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Mandie showered and dressed nervously for the doctor. She was bracing for the worst but praying for the best. The mere fact that she hadn't seen any spotting was encouraging. And she had followed instructions and stayed strictly in bed, off her feet. There were only a few times she wandered ... Craig watched her getting ready. He was going through the same as she, hoping for the best, etc. He wasn't sure how he would react should the doctor just shake her head. He felt a little sad at that thought. He loved his fiance and was looking forward to this baby. She stood in front of him expectantly. He hadn't even noticed she was there for a moment until she touched his arm. He looked at her.
"Ready?" He asked lightly. She nodded, a little frown on her face. He took her arm and they headed down to the truck. The drive to the office was eerily silent. The wait in the waiting room was nearly the same. By the time the nurse called her into the exam room, Mandie was a nervous wreck. She grabbed Craig's hand and pulled him in with her. The nurse asked her to urinate in a cup and then they went into the room. She instructed Mandie to get undressed from the waist down and, after asking some questions, left them alone. She sat on the exam table, swinging her legs over the side. Craig sat with his head against the wall. Time crept by slowly ... 15 minutes passed before there was a gentle knock on the door and the doctor came in. Dr. Burgess was a slight woman, short blonde hair and a thin mouth. Mandie was short in stature herself but almost towered over Dr. Burgess. She smiled when she saw Mandie.
"Hello, dear." She said, not noticing Craig in the corner. He stood to introduce himself. Dr. Burgess looked up at him and smiled. "And you must be Craig!" She said extending her hand. Craig took it and shook.
"I am." He said. "Worried about my girl, here." He nodded towards Mandie. Dr. Burgess turned to her and sat down on the stool in front of the exam table.
"Well, let's check her out then." The Dr. asked some questions and then proceeded to do an internal exam. Afterward she pulled off the gloves, tossed them into the trash and sat back down. Being as she had a smile on her face, Mandie took that as good news. "You appear to be fine, Mandie. But that isn't to say if you don't take it easy for a while it still won't happen. It could happen even without there having been an assault. Watch out for signs or symptoms, cramping, spotting, those types of things. Call me right away if that should happen." Mandie looked over at Craig and thought she spied tears in his eyes. Seeing him so emotional brought tears immediately to Mandie's eyes. She reached out for Craig and he came up to her and put his arm around her. He held her tightly while the doctor made notes in the chart. She closed it and smiled brightly at the young couple in front of her, clinging to each other. "Remember, take it very easy." The doctor got up and went to the door. "And, if all is well, see me again in six weeks." And then she was gone. Craig hugged Mandie tightly and then released her. She got dressed and they left. The mood in the truck on the way back home was much lighter. Mandie asked Craig if he wanted to stop for lunch somewhere. He said it was a good idea and swung into a brewpub that his band had played in once or twice. They sat down at a table and waited for the waitress. Mandie looked around. The place had a lot of character. It was called The Firehouse and she checked out the decor while they waited. A woman slid up to them and handed them a couple of menus. Craig took one and did a double take. Standing there, one hand on her hip was Charlotte, his ex-girlfriend. She stared down at him, emotionless. Craig looked up at her and then over to Mandie to see if she noticed his discomfort at the situation he was in. She had her nose stuck in the menu and hadn't noticed. Charlotte sighed.
"Ok, Craig, if you won't say something then I will." She said. Mandie frowned and looked up at Charlotte. Charlotte leaned over and stuck her hand out to Mandie. "I'm Charlotte. And you are?" Mandie slid her hand inside Charlotte's hand timidly. Charlotte shook once and released her hand.
"I, I'm Mandie. Who are you?" Mandie stammered. Craig got up from the table and pulled Mandie up with him.
"We're leaving." He said pulling Mandie towards the door. Mandie stopped him.
"Who is she, Craig?" She turned to Charlotte. "Who are you?" Charlotte was a beauty. She stood as tall as Greg, had flaming red hair and very green eyes. She had long, red fingernails and a slender figure. She watched Mandie and played with her hair. She was chewing gum and blew a bubble before speaking.
"I am Craig's ex-girlfriend. Didn't he tell you about me?" Realization dawned on Mandie, it was the Playboy Playmate that Marcus had told her about! Mandie's mouth dropped open and she stared. Charlotte was enjoying the show and smiled slowly. Greg grabbed Mandie's hand and pulled her to the door. He succeeded in getting Mandie outside. She pulled him to a halt. He stuck his hand on his hip and frowned. She stared at him.
"You could have told me, Gregory." She scolded. He looked up at the grey sky and sighed heavily.
"How did I know she was going to be here?" He snapped. He sighed again, he didn't mean to snap but seeing her had upset him greatly.
"Don't you dare be mad at me!" Mandie spat back at him. "You picked the place Craig! For all I know you wanted to run in to her!" He felt his anger rise. He had not wanted to see Charlotte, he never wanted to see Charlotte! Charlotte was a tender subject in his life. She was beautiful, she was smart, she was a model, and she didn't want him. She was a user. She used him and threw him aside when she discovered that he was going nowhere fast. He had loved Charlotte at one time. He now looked at Mandie, she stood there angrily, her arms folded across her midsection. She was waiting for a response. He sighed heavily.
"Goddammit, Mandie, I did not want to run into her. I would be happy if I had never, ever seen her again. It pissed me off that she was there and I just wanted to get away from her." He walked away from Mandie and ran his hand through his hair. He began to walk toward the truck. "Let's go." He called behind him. Mandie stood fast. He stopped and watched her. She was just standing there. He considered going back and dragging her away. "Fuck that ..." He said to himself and got into the truck. He sat there in the driver's seat and waited. When Mandie didn't appear he started the truck and backed up to where she was standing - in front of The Firehouse. He jumped out of the truck, picked up Mandie, put her in the truck, shut the door and drove away. Craig stared straight ahead. Mandie sat quietly. He drove to the apartment, parked, got out and went into the house. After a few minutes of pacing back and forth, went back down to the truck, opened Mandie's door and pulled her out.
"Come into the fucking house." He ordered. She just stood there, arms folded. "Okay ..." He said, picked her up again and carried her to the apartment. He set her down inside. "You will talk to me about this Mandie. I am NOT asking." She turned away from him. He moved in front of her. "I need to hear you talking to me about this." She turned away. He grabbed her brusquely and turned her to face him. "Dammit, Mandie, I love you. We are going to be married! We are having a baby! And you can't handle an ex-girlfriend!" She choked back the tears. Suddenly the phone began to ring. He turned to it briefly and then ignored it. "Talk to me!" He said loudly, almost begging.
"You have upset me, greatly Craig." She said. He pulled her to him then and held her tight.
"I never meant to upset you, baby. I don't love Charlotte, I love you. You know that!" She sobbed against his chest. He stroked her hair and rocked her. "Don't cry, Mandie. I hate to hear you cry. We should be happy right now. The baby is going to be okay." She slid her arms around his waist and held him while she cried. He shushed her and rocked her. He kissed her head. "I love you, Mandie. That's all you need to know, how much I love you ..." It was just then that she felt the wetness between her legs. She pulled away from Craig and ran to the bathroom. She quickly pulled down her jeans and panties and found they were stained red.
