Chapter 94

Richie slid into the back of the car with a Cheshire cat grin on his face. 

“Back to the hotel, please,” he instructed the driver, sitting back into the black leather seat .

After diligently searching the past three cities, he’d finally found the perfect ring in Miami, of all places.  He didn’t even know he would be in Miami, but there were a couple days off between the Sunrise and Nashville shows, and it was in close proximity.  Not as close as Fort Lauderdale, but they steered well clear of Fort Lauderdale ever since the MTV Spring Break thing back in the day.  

Richie shuddered at the hangover memories.

He’d cajoled, wheedled, bribed, and pleaded with Allegra in hopes that she would join him for the weekend in Florida, but she flatly refused, saying she needed to work.  Apparently she had some kind of project that she wanted well underway before the upcoming tour break.  Putting in the hours now meant that she would have more free time while he was off, she said. 

He understood and appreciated the thought, but was still disappointed.  He probably didn’t hide his disappointment all that well either, considering that she told him he was pouting like a spoiled little boy.

She’s gonna be the one who’s spoiled very soon, was his delighted thought looking at the jeweler’s bag on the seat next to him.

It had been a challenge to find something that was extravagant enough to suit him and simple enough to suit her, but he thought he’d found the perfect combination in an ‘antique-style designer engagement ring’.  Whatever.  It was only two carats, but ornately set and would look nice sitting next to a diamond wedding band when the time came.

The only debate was whether to let Jon see the ring now, or make him wait. 

Who was he kidding?  He was like a kid with a new toy, and he wanted his friend’s approval almost as much as he did Allegra’s.   Of course, Jon was going to give him hell just because… well, just because that’s what Jon did.  But they’d talked enough that Richie knew he had his buddy’s full support on this one.

Another grin stole across his face, as something occurred to Richie for the first time.  He and Jon would officially be family now, in that complicated ‘by marriage’ sort of way.  Not that it mattered.  No legality could make them any closer than they already were.

Now, Allegra, he could stand being closer to, he thought with a smirk. 

The separation was almost over, though.  A show in Nashville tomorrow night, Charlotte the night after, and the band was free for almost a month.   He planned to put the time to good use, spending as much time as possible with his – thinking optimistically – fiancée.

They’d talked every night since she moved into the condo, and most nights the conversations had become decidedly intimate.  His biggest surprise was that SHE had been the initiator more often than not.  Even if she didn’t blatantly instigate it, she ever-so-casually asked him to sing for her.   Something bluesy.

Knowing exactly what she was up to, he would make sure and pick a little Bad Company, Clapton or anything else he could infuse with a growl to fire her up.  He’d even dug way down deep for a little Marvin Gaye.  No woman’s libido could withstand Let’s Get It On, done the right way.

Toward the end of the week, he’d even arranged for a ‘personal’ delivery from an exclusive adult boutique.  He grinned remembering her pretended outrage.  Curiosity had eventually won out over indignation, but she was adamant about not taking it from the package until they were together.

He didn’t have a problem with that, and was even looking forward to it.  But it might be a few days before they got around to needing anything but each other.

No doubt about it, his Sunshine had developed an insatiable appetite that he was anxious to satisfy – up close and personal.

♫♪♫♥♫♪♫

The Miami sunshine was scorching, but there was something about baking on a bed of sand next to some polluted water that made it enjoyable.  It was a rare day off in the Bon Jovi camp, and David had run for the beach before Jon could schedule some stupid press thing to fill the time.    

Ball cap placed firmly over his curls and sunglasses in place, he was as nondescript as any other sun seeker on a Tuesday afternoon.  The huge Joker tattoo on his right pec made him a LITTLE more noticeable, but there was nothing to be done about that.

He carefully slathered it in sunscreen to protect the artwork that had personified him for over twenty years.   It still looked great after all that time because he took such good care of it. 

The Joker ink now protected from the evil UV rays, he wiped the excess sunscreen from his hands and pulled out his phone. 

Legs will appreciate my latest fan interaction, he thought with a grin before firing off the text message.

Saw a woman wearing a shirt with "Guess" on it...so I said "Implants?"  It didn’t go well.  Will need TLC when I see you!

Okay, maybe she wouldn’t appreciate it, but it would be a distraction from her doctor’s appointment today.  From the things she’d said, Allegra hated doctors almost as much as he did, so she had his full sympathy.

David was beginning to suspect that she had more than that.

Lexi’s comments over the last break had stuck with him, and he tried to become more aware of his attentions to Allegra.  He’d been making a concentrated effort to note how many times her name passed his lips, or he called, texted, or communicated with her in some way. 

Turns out it was a lot.

It hadn’t seemed excessive to him, because it was only about every tenth thought that prompted those actions.  If there was outward evidence every time he thought of her, she’d place a restraining order. 

She was always on his mind.

He grimaced and groaned silently at the unintentional reference, forcibly putting wrinkly old men with pigtails from his mind. 

Former nuns with ponytails were far more agreeable.

She was bright, witty, compassionate, sexy, spunky as hell… and she drew him like a magnet.  Lately he couldn’t keep from compulsively texting her all day, every day.  He craved whatever connection he could get, no matter how insignificant.

Flipping over on his stomach, David acknowledged that had no idea what the hell he was trying to do here.  She belonged to one of his best friends – who he would never consider betraying –  whom she was head over heels in love with.  He had no right to be enamored with this woman. 

But he was.

If she and Rich ever split up…

David let the thought go unfinished.  He already wondered if he and Lexi should reconsider their engagement.   After all, if another woman could capture his attention so completely, was he really in love with her?

Fuck if he knew. 

He just knew when he closed his eyes it was a brunette, not a blonde who filled his mind.

♫♪♫♥♫♪♫

Could there possibly be anything more awkward than taking a bodyguard to the gynecologist?

Gus was driving Allegra to her appointment when the reality of what was about to happen washed over her.  There was no way she could sit with him in a waiting room decorated with models of the female reproductive system. 

It wasn’t happening.

He had no idea where they were going today, and she would prefer to keep it that way.

They had managed to work through the uncomfortable ‘I’m your new shadow’ phase in the last couple of weeks, eventually coming to an understanding that was mutually agreeable.   He was more than willing to allow her some space as long as he could be assured that the area was secure.  

“Gus, I really need to go to this appointment alone,” she broached the subject, leaning forward over the seat to be heard.  “Can we work something out?” 

“Have you ever been here before?”

“Well, no.”

“I’m sorry, Allegra, but you know the rules.  I can’t let you go into an unsecure area alone, especially a new place.”

She seriously didn’t want to look him in the face after stepping out of that little room, both of them knowing what went on in there.  The mental image of paper gown trailing along behind her, stuck to the bottom of her shoe, made her a little desperate.

“Please, Gus,” she beseeched, placing her hand on his shoulder.  “I absolutely hate this whole security detail, but you know I’ve tried to be cooperative for your sake.   This means a lot to me.  Isn’t there some way to make it happen?”

He put the car in park, and pivoted around in the seat so that he could see her.  “You know they’ll have my ass if something happens to you.”

Allegra gave him her most charming smile.  “But nothing will happen.  I promise.” 

He rolled his eyes.  “If you could guarantee that, I’d be out of a job,” he informed her drily before going all secret service man on her.  “Okay, here’s the deal.  Text me as soon as you get to your appointment.  If I don’t hear from you within five minutes of you leaving the car, I’m coming in.  Same deal after the appointment.  Text, and you have five minutes to be back in the car.  Do we have an understanding?”

Giddy with relief, Allegra couldn’t help herself from bussing his cheek with a light kiss.  “We do indeed.  Hopefully this won’t be more than an hour,” she called over her shoulder as she exited the vehicle.

Artfully dodging pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk, she entered the huge glass building and made a beeline for the elevator.  In less than two minutes she had arrived at her destination and written her name on the sign-in sheet.

Pulling out her phone, she selected a seat near the window and tapped out the required message.

I’m here and safe.

She didn’t get the phone tucked into her purse before it vibrated with his response.

Stay that way.  You have an hour.  ;)

Smiling, she was glad this man had been the one chosen to keep an eye on her.  There was no question that he was efficient and dedicated to his assignment, but he still made every effort to respect her privacy and desire for a ‘normal’ life. 

“Allegra Castanelli.”

Redirecting her smile to the nurse that beckoned her, she rose and followed her through the doorway into the honeycomb of examination rooms that it had been hiding. 

Here we go.

In immediate response, butterflies fluttered to life in her stomach, and continued to swarm until she’d given the required urine sample and was robed in a paper gown, awaiting the doctor’s arrival.

With a brisk knock, the door opened, and in stepped a tall, thin, woman with close cropped gray hair.  She extended her hand to Allegra with a warm smile and handshake.  “Ms. Castanelli, I’m Dr. Shively.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s Allegra, and thank you for fitting me into your schedule so quickly.”

Her previous doctor was in central New Jersey, and Allegra had thought it made more sense to find one in Philadelphia, closer to her new home.

“I’m glad we were able to accommodate you.”  The doctor sat on the rolling examination stool and thoughtfully reviewed the paperwork Allegra had completed while she was waiting.  “I see that you’re here for an annual exam.  Does everything seem normal from your perspective?  You’ve noted that your last period was March 22^nd, is that correct?”

“I think everything’s fine,” she said, mentally calculating.   “I’ve recently become sexually active, and was interested in finding out about birth control options.  That date is correct, yes.”

Dr. Shively made some notations, inquiring further, “And that was normal?  No heavier or lighter than usual?  No shorter or longer?”

Allegra’s forehead wrinkled with worry as she recalled the details.  “It was… a little lighter I guess, and only lasted two or three days.” 

Seeing her frown, Dr. Shively patted her knee and smiled reassuringly.  “Things start changing when we approach the dreaded forty year milestone.  I wouldn’t be too concerned.” 

She nodded in relief, grateful that the doctor had taken the time to reassure her.

“You said recently sexually active.  Am I to take that to mean you had a prolonged abstinence?”

“I guess you could say that,” Allegra laughed.  “I was a virgin until two months ago.”

“Yes, that would definitely be a prolonged abstinence ,” she agreed with a grin.  “I can see that the more traditional means of birth control would lose its appeal pretty rapidly.   At your age, I have some serious reservations about many of the popular options, but we can discuss all that after your exam.  Are you finding that there’s any discomfort during intercourse?”

“No.  As far as I know, everything is just as it should be.”

“Good!  Now is there anything else I should know before we start?”  She flipped the chart closed, rolling over to place it on the counter, and rising to wash her hands.

Not that I want to talk about, but it’s probably relevant.

“I should probably mention that I was sexually assaulted on St. Patrick’s Day.”

Dr. Shively’s head whipped around with a puzzled frown.  “You say that so casually.”

Allegra grimaced, and shrugged her shoulders.  “It drives my family crazy, but I was unconscious while the actual rape took place and don’t remember anything about it.  It’s not real to me, but I thought you might need to know.”

“Hopefully nothing happened that’s left lasting signs of trauma, but I’m glad you shared it with me.”

The doctor donned her examination gear and summoned the nurse to assist, and everything progressed quickly from there.  Allegra heard a few quiet ‘hmms’, but other than that, Dr. Shively spoke only murmured instructions to the nurse.

All of the appropriate scraping and poking completed, she heard the examination stool roll back, and the doctor rounded the table to stand at her side.

“Allegra, I’ve gotten the cell samples for your testing, but I’m finding something unexpected.  Have you had intercourse since your assault?”

Her stomach plummeted, and she felt all the color drain from her face.  Oh God, she’s found something wrong that they didn’t see in Detroit.  Something irreparable that will prevent me from having children.  Prevent US from having children.

“Yes.  Multiple times.  Is something wrong?”  Allegra couldn’t keep the quiver out of her voice as she conjured up all the worst possible scenarios.  Cysts, polyps, infertility.  Cancer.

“No, I don’t think so,” was the ambiguous reply.  “But I’d like to do an intra-uterine ultrasound to confirm.  Okay?”

She clamped her lips tightly closed and nodded her head, listening to Dr. Shively resume her position at the foot of the table and bring the ultrasound machine to life.  Allegra stiffened and focused intently on the ceiling tiles as she felt the probe being inserted.

“This will be much easier if you can relax a little,” the nurse advised kindly, with a pat to her hand.  “You probably won’t feel much of anything.”

Releasing her pent up breath, she nodded, willing the lower half of her body to un-tense.  Pressing her eyelids together, she sought to picture Richie’s hand wrapped tightly around hers, his quietly amused voice whispering suggestive things in her ear – much as he had in Seattle during her tattoo touch-up.

The fingers of her left hand slipped up from the examination table’s surface to blanket the little dove and its message of Hope and Love.

I love you.

She willed the words across the miles that separated them, hoping desperately that he knew just how much it was true. 

Latex gloves snapped, and the metal waste can lid flipped up with a clang.  “Okay, Allegra, you can sit up now.”

Removing her feet from the dreaded stirrups, she clutched the paper gown around her and scooted into an upright position, her eyes filled with anxious questions.  “Is everything okay?”

Dr. Shively’s smile was noncommittal.  “Why don’t you get dressed, and we can talk in my office?  The nurse will show you the way in just a few minutes.”

“Honestly, you’ve got me so worried that I don’t think I can wait a few minutes.  Can’t you just tell me now?  Is there damage from the rape?” 

Sighing, the doctor stepped close enough to put her hand on Allegra’s shoulder and offer an encouraging squeeze.  “No.  I can’t see any lingering damage from the assault.”

The weight in her chest magically disintegrated, and she felt almost dizzy with relief.  Allegra covered her heart with her hand and willed it to stop beating so frantically.  It was okay.  She could breathe again. 

Up until the moment she read the doctor’s face. 

Though her features gave away nothing, Dr. Shively’s somber eyes told of something that Allegra knew she didn’t want to hear, but had to.

“Then…what is it?”

The hand on her shoulder squeezed again, and held.  “Allegra, it appears as though you’re almost five weeks pregnant.”