Chapter Three

~ Gianni ~

I groaned with pure delight as I bit into the fried pickle I'd bought at the farmer's market. I'd never had one before always thinking they sounded gross.

Oh, how wrong I was. This little bit of breaded sour crispiness might have been the best invention anyone had ever made in their life.

"How can you eat that crap?" Tony asked.

"It tastes good." I just grinned before taking another bite. Tony wasn't an omega like I was. He'd never understand the food cravings of a pregnant person.

I hadn't gotten up the courage to tell anyone I was pregnant—including my roommate—simply because I still wasn't sure what I was going to do about the situation yet.

Part of me wanted to keep the baby. Even if I couldn't remember who the man was that I had slept with, this baby was genetically half mine. Considering how unpredictable life could be—this baby being a perfect example—I couldn't say for sure that I'd get another chance to have a child.

On the other hand, having this baby would completely derail the path I had set for my life. Granted, I could take up my residency again once the baby was born, but raising a kid and working incredibly hard and long hours as a doctor at the same time didn't sound like a good idea.

Then there was my family.

If my Nonna and parents ever learned I was pregnant, whether to have this baby or not would no longer be a question. They had very firm ideas about family and children and about taking responsibility for our actions.

I'd never escape.

The flip side of that was that if I decided to keep the baby, they would back me one hundred percent. I just wasn't sure I was ready for all the questions that would come with it.

Mostly, because I didn't have answers.

"So, I met someone."

I glanced at Tony. "You met someone?"

Tony's cheeks flushed. "He's a few years older than me, but fuck, he's gorgeous."

"Where did you meet him?"

Tony snorted. "You'll never believe me."

Oh, now my interest was piqued. "Tell me."

"The grocery store."

"What?"

"Serious as a heart attack," Tony said. "We both reached for some salmon at the same time. We laughed about it and then got to talking, decided to go for coffee, and the rest is history. We've kind of been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now."

"Nice."

"I want you to meet him." Tony wagged his eyebrows at me. "Do you work tomorrow night? There's another party going on at—"

My stomach instantly rebelled—which really wasn't a good thing—and I held up my hand. "No more parties for me." I grimaced at the very idea. "I need my beauty sleep."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked. "It's supposed to be one of those black tie fundraisers for the children's hospital."

"A fundraiser?"

That was a little different than an afterhour's party put on by a burned out medical student. It was still filled with party animals all dressed up, but these ones usually had money to burn.

They were still party animals.

"Yeah, all sorts of bigwigs are supposed to be there."

This was looking less inviting by the second.

"You should go," Tony encouraged. "Making those connections early can be good for your career."

I was totally aware of what having the right connections meant in society. My family lived and breathed connections. I just didn't want to base my career on who I knew instead of what I knew.

I'd either make it or break it on my own merits.

I glanced at Tony. "Are you going?"

Tony shook his head. "Naw, man, I'm working the night shift that night."

I had to give it to Tony, he worked hard. His parents weren't rich like mine were. He worked a part time job at a convenience store to help pay his way through medical school.

I wished I could help him, but that was a no-no. If I outright handed him cash, I could damage his pride, and he had a lot of it. Instead, I secretly helped by making sure our room was always stocked with food and necessities and took Tony out for a meal on occasion.

We'd lived in the same dorm room for the last three years. We weren't best friends—that spot was reserved for my brothers—but we were pretty good friends.

Tony grinned as he bumped shoulders with me. "If you go, maybe you could drop my name a few times, like to the dean of the medical school."

I squinted at the man. "Who are you?"

"I'll buy you another pickle."

"Done," I replied before I could think it over. I instantly wanted to take it back. My stomach was going to get me into so much trouble.

Tony bumped shoulders with me again, something I wish he'd stop doing. It jarred me every time. "Thanks, man. I'm really hoping to get into that cancer research trial. Even if I'm changing bedpans it would look good on my resume."

That was probably true, but name dropping also went back to that whole "doing it on your own merits" thing. I could afford to be choosy though. Tony couldn't.

"I'll see what I can do."

I shuddered at the thought of putting on a tux and attending one of these high society charity parties, but it wasn't anything I hadn't done before. I could tough it out for one night.

Three hours later as I entered the event venue, I wished I'd said no. There was a lot of noise even if everyone was talking in low voices. With almost a hundred people, it was still loud. The guy up on the stage playing the piano only added to the noise level.

I was going to have a headache before the night was over. I could tell it now. Tony better appreciate what I was doing for him.

I was still waiting for that pickle.

When a waiter passed me, I quietly asked him for something non-alcoholic. One, I wanted to keep my wits about me, especially after the last party I had attended. Two, it wasn't good for the baby, and until I fully decided what I was going to do, I wasn't taking any chances.

He pointed me to a tower of champagne glasses that were supposed to have sparkling apple juice in them. I passed many people as I made my way to the small round table to grab a glass and take a sip.

Okay, so it was sparkling apple juice.

Good to know.

I took another sip and then let my gaze wander around the room. I spotted a few people I knew, most of them from the medical field I worked in, but some were acquaintances and friends of my parents.

I casually walked over to one small group and began making small talk. That was probably what I hated most about these events. No one really spoke what they meant. It was all just platitudes and the latest rumors floating around the social circles.

I'd bet just about anything that half the people that donated tonight did it so they could get their name recognized and not because they truly cared about the children's hospital.

The Galeazzi family had donated a hundred thousand dollars because my parents believed in caring for the children and making sure they received adequate medical care no matter what.

"Dr. Galeazzi, can I have a moment of your time?"

I turned and then smiled when I saw the dean of the medical school. "Dean Roberts, what can I do for you?"

"I had planned to call you later this week to speak to you," the older man stated. "I didn't realize you'd be attending tonight."

"I'm just here on behalf of my parents. They are still out west visiting their new grandkids and couldn't come so they sent me instead."

Half truth, but whatever.

"I wanted to talk to you about that paper you wrote last month, the one about autoimmune diseases and their effects on the nervous system."

"I didn't write that one." I shook my head. "I wrote the one on autoimmune diseases and their effects on genetic cell reproduction."

Dean Roberts nodded quickly. "That's the one."

"What about it?"

"I think it might have some bearing on some case studies I'm reviewing at the moment and I wanted your permission to compare the data from those cases and the data from your report."

"I can send you what I have tomorrow if you'd like." While many researchers kept their research top secret, the article about this had already been published. It wasn't like the data I could send to the dean would be a trade secret or anything. "I'd be interested in what conclusions you come up with and if there is any correlation to my research."

"Of course, of course." The dean gave me a smile. "I'd actually like your take on my conclusions if you have the time. It'll take me a few weeks to get everything completed, but you might see something I miss."

"Sure, I'd be happy to look at it." If it had any impact on my research, that would be great. "Just send me what you have when you're all done."

While I had studied hard to become a doctor, medical research was where my heart truly lay. I didn't want to be treating patients day in and day out. I wanted to make medical breakthroughs that could save lives.

I was lucky enough now that my residency was mostly in a medical research lab. Granted, I wasn't very high up on the totem pole, but I wasn't at the bottom either. I could use a lot of my time to research stuff that truly interested me.

"How are your parents?"

"Like I said, they are in Seattle visiting my brothers and their families. There are three new grandkids to the two they already had so I doubt I'll be seeing them any time soon."

"Your brothers are both married to omegas, aren't they?"

I stiffened, the smile on my face freezing in place. "They are."

Dean Roberts nodded. "My nephew on my mother's side is an omega. He's currently carrying his third child." Surprisingly, the man smiled. "Don't think I've ever seen someone so happy to be pregnant before, not even my own wife and she gave birth to five children. Garret's husband totally dotes on him, and those kids, smart as a whip even at their young age."

The tension in my shoulders lessened, but not by much. This was not my favorite subject to discuss. "My brothers-in-law seem pretty happy, too," was my only comment.

The comment did make me wonder if I would ever get to feel the same joy they did about being pregnant. It hadn't happened yet. I was still confused, worried, and terrified.

This was not joy.

I lifted my half empty glass. "I'm going to go get a refill."

And maybe a little fresh air.

Dean Roberts nodded to me before patting me on the shoulder. "We'll talk later."

Right.

Instead of heading back to the champagne glasses of apple juice, I walked out onto the patio into the opulent backyard area. I had to give it to this event owner. They knew how to make a place look like a million bucks.

The patio was large enough to host a small gathering, but it opened up into a lavish garden lit with fairy lights to give it an almost fairytale feeling. It didn't hurt that the small pathway weaving through the outdoors space was lined with flowers of every color.

There were a few people lingering on the patio so I started down the winding pathway until I found a small cement bench in front of a Koi pond. It was set off to one side of the path so I didn't think I'd be disturbed.

It was quiet here and I needed that. The trickling sounds of the water and the gentle breeze through the tree leaves helped ease my mind.

I took another sip of my apple juice and then set it aside. As much as I wasn't sure what I was going to do about being pregnant, I knew I didn't want to bring any harm to my baby until I'd made a decision. Apple juice, while better for me than champagne, still had a lot of sugar in it.

I really didn't need the extra stimulation right now.

Even in this relative calm, my thoughts were chaotic. There was a large part of me that wanted to keep the baby simply because it was my own flesh and blood.

Another part was scared out of my mind. What did I know about raising a kid? I'd spent a few days here and there with my nieces and nephews. That was it. That was the extent of my knowledge.

I'd heard stories about what Ryan and Henry went through being single parents, but at least they had each other to rely on. I knew I'd have the support of my family, but that wasn't the same thing.

And it wasn't like I could tell this kid who his father was when he got older. I still had no freaking idea. He was just a hazy memory that came to me in the deep of the night. I couldn't picture his face if I tried.

Tears sprouted to my eyes as I rested my hand over my abdomen. So much would change if I had this baby, but could I really give it up? That was the question that kept swirling in my mind.

The scrape of a shoe as someone casually walked through the garden caught my attention. I smelled cigar smoke before I saw the glowing red ash from the tip of it.

"Who's there?" I asked when it didn't come any closer. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and then called out again. "Hello? Is someone there?"