Page 96 of Hunted

“No—I…”

“We know about your miscarriage, but that’s not what this is. It’s just your period. You haven't had it in a long time, hmm?” I try to keep my voice calm but simply saying that word makes my skin itch.

She sucks in a sharp breath, her wide eyes staring at me in shock. “How do you know?”

“You told us before you passed out.” King comes in and climbs in on her other side, along with West, and we all gently stroke her, trying to keep her calm. Her arm, her hair, her hands, wherever we can reach.

“I… You weren’t supposed to know,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, sweetheart,” King says, looking heartbroken at her expression. “You shouldn’t keep something like that to yourself.”

“Did it happen during a storm?” West asks, like he needs to know if that’s the missing piece to the puzzle. Her lips press together in a thin line as she looks at him, nodding her head quickly.

“How…” I trail off, wanting to know the answer, but a little worried about asking. Deciding its best to get it all out in the open now, I take a breath, then ask, “How far along were you? Did you… know?” I’m not sure how to ask, but she seems to understand.

She squeezes my hand tightly as she whispers, “Four or five months, I think. My stomach had a small bulge, so I knew, or at least suspected.”

“I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you. You must have been terrified.” I swallow down the lump in my throat as tears roll down her cheeks. Bower quickly wipes them away as she nods.

“Hazel is dropping off a bunch of supplies for you in the morning. We weren’t sure what you needed, so I figured she’d be a good one to ask.”

“You didn’t—” Her scared eyes turn to King.

“No,” he cuts her off before she can finish her question. “I just told her it was your first period in a while, and we didn’t know what you’d need.”

She seems to relax, her tight grip finally easing as she relaxes back into the bed. “Thank you.” Her eyes dart around to each of us. “All of you. I didn’t want anyone to know, not even you.”

“Baby,” West grumbles as she turns her head to him. “Why wouldn’t you tell us? That’s the sort of thing we should know.”

“I don’t know,” she says with a shrug, her eyes dropping away from everyone. “I guess I was embarrassed or… afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” I prod.

“That you’d see me differently. That I’m damaged goods.”

“Fuck, Darla, we could never see you like that, you should know that by now. You can trust us with your darkest secrets and know we’ll keep them safe and never judge you for them.”

She wipes at a tear that’s escaped and gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Well, you pretty much know them all now.”

I sigh, nodding my head as she gives me her hand again. “Why don’t you try to sleep for a bit? We have to take you in to see the doctor in a few hours.”

“Wait, what?”

“Dr. Reynolds was just here; we were worried you were injured. But before you freak out, she just checked your pulse and looked at the blood in the bed. She knew it was your period, and that you were okay. But she wants to do a full check up on you.”

She opens her mouth as if to argue so I keep talking. “And considering what you’ve been through, and that you haven't seen a doctor since Madagascar, and that was really only for your bullet wound, I think it’s important to do this now.”

“For all we know, you picked up a parasite on that island,” King unhelpfully adds.

“So could you,” she retorts, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Alright, check-ups for all of us then,” I say, giving her hand a little tug so she turns to face me. I give her a smile that I hope is convincing and after a few moments of silence, she lets out a sigh of defeat.

“Fine, I’ll go if you all go.”

“Good girl,” I tell her, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the lips, surprising her. I pull the blanket up to cover her as Bower and West jump in on either side, snuggling up as I turn off the main light.

I’m glad they’re with her right now. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep.