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POV: Adrian

Jared wasn’t going anywhere, and he made that clear with his questioning.

“Leah’s pregnant and that’s why she’s held up in there?”, Jared still questioning me.

“It’s none of your business Jared.”, I sat up rubbing my eyes.

“It is if it’s mine. We’ve all been fucking her man. And I know for a fact I fucked her without a condom dude.”, he was pissing me off.

“What are you doing here?”, I asked as I stood up.

“Bringing her soup for lunch because I heard she was still sick, but now I know why.”, he was on my nerves.

“It’s *MINE* and she is *MINE*!”, I yelled as I got in his face looking down at him.

Martin came to the door after hearing the commotion.

“You two need to go before Leah wakes up.”, he took the food from Jared and shooed us toward the elevator.

Neither of us wanted to move and I wouldn’t be the first to leave. I was willing to kick his ass and take what was mine. Jared threw his hands up in the air as if he were throwing a white flag.

“I’m leaving, just tell her I stopped by.”, he started walking away.

He stopped at the end of the hall and turned around to look at me.

“Adrian, if you think that I will just give up… you have another thing coming. If that baby is mine, I will fight for her. You may beat my ass, but it won’t stop me.”, then he turned back around and left.

Fuck, this just got worse. There was no doubt in my mind that he would run off and tell Cameron. I needed to close my case so that I could take Leah away from all of this.

Martin walked over to me. I was in a heated rage and ready to bust my knuckles on the wall. My one-track mind was set on destruction.

“You should go, Adrian. She isn’t coming out and you are of better use elsewhere.”, I knew what he was implying.

There was no way that I could focus on work, but he was right. Closing this case meant that I would have to leave Leah again. Closing this chapter of my life meant that I would be able to be there for her and my baby.

**********

POV: Leah

I woke up from my nap and Adrian was gone. He and Jared had been coming by every day, but I just can’t face them yet. Martin was kind enough to keep them away.

Jared brought me lunch every day since I asked if I could work remotely. I told him that I didn’t want to get the staff sick or upset them with my sickly appearance. He catered to me because all of my work could be done off-site.

Working remotely lets me work at my own pace. I seemed to need breaks more often for naps or to use the bathroom. If other women saw me in person, they would know in a minute that I was pregnant, and I couldn’t risk Jared finding out yet.

This afternoon was my doctor’s appointment and the day I had to make a decision. The hospital in Colorado went over my rights as a mother. I had three options to choose from; adoption, abortion, or having a child to raise.

It was a tough call because I never wanted to have children. My parents died when I was young, and my life has been full of trauma and heartache since. I can’t do that to my child.

Adoption was high on my list, but what if my baby ended up with an abusive foster family as I did? I grew up thinking that adoption gave children a better life but being in the system showed me the truth behind the commercials. Being adopted was like living in a nightmare.

Abortion is something I had never thought I would consider. After the last few months of my life though, what kind of life would I be bringing a baby into? I have been kidnapped; I have hidden in a closet after running away from being kidnapped and to top it off I can’t even pick a man.

I thought I wanted a life like Jenny's. No settling down until after we turn 30, but now I am forced to make a lifelong decision. How was I supposed to pick a man without knowing who is fathering my child?

Getting ready for my appointment made me realize how much weight I had actually gained. I have never been a super thin girl, but I could tell my body was changing between my breasts and belly. None of my casual dress clothes were fitting.

I’ve been living in large t-shirts because they are the most comfortable with my given condition. I needed to come up with a plan or a new diagnosis because the guys only know it was a treatable condition. Not sure which condition, but it was treatable that’s for sure

I could treat it as a blessing, curse, or temporary nightmare. Every time I thought about being a mother, my mother’s face would flash in my dreams. I would see her sweet face and remember how much she loved me.

The sweet dreams never lasted, they turned to nightmares as I remembered her face as she hung upside down while she died. Waking up in a cold sweat with tears in my eyes. Several times Jenny and Martin had run in to check on me because I would scream.

This pregnancy was tormenting me and today I had to make a decision on what I wanted to do. I wish there was a sign from the sky above. I was walking blind with information and clouded judgment.

Checking in with Martin before I headed off to my appointment, “Hey Martin, I will be back shortly. I have a doctor’s appointment.”.

“Would you like an escort?”, he was so kind to me.

“No thank you. It’s just a regular checkup.”, I was sure Jenny told him, but he never indicated she did.

He opened the door for me and waved goodbye. Jenny was lucky to have him. He was a real gentleman and was loyal to his friends and girlfriend.

If I ever needed help, I knew I could call on Martin. This appointment though was a little too much to handle with anyone by my side. I didn’t need one of Adrian’s friends accompanying me, even if Jenny would tell him later.

I was glad that I had grabbed my jacket and umbrella. It was lightly raining, but I still refused to take a taxi. The walk would take the same amount of time as a taxi stuck in traffic.

The walk was quiet and the rain trickling on the umbrella cleared my mind to give me space to think. I wanted to come up with a decision before I got there so that a biased nurse didn’t try to sway my decision. It was mine and only mine to make.

And I really could use the exercise. I laughed out loud to myself, and people started to stare. It was nice walking out when it was raining because there was less foot traffic on the sidewalks.

Walking into the building, I placed my umbrella in the corner and hung my coat by the door. It was a small office and was highly recommended online for privacy. Last week I had come by, and they took some blood and a urine sample to start my treatment plan.

After checking in, I didn’t wait long before I was called back to one of the exam rooms. It was beautifully decorated in a pale blue with wildflower portraits hung down the hall. The décor had my mind thinking about a nursery now. Shit.

The nurse opened the door for me and asked me to have a seat. I didn’t need to undress for this appointment because it was only made for me to get results. There was a portable ultrasound machine in the corner, so I assumed they were going to use it.

A few moments later the doctor came in, followed by the nurse. He had kind eyes and was holding a folder. My life was about to change, and I started second-guessing myself.

“Hello Leah, it’s nice to see you again. Let’s have a look at the fetus shall we?”, they helped me lay back.

Once laid back, I pulled my shirt up above my belly. They draped a cloth over my leggings before tucking it in. The gel was warm and slick as he moved the wand around my stomach.

The exam only took a few minutes before they cleaned me up and helped me sit up.

“Before I get the results, I just wanted to tell you... my decision.”, I looked at them.

“Well Leah, before you voice your decision…”, he looked at the nurse then back to me.

My heart sank to the pit of my stomach.

“We have some news for you that you should hear first.”, he paused again.

Fear and panic sinking in. I thought I had my decision but voicing it before they tell me could change how I feel about myself. Then again, whatever news they have may change my world.

"It's totally up to you.", he kindly spoke and broke me from my trance.

“You go first.”, I looked between the doctor and nurse.

My heart was still in the pit of my stomach while prepared myself for what they had to say.

**********

POV: Adrian

Back at my apartment, I sat in front of the investigation board. Something wasn’t right and should be sticking out. That ledger had to be right under our noses.

“Hey boss, she landed and picked up Graham. You’re on speaker.”, Hendrix called me.

“Where are those two headed?”, I asked.

“I am watching their car on CCTV, but it looks like they are headed here.”, he had good judgment.

“Shit, what do they want with Valerie and Cameron?”, I asked.

“Don’t forget Cooper is here...”, he was cut off by Cameron.

“She wants her stuff back from when we dated. Something about moving on and moving away blah blah.”, Cameron didn’t seem to care about it.

“Keep your eyes on her.”, I ordered and then hung up.

Monica was up to something, and it was never good. We needed to keep her away from Cooper to prevent her from finishing what she started. The team would have to handle this stupid breakup-healing shit Monica was doing.

I wasn’t leaving Leah and my baby until we had concrete evidence of the ledger’s location.

“Hey boss, Leah is headed to her doctor’s appointment.”, Martin sent a text.

“Thank you, tail her closely. Get me the doctor’s information and make my intentions clear to them.”, it was a direct order.

Checking the footage from her apartment, I saw her walking down the hall. She was stunning as she glowed from the pregnancy hormones. Her large t-shirt hid her secret, but I knew it was only a matter of time until she found out it was my baby.

-To be continued-