A Life Unplanned (13 page)

"He's definitely not anti-family anymore," I said rubbing my belly. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't share that picture with anyone else. We know someone is out to get Trent, and we don't want them to involve the children in their plan of revenge."

"No, of course, I understand." She quickly pulled out her phone, and I asked her to text me the picture before she deleted it. There was no reason why I shouldn't have a picture of my two favorite boys. I thanked Melissa and asked her to keep an ear out for anything concerning Trent. I hoped with her on our side, we could put a stop to whatever evil plot might be brewing, before it could come to fruition.

Chapter 15 – Insights

When I was leaving the exam room, Melissa caught up with me and gave me a paper with the website on it. I didn't know what I'd see when I got home, but I was anxious to check it out. I put in the web address, and a black screen popped up, asking for my name, email address and the year I had enrolled in college. I thought it was weird. After I entered the information, a note was on the screen saying that I'd get an invite to the website in my email if my information was approved.

After dinner, Trent took Tyler to get ready for bed, and I checked my email again. I had checked it several times throughout the day, and I was sure they'd decided I wasn't invited. I was sure somehow word had gotten out that I was with Trent.

"Finally!" I lamented, when I saw my invite.

"Finally what?" Trent asked, peeking into my room.

"Finally, we can get some answers. This is an invite to the exclusive Trent hater's website," I said pointing to my screen and then clicked it.

I quickly set up my profile and was then directed to a "Support Group" page. On it were several different stories about Trent. He grabbed a chair from the dinner table and sat down next to me, so he could read along.

"That's Sabrina!" he said pointing to one of the earlier stories. "At least, I think it is. It sounds very similar to what she told the police when she filed the report. Of course, it's all lies."

"That one sounds like Tiffany," I said pointing to the next one.

"How on Earth did they even find each other?" Trent asked dumbfounded. "They live in completely different parts of the country!"

"I don't know, but it's not looking good." We went on to read seven other stories from random girls.

"These last three sounds like the ones who came after me when I first moved to Livingston. I'm sure my lawyer can get this site closed, because at least four of these testimonies have been proven legally false."

"Don't get him on this site yet. I want to poke around and see if they'll let me in on their plan."

Trent looked at me worried, liked I'd actively help someone take him down.

"I'm spying, Trent, we need someone on the inside, so we can be ready for them when and if they attack. We've identified five of these women as Tiffany, Sabrina and then the three who came after you in Livingston, so that leaves four unknown women. They're most likely next in line to attack you. Does anything in their stories ring a bell?" I asked him.

He shook his head no. "The last three women completely fabricated their stories, and these four women must've done the same. You're the only one I've been sexually active with since I became an MD. If it was some story about me being with them while we were in college, I'd probably be able to find out who they were, if I could figure out a date."

"You'd dig through your porn for them?"

"The dates are listed on the CD, Clara. I wouldn't have to watch them."

"How about I just ask them if they knew you in college and when they were with you then? There's a comment section."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," he said nervously. I could tell the whole idea of the site put him on edge.

I posted a quick comment that said I'd gone to college with Trent, and he'd given me Chlamydia. I asked them about when they had been with him and suggested they get tested, as it could lead to infertility. It was a great cover and would give me a good legitimate reason to "hate" Trent. I hoped it'd be enough to get me invited to take part in their scheme.

I was asked to write a notice in the blog about my STD and quickly got to it. It wasn't much later that I had several comments on the post, giving me approximate dates when they had been with Trent, some were even exact. I asked Trent if he remembered when we'd been together, and I was surprised when he gave me an exact date.

"I looked it up, when I was still trying to figure out if Tyler was mine."

"And you didn't watch the movie?" I teased.

He shook his head no. "I have a little black book in a box back home with names and dates."

"Do you have stars or points next to their names?" I wondered.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Why would I do that?"

"So you'd know who was good in bed." I thought it'd be obvious.

"I'm a guy, it all feels good. If my dick got off, I was happy," he said bluntly.

I sat gape-mouthed.

He laughed. "Surely you knew that already, Clara. I wasn't picky."

"You can at least pretend to-"

"What's the point in lying? You already know who I was. I hope you also know that's not who I am anymore."

I gave him a reassuring smile and kissed his lips lightly. "I know that's not how you are anymore. You're a good man, and these women are insane to still be upset over something that happened so long ago, that they consented to. This is ridiculous."

He pulled me into a tight hug, and I snuggled into him a little more. I had finally accepted the fact that I loved when he held me. I knew it wasn't going to go away, either, so I decided to embrace it. I giggled at my little pun.

"What has you giggling? Are you thinking of something dirty?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, I was just thinking of how much I like it when you hold me," I confessed.

"How about kissing?"

"I like that, too." I barely finished the phrase, before his lips were on mine. The kiss deepened and became a little wild, and I worried things would get out of hand. We were in my bedroom, next to my bed. Before I could really mentally debate the pros and cons of taking Trent to bed, he pulled away from me.

"I'm going to go take a shower."

When he left the room, I was a little disappointed and realized I was probably ready for our relationship to move forward a bit more.

I readied for bed myself, and when I heard him step out of the bathroom, I opened my bedroom door and called to him. "Trent?"

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded yes, and he took a few steps closer to me, trying to figure out what I wanted from him. I hoped he'd let me know once he figured it out, because I didn't know what I wanted from him, either.

"Did you need something?"

I opened my bedroom door a little wider. "Do you mind sleeping in here with me?" I finally got up the nerve to speak.

He took two big steps and pulled me into his arms. I was quick to kiss him and get lost in him. It wasn't long before we were on the bed, and I nearly groaned out loud, when he started to slow down. "Do you want me to just hold you tonight?" he asked panting.

I was about to say no, but somehow my brain kicked in and said yes.

"Okay, I can do that." He scooted a little ways away from me and readjusted our positions on the bed to a more innocent one. I wondered how long I'd be able to hold myself back.

The answer was four hours. I woke up to Trent kissing me. "Baby, please, you've got to move your hand," he begged. It had somehow ended up in his boxers, holding him tightly. I had a choice, release him or jack him off.

"Clara," he groaned, his eyes were pleading with me.

As soon as my hand started moving, he thanked me and went back to kissing me. His hand dipped and reciprocated, and it didn't take long for him to have me begging him for more.

"Are you sure?" he asked before going any further.

I nodded yes.

"I mean it, Clara, you can say no, and I won't be mad." Of course, he said that while rocking against me. The boy was dying to be admitted.

"I said yes. Are you worried you're gonna knock me up or something?" I teased.

"No," he answered with a plunge and a moan of relief. Sex while nine months pregnant was awkward, but Trent didn't let that stop him. His eagerness and enthusiasm made up for it.

I woke the next morning to laughing. Trent and Tyler were somewhere in the apartment playing. I readied for the day and then found them cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" Tyler cheered excitedly.

Trent's welcoming smile melted my heart. I wanted to see that every morning.

"Good morning, beautiful. Did you rest well?" he asked and pulled me into his arms for a hug and rubbed my belly.

"I wouldn't say I had a restful night, but it was a good one," I taunted.

He smirked and gave my backside a swat and then sent Tyler and me to set the table for breakfast.

Around lunch, I received an email asking if I wanted to confront Trent about his blatant disregard for my health and the health of others. When he had given me a STD, he hadn't reported or notified anyone else that he'd had it, and he had continued to knowingly spread it, or so the site claimed.

I quickly answered yes and was sent a link to a medical board. I felt sick to my stomach, when I saw what it was.

"Trent," I tried calling for him. I wasn't sure if he heard me. Luckily, my apartment was small, and he came and checked on me.

"Hey, babe, are you okay?" I must have looked as bad as I felt, because Trent grabbed my wrist and checked my heart rate.

"Look," I pointed at the screen.

He read over what was written and frowned.

"Trent, what if they're telling people to send complaints to the medical board?"

"I'll just have to deal with them as they come in."

"I shouldn't have told them you gave me a STD. What if they all file complaints? Trent, I'm so sorry." I was in tears, and he pulled me into his arms.

"It's going to be okay, Clara. I think I should contact my lawyer, though. Do you mind if we use your login information so he can look at it?"

"No, go ahead. That was why I made the account in the first place."

"Thank you." He kissed me lightly and then walked out of the room, talking on the phone.

Tyler was quick to find me and roped me into playing cars. Basically, he drove his car all over my belly and laughed when his sister would kick at it.

Trent came back smiling, which surprised me. "I've spoken with my lawyer, and he said that since I'd taken preventative measures by using protection, it would negate any action they may want to take against me. There are only four women who were put at risk, and one of them was the one who'd given me the STD. If any of those come forward to complain about the STD, then I'll know where I actually got it from.

“I was never aware that I'd been infected, most likely because I’d been treated for a case of strep around that time, and the antibiotic I'd used knocked out the Chlamydia as well, making my medical screenings come back clean. If they try and bring that before the board, I only have to provide my proof of medical screening to be cleared of any wrongdoing," he said relieved.

I hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank heavens."

I snuggled with him on the couch, and Tyler drove his car over the both of us.

"Brian's looking into the website stories. He doesn't think there'll be a problem with getting the site shut down. I asked him to push for mandatory counseling for the website administrators and slanderous members. As long as they're crazy, they'll be a risk."

"I hope it works." I truly did. If we could get those women to leave Trent alone, once and for all, then it'd finally be safe to really be together.

Chapter 16 - Daddy

Over the next few days, Trent spent every moment proving he was a good father by holding, talking and playing with Tyler. It was obvious he cherished each and every moment he had with his son, and Tyler was very much attached to Trent. It was going to be hard for him to let go of his father when it was time for him to leave.

Trent had been staying with us for a week, when the time finally came. He was reading Tyler a bedtime story, when I knocked on the door, trying to be nonchalant. There was no hiding it from Trent, though. He picked up on my stance and could tell my tummy was tight with a contraction. "Hey, Tyler, I think you should have a sleepover at Grandpa Joe's, doesn't that sound fun?"

Trent picked up the backpack we had ready for Tyler, and he quickly grabbed my bag out of the closet. He wrapped his arm around my waist and paused when the contractions hit. They were about eight minutes apart, and I had two as we made our way to the car. He was cool and collected, when he pulled up to my parents' house. He carried our son up the front steps, not bothering to knock. Moments later, he came out, my mom hot on his tail. She jumped into the back seat and reached around to hold my hand. "How are you doing, honey?"

"Alright, they aren't too hard yet, just frequent."

I was surprised when Trent's hand rubbed down my belly to my pelvic bone, which he really had to kind of dig into an intimate place to get to. It was very awkward with my mom holding my hand. "She hasn't dropped yet," he answered, ignoring my unease.

I realized as we pulled up that I'd been so distracted with Trent and Tyler's bonding that I'd forgotten to change doctors. Once they settled me into a room, Trent asked who was on call. He tensed and frowned when he heard Dr. Harding's name.

I was surprised when he cursed under his breath and then quickly started opening cabinets and plugging in machines. He had me hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and a machine to measure my contractions, all before Dr. Harding came into the room.

"Dr. Carrington," he said Trent's name with a bit of respect and disdain at the same time, if that was even possible, "I see you've got my patient hooked up to every machine possible. Can you tell me what your interest is in Ms. Sharp?"

"She's carrying my daughter," Trent gritted out.

Dr. Harding didn't say another word, just snapped on his gloves and moved to check me, somewhat roughly inserting his fingers into me. I blushed when Trent moved down there to watch as he did. It was weird, having him look at me down there, with my mom in the room. To his credit, his expression stayed serious and doctor-like.

"She's at a two," Dr. Harding stood up and left, not saying another word.

Once the door was shut, Trent grabbed his own pair of gloves. "That's bullshit," he grumbled and slid between my legs, before I could put them down. My eyes about popped out of my head, when he decided to check me himself. I was sure my mother would say something, but she just held my hand, like it was perfectly normal for Trent to have his hand in my cooch. To his credit, he was much gentler. "That son of a bitch, you're a loose five. If you want an epidural, he should be ordering it now, so they can get it down here by the time you're a six. By the pattern of your contractions, your labor is further along than he cared to acknowledge. What did you want to do for pain management?"

Trent seemed to be in complete control and ready to do whatever I needed.

"I'd like an epidural. The pain isn't too bad, but from what I remember, it gets worse fast."

He nodded and stepped out the door without another word. As he was coming back in, I could hear Dr. Harding snarl, as he slapped something down on what sounded like a clipboard.

Trent went straight to the machines, looking them over. "The anesthesiologist is on his way. How are you feeling?"

My mother helped me count through more breathing, before I answered, "I'm hanging in there."

He suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Do you want to hold my hand?"

His insecurity was so damn cute. I reached out and took his hand. The smile that lit up his face was sweet. He didn't interrupt my mother helping me, but would rub the back of my hand when the contractions hit, as if he was encouraging me.

When it was time for the epidural, he moved right up against me, taking me in his arms. My body relaxed, as if relieved he was holding me. Once everything was in place, he helped me lay back down.

Trent seemed focused on the baby's heart monitor. It was after an hour of watching it that he slipped out the door and came back with an ultrasound machine.

He took a few pictures and finally looked up at me. I think he was surprised I hadn't said anything about it. "We need to shift her. She's a little tangled and has turned herself some. Since your water hasn't broken, we have a little more space to work with. Do you mind?" He held his hands above my belly. Something about his demeanor screamed that he knew what he was doing, and I trusted him implicitly.

"Go ahead."

He shifted my belly around, and then I got a good kick in my lungs. He smiled and pulled the machine back over. "I think we've got her straightened out." He took another look and smiled. "There, there, little girl, I'm glad you decided to help us out here."

A few minutes later, Dr. Harding strolled in and glared at the ultrasound machine. "That isn't for you to play with."

"If you and your damn nurses had been paying attention, you would've noticed the baby's heartbeat was dropping with each contraction, and she'd shifted so she was in the wrong position. You still don't know how to do your damn job, Mathias. I won't let my daughter suffer for it. If you mess this up, I'll have your medical license, and then your head. You can't claim that I'm ignorant to what really happened. I'll catch and testify to every misstep."

Dr. Harding snapped on a glove and went to check me, being rough again. "You're fully dilated. You need to push."

Trent shoved Mathias out of the way, popping on a glove of his own. "That's bullshit. Don't push unless you feel the need." His hand gently slipped inside me. "You're a loose eight, almost a nine, but not quite, almost there. Don't push yet, or you might tear yourself." He glared at Dr. Harding.

"Nine and ten are relative terms."

"You thought she was a two, when she was a damn five! You're telling her to push before her body's ready. She's at eight, Mathias! You could've ruined her chances at having more children. She doesn't feel the need to push yet. They should never push before the transition!"

While they were arguing, my water broke. Dr. Harding jumped away like he was being attacked. Trent just stood there, like having fluid gush at him was perfectly normal. The difference between the two was astounding. I didn't know why I hadn't notice my doctor sucked until now. "How are you doing, honey?" Trent asked me, settling his hand on my belly. I had a feeling he wasn't just setting it there to comfort me.

"I'm hanging in."

"Alright, good job," he praised after another contraction hit. "This is her second delivery, Mathias. You should get the nurses in here setting up. She'll be ready to push soon." Dr. Harding huffed and stalked out of the room.

It was five contractions later that I felt the change. "Trent, I think it's time to push."

A nurse was in the room when I had said that and left to go get Dr. Harding. I sort of wished she hadn't.

He strode in like he owned the place. He wasn't going to check me until Trent glared at him. "Just get out of the way." Trent checked me himself and nodded to me. "You're good to go." He stayed right next to Dr. Harding, watching his every move, glancing at the heart monitor during each contraction. I was surprised when I heard a metal clang, but not when Trent snapped.

"There's no way in hell you're using forceps on my baby! It's obvious the cord is wrapped around her neck."

Dr. Harding gave Trent a wicked look, but it didn't stop Trent. He shoved Dr. Harding out of the way. "You're not risking my baby with your stupidity." His hand was up in me, his other pressing and feeling around on my tummy. "I don't know how the hell you got your degree, Harding, but you should do the world a favor and quit practicing," Trent continued to gripe. When the next contraction hit, he nodded to me, "I've got her, Clara, go ahead and give it all you've got."

A half hour later, I knew I'd done it, when I saw Trent looking down with a big smile. "There's my girl. Daddy's got you. Just hold on a minute, Clara. Let me clear out her nose and turn her. There we go. Time to meet mommy. Go ahead, we're ready," he said with a big smile.

One more hard push and my daughter let out a cry, as Trent moved her up to my chest. "Can you hold on to her for a minute? I need to cut the cord."

"I've got her," I said with a relieved smile.

He went about setting the clamps and cut the cord with a huge smile. "We need to pass her over to Dr. Coust for a bit, but we'll get her right back." He picked up my hand and kissed it. I hadn’t even noticed when she showed up.

He had left Dr. Harding to deliver the placenta. He was pressing down on my stomach as each contraction hit. By the fourth one, he let out a huff and started to pull, giving it a little jerk. I think Trent shocked us all when he outright decked Dr. Harding in the face. "You never yank, you stupid son of a bitch!"

"Fuck you! If you're such a know-it-all, then do it yourself. This piece of shit ain't coming out, and I've got a date."

The nurses in the room with us actually gasped, which made me feel a whole lot better about Dr. Harding being kicked out. One of them actually helped Trent put a pair of gloves on. "You 
are
 a doctor, right?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, I went to school with Mathias. How the hell he still has his license, I'll never know, but I am an obstetrician." His hand went about massaging my belly a little differently. "I'm gonna need you to push some more. We aren't done yet."

I nodded, and a few moments later, he had it out and was checking it thoroughly, while I rested and shivered under the heated blanket.

"Hey, Clara, how are you doing?" Dr. Coust asked, as she brought my daughter to my bedside. She wasn't just my employer, but the pediatrician for my children.

"I'm doing fine, thank heavens Trent was here."

"I couldn't agree more. You need to report Dr. Harding. I was only in here for a short amount of time, and even with what I know about delivering a baby, I knew he was going about it all wrong. He shouldn't be practicing." She was dead serious, and I knew between her and Trent, Dr. Harding would most likely lose his license.

"I agree. Would you mind testifying with me against him?" Trent asked her.

"Of course," she played with little Katie's hair. "There were so many variables that could've really hurt her and Clara. You did great, Trent."

"Thank you. It's actually my job back home," he smirked.

"Well, we were lucky to have you on hand to save us all a bunch of heartache."

Maylene arrived with my father and little Tyler. I guess Roger was out of town again. "She's beautiful," Maylene gushed, as I tried to stay awake.

Tyler seemed nervous and tried to get on the bed. Trent helped him up next to me, kissing his head. "How does it feel to be a big brother?" he asked him. Tyler frowned. "Don't worry, buddy, you'll get the hang of it. Do you want a turn holding your sister?"

Trent brought her over for him and gently laid her in mine and Tyler's arms.

"Be-be!" His little cheeks lit up with a smile.

"Yeah, that's your baby, Tyler. Do you like her?" I asked.

He nodded yes.

"I'm glad. Mommy's got to stay here a while more, but you can go home with daddy. I'll be home soon," I promised. I kissed his little head and then looked around; trying to figure out what had everyone stunned.

"Daddy?" Tyler looked up at Trent, and I realized my slip.

Trent's eyes were pleading with me not to correct myself.

"Yes, honey, Trent's your daddy."

He started to push the baby out of his arms and reached for Trent, who happily took him. Our mothers were in tears, and the way he hugged our son so desperately, led me to believe he was as well. I was finally beginning to see all the damage I had done by pushing Trent away from us. He was right, Tyler needed his daddy, and it was about time I gave him one.