“Callie…” she whispers.
Her short statements stretch out in a sedated tone only cause me to panic further. “Callie what?”
“Callie came over. She can’t have kids, Drew. She’s lost everything.”
Nothing she’s saying makes sense. Why would her ex-best friend come over to tell her she can’t have kids. And why would that fact affect Zoey so much?
“You’re not making sense, Zo. Start from the beginning.” I take her hand and place mine over it gently rubbing her skin to calm her down.
“Callie’s husband left her. They couldn’t have a family. When they tested to see why, she found out she can’t have kids. She has chlamydia,” Zoey says in one breath, gulping for air as soon as she’s finished.
How awful for Callie. Chlamydia’s a nasty disease. If left untreated, it can lead to infertility, which in this case it obviously has.
“I’m sorry, Zoey. But I don’t understand.” I shake my head, confused. “You haven’t seen or spoken to her since she betrayed you. Why the sudden need to knock on your door and tell you this?”
She continues to weep, discreetly. Wiping her fallen tears with the back of her hand, she wraps her arms around her knees, rocking herself back and forth. “She caught it from Jess.”
And the penny drops.
Fuck! He gave her an STD!
The fucking lowlife degenerate.
All along I knew this guy was trouble. Screw the drinking problem, this was dead serious. To think of how many women he cheated on Zoey with.
“I’m scared, Drew.” Her body begins to shake, and within seconds, the loud sobs leave her heaving chest.
“Why would you be scared, Zo?”
As soon as the question leaves my lips, my heart tumbles to the floor. Trying to rid my head of the emotions, just for one fucking moment, I attempt to put on my medical-thinking cap.
If Callie caught the STD from Jess, and they were fucking behind Zoey’s back, chances are Zoey could have been infected.
Fuck! Calm. The. Hell. Down. Don’t show her you’re scared.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t think of the medical side of things. I’ll take you down to the clinic tomorrow. We’ll have you tested. It’ll be fine, Zo.”
“H
ow d-do you k-know?” she sputters, momentarily beyond words. “If Callie caught it, why wouldn’t I? And what about Noah?”
I grit my teeth shaking at the core. The blood in my veins is pumping hard on the verge of combusting. I’m seeing shades of red, crimson, and then I see Jess’s smug face staring back at me. My fists curl into a ball, the tightness in my chest constricting my breathing.
Do I dare ask the question that’s eating me alive? The rage is consuming me, and madly, I unleash. “You used protection, right?”
She’s quick to respond in her defense, “Always. But with Jess… I loved him.”
Savagely, I attack, “Fucking hell, Zoey. Love isn’t a reason for going bareback.”
“Oh, don’t pull that crap with me, Drew. You, of all people, have probably slipped up once or twice.”
“No, Zoey. That’s where you’re wrong. I’m always safe. The amount of cases that walk through that hospital door every day is enough for me to protect myself.”
“So, I’m stupid? I get it.”
I soften and have no clue why. This is no joke or laughing matter. I shouldn’t be comforting her. What she needs is tough love.
“Yes, you were stupid,” I tell her in a hushed tone. “Look, I’ll be right there with you. I know you’re scared, but no matter what happens, we’ll get through it together.”