“How adorable.” Pam stared at the pictures, and then laughed. “It looks like he’s smiling in this one.” She showed Duncan who laughed.
Slade pulled the stool in front of them. “I need to know what’s going on.” He broke into Pam’s excitement. “If I’m going to keep you and the baby alive, I need to know everything. This is not a regular pregnancy.”
Pam’s mood turned in an instant. “What do you mean keep us alive? You said he was fine.”
“He is, but he is a big boy, and you are a small woman.” Slade replied glancing at a printout from the machine. “By what I can tell, your due date is less than two weeks. The pains you were having I believe were Braxton Hicks contractions, which is what doctors like to call practice labor, getting everything ready for the real thing. Also with the baby nesting down, and not moving much, could also mean he’s getting ready. I’m concerned because he is not in the right position for delivery yet.”
“But you can still do a C-section, right?” Pam put the pictures down before she crimped them in her nervous hands.
“Yes, but…” Slade stopped pinching the bridge of his nose. “As a doctor, what you are telling me, I know is impossible. You’re telling me you are only three months pregnant, but the size of the baby indicates you are in your third trimester. What I don’t understand is how you can be six months off. What makes you believe you are only three months pregnant?”
“I know exactly when I got pregnant because I was raped.” Pam reached back grasping Duncan’s hand. “As I was being raped, I was given a shot that supposedly contained a fertility substance.”
Slade’s eyes darkened at the word raped. “I’m sorry.”
“Two days after I was raped, I started having morning sickness. I knew what he wanted and what the vial was for, so when I started throwing up, I got a pregnancy test and it was positive. Actually, I took three of them, all positive,” Pam sighed.
“How do you know what was in the vial?” Slade frowned.
“Because it was my ex who raped me. He bragged that he was going to make me a breeder.” Pam’s eyes became angry.
“Breeder?” Slade looked to Duncan. “A breeder of what?”
“Half-breeds.” Duncan answered. “Listen, we can fill you in on the rest of it later. Right now I just want Pam taken care of.”
Slade nodded in total understanding. “I guess we don’t have a vial of what you were given.”
Pam shook her head. “I’ve tried to find it, but nothing yet.”
“Okay, well it is what it is.” Slade stood. “We just go from here. With your permission, I would like to examine you. I really need to see if you’re dilated at all. The timeline is throwing me way off.”
“Okay.” Pam didn’t sound so sure.
“I can have someone else do it if you’re not comfortable with me, Pam.” Slade informed her wanting her to be at ease.
Remembering the way the nurse had looked at her, Pam shook her head. “No, I would rather you do it.”
“I’m going to have to ask you to step out.” Slade told Duncan as he pushed the sonogram machine back out of the way. When Duncan looked ready to argue, Slade held up his hand. “I’m going to have the nurse come back in during the examination, but I have to ask you to leave.”
“It’s fine, Duncan.” Pam squeezed his hand. “It’s kind of embarrassing anyway, so I’d rather you not be in here if that’s okay?”
“Whatever you want, I’ll do.” Duncan kissed her before heading for the door. “I’ll be right outside.”
Slade handed her a hospital gown. “I’m going to get the nurse. Go ahead and put this on and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Pam took the gown staring at it.
Duncan watched Pam who looked so alone and scared sitting on the table he almost went back to her, but Slade stopped him. “I will take good care of her Duncan. I swear it.”
With one last look, Duncan let Slade push him out the door.
******
“Is she okay?” Nicole ran up to Duncan.
“Yeah.” Duncan replied looking at the anxious faces of Damon, Jared, Tessa, Sid, Jill and Sloan as they waited for word on Pam. “She’s fine. Slade is going to do an examination on her right now.”
“How about the baby?” Tessa walked up next to Nicole.
“The baby is fine and will probably be here sooner than we thought.”
“What? Seriously?” Nicole replied looking panicked. “Crap! We haven’t had the baby shower yet.”
They stepped away from the door as Slade and the nurse came back. Slade knocked making sure Pam was ready. Everyone heard Pam’s voice carry through the door.
“I’ll be right out when I’m finished, so you can go back in.” Slade told Duncan before disappearing inside.
Duncan nodded without saying anything, but as soon as the door closed, he stepped right next to it so he could hear if she needed him. If she did, it would take an army of men to keep him out.
“Is she going to have to stay here?” Sloan asked. “Because that may be a problem.”