Free The Brothers by Katie French Page B

having Nanny Hannah in the room doesn’t seem to beat back the fear. What can she do? He’s a doctor.
    The door creaks open, and I nearly jump off the table. Dr. Houghtson enters, all business in his white doctor’s coat and slicked-back hair. His beard is trim, shorter than I’ve seen it in years, and his face is tan. Where has he been for the last month?
    “Janine,” he says, offering a warm smile. “It’s been ages. How are you?”
    “Fine.” His tone is so formal. He clasps his hands behind his back and smiles, any desire missing from his eyes.
    “Glad you’re well. Now, I do have to inform you that this is your last attempt at inception. After this, the hospital will deem you infertile. There’s nothing I can do.” He sighs, shrugging. “Sorry.”
    “Tha-that’s okay.” He’s acting so strange.
    “Please lie down.” He digs gloves out of his pockets. Then he opens the door and Nanny Hannah steps into the room.
    My heart starts an erratic patter, but I manage to slowly lower myself onto the exam table. The cracked leather is cold on my bare skin. I try not to think of what’s coming next. When I squeeze my eyes shut, I imagine I’m back in the nursery being rocked.
    There’s a pinch and some discomfort, but it’s far away. Before I know it, I feel a hand on my shoulder. Dr. Houghtson whispers at my ear, “I haven’t forgotten.”
    When he speaks again, it’s much louder. “You’re all set, Janine. I wish you the best of luck.”
    Slowly, I sit up. He doesn’t even look at me. Dr. Houghtson turns and strides out the door, letting it click behind him. My eyes trail over to Nanny Hannah, who’s collecting the doctor’s instruments on a small rolling cart. She has a strange look on her face.
    “Is it over?” I ask, my throat dry. “Can I go?”
    “You can go,” she says, giving me an odd look, “but this is far from over.”
    ***
    I’m curled in bed, willing the embryo they’ve planted in me to germinate. With Sabrina gone at lunch, I whisper to my possible child. “Grow, my darling, grow.”
    Nanny Bell shows up at my door just before dinner. Her face is furious, letting me know that all is not right in the world. She strides to my bed in three clipped steps and puts her mouth to my ear.
    “Hannah was there today at my request. I’d given some hints to Dr. Bashees that Dr. Houghtson might need a watchful eye.”
    I pull back, alarmed, but she tugs me close again.
    “Relax. I didn’t mention you. I told Bashees it would be good practice to have nannies in the exams from time to time. Keep the doc’s pants on. You know, with Merriweather and all.”
    I nod.
    “She saw everything. He had two eggs in the dish when he came in and she swears he had two in there when he left. They’re tiny, but she says she saw ‘em. He wouldn’t let her take the dish back to the lab either. Took it himself, the sneaky bastard. Said he was on his way back there anyway.”
    All the words tumble in my head, but nothing sticks. I grip her sleeve. “What are you saying?”
    “I’m saying, the fool didn’t put a baby in ya. Probably never has.”
    An icicle crackles where I thought my baby was growing. “Then it’s over,” I say into her braid. “I’m finished.”
    She shakes her head and draws me into a fierce hug. “It’s not over. Not by a devil’s mile. I’m not letting that motherless bastard take you from me.”
    “But what can we do?” I say, fighting back tears. “There’s nothing left. Either he buys me or I’m sold at market like a prized pig.” I press my face to her gown. She smells like baby formula. “It’s over.”
    She shakes her head. “If he wasn’t implanting you, it means you can still get pregnant. We’ve about fifty options open now.”
    “Fifty?” I ask, looking into her lined face.
    “Aye, fifty. The number of men in this hospital.”
    I shake my head, realizing what she means. “No. No, no, no.”
    “Come on,” she says, her lips a thin line.