Page 31 of Pretend You Love Me

“That son of a bitch does better stitches than me,” he says, shaking his head.

Kip chuckles, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“You’ve been the talk of the town today.”

“Have I?”

Paul hooks his thumb over his shoulder toward Kip. “Oh yes, getting Mr. Recluse over here to settle down. Every woman in a hundred miles has been trying to do that for years.”

I blush and avert my eyes.

“Well, anyway, Melvin sent over your x-rays. It’s just a hairline fracture. Should heal up just fine in a few weeks with that cast.”

He takes my wrist in his hand and looks over the cast.

“Jesus Christ, his casts are better than mine too,” he says.

I smile and glance over at Kip. He’s leaning against the wall. Arms crossed over his chest. Ugh. The leaning. Not the leaning again.

“Well, anything else hurt? Did your body get banged up? Any bruising? Tenderness?” Paul asks.

“Well...”

I feel Kip’s eyes on me even though I’m not looking at him. I pull up my shirt to show a huge bruise that’s spread across my ribs and side.

“Oh dear, why don’t you lay back so I can get a better look?”

I catch a glimpse of Kip out of the corner of my eye as Paul helps me lean back. There’s no more murder eyes - he looks...well, he actually looks concerned. He’s not leaning anymore. He’s standing straight, craning his eyes for a better view.

Paul tenderly touches my stomach, and I hold my breath.

“This hurt?”

“A bit,” I say.

He listens to my heart and lungs with his stethoscope.

“Good news, it looks like all this is just superficial. Won’t feel good for a few days but should heal fine on its own.”

He helps me sit up and then says, “Date of your last period?”

“What?” I blink.

“When was the date of your last period, darling? You aren’t pregnant, are you?”

“No,” I say, and then I repeat more firmly. “No, definitely not.”

“Do you remember when you had your period last?”

My mind is going completely blank. I see Kip out of the corner of my eye. I’m expecting him to look away and pretend not to listen, but he’s just staring straight at me.

“Let me look at my calendar,” I say. Shit. I don’t have my actual phone with me. I frown for a second. “Um. Oh, sorry, I don’t have my calendar on this phone. Let me just think for a moment.”

“Why don’t we just have you take a pregnancy test just in case?”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” I say.

“Are you on any birth control?”