Chapter 78

NOLAN’S POV

“Anna!” I heard Ivan call out behind me. 

I turned around to see what was going on. I watched Anna drop and Ivan caught her. The second Anna’s body went limp, my heart nearly stopped.

I ran up to check on her.

“I’ve got her,” Ivan said, holding her.

“No. Give her to me,” I snapped, snatching her out of his arms and cradling her against my chest. “Get the fucking car running. Now!”

Ivan ran out the door without another word.

I looked down at her pale skin as I carried her out of the warehouse. “Stay with me, Princess. You’re gonna be okay.”

She didn’t respond.

“Dimitri,” I snapped as I ran out. “Meet us at the clinic. Now.”

He nodded, already pulling out his phone.

The second I got to the car, Ivan had the back door open. I climbed in with her still in my arms. She wasn’t moving. My fingers stroked her clammy cheek as I whispered her name over and over again. “Anna. Baby, come on, wake up.”

She didn’t move.

My mind spiraled. This must be the fever she claimed was gone.

“Dammit, why didn’t I push for her to get checked?” I muttered.

She’d looked pale all morning, but she insisted she was fine. And I—fucking fool that I am—I believed her.

All I could do was hold her and will her to wake up. I’d seen gunshots, broken bones, torture—but nothing terrified me like watching her go completely still in my arms.

By the time we got to the clinic, nurses were already outside with a stretcher. “Careful,” I told the nurse as I placed her on the stretcher. “Be careful with her.”

“She’ll be okay,” one of them said gently as they rolled her through the automatic doors.

“Please… just take care of her.”

“We will.”

They wheeled her into the emergency unit and the doors shut behind them.

I stood frozen in the corridor, my fists clenched.

Dimitri arrived moments later, eyes wide with concern. “What the hell happened?”

“She woke up with a fever this morning but said she was fine. I should’ve fucking known better.” I said through clenched teeth. “One second she was standing, the next…” I shook my head. 

“She’ll be alright, man. You got her here quick,” he said, trying to reassure me, but it did nothing. I couldn’t sit. I was still very disturbed.

I sat down hard on the wooden bench in the waiting area with my elbows on my knees, “She said she was fine.” I said as I ran my hands over my face.

“She probably thought she was,” he said, taking a seat beside me

Minutes passed like hours. The sterile scent of disinfectant clung to the air. I stared at the double doors, waiting for them to open.

Finally, they did.

Our doctor stepped out, holding a clipboard in hand. “Nolan.”

I stood immediately, “Is she okay?”

“She’s awake,” the doctor said with a nod. “You can see her now. Her results will be ready shortly, but there’s nothing life-threatening. Likely a combination of stress, low blood sugar, and elevated hormone activity.”

“Hormone activity?” I asked, frowning.

He smiled. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s just something she ate. But we’ll know more once the tests come back.”

I sighed in relief. “Thanks, Doc.”

I pushed the door open and found her sitting up in the hospital bed, looking tired but conscious.

“Hey,” I breathed as I walked across the room. I wrapped my arms around her carefully, not too tight. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Dimitri stood near the door. “Damn, Anna. You could’ve at least warned us before pulling a stunt like that.”

She chuckled weakly. “I’d bear that in mind for next time.”

Dimitri stepped in behind me. “Great,” he said, grinning. “You nearly gave this one right here a heart attack.”

Anna let out a soft laugh. “That bad, huh?”

“Don’t scare me like that again, Princess," I said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“I’ll try not to.”

Just then, the doctor returned, holding a folder. “We got the results back.”

We all turned to him.

He cleared his throat. “Congratulations ma’am. You’re five weeks pregnant.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Anna blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re pregnant,” he repeated, smiling. “Five weeks along.”

“That’s not possible,” she said quickly. “I have a contraceptive implant.”

The smile on his face faltered slightly. “Well, we ran the test multiple times. The results are conclusive. You’re definitely pregnant.”

I turned to look at her, stunned. “You had a contraceptive implant this whole time?”

She stared at me. “You didn’t know?”

I scratched the back of my neck. “You never told me.”

She gaped. “We’ve been having unprotected sex for almost a year, Nolan. You never once wondered why I didn’t get pregnant?”

“I just… figured we were lucky, or something,” I said lamely. 

Anna scoffed and turned to the doctor. “Please run another test. I’m sure this is a mistake. I don’t feel pregnant.”

“We ran it three times,” the doctor said gently. “Same result. Sometimes the implant fails—it’s rare, but it happens.”

“Well, no shit,” Anna said as she sank into the bed. 

“I’ll give you both some privacy.” He said as he turned and left the room.

Dimitri, who remained quiet until now, clapped his hands lightly. “Well, I did not see this plot twist coming.”

Anna shot him a look.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, holding up his hands. “I’ll go find coffee.”

He slipped out and closed the door behind him.

I turned to Anna, who was now staring blankly at the wall.

“This is… a lot,” I said carefully.

“No kidding,” she replied in a cold tone.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I thought I had more time. I thought I had control over this.”

“You still do,” I said, reaching for her hand. “Whatever you want, whatever you decide—we’ll figure it out. Together.”

“Yeah, I just need to think,” she whispered. “About everything.”

“Take all the time you need.” I moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I know this wasn’t the plan. But maybe it’s not the worst thing either.”

She looked at me, eyes wide. “You’re not freaking out?”

“Of course, I’m freaking out,” I said with a nervous laugh. “But it’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened.”

She raised a brow. “You were talking about kids this morning, and now this happens. Are you sure you didn’t manifest this into existence?”

I chuckled. “Maybe I did. My bad.”

She sighed, laying her head back against the pillows. “This changes everything,” she said quietly.