Love You More_ A Novel - Lisa Gardner [114]
“How about some dry cereal? Gotta eat something, D.D. Low blood sugar has never been your strong suit.”
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Take care of me.”
Bobby took his eyes off the road long enough to regard her evenly. “Bet Alex would, too. If you’d let him.”
She scowled. Bobby shrugged off the glare, attention back on the treacherous highway. It took a bit to ease the Crown Vic over, find the exit, then work their way into the parking lot of a small shopping plaza. D.D. noted a dry cleaner’s, a pet supply store, and a mid-sized grocery store.
The grocery store appeared to be Bobby’s target. They parked up front, most customers scared off by the wintry conditions. When D.D. got out of the car, she was surprised to see how much snow had already accumulated. Bobby came around the vehicle, wordlessly offering his arm.
She accepted his help, making her way gingerly along the snow-covered sidewalk into the brightly lit store. Bobby headed for the deli. She lasted five seconds before the smell of rotisserie chicken proved too much. She left him to wander on her own, commandeering an apple from produce, then a box of Cheerios from the cereal aisle. Maybe one of those fancy organic fruit drinks, she thought, or a premade protein shake. She could live on Ensure, next logical stage of the life cycle.
She found herself in the small pharmacy section, and that quickly knew what she was going to do.
Fast, before she could change her mind, before Bobby could appear: family planning section, condoms, condoms, and of course, when the condoms broke, home pregnancy kits. She snatched the first box she found. Pee on a stick, wait to see what it tells you. How hard could it be?
No time to pay. Bobby would spot her for sure. So she high-tailed it for the restroom, apple, cereal box, and home pregnancy test clutched tight against her chest.
A green sign declared that no merchandise was allowed in the restroom.
Tough shit, D.D. thought, and pushed through the door.
She commandeered the handicap stall. Turned out it had a changing station bolted to the wall. She unfolded the plastic table and used it as a workbench. Apple, Cheerios, pregnancy kit.
Her fingers were shaking. Violently. To the point she couldn’t hold the box and read the words. So she flipped the box over on the changing table, reading the directions as she worked the button on her pants, finally shoving her jeans down to her knees.
Probably this was the kind of thing women did at home. Surrounded by the cozy comfort of their favorite towels, peach-painted walls, maybe some floral potpourri. She squatted in an industrial gray tiled public restroom and did the deed, fingers still shaking as she tried to position the stick and pee on command.
Took her three tries to get it done. She set the stick on the changing table, refusing to look at it. She finished peeing. She pulled up her pants. She washed her hands at the sink.
Then she returned to the stall. Outside, she could hear the bathroom door opening. Footsteps as another woman entered, headed for the neighboring stall. D.D. closed her eyes, held her breath.
She felt naughty, the bad schoolgirl caught smoking in the loo.
She couldn’t be seen, couldn’t be discovered. For her to look at the stick, she needed absolute privacy.
Toilet flushing. Stall door opening. Sound of water running at the sink, then the blast from the automatic hand dryer.
Outside door opened. Outside door closed.
D.D. was alone again.
Slowly she cracked one eye. Then the other. She stared at the stick.
Pink plus sign.
Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren was officially pregnant.
She sat back down on the toilet, put her head in her hands, and wept.
Later, still sitting on the edge of the toilet, she ate the apple. The rush of sugary fruit hit her bloodstream, and suddenly, she was ravenous. She consumed half a box of Cheerios, then abandoned the bathroom in search of a protein bar, mixed nuts, potato chips, yogurt, and bananas.
When Bobby finally caught up with her, she was standing in the checkout line with her apple core, opened