thoroughly