Free Have Baby, Need Beau by Rita Herron Page B

dizziness.”
    “Let’s take you in for some tests. Maybe it’s a weird strain of flu or something.”
    Mimi blinked back tears. “It has to be.”
    Hannah frowned and helped her stand. “You don’t think you could possibly be pregnant, do you?”
    Mimi and Alison exchanged worried looks.
    “I … I don’t think so. I did a test earlier, though.”
    Hannah sucked in a sharp breath. “And?”
    “It was negative.”
    Hannah smiled. “That’s good. Although those home tests aren’t always reliable.”
    “They’re not?”
    Hannah shook her head. “No, honey. Sometimes if it’s early, the tests can be wrong. And some of them are more sensitive than others.”
    Mimi gulped, clutching the wall for support.
    Hannah patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Ali and I are here.”
    “Yeah, we’ll take care of you,” Alison said softly.
    Mimi felt even more miserable. She wanted to impress Hannah for a change, not be the little sister she had to rescue.
    Oblivious to her turmoil, Hannah took charge in her big-sister way. “We’ll take you to the clinic and run a blood test. Then we’ll know for sure.”
    Alison squeezed her hand and Mimi bit down on her lip to stem the tears. “I can’t be pregnant.”
    “Don’t worry, sis,” Hannah said. “We do the tests routinely. If you do have something treatable, I have to know before I can prescribe medication.”
    Mimi nodded. “All right, but I can’t go out there like this.”
    “Don’t be embarrassed.” Alison curved an arm around Mimi’s waist for support. “Everyone gets sick, sis.”
    Mimi pulled away and brushed her hair from her face. “I’m feeling better now. Let me walk out on my own, okay?”
    Hannah and Alison smiled in understanding. Mimi jutted her chin in the air, determined not to let Seth and his new lady friend see her as a weakling.

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    Chapter 8
    « ^ »
    S eth’s heart pounded in his chest as he left the restaurant. He had no idea if he’d been rude or had even said goodbye to his parents or the new ER doctor, but he’d mumbled an excuse and dashed from the table as soon as he’d seen the Hartwell sisters exit. Something was wrong with Mimi; her normally rosy cheeks were pale, and her vibrant eyes looked listless. His parents had glared at him, but he couldn’t sit and feign interest in Dr. Bainbridge’s long-winded description of her fossil collection when the woman who might be carrying his child was ill.
    Odd how protective and afraid he felt for a woman he’d only spent one night with and a child that might not even exist.
    He felt like a damn stalker as he wove in and out of traffic, lingering in the distance just far enough that Hannah, who was driving, wouldn’t spot him. Several minutes later, when she braked in front of the Sugar Hill Family Clinic, his heart stopped. He parked across the street from the small building and slid down in his seat so he wouldn’t be visible and watched Mimi climb out, wobbling as she walked up the steps. Alison and Hannah followed on each side like bodyguards, a reminder of the close relationship the three sisters shared. And how awkward it would be if his night with Mimi caused a rift between them.
    Guilt and worry pressed against his lungs. Seth lay his head back and debated what to do. His first instinct, barbaric as it seemed, was to charge into the clinic and demand to know Mimi’s condition.
    He fought off the urge. His appearance would only make things worse. If she had something simple like the flu or a sinus infection or simply had bad cramps the way some women did, he’d look like a fool and would raise suspicions that would be hard to explain. Mimi wanted their night together to be kept a secret. And so did he.
    At least, he had at first. Now he wasn’t so sure.
    He contemplated that strange realization for the next hour while patients came and went, his palms sweating as he gripped the steering wheel. A police car cruised by and he swore, sending a silent prayer that the