I’m not a fan of dead silence, especially when there’s tension in the air. And right now, between Grace and Cole, it’s suffocating. I hum to myself to keep from focusing on the bad.
When we reach the bathroom, I open and hold the door for Grace. I release it, and it closes with a click. Grace jumps. I flick on the switch next to the door and hope the lights work properly. Everything seems a little more rundown without the maintenance people.
Grace doesn’t walk to the bathroom stalls; she doesn’t even look at the showers. I could really use a shower right now. All she does is cross her arms, uncross her arms, and cross them again. My mouth feels dry, and I have a strong sense that whatever’s going on isn’t good. But I can’t take the static between us anymore.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong?”
She runs her hands through her hair, and tears spill over her eyes. She steps back, leaning against the wall for support.
“I’m scared. Really scared, and I don’t know what to do.” She stumbles over her words and shakes her head. Now she looks up and stares at the ceiling. She slowly lowers her head, as if it pains her to do so. “If I tell you something I need you to promise you won’t say a word to Bruno about this.”
“Okay.”
“No, I mean it. Not a single word. If he finds out, there’s no telling what he’ll do. You have to promise me you won’t tell him, or anyone else.” There is fear and determination on her face. I have never heard her use that tone of voice.
“Whatever it is, it’s your business to tell, not mine.”
She covers her face with her hands and starts crying. “I’m … pregnant.”
I feel the weight of my body drop to the floor, yet I remain standing. My knees lock, and my eyes open wide with shock.
“Oh dear Lord,” I say. “Are you sure?” I move my legs forward and lean against the wall next to her. At the same time, we lower ourselves to the ground. I pull my knees into my chest and turn my head in her direction.
“I’ve never been late. Never. And I tried to push it aside and blame stress, but it’s not. My boobs are killing me, and I mean killing me. I’m nauseous all the time, and my last period was two months ago. I want to be happy, but I’m petrified.” She sits cross-legged and twiddles her thumbs. “We have to get out of here before he’s born.”
“He? How do you know it’s a boy?”
“Let’s just say it’s an intuition. My mother has the same thing. She was always right when it came to guessing the sex of someone’s child.”
She can’t be happy about being pregnant with the situation we’re in right now. I weigh my words carefully.
“I’m sorry; I can only imagine how scared you must be, but it’ll be all right. We’ll keep you and the baby safe. We’re going to get out of here. We will.”
Grace grabs my hands. “You can’t tell Bruno, okay? You have to promise me this stays between us.”
“Grace, I’m not a liar. I’ve been lied to so many times I refuse to do the same to others.”
“You’re not lying; you’re just not going to say anything to anyone. Okay?”
“Don’t you think Bruno has the right to know his wife’s pregnant?”
She shakes her head slowly, releasing her grip on my hands. It almost makes me dizzy. “No. You don’t understand. We’ve been trying for years to get pregnant, and it never happened.” She releases a loud exhale. “We both want to be parents in the worst way, and if he finds out now, it’s going to ruin everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’ll only worry about me and the baby. He won’t be able to focus on the mission. That would lessen our chances of helping Roméo, finding Sutton, and getting out of here. I’m telling you, this man will go berserk if he finds out. He loves me so much, and if he knew I was carrying our child, he would be too distracted to perform his duties. And I don’t want to leave him, or any of you guys.”
“I’m so sorry, Grace. I don’t know what to say. A part of me wants to be happy for you because it’s what you’ve always wanted, but another part of me is afraid for you and the baby.”
“I know. It’s okay. I’m not even sure what my feelings are anymore. Not telling him hurts because I feel so alone in this.”
“So that’s why you told me?”
“Yes, I had to tell someone or I was going to start freaking out. Zeus knows. But that’s it.”
I laugh out loud and so does she. “He’s a great secret keeper … He knows all of mine too.” I sigh. “Well, I’m glad you told me. This way I can think of things to keep you behind us and out of danger. Not all of us can go above ground, a few will always have to stay and protect what we have stored down here. In your condition, you can’t throw yourself around and dodge bullets.”
“I won’t do that; plus, I have all of you to help protect me.”
“Good point.”
“So you promise this stays between the two of us?”
“I can promise I won’t volunteer the information … but I’m not going to lie if he asks me.”
“Oh, he won’t … He’s not that intuitive.”