Make A Wish (Dandelion #1) (5 page)

“But…”

“Okay. If I agree to go to the doctor, will you freaking stop with the guilt trip and all the pity looks? You’re making me feel worse than I already do.” I glared at her as I gave in, knowing how worried she was. I was only doing it for her, so I hoped she appreciated it.

“It might be tough, but I think I can manage that.” Saylor held her pinky in the air, as a mock pinky promise, a smile of victory sprawled across her face. She knew she won this battle and I had no doubt that she wouldn’t let me live it down.

JULIETTE

I sat next to Saylor in the waiting room of the E.R. Outdated magazines were scattered on all the table tops and the news—that no one really paid attention to— played on a small, old television found hanging in the corner. The room was overcrowded with people who were bleeding from various orifices, coughing, sneezing, and, in my honest opinion, spreading more sickness than actually being helped.

I lost track of how much time we’d been waiting. I started considering just getting up and walking out. I didn’t want to be here. I knew I didn’t
need
to be here; there was nothing wrong with me.

“Juliette Mitchell,” a nurse with orange hair and freckles called out from behind two white double doors.

We stood up and followed her. I vaguely listened as she spoke, not really paying all that much attention to the words that spilled from her mouth. About all I retained was her name. Kelsey. She didn’t say another word as the three of us walked down the immaculate white hallway and entered a small room.

I sat up on the leather table designated for patients—which took up the majority of the tiny room—the tissue paper crinkling with every move I made.

The room was a typical hospital room. Various monitors were displayed, along with a supply cart with various medical instruments.

I hated it here.

“Doctors and hospitals give me the willies.” Saylor shook as if she’d felt a shiver go up her spine.

“Hey. Don’t you start! I’m only here because your ridiculous self is forcing me to be here. You have no room to talk.” I felt my temperature rising as I got more and more irritated. I was the one about to be seen by strangers and she’s complaining.

“Oh boo hoo. Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it!” Saylor countered with her favorite childhood comeback, which only gave me an excuse to roll my eyes at her for what had to be the millionth time.

The nurse cleared her throat, only reminding me that she hadn’t left yet. “I have a few questions for you. Please answer them to the best of your ability and it will help us to determine what is wrong.”

I could only nod in response before she continued.

“So, it says on the paperwork that you’re here today because you’ve been getting sick lately. Can you tell me a little bit more about it?”

“Uh… Yeah… Can’t keep anything down,” I said. The last thing I wanted to do was elaborate. If I mentioned that I’ve been sick since I tried killing myself, there was no doubt they’d put me on a twenty-four hour suicide watch and then I’d be stuck in this God forsaken place.
No thanks.

“And how long has this been going on?”

“About a week.” My short responses didn’t go unnoticed, though she didn’t push further. I was grateful for that.

“Has anything changed in your life recently that could be affecting your health now?”

“Nope. Not a thing.”

Lie. One night stand and a suicide attempt.

Kelsey nodded and scribbled away on the clipboard she held in her hands.

“Have you drank any alcohol or done any drugs recently?”

A very loud snort came from Saylor’s direction and it only gave me free reign to glare at her, but she either didn’t care or took no notice. “That would require Jules to leave the confines of her apartment, so the answer would be a no.”

“When was the date of your last menstrual cycle? And roughly how long did it last?”

Oh God.

The minute she asked and my brain registered the question, an instant panic went off within me. I jumped off the leather table, taking the crinkled tissue paper with me. I reached in my bag and grabbed my phone, flipping immediately to the calendar. My heart sunk.
Please tell me this is wrong.
But it wasn’t. I was late, very late. How had I not realized?

“Shit.”

"Fuck. Please tell me what I’m thinking is wrong,” Saylor said. The one curse word that she always refused to speak, barreling from her lips, in only a matter of recognition.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I tried my best to suppress them.
Damn tears.
I couldn’t stop crying and I was so tired of it. My voice sounded meek and small—even to me. “I was supposed to get my period over two and a half weeks ago.”

“Holy. Hell.”

Kelsey stood back watching us, not speaking a word, no doubt giving us a moment. I was freaking out. Saylor was freaking out. I felt sick to my stomach over the revelation, barely able to move or form a coherent thought.

“My recommendation is that we get a urine
and
blood test, Juliette. It should rule out whether you are pregnant or not, as well as any other symptoms you may have.” I nodded my head, not trusting myself to speak. This couldn’t be happening. “I’ll send my lab technician, Miles, who will set up your IV and draw the blood. When the results are ready, the doctor will come back and discuss them with you. Do you have any questions for me before I leave?”

Yes. How the hell did I let this happen? What’s wrong with me?
  But all I could say was... “No.”

***

It took no longer than fifteen minutes for me to pee and my blood to be drawn. Saylor and I were once again stuck waiting for answers I knew I didn’t want to hear.

The thought of having a baby freaked me out more than just about anything. I’m one of the last people on the planet that should be looking out for another human being. I pushed all those thoughts away, knowing there had to be another answer.

At this point, I’d even take an STD. Sad... But true.

We both sat there in silence. Saylor didn’t speak. I knew she didn’t want to say anything that would make matters worse. She’s good like that.

MILES

Juliette Mitchell was a girl whom I’d hoped to never see again in my lifetime. The very one who nearly destroyed my life when I was just barely eighteen years old. I had never thought that she’d walk back into my life and I never would have thought that I’d be assigned to draw her blood.

What were the odds?

I sat in the lab studying the blood that was just pulled from her arm. I had expected to easily notice what was wrong with her when I looked at the samples, but it wasn’t what I had expected at all. In fact, I’d never seen anything like it.

It appeared that her blood had some sort of mutation. Though Juliette’s DNA contained everyday human characteristics, it also contained that of an animal. Which is impossible.

I shifted in my seat, nearly falling from my chair. I reached over and paged Dr. Reinhart, then sat back and waited for her to come, never taking my eyes from the computer screen.

“Do you have the results yet, Miles?” She asked me, staring right into my eyes, making me squirm. Dr. R has big bug eyes and every time she looks directly at me, it leaves an unsettling feeling in my stomach.

“Well… About that. I need you to see this.” I pointed at the screen displaying the results. She stepped up behind me and bent down so she was eye level. “Juliette Mitchell’s blood contains a very high amount of Hcg, which confirms that she is indeed pregnant, like Kelsey had predicted. However, unless I’m reading this wrong, her blood also contains animal characteristics.” I cleared my throat from the sudden dryness as I watched her expression change, waiting for her to respond.

“Interesting—though I can’t say I haven’t seen it before. This was actually brought to my attention years ago from a girl whose parents had died in car accident. The lab technician at the time had made a big stink about it as well, but I suggest that you leave it alone, Miles.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could she want me to just let it go? Did she not see how important this was? It could be life-changing.

“The girl in there was freaking out over just the possibility of a pregnancy. She doesn’t need to know about this mutation that—” she looked down at the manila folder in her hand, “—her files show clearly hasn’t had an effect on her overall quality of life.”

“But…”

“Drop it, Miles. I’ve already said to leave it be, so by all means feel free to follow orders, for once.” Dr. Reinhart turned to leave.

She’s wrong and I’ll prove it.

JULIETTE

It wasn’t much longer before an average sized lady with almost white hair entered the room. She wore a long white doctor’s coat, with her name, Dr. Reinhart, MD PHD, embroidered across the left breast. Her voice was cheery and her smile genuine.

I like her.

“So, Miss Mitchell, it looks like you are, in fact, pregnant,” Dr. Reinhart said, confirming what I had hoped wasn’t true, though I knew deep down that it was. “I can tell that this was sort of unexpected for you, but I want you to know that you
do
have options.”

I paced back and forth as I thought about what the doctor had said, but the more I thought about it, the more her comment rubbed me the wrong way. “You mean abortion?”

“Yes, but that isn’t your only option in this circumstance,” Dr. Reinhart responded as she watched me. “There’s also adoption.”

I don’t like her anymore. I hate her.

I bit my lip, staring daggers into the far wall, trying to keep myself from saying something I’d no doubt regret.

“Oh no… Here we go. Buckle your seat belt and prepare for a bumpy ride.” Saylor’s comedic timing was as inconvenient as ever.

I felt my cheeks heat up, my blood and temper boiling. “
Adoption
? Are you freaking kidding me?” My voice was louder than I thought but it didn’t matter; I was pissed. “Here me now, Doc. Yes, I didn’t expect this but I would never willingly
kill
my unborn child. Who in their right mind would agree to that? And secondly, I wouldn’t allow said child to be put into a strangers home or even end up in foster care. I’ve been there and it’s not something I would ever want to happen to my baby.” My shoulders slumped as I slid onto the chair beside the leather table, my body feeling more exhausted than I could’ve imagined. “A baby. I’m... I’m going to have a baby.” Tears welled up and spilled down my flushed cheeks, the hard shell I put up for others, deteriorating in a matter of seconds.