The Child Who Changed Them (Parent Portal 5)

She had to be fine with that. Logically, she was completely good with his decision. She’d broken up with him for good reason, even if her traitorous emotions didn’t always comply with logic.

It was those same needy emotions that had prompted her to rely on Wood for emotional support for so long, rob him of years of his life by holding on to him so tightly. By refusing to get out and live her own life. True, neither of them had had other family...so Wood had made it easy for her to lean on him.

She wasn’t leaning anymore.

She might not have chosen to be impregnated by either Greg or some anonymous donor—pray God it wasn’t a husband whose sperm had been meant for his wife only—but she had chosen to be impregnated. And to raise her family as a single parent.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, to keep her sanity as the unknown consumed any thought of her future plans, she picked up a couple of extra shifts. And worked on the continuing education requirements required of all doctors to maintain licensing, online at night. Having made it through Peter’s death and her own paralysis, she was well versed on how to keep her mind occupied to hold the demons at bay.

And unless necessary for work, she stayed away from Greg. Missing him more than she had when she’d first broken up with him, promising herself it was just because of the baby, wanting to believe herself. Succeeding sporadically.

She cried a lot. Quietly. Alone in her suite at a house that she loved and needed to fill with love. At night, when she was done with her responsibilities, she gave herself half an hour before sleep to peruse rescue dog sites, reading about individual furry friends needing homes. But she hadn’t landed on anything—mostly because she couldn’t choose from among several that she wanted. Saying yes to one meant saying no to others, and she couldn’t decide who to say no to.

When she called The Parent Portal to make her appointment for a paternity test, she spoke directly with Dr. Miller and asked that the clinic contact Greg and schedule his part in things with him. A quick cheek swab was all he had to provide. No reason for them to need to be at the clinic at the same time.

She didn’t explain why she wanted the test. If Greg wasn’t the father, she’d be all over the clinic to find out who was responsible for her current predicament—both medically and paternally. But unless Greg wasn’t the father, there was no reason to do anything that could harm the reputation of the renowned clinic.

Two days after she went in for the blood test, she had a call from the clinic, letting her know that the results were in. She’d expected to hear them over the phone, but was told that Dr. Miller wanted to see her.

That struck fear in her heart.

She was a doctor, too. She knew that when a patient was asked to come in for consultation over test results, that usually meant there was something unexpected to discuss.

Was it possible that she wasn’t pregnant after all?

The thought was quickly followed by a mental admonition to calm down. If she wasn’t pregnant, then she would soon be injected with Peter’s sperm, as planned, and hopefully get pregnant.

She waited out the strong current of disappointment that coursed through her in spite of her self-reproof. Two weeks of falling in love wasn’t just going to be swept away as though it hadn’t been.

So...had the clinic discovered, on their own, that there’d been a mistake on their part? Had she, like Greg thought, been inseminated with sperm meant for another woman?

The Parent Portal was unique in that it required all sperm donors to sign legally filed documents stating that they were willing to have their identity known to their recipient or child if a request was put forth. They’d agree to allow continued contact with the child on a limited basis, if requested. In return, all recipients signed paperwork allowing the same rights to the donors. Therefore, if she had gotten pregnant by someone other than Greg, she’d know relatively quickly who the donor was. Panic wasn’t going to change anything, so she fought it with all she had.

Driving to the clinic an hour later, still early on that Monday morning as she’d been at work doing a scan before seven, she recalled her paralysis recovery. She flashed back to working on a nonelectric treadmill, her hands clutching the rails, finally getting one foot to move inches forward, the focus it took making her sweat, the pain...

She’d come too far, had fought too hard, to give up. And Wood had sacrificed too many years of his life to see her through. She would live a life worthy of that sacrifice. Worthy of his and Cassie’s love. Of Peter’s memory.

The reminders gave her strength rig

ht up until she stepped into the clinic’s reception area and saw Greg sitting there, watching the door.

As though looking for her. Her heart gave that odd jump, a flip she could physically feel, as their eyes met. She didn’t even check in before walking over to him.

“What are you doing here?” She managed to keep her voice down, in deference to another woman seated across the room, doing something on her phone.

“Cheryl Miller called.” He was answering the question her mind had already sped past. “Said that she had the results.” He wasn’t in scrub pants. And looked...different...in jeans and a black, short-sleeved cotton pullover and black leather slip-ons. Different and...good. Really good.

He was about to find out whether or not he was infertile, as he believed. If he was, would it hurt him all over again? Or just confirm what he’d known all along? Did he hope, even a little bit that...

“I’m the patient. Why would she call you?” she asked, standing there looking down at him, wishing she could will her emotions into a tidy corner of her life so they didn’t keep getting in her way. Sending her on nonproductive detours that distracted from her purpose.

“I asked her to do so when I met with her to get swabbed.” He was so calm. And being nice, too. As though he was completely in control. Feeling no more than he would if he were the doctor meeting the patient, not the other way around. “However,” he continued, “I didn’t realize that she’d call us both in at the same time.”

Bring them both in at once... Did that mean...that had to mean... Why else would Greg need to be there?

He must be the father of her child!