“So?”
“So, if there’s any chance you’re carrying my child, I want to be its father. Is that too crazy for you to understand?”
“Even though you want nothing to do with the mother?”
“That’s not true, either. It’s not like that. If you’re the mother of my child, that comes with respect and support. I wouldn’t ignore your needs.”
“Oh? And how does the woman you plan to marry feel about that?”
“She’d expect nothing less.”
Terri laughed. “Jesus. Aren’t you all just so goddamn decent.”
He nearly flinched. “I need to be sure. I’m not walking away from this without some confirmation. I’m not going to miss out on any time with a child that’s mine.”
“Look,” she said. “It was close enough. I didn’t have anyone and you and I—I thought we worked pretty well. I thought I could pull it off, all right? You caught me. I knew I was pregnant before that night with you. I was thinking of ending it, the pregnancy, but I didn’t want to. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’m not going to let this be one of them.”
“Can you prove this to me with an ultrasound that shows you are further along than three months?” he asked.
“Oh, Jesus,” she groaned. “I don’t have to!”
“Yeah, you’re going to have to. I’ll hire a lawyer. I’ll sue you for my paternal rights, and to get me off your back, you’ll have to have a test.”
“What kind of test?” she asked, shocked.
“Amniocentesis. DNA.”
She went a little pale. “Does that involve a needle?”
“Yeah, it sure does. Unless we can get some easier answers from an ultrasound.”
“I don’t have another doctor’s appointment for three weeks. Maybe I can convince her to do an ultra—”
“You said your doctor was Charlene Weir. Who, by the way, isn’t in the book.”
“God, you remembered that?” She laughed. “Charlene Weir is my girlfriend. I just tossed it out there. I didn’t want you going to the doctor with me.”
“We’re not waiting three weeks, Terri. I have a place to take you for an ultrasound today. Will you go? Or do I have to hire a lawyer?”
“How can you waste money on something like that?” she asked, perplexed.
“It wouldn’t be a waste. I have to know for certain.”
“Is your fiancée making you do this?”
He stood up. “Not at all.” He held out a hand to her. “Let’s do it.”
She sighed, put her hand in his and let him draw her to her feet. He drove her to the offices of Mary Jensen, M.D. They filled out a lot of paperwork, Paul put his credit card on the visit and a very kind and gentle woman doctor fired up the ultrasound. Since Dr. Jensen, a friend of Cameron’s, knew the purpose of the visit, there wasn’t much talking in the room. It took only moments for the doctor to establish that the pregnancy was closer to four months than three, perhaps a few weeks advanced of Paul’s contact with Terri.
But something happened to Paul as he watched the life inside her, moving around, kicking and squirming. For a big tough guy, things like this were his undoing. Pregnant women were beautiful to him; he hadn’t been great with women but he’d always wanted a wife, a family. Knowing that baby wasn’t his didn’t really give him the relief he expected. Had it been established that the baby was his it wouldn’t exactly have made him proud, either—he’d been trying to keep Terri safe from that complication. He was ambivalent. And he felt a deep sadness for Terri, who despite all her attempts to mislead him, was in a very difficult position. He had sad feelings for the baby, who would not have the love and protection he could offer as a father. The urge to keep the vulnerable safe, to protect the weak with his strength, was natural for Paul.
Terri said nothing at all. She walked ahead of him out of the doctor’s office and jumped in the truck. As Paul got in and started the engine, she looked into her lap, silent. There, she seemed to be saying without words. Done. Over.
He was also quiet as he drove her back to her office. When he got to the law firm’s parking lot, however, he didn’t turn in. He drove around the block and, instead, pulled into that same little park they’d visited earlier. He got out of the truck, went to her side and opened the door for her. He put out his hand. “What are you doing?” she asked. “What now?”