16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

L ayla watched the nurse place a bandaid on her arm to stem the bleeding from the needle. It had little cartoon characters like it was meant for children. Was this a children's hospital? Why had Jackson brought her here?

She eyed the nurse suspiciously from under her lashes, which she probably didn't need to do. The woman wasn't paying her any attention. She was flustered and acting like a love-struck teenager because of the hulking presence in the room. It was a wonder she hadn't stabbed her to death when she'd drawn her blood.

"I'll run this to the lab. The doctor will see you as soon as possible," the nurse said.

She said this directly to Jackson as if he was the one on the exam table. The nurse hadn't addressed her at all the whole time she'd done her observations.

But she had thrown her that cold look like everyone else she had met. Would they even treat her without bias like medical professionals were supposed to do? She didn't think so.

The nurse left the room, but not before looking towards Jackson one last time. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked like she would cum just by looking at him. Disgusting. Pathetic.

A voice in her head reminded her that was probably how she looked at Jackson, but she shoved it away. It didn't matter how flustered or wet Jackson made her; nothing would come of that. And more importantly, that would not make her change her mind about leaving. She had been crazy to accept it in the first place, especially since she had seen all the red flags already. She was not giving him a baby!

Which left her with the little problem of making sure Brit escaped and went somewhere safe before she tried to break out of this place. She wasn't waiting to get abused or shanked in her sleep.

"I can almost hear you thinking."

She tensed and turned her head to look at the man who had insisted on being in the room with her. Jackson sprawled in a chair near the desk as if he owned the place. His ice-blue eyes were boring into her so intently she realised he probably hadn't taken his eyes off her the whole time.

She looked away to inspect the posters and notices on the wall.

"Hm?"

"You've been looking at this place with that look on your face. I assure you, this is a state-of-the-art hospital. Nothing will go wrong here. We have the best doctors."

She looked down at the colourful bandaid on her arm and then at the poster about silver poisoning and other things that made no damn sense.

"If you say so," she said with a shrug.

The door opened, and a man who didn't look much older than Jackson came in.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. There was an atta—"

"It's okay, Doctor Richards," Jackson cut in. "This is Layla, the woman I told you about."

The doctor turned to her as if he hadn't seen her sitting right in front of him and gave her a smile that looked insincere. But his words kept running through her head. She was sure he'd almost said an attack. Wolf attack? How could Jackson claim she was safe if wolves could attack her here?

"Hello, Layla," the doctor said as he picked up a folder on the desk. "I'll just ask a few questions and start you off on some prenatal supplements today, and then I'll send your test results by tonight. Have a seat here, please."

Well, at least he had confirmed that the insemination wouldn't happen today, even if Jackson thought he would be the one to do it. That would buy her some time to make a plan. She adjusted the knife she'd slid down the waistband of her jeans before sliding off the examination table. The only available chair was right next to Jackson's, and that close to him, she could almost feel the heat from his body and smell his aftershave. A pleasant woodsy scent made her toes curl, making her want to lick him all over, especially that eight-pack under his tank top.

It was ridiculous how much she noticed about the man when she didn't like him.

"Any genetic defects in the family?" the doctor asked.

"What?" she asked with a frown.

Defects? She'd been to one or two doctor's appointments in her life, but when they asked about her family history, they didn't ask that way. Maybe Jackson had put the doctor up to this. Perhaps he wanted to create a perfect baby, and if, for whatever reason, he thought her baby wasn't perfect, he would give it away.

"Defects," the doctor repeated, and then listed some medical conditions as examples in a way that made her blood boil.

The nerve of the man to call himself a doctor! And Jackson wanted to put the health of her child in his hands? Never.

"None of that matters, Doctor," Jackson said. "She'll carry my child either way. You've done the blood test, so let's wrap things up."

She felt no relief when she heard his words. The fear for the future of the child had already taken root.

"Yes, Alph... Yes," the doctor said, clearing his throat as he shuffled his paperwork. "Everything looks okay. Nurse Emily is preparing the prenatal supplements to be taken every day until the twelfth week of pregnancy, but we will discuss that when she becomes pregnant."

Again, talking about her as if she wasn't there. This place was full of the rudest, most ignorant pieces of shit she had ever seen, and she had seen plenty on her side of the tracks.

"When was the first day of your last cycle?" the doctor asked.

That question pulled her from her anger as she saw the opportunity it provided.

"Uh...yesterday," she lied.

The doctor stopped shuffling his papers and looked at her sharply. It felt like he had seen right through that lie, but that was impossible. It was a ridiculous thought. She'd never met the guy in her life; there was no way he would know anything like that about her.

"Right," the doctor said as he wrote something down. "And is there a risk that you may already be pregnant?"

"I just said I'm on my period. You're a doctor; you should know how this works," she said.

"Were you intimate with someone before I found you?" Jackson asked quietly.

She had been concentrating on the doctor so much she had almost forgotten that Jackson was there. He wasn't looking at her but sat so still that he reminded her of a predator about to pounce on its prey. But why did it matter? Her sex life before their deal was none of his business. Was he actually expecting a virgin to carry his child?

"Did you let someone fuck you, Layla?" he said, raising his voice slightly.

He was angry. Like he had been angry in the forest when she had tried to run away. Like he had been furious when he'd locked her in her room.

In less than twenty-four hours, Jackson King had scared her many times. He had shown his true colours. Getting away from him was the only choice she could make.

"I did," she lied, folding her arms. "Many times. Does it matter? Are you backing out?"

Jackson remained quiet for a moment, and when he finally looked at her, there was none of the anger that she had felt from him before. His ice-blue eyes were as cold as the day they met.

"It doesn't matter at all. And no, I'm not backing out," he answered. "Are we done now, doctor?"

"Yes," the doctor answered. "She appears healthy, and I'm sure the tests will confirm it. You can start trying but make her take the supplements. They're necessary for human pregnancies."

His choice of words brought a bubble of laughter up her chest, but Jackson stood so quickly the laughter died in her throat. She flinched and reached for her knife, but he didn't do anything to her. He just nodded to the doctor and started walking to the door.

"Let's go, Layla."

She followed him through the hospital, trying to keep his pace, not because she was eager to be with him, but because the other people couldn't hide their hostility. The nurse handed him a pharmacy paper bag, but Jackson didn't stop or thank her. When she was back in Jackson's car, she realised she was safer with him though he was an asshole. They all seemed to keep their distance from him. Maybe Jackson had more influence around the place than she thought.

The drive back to her prison felt shorter. In the light of the day, she could see the town bustling with people. Everyone looked well-dressed and healthy. They probably didn't have a divide as they did in the city. Though she had never experienced it, it was like being in another country. And they didn't even look like the heat affected them like it did her. A few minutes away from the air conditioning, she was already a puddle.

The gates closed behind her all too soon, and Jackson parked the car. There were still many people outside the building that she had to rush to make sure Jackson didn't leave her behind. She knew he was leading her to lock her in her room, but she didn't care. She needed to think and plan. Brit probably didn't have a phone after Costas kidnapped them, so she had to find a way to communicate with her.

Jackson opened her door. She avoided his gaze as she walked past him, finally taking a breath as the tension left her body. The door closed behind her, but she didn't hear the sound of the lock. Was he going to allow her to roam free?

She turned quickly to make sure Jackson really hadn't locked her in again but stopped when she saw him standing before the closed door.

"Take your clothes off."

She stepped back. Was he still upset about her clothing choice?

"Why?" she asked.

"Because we're going to make a baby."