Warning: Will eventually contain mature material. Language. Lemons. Some spicy limes. Maybe full-blown things. ~_^

A Salvation Called Love

-Chapter 26-

-An Unsuspected Surprise-

[Annabelle – A Month Later]

With a heavy sigh I stepped out of my first morning class with the intent of heading to my next one, Music Theory III. I was halfway down the hallway near my class when I staggered a little and had to suck in a deep breath as my stomach rolled. It felt like my breakfast was trying to come up.

I took another step towards my classroom but my stomach rolled again and my legs buckled out from beneath me. I landed roughly against the floor and tried to breathe steadily. I looked up when a pair of high heels stopped in front of me. I looked up and gave a shaky smile at one of my newest closest friends, Ashley. Her dark eyes stared down at me with worry. "Are you ok, Anna?"

I swallowed roughly and gave a small shake of my head. "I don't think so. I think I'm sick or something."

She squatted down in front of me and reached out to feel my forehead. "You don't have a fever." She grabbed one of my arms and stood up, pulling me with her. "We'll go get some medicine if you want. I can drive."

I stood shakily and shrugged. "I think I'll be alright. I don't think I'll go to the rest of my classes today."

Ashley looked at me intently before giving a small sigh. "I guess I can help you back to your room if you want." I gave a small nod and allowed her to wrap her arm around my waist, holding me upright so that my knees wouldn't buckle again. Gods, what was wrong with me? When we got to my room after climbing the three flights of stairs I was regretting having breakfast this morning. I dropped my bag and books beside the door and walked over to my bed, flopping down limply. Ashley sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly rubbed circles against my back. "Did you eat something that didn't agree with you this morning? That could be what's wrong with you."

I grumbled into my pillow and shrugged. "That would be the best guess."

She tsked at me and brushed my hair back away from my face so she could peer over my shoulder at me. I rolled my eyes to the side to watch her. "Well… if it gets any worse you can always call me. You know I'll take you to the hospital or something. I'll even get you some medicine so you don't have to move."

I gave her a shaky smile. "Thanks, Ashley. I really appreciate you helping me."

Ashley gave a small laugh and patted me gently on the back before standing. I rolled over slowly to watch her pick up her purse and settle it on her shoulder. "No need to thank me, Anna. I'm always happy to help you."

She closed the door silently behind her and I turned back to face the wall, laying on my stomach, and cuddled a couple of my pillows. My stomach rolled again but I closed my eyes and fought the nausea off. I hoped that sleep would do wonders for me.

[Two Days Later]

Stepping tentatively into the waiting room I looked around at the other women that were seated. A few of them turned to look at me but the rest ignored me. I slowly made my way over to the sign-in station and waited until the nurse slid the glass window open. "Do you have an appointment?"

I licked my lips slowly and shook my head. "Yes, ma'am. I called in yesterday afternoon. I have an appointment for 2:15."

The nurse picked up her clipboard and grabbed a few papers, clipping them to it. Then she handed it to me with a pen, smiling kindly at me. "If you'd fill out all of these I'll go back and tell the doctor that you're here. It shouldn't take to long."

I took the clipboard and nodded to her, turning back to the crowded waiting room. I looked around for a free seat and found one in the back left corner, beneath the t.v. It would have to do because there weren't any other seats. I made my way through the maze of legs and bags and little kids until I could finally take a seat. I looked down at the papers the nurse had given me and I started feeling them out. A lot of them made me feel uncomfortable because I'd never done this before but I filled them in to the best of my ability.

When I finished filling out the papers, it was about ten more minutes before a nurse opened the door and called out to me. "Miss. Amatheon, the doctor is ready to see you."

I stood up and grabbed the clipboard and my purse, making my way through the maze again. A few of the women scowled at me, probably because I was going before them, but I didn't let it bother me. That's why you make appointments. I was taken down a short hallway and directed into a small room. There was a chair and another nurse waiting for me. She smiled at me. "Have a seat, Miss. Amatheon. We'll take your blood pressure and ask you some questions why we also take a little blood. Then we'll have you go next door and pee in a cup for us. Ok?"

I nodded and took my jacket off, sitting it down beside the chair along with my purse. I laid my arm out for the nurse as she wrapped an inflatable arm-cuff around the upper part of my arm and started pumping air into it. I'd always hated this part because I felt like they were going to squeeze my arm off with the damn thing. The nurse finally stopped adding air and checked it and wrote whatever she wrote down. Then she removed the arm-cuff and proceeded to take my blood. I had to look away because I didn't like the sight of blood and just the thought of it made me slightly nauseous which wasn't good. When she was finally done poking me with a needle she cleaned my arm up and gave me a small Band-Aid to cover the small cotton ball she'd put against the needle hole. After grabbing up my stuff the nurse directed me to the bathroom where I peed into a small tiny cup. It was gross but I knew that they could tell me what I needed to know from it.

I quickly washed my hands twice before drying them and leaving the bathroom. The nurse who'd guided me back here from the waiting room was standing just across from me. She smiled and walked a little further down the hallway where she waved me into a small room with an examining bed and a table and everything else that's in an examining room. The nurse smiled and pointed at the paper vest I was supposed to put on. "If you'll completely undress and put that on, the doctor will be with you in a few minutes."

I nodded and waited until she was gone and then I started undressing, folding everything nicely. I was embarrassed having a stranger look at me while I was naked but I wanted to know what was wrong with me. I had a thought about what it was but I was absolutely scared of it coming true. And if it was… I slid onto the bed and clutched the small paper sheet that had been sitting with the vest. If it was then I didn't know what I was going to do.

It was probably five minutes before there was a soft knock on the door and it opened. A tall dark haired doctor walked in and she smiled big at me while offering me her hand. "Good afternoon, Miss. Amatheon."

I licked my lips nervously and took her hand. Her grip was firm and professional. "Good afternoon…" I didn't know her name.

She gave a small laugh. "Sorry, you can call me Dr. Kael."

I nodded and settled back against the examining bed. "Dr. Kael."

She grabbed the rollie chair that was across from the bed and dragged it over, taking a seat. She checked through the papers in her folder before looking up at me. "So, Miss. Amatheon. If I go by what you wrote down on your paperwork you think there is a possibility that you're pregnant, am I correct?"

I shifted uncomfortably on the examining bed and nodded, hiding behind my bangs. "Yah."

"When was the last time you had intercourse?"

I felt my cheeks burning up by now and I spoke softly. "A little over a month."

Dr. Kael looked at me and arched a brow. "And were you using protection?"

I gave a small nod. "I'm on birth control."

"You didn't use a condom?"

I looked down at my lap and shook my head. "No."

"Aahh." I peeked through my hair as she wrote some things down on a couple of the papers in the folder and then she closed it and looked back up at me. "Let's check you out then. If you'll lay back on the table I'll start examining you."

I did as she asked and nervously shifted while she prepared a few things. When her hands touched my knees I gave a small jump and looked down at her where she was smiling encouragingly at me. "What are you doing?"

She gave a small laugh and patted the top of my knee. "I'm going to have to feel inside of you, kind of like a Pap Smear test. This is one way to check and see if you're pregnant. Your uterus becomes hard in preparation for the pregnancy. The pregnancy test that the nurses are doing right now with your urine will confirm it. We'll also test your blood for levels of Quantitative Beta HCG, the pregnancy hormone."

I swallowed loudly and slowly opened my legs for her so that she could continue with what she'd been planning on doing. It felt extremely awkward having someone besides my lover looking at me down there. "So I'm pregnant?"

She looked up at me from where she was sitting and gave a small nod. "From the way it sounds and what you wrote down on your paperwork yes. Usually the sure signs of pregnancy are morning sickness, aversion to food you usually can eat, tenderness of the breasts, and being extremely tired. You confirmed all of those, so aside from my word we'll have to wait for the urine test first and then the blood test."

I laid back against the examining bed and allowed her to do what she did best. It was uncomfortable but I ignored it as best as I could because it didn't last very long. After a couple of minutes she moved away from me and patted my knee again as she stood. I sat up and watched as she took her gloves off and washed her hands. "How long do I have to wait until I know?"

She smiled at me over her shoulder. "For the urine test? Not long. We should be able to tell you before you leave." She dried her hands off and walked over to the door, opening it slightly before turning to me. "You can get dressed and then head back down to the waiting room. We'll give you the results when we get them and then you can sign all the papers needed and you'll be free to go."

I waited until she was gone and the door was closed before I scooted my way off the examining bed and took of the paper vest, crumpling it along with the paper sheet and tossing them in the trash. I got dressed and grabbed my jacket and purse, leaving the room to go wait in the waiting room. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest as I took my original seat beneath the t.v. to wait.

[Half an Hour Later]

Dr. Kael had been right, the test hadn't taken long… and I was positively pregnant. I was back at the school now, parked in front of my dorm and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to call Dominic because I didn't know how he would react to me being pregnant and I knew he was currently busy with a meeting. I didn't want to call my dad because I knew he would tell Dominic, so that would just fail. "Fuck…" I slumped forward against the steering wheel and pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts to try and find someone that I could confide in that wouldn't spill the beans to everyone. Ashley's number seemed the most interesting so I tapped it and pushed the dial button.

She picked up after the fourth ring. "Anna, is everything alright?"

I gave a heavy sigh and shook my head even though I knew she couldn't see me. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

I sighed again and pushed away from the steering wheel. "Can I come to your dorm room right now, or are you busy?"

There was some shuffling and the sound of cloth against cloth before she answered. "No, I'm not busy right now. Of course you can come over."

"Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes."

We both hung up and I got out of my car, locking it behind me. I headed over to the dorm a little bit across from mine and walked up to the second floor. When I stepped into the hallway I smiled as I saw Ashley standing outside of her room waiting for me. Her dark hair was curly and pushed up into its usual fashionable style and she was wearing her usual jeans with a cute frilly shirt. We'd only became friends at the beginning of this semester when she transferred in but it felt like she was like my sister so we'd connected immediately and became very good friends. "Anna." She pulled me into a quick hug.

I hugged her back, enjoying the comfort it offered. I pulled back first and smiled up at her. "Thanks, Ashley, for letting me come over."

She laughed and pushed me into her room. "It's no problem, Anna. You're always welcome to come see me."

Her room was very light and had a very homey feel to it. Her walls were covered in pictures of her family and her friends. She had silk roses winding themselves across her ceiling and there was a coffee table in the middle of her room with a leather couch sitting behind it. I walked over to it and sat down. Ashley followed behind me and plopped down on it, curling her legs up beneath her. I smiled and reached out for her hand. "Ashley, I just want to tell you this before I tell you what I'm going to tell you. I don't want you to tell anyone, ok? This is important and I figured you'd be one person who wouldn't say anything. I don't want people to find out."

She gave me a small smile and patted my hand. "You don't have to worry about anything, Anna. I won't tell a word to anyone. I'm not that kind of person. I know how to keep a secret."

I gave a small relieved sigh and leaned back against the arm of the couch. I stared at Ashley for a long moment before finally getting the courage to say what I was going to say. "I'm… Ashley do you remember a couple of days ago when you helped me back to my dorm room and I said I might be sick or something?"

"Yah. You said you'd be alright."

I gave a small nod of my head and slowly started to pick at the frayed edge of my purse. "I wasn't sick."

She smiled and gave a little bounce on the couch. "Well that's good to hear!" When I didn't smile back at her she settled back against the couch again and cocked her head to the side. "Why aren't you happy then?"

I bit my bottom lip and gave a small sigh before speaking again. "I went to a clinic today to see what was wrong with me."

"A clinic? Why did you go to a clinic if you're not sick?"

I gave a small shrug and pulled my feet up onto the couch so that I could hug my knees to my chest. I rested my chin against them and stared at Ashley. "I'm pregnant."

I watched as Ashley tried to comprehend what I'd said and when it clicked I saw her eyes widen and her mouth fall open in surprise. "You're pregnant? Like… really, really pregnant?"

I nodded. "I'm a little over a month pregnant."

She stood up and blinked down at me, a smile growing across her face. "Oh my god! Really? Who's the father? Is he as student here?"

I shook my head. "No, he's not a student here."

She was practically bouncing with happiness right now. "Then WHO?"

I licked my lips as my heart beat against my chest like a jackhammer. "Do you remember the man who came to see me on campus a little over a month ago? The rich guy?"

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she stopped bouncing and froze. I watched her swallow hard and I could see her pulse jump in her throat. "That guy?"

I smiled then and nodded, hugging my knees tighter to my chest. "Yes." I felt a blush creeping across my cheeks as I remembered the things we'd done the night he'd spent with me here in my dorm room. "Dominic Gold. The man I love."

A.N. - I deeply apologize for making you, my amazing lovely readers, wait for a new chappie for a week.. I think it was a week... I'm SORREH! I've just been bogged down with a million 5-10pg papers I've had to write for the end of the year. Classes are wrapping up and so a lot of stuff is due all at once. It's crazy. But I finally finished them and now I can focus on writing more chappies now. I'm sincerely sorreh again. I hate making you guys wait. I hate it, I hate it! So, to make up for it, I'll try to have another chappie up later tonight after work. Or maybe even two more. I can't promise, but I'll work hard on it! Cause I love you guys! AND OMG! THE NEW EPISODE! *continues to bawl eyes out!*