Anything for Her - Complete

Chapter 2

Lissa's eyes filled with tears as she looked at the monitor. While this was apparently not news to her, she was moved by the confirmation of her pregnancy.

The gynecologist and obstetrician Rose now appreciated, was pointing out the baby's various anatomical structures and quizzing Lissa further about her medical history. After answering Lissa's few questions, providing some printouts of the baby's ultrasound and instructions about prenatal vitamins and a list of foods Lissa shouldn't eat, Dr. Schwartz wished them both well and sent them back to reception to make the required follow up appointments.

Making her way along the corridor to the front desk Lissa appeared calm and collected, but the shake of her hands as she reached for her wallet to pay for the appointment gave her true feelings away. For her part, Rose was completely silent, still processing the very unexpected news. Her best friend was expecting a baby.

Quickly setting up the next few appointments, Lissa walked out into the sunshine, Rose following in her wake. It was 9.30 am, so they had an hour and a half before they had to leave for the hour's drive back to Court.

"Let's eat," Rose said, taking the initiative. Once in the car, she drove around the streets of Greensborough until she found a diner. Parking out the front, the two took the most secluded booth in preparation for what was going to be an awkward conversation.

"It's not Christian's," Lissa whispered, a long fingernail tracing the seam in the faded Formica tabletop, again unable to bring her eyes up to meet her best friend's.

Rose had already figured that much out. Christian and Dimitri had been away for five months. If Lissa were twelve weeks pregnant, that meant she'd conceived some ten weeks ago.

"Who? When?" she asked, racking her brain for who was close enough to Lissa that this could happen.

"Oh my God! Adrian! That's why you sent him away! Oh, Liss! How could you have been so irresponsible?! I know Christian will be angry, but he'll stick by you. We can make up a story that he and Dimitri came back for a secret weekend visit a few months ago. The baby will almost certainly have green eyes, but you can pass that off as coming from the Dragomir side of the family. I mean, Adrian is not exactly daddy material – you could swear him to secrecy and raise the baby with Christian as your own. No one will ever know..." Rose was rambling, the words falling out of her mouth as quickly as they came to mind.

"That's not going to work," Lissa said pessimistically.

"I'm sure if you explain to Christian it was a stupid mistake he'll understand. He loves you, Liss. It was a one-off silly accident, wasn't it? I mean this isn't an ongoing thing is it?" Rose asked quickly.

"It was stupid, and it was a one-off. But it wasn't Adrian. And Christian and I won't be able to pass this baby off as ours, because it won't be Moroi."

Not Moroi? Then that meant the father of Lissa's baby had to be "Dhampir?" Rose gasped her mind literally in free-fall now.

"Eddie," Lissa whispered, so faintly Rose could barely hear her. "The night of the solstice ball. Eddie was on duty that night so you could have the night off and be there as a guest. Remember I got a little tipsy? Well, Eddie helped me back to my rooms. I was so lonely, and missed Christian so much. I just wanted to be held – to be loved a little." Lissa's voice was pleading for Rose's understanding. Maybe even her forgiveness. "It was just the once, and I felt so guilty afterward."

"And Eddie?" Rose asked, her mind reeling.

Lissa finally met Rose's eyes, pain, and shame lurking in their depths.