She fidgeted with her balled fists. Mostly anyway.
“Are you sure?” Dr. Nunez was a middle-aged woman whose hair was only going a little gray at the temple.
Calla nodded. “My employer gives us good insurance so the test would be covered.”
Dr. Nunez’s eyes gentled. “You know it’s not paying for it that concerns me. I’ve referred you to a genetic counselor before. Did you ever go see them?”
Calla shook her head. “Didn’t seem much point if I couldn’t pay for it.” If she was honest, Calla would admit she’d just taken that as an out not to learn if she was positive or negative for HD. If she had the mutated gene that would determine the course of the rest of her life. “Anyway, I’m ready now.” She straightened her back. “I won’t be changing my mind. It’s time to know.”
Dr. Nunez was quiet another moment before finally nodding. “I’ll refer you to the genetic testing facility in Casper.”
Calla swallowed and nodded. “Good.” Then, eager to change the subject, she asked, “So how’s Savannah doing with her mustang? Savannah’s what, fifteen, sixteen?” There was a junior’s category in the makeover and Calla knew Dr. Nunez’s daughter was competing.
Dr. Nunez smiled. “She’s sixteen. And the summer has been so exciting for her to get hands on experience training a horse. It’s given her something else to do than just watch TV and chase boys.”
Calla smiled and Dr. Nunez put her hand on Calla’s shoulder. “All right, while I work on the referral I’ll have the nurse come in and take some blood. You haven’t been in a few years and I’d like to do a complete physical.”
Calla heard what she wasn’t saying. She wanted to know if she was already exhibiting any symptoms of HD. Calla already told her about her leg spasm. It hadn’t happened since and Dr. Nunez seemed confident it was just a normal spasm due to the physicality of Calla’s job and training schedule. The doctor also suggested she pick up some magnesium supplements. At the same time, when she’d pressed, Dr. Nunez hadn’t been willing to rule out the possibility of it being an indication of early symptom activity completely.
“Okay.” She breathed out.
“And you already gave a urine sample, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Great.” Dr. Nunez patted her shoulder. “We’ll get everything squared away.”
Then she left Calla alone in the small exam room.
She was just flipping through a Horse and Rider magazine when the door opened again. Calla looked up, expecting to see the nurse.
Instead it was Dr. Nunez again. And there was something off about her expression. Calla sat up straighter.
“What? What is it?” Did she see some symptom of HD that Calla hadn’t recognized? Oh God, she knew it. She just knew she had the gene—
Her eyebrows were scrunched together. “Did you know that you’re pregnant?”
“What?” Calla shouted, almost falling off the exam table.
24
CALLA
Calla felt wobbly on her feet as she walked up the stairs to her dad’s nursing home. She’d been living with the reality that she was pregnant for almost an entire week now. She’d been dodging Mack and Liam for most of that time.
And she had no more clue now than when she first heard what the hell she should do about it.
“How is he?” Calla asked one of her dad’s nurses once she got inside. Rita, by her nametag.
Rita’s mouth curved down as her eyebrows lowered in sympathy. “Not so good. Eating’s been getting harder for him. Since he was losing so much weight, we had to put him on a feeding tube.
A feeding—? Calla blinked. “Was that really necessary?” She knew he’d been getting skinnier than usual, but still…
Rita put a hand on Calla’s arm, eyes full of compassion. “You’ll see.”
Calla wanted to yank her arm away but managed to stop herself at the last second. She swallowed and tried not to sound like she was gritting her teeth. “Can I go in to see him?”
“Sure, honey. You know the way?”
Calla nodded and then hurried down the hallway not wanting the woman to see her face. A feeding tube. The whole reason she was paying this place so much goddamned money was so that they could assist her dad in things like eating when he wasn’t able to do it himself. For God’s sake, she knew firsthand how frustrating it could be feeding him spoonful by spoonful, especially when he wasn’t in the most cheerful mood about it all. But that’s what she was paying them for!
She was still steamed when she reached her dad’s room. She knocked and went in. If they couldn’t show they could give her father the best care possible, well then she’d take her money somewhere els—
“Daddy?” Her voice cracked when she saw her dad.
He was lying in bed, cheeks sunken and eyes staring listlessly at the television. His head and legs bobbed constantly back and forth with the shakes.