Chapter 20

Isit in the doctor"s office waiting for what feels like hours for Donnie to show up for my checkup. The minutes tick by, each one adding to my growing frustration and worry.

Over the past few weeks, our conversations have become short and impersonal, limited to curt text messages. I"m worried he"s pushing himself too hard.

After my last class, Donnie was supposed to give me a ride to the doctor"s office, but he didn"t show up. I have tried reminding him about the appointment by sending him multiple text messages, but he has yet to respond. My symptoms have worsened lately, and the fatigue has made it extremely challenging for me to drive. Since everyone was busy with their work and classes, I had to use the last of the money in my purse to book an Uber ride.

A sudden knock on the door interrupts me as I sit lost in my thoughts. Dr. Raver greets me with a bright smile as she strides into the room and shuts the door behind her. She scans the room, perhaps searching for Donnie.

"Hello, Sadie," she says, her voice warm and friendly. "Will Donovan be joining us?" she asks, approaching me.

I shake my head.

"Alright," she replies, nodding in understanding. "Let"s check on your boys."

She instructs me to lie down on the examination table. Then she asks me to lift my shirt, exposing my belly. Cold green jelly is squirted on my skin, causing me to shiver. She pulls over the ultrasound machine and places the wand over my stomach.

Tears gather in my eyes as she moves the wand over my stomach. The sound of my babies' heartbeats only intensifies my emotions, and I can"t help but wish that Donnie was here.

After a few moments, Dr. Raver turns off the machine and says, "Sadie, everything looks good." I quickly wipe away my tears before she can see them.

"There is one important matter that I"d like to discuss with you," she begins, helping me sit up.

"What about?" I ask.

Dr. Raver sits on the roller stool, wheels herself toward me, and pulls out a chart. She flips through the pages, scanning the documents until she finds what she"s looking for. "Your blood pressure is very concerning. It was 140 over 90," she says in a measured tone.

I feel a knot form in my stomach. "Oh, that"s high," I whisper, barely above a murmur.

The doctor nods gravely. "Yes, it is. Have you been under more stress than usual?" she asks with what sounds like genuine concern, her eyes fixed on mine. I cast my mind back over the past few weeks when things between Donnie and me began to feel strained. That"s when I started feeling more sick, tired, and on edge. As I struggle to find the right words, the doctor"s expression grows more serious. "I take it by your silence things have been more stressful?" she prompts, her voice gentle but firm.

When I don't respond, she continues, "I recommend you not work any more than two shifts a week. I need you to stay off your feet as much as possible and get plenty of rest. Moreover, I will prescribe you a blood pressure medication to control it." She pulls out a pad, writes down the prescription, rips it off the pad, and hands it to me.

The doctor looks at me with concern and says, "If your symptoms worsen, please call me immediately or go to the ER. You"re far into your pregnancy, so we need to monitor your symptoms." She pats my knee and stands up. "I want to see you in two weeks," she adds, giving me a stern look.

"Okay." I nod with a smile.

As soon as she leaves the room, I receive a text message from Seb.

Seb: Reina, I got your text message. Are you okay?

Me: Can you pick me up at the doctor"s office?

He responds instantly.

Seb: Send me the address. OMW.

I quickly send him the address, slowly rise from the bed, pick up my purse, and head toward the door. Upon reaching the reception area, I promptly make another appointment before stepping out of the sliding doors and into the parking lot.

My eyes scan the area until they land on Donnie, who looks incredibly handsome, wearing a simple yet stylish long-sleeved Henly shirt rolled up to his elbows. He's matched it with dark jeans that accentuate his muscular frame. His black hat is worn backward, and a pair of sunglasses complement his face.

Donnie stands before me, his eyes filled with regret and remorse. He takes a deep breath and begins, "I"m so sorry. I got held up with my study session and lost track of time."

Donovan

Pulling into the parking lot, I see Shorty walking out of the doctor"s office. My heart sinks as I realize that I missed our appointment. I quickly put my car in park and turn off the ignition. Stepping out of the car, I shut the door and make my way over to her.

Shit.

Shorty looks sumptuous in a black leather jacket and a red printed tee that says "mommy to be" with little baby footprints printed on the belly. Her hair is tied up in a high ponytail, straightened to perfection today, unlike her usual wild curls. I can't help but admire how beautiful she looks.

I"m such an idiot.

"I"m sorry," I say, feeling guilty for being an asshole. "I got held up with my study session and lost track of time." I blow out a breath, angry at myself for missing about the appointment.

As I meet Shorty"s gaze, I see a hint of sadness in her eyes, which only adds to my frustration. I want to make things right, but I know I"ve let her down.

Despite that, she manages to offer me a small smile. "Hey," she says softly.

"How did everything go?" I ask, taking a step closer, my hand itching to reach out and feel her warmth. "Are the babies okay? Are you okay?"

Her response is swift, but a hint of weariness in her voice doesn"t go unnoticed. She nods. "Everything went well," she replies.

"I"m sorry," I tell her, exasperated.

Her brow furrows in confusion. "Study sessions?" she asks, changing the subject.

With a nod, I reply, "Yeah, I"ve been struggling to keep up with my classes, so Coach suggested I attend study sessions to improve my grades."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" she asks quietly, stepping closer and placing her palm on my face. I close my eyes, feeling a sense of calm from her touch.

"I didn't want to give you something else to worry about," I say softly, slowly opening my eyes.

She responds with a gentle smile. "Let me decide that. I don't want you to keep anything from me, Donnie."

Guilt gnaws away at me for not being able to tell her about the disaster scattered across my room. The sight of the ruined photos, each one a painful reminder of a secret I"m keeping, is almost unbearable. It"s always been so hard to keep things from her. When we were kids, we promised never to keep secrets from each other. No matter how terrible the truth was, we had to tell each other. It was the only way for our friendship to endure the test of time.

I remember the promise we made like it was yesterday.

"Hey, you know the rule, right?" Shorty asked, raising an eyebrow and giving me a sly grin.

"What rule is that?" I asked, curious.

"The one about secrets," she whispered, a mischievous glint in her eye. "We both promised to never keep secrets, no matter what."

I nodded, remembering our pinky swear. "We pinky swore to always tell the truth, even if it hurts our heart."

"I know you're keeping something from me," she accuses, her voice laced with suspicion bringing me back to the present. She then steps back, leaving me yearning for her touch.

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"We haven"t really talked about anything for the last few weeks." She sighs, her gaze shifting away from me. "We promised to never keep secrets from each other, Donnie," she adds, turning back to me and locking her eyes with mine.

I sigh, feeling defeated. "It's nothing, Shorty. I"m doing my best to keep up with everything, but it"s too much. I can"t seem to manage everything without feeling completely burnt out," I add, letting my arms drop. It feels like everything is piling up on me, and I can't seem to catch a break. I am constantly running on fumes, trying to keep my secret to keep her safe, making sure I pass my freaking classes and not piss Coach off any more than I already have.

She takes a deep breath, her face betraying her emotions, making me feel like shit. She keeps herself composed and says, "I know when you're lying to me."

Shaking my head, I say, "I'm not lying to you."

I can feel the tension in my jaw and the anger I feel toward Javi coursing through my body all the way down to my damn toes from being forced to keep this secret. A secret that lays heavy on my heart and that feels like a blazing inferno that refuses to be extinguished.

Her furrowed brows betray her concern as she leans forward and asks, "Is this about Payton or Eva? Did they do something?"

I stare back at her, feeling the weight of my secret pressing down on me. I want to tell her the truth, but the words stick in my throat. "No," I finally manage to say.

"Donnie, I know you"re hiding something from me. Why won"t you just tell me what"s going on?" she demands, her voice edged with frustration.

"Baby, I promise I"m not keeping anything from you."

Shorty slightly staggers back a step. Her hand rises to her head as if she has been suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness or sickness.

"Shorty, what"s wrong?" I say, stepping toward her, wanting to feel her touch again.

"Nothing, I"m fine," she snaps.

"You"re not fine. What"s wrong? Are you sick? Wait." I pause for a minute, then say, "Did the doctor say something?" I feel anxious as my heart races in my chest

"I said I"m fine," she says dismissively.

"Shorty, you"re obviously not fine." I pull her into my arms, but she"s stubborn and pulls away.

"Shorty, come on," I plead.

"Come on, what?" she says in frustration. "Tell you the truth?" She places her hands firmly on her curvy hips.

"Yes, the truth."

"Yeah, well, you promised to always tell me the truth, even if it hurts our hearts. Do you remember that?"

My heart sinks at the hurt in her eyes, making me sick to my stomach, but I can't risk giving her anything else to worry about.

"Whatever," she mutters, trying to step around me.

"Shorty, please don"t be like this. There"s nothing to tell," I plead with her. God, I hate lying to her. The more I try to convince her, the more I felt like I am digging myself into a deeper hole. All I want is to crawl under a rock and hide from the guilt.

Sadie

We"re teetering on the edge of a tension that"s pulling us apart like a stretched rubber band. He"s clearly in pain, his guilt palpable, but he won't tell me what is eating away at him. I"m irritable, exhausted, and hungry, which isn"t making things any easier.

Just then, the familiar sound of Seb"s car echoes through the lot. Donnie turns to look at the car and then back at me, revealing a tinge of hurt in his piercing blue eyes. "You called him?" His tone suggests that he feels betrayed.

I place my hands over my belly and take a deep breath. "Yes, I needed a ride home and I didn't have enough money for an Uber," I reply, trying to keep my tone as even as possible before that band snaps.

"Why didn't you call me?" Donnie demands.

The thin elastic band suddenly reaches its limit and breaks with a loud snap.

"Because you didn"t reply to my texts!" I snap back, finally losing my cool. "You completely ghosted me after promising to pick me up, and I had no idea where you were or what you were doing. What was I supposed to do, just sit here and wait for you to finally decide to show up?"

Donnie looks away, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "I didn"t mean to miss the appointment. It just slipped my mind."

I cross my arms across my chest. "Yeah, you keep saying that."

"Don"t you think I know that?" Donnie snapped, his voice rising slightly. "I"m trying my best here, Shorty. I"m juggling so much, and I"m sorry if I let this one slip through the cracks."

"Don"t act like you"re the only one struggling here, Donnie," I shot back, my voice trembling with the weight of my emotions. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. "Balancing work, school, and taking care of Sophia alone is no walk in the park!" The strain of our argument was like a heavy burden on my shoulders, threatening to crush me.

Donnie"s shoulders slumped, a deep sense of defeat in his voice. "I know, baby. I messed up, okay? I"m so, so sorry." He walked up to me, his touch gentle as he held my face. "I"m so sorry. We"re both under a lot of pressure right now. Fighting isn"t good for you or the babies."

Tears stream down my cheeks. "It"s like you"re slipping away, drifting further away," I whispered.

Donnie"s gaze, filled with love and regret, pierces through me. "I made a mistake, but I won"t let it happen again," he said, his voice a beacon of sincerity. "I promise to make it up to you, to us. I swear."

Donnie leans in, his lips brushing against mine in a tender caress. I can feel the warmth of his breath, the softness of his touch. His kiss is a promise, a silent vow to do whatever it takes to make things right between us.

I close my eyes, losing myself in the moment. When he pulls away, the echo of his touch lingers on my lips.

The sudden, unexpected creak of the door jolts Donnie and me out of our little world. We both turn our heads, startled, to see who it is.

Seb casually leans against his car"s driver"s side door, a playful smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like you don"t need a ride now," he quips with amusement.