Broken Bells • Bishop Losa

Chapter 15: Flu Season

Annabelle awoke from her sleep, she was laying on her stomach and the pressure that was being put on her chest by the position made her groan. She felt the chill of the room nip at her sore chest as she rolled to get comfortable. The cold temperature was not unusual as the air conditioning would turn on periodically during the night but it felt different on this particular morning. Annabelle pulled the blanket over her exposed body as she rolled further into Bishop's warm side, sighing as his body heat enveloped her. She could hear birds chirping outside the window but there was no glare of sunlight and upon lifting her head to glance between the open curtains she discovered that it was a very rare rainy day in Santo Padre. Whining from the edge of the bed caught her attention, their small Saint Bernard puppy that she had ultimately named Chewie was eagerly awaiting his morning walk.

One thing that Annabelle didn't realize she had missed was the smell the air held after rainfall, the petrichor. She had taken Chewie on an extra-long walk, uncaring that her clothing was now wet or that her sneakers and socks were now damp. As soon as the pair stepped foot back into the house, Chewie shook his tiny body to release loose drops of water from his fur, getting his owner even wetter than she already had been. Annabelle found Bishop still asleep when she returned to her bedroom to change into dry clothes.

"Obispo, wake up." She sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers gently through his soft hair until his eyes fluttered open. "Go hop in the shower, I'll make some breakfast and hopefully the rain will stop before you're needed at the clubhouse."

"Sounds good, sweetheart." The grogginess that clouded his voice made Annabelle smile before she retreated downstairs to the kitchen with Chewie hot on her heels.

When Bishop made his way into the kitchen, freshly showered and fully dressed, he found Annabelle leaning against the counter next to a single plate of food. Upon hearing his boots on the hardwood, she glanced up and gave the man a forced smile as she slid the plate across the counter to him. He eyed the breakfast as he sat on a stool that had been tucked under the kitchen island.

"Aren't you having some, sweetheart?"

"I'm not as hungry as I thought I was." She admitted, the few strips of bacon that she had swiped off his plate had been good enough for her as she hadn't been able to even look at the eggs since she had cracked them into the pan.

"You're late." Rosa mused, glancing up from the cash register as the bell above the door chimed announcing Annabelle's arrival.

"I accidentally fell asleep." The urge to yawn ripped through Annabelle as she stepped into the kitchen. She greeted her kitchen staff before ducking into the small office, throwing her lethargic body into the chair. She had spent most of her morning in her glass room, enjoying the sound of the calming rain as it poured from the angry gray clouds- she had no idea when it had put her to sleep but she had woken up at the time she was due to arrive at work. Annabelle rubbed her tired eyes as she turned on the computer, her dark orbs struggling to focus on the bright screen. She stared at the screen for a few moments, tapping her fingers on the desk as she struggled to remember what she had originally meant to accomplish. After a few wasted moments, she had cut her losses and exited the office, rushing through the kitchen as the smell attacked her nose.

"Are you feeling okay?" Rosa asked, watching as her friend drank an awfully large glass of water.

"I'm fine," Annabelle insisted as she took a breath before drinking the second half of the glass's contents.

"You took a nap- you hate naps, you came out of the kitchen looking an alarming shade of green and now you're drinking water- which I don't think I've ever seen you drink."

Annabelle shrugged, "I think I might be getting the flu... I hear fluids are excellent at preventing that."

Rosa watched Annabelle with a raised eyebrow before she leaned her elbows on the counter, lowering her voice as she spoke with her friend, "The flu? You're tired and the smell of food is making you nauseous, are you sure you're not pregnant? Those were the first things that hit me when I was pregnant with Camila."

Annabelle chuckled as she listened to her friend speak, "Nope, Bishop and I are careful. You should see the top drawer of my bedside table- I could be a Trojan spokesperson."

The rest of the night Annabelle put herself on hosting duty, making it easy as to not exhaust herself and continuing to drink plenty of fluids to fend off her impending doom. As much as she hated to admit it, the words Rosa had spoken to her early that evening would not stop floating around her head. She couldn't be pregnant? No. Unless... no, she was always very careful every time she and Bishop had sex- except that first time. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Annabelle rushed through closing that night, skipping over any step that could be completed the next evening. Turning off the diner lights and locking the door were made quick work before she nearly sprinted to her car, eager to find a store open at the late hour.

The glowing 'OPEN' sign of the 24-hour convenience store caused Annabelle's heart to race as she quickly pulled her car to the curb. She stood staring at the three brands of pregnancy tests the store held, her dark eyes darting back and forth between them as she decided which one would be more reliable before her shaking hands grabbed one of each. As if her day could not take another turn, the low rumble of motorcycles as they parked at the curb sent a panic through her as she stood at the counter. She held back the urge to yell at the poor teen on the other side of the counter, wanting her to hurry up as she was snapping her gum faster than she was working the till. Annabelle froze as she heard the distinct chime of the door being opened behind her, three familiar voices filling the otherwise quiet store.

"Hey, Princesa." Angel teased, leading the other two bikers as they stepped up to her side. Her body visibly hesitated as she turned toward the men, their eyes quickly drawn to the three boxes that were still openly sitting on the counter.

"You cannot tell Bish about this." The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself, wincing as she had just given herself away. "They're for Rosa. She called me freaking out so I told her that I would stop by on my way home from work." She tried to play it off, hoping that her lame story would cover up her current predicament.