Chapter 347 Surprise Pregnancies
ADRIANA
The delicate clink of porcelain against the saucer was the only sound in the room as one of the maids placed a steaming cup of tea before Doctor Jones. He acknowledged her with a brief nod, but his hands remained motionless on his knees, his gaze fixed on the cup as if it contained some terrible secret.
"The reason I called you here is because Sandy also informed me that Lucy's first pregnancy was lost due to poisoning." I watched his face carefully. "She said that's what you told her."
He cleared his throat, the sound rough in the quiet room. He shifted forward in his chair, the leather groaning beneath him.
"My Queen, I did say that. Lucy had no issues conceiving the first time, but after she lost the baby, it seemed her mental state prevented her from getting pregnant again. She believed she was at fault, even though I told her that it wasn't possible that it was her fault."
"Why do you say so?" I leaned forward, my fingers tapping lightly against the desk.
His eyes drifted back to the untouched cup of tea, and I felt a prickle of unease crawl up my spine.
"You've been staring at that cup since the maids brought it." I gestured toward it. "Is there an issue or would you like me to ask them to take it away?"
"No, not at all." He shook his head, his expression unreadable. "I'm staring at the cup because that's what caused her miscarriage."
The air in the room suddenly felt thick, charged with an unspoken threat. My own cup, which I'd been holding halfway to my lips, slipped from my fingers and crashed to the floor, shattering into a dozen pieces. The hot tea splashed across the rug as I jumped back, my heart racing.
He laughed softly, a dry, humorless sound. "Oh, no no. You don't have to worry about that. Ginger can only be poisonous to pregnant women when taken in large amounts during early pregnancy. In fact, doctors do advise pregnant women to take at least a cup of ginger a day. It's good for the baby."
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, my pulse still hammering in my ears.
"So you're saying that Lucy took large amounts of ginger in her early pregnancy and that led to her miscarriage?"
He nodded, his expression grave. "At first, it was hard to find what caused it. I ran all sorts of tests just as she instructed me to, but I couldn't find anything. So I asked if there had been any changes in her diet, and that's when she told me about the tea. She said she took it every morning, afternoon, and evening. She was barely even two months. And four to five cups at a time? Undiluted? It was bound to happen."
Of course, it was bound to happen. Thinking about it now, Lucy should have known better. But then when we searched her house, she didn't seem like she took ginger regularly. The only time we found ginger was in the cabin with the two cups, which led us to believe that Alisha had been there too.
"But doctor, was that a fault of hers? Was drinking ginger tea a regular thing for her? Why didn't you advise her on it earlier?"
He finally stopped looking at the cup like it was a death threat and brought it to his lips, taking a cautious sip.
"I had no idea that she had a devil on her shoulder who was advising her." He set the cup down, his eyes meeting mine. "That friend of hers gave her ginger tea every morning, saying that she had taken it when she was pregnant."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I whipped around to look at Hazel, who was standing behind me, her eyes wide with shock.
"You mean, Alisha was pregnant?"
He nodded. "I only found out myself after everything had happened. Lucy told me that Alisha had used it during her pregnancy and maybe it was her fault the baby died."
Where was Alisha's baby? Who is the father? And how come this didn't come up earlier?
I grabbed my notepad from the desk, my hands trembling slightly as I wrote down everything he had said so I wouldn't forget.
"So, you're saying that Alisha told Lucy that she was once pregnant? Did Lucy know what happened to the baby?"
He shrugged. "I can't say. I wasn't really bothered about the person who killed my friend's baby, so I didn't bother to ask."
This was a very interesting take. But then, there was no one else to ask. I sure as hell couldn't ask Lucy what happened to the baby, and I didn't know who else to ask. I'd have to figure out a way to find out for myself.
"Doctor, thank you so much for coming. I don't think you knew what you have done for us by telling us all this. And if there's anything else you remember, please don't hesitate to reach out. At this point, everything can be of help to us."
He stood up and extended his hand. I took it, his grip firm and reassuring.
"It's a pleasure to be here, My Queen. And I'd like to congratulate you."
I was confused. "On what?"
"Oh, I'm guessing you wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret."
I was still very confused. "Pregnancy? What are you talking about? I'm not pregnant."
His face became white. "Oh, you must forgive me, My Queen. I thought you were."
I turned around to see Hazel holding in a laugh. Had I added on weight and didn't realize it? Did my stomach look protruded? I've had so much to do in the past week that I didn't even bother to exercise anymore.
"My Queen, you must accept my apology—"
"Oh, forget it doc. You were just doing your job. How can I take offense in that? Let it go. I'll walk you out."
Did I look pregnant? Or was that why Elijah had been avoiding me for weeks? Maybe it was. I probably looked different.
"Doctor, do I look pregnant? I mean, aside from my stomach not being big and all. Do I look like I have added weight? How about I come down to the hospital and you check me?"
The doctor looked like he had been cornered, like a rat that had been caught stealing.
Hazel finally let out the laughter that she had been holding in.
"Doctor, forgive the Queen. She doesn't find offense in your statement. As you know, talks about a woman's appearance would surely raise eyebrows especially when she's not pregnant."
He looked to me for confirmation before speaking, his eyes wide with uncertainty.