Obsession (Endurance) Read Free

corner of
my room, I’d barely been able to bear it.  He had the same trouble, a look
of constant rage on his face I’d never seen on any person in all my life. 
    One
morning, I woke up and he was gone. 
    I
wondered if he’d come back.  The thought that I might not ever see him
again hurt me more than I could admit to anyone. 
    So
I spent my time reading and writing notes for my third book.  The days
passed slowly but I avoided trying to piece together what had happened to me or
dwelling on Hyde’s absence. 
    Even
though it felt like I was still bleeding on the inside.
     
    Seven
weeks after the attack, my primary doctor entered my room and closed the door
on the two heavily armed men I didn’t recognize flanking it.  They were
the daytime detail.  They tried to stop her but she had a spine of
steel. 
    “I
don’t care who the fuck you are, this is private between doctor and
patient.  Back off.” 
    Dr.
Theresa Spellman was flown in from Boston to oversee my case.  My parents
offered her a new lab to make the move permanently but she refused.  I’d
met her several times when I was younger and we’d always had lovely
conversations.  We worked together on multiple charities. 
    Right
now, her normally lovely latte skin was pale and the skin was drawn tight
around her eyes and mouth. 
    I
gave her a smile.  Small but genuine.  “Just tell me, Theresa. 
Best to just get it out.  Do I have an STD that’s going to haunt me for
the rest of my life?”
    Clearing
her throat carefully, she said, “No, no disease of any kind though you’re still
anemic from the blood loss you suffered.  Your progress is coming along
well because you were so healthy before your attack.” 
    Folding
her hands in front of her, I watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep
breath.  “I’ve waited to tell you something because I can’t imagine all
the shit you’re dealing with and my main priority has been stabilizing
you.  I can’t wait any longer.”  She met my gaze and said calmly,
“Ellie honey, you’re pregnant.” 
     

Chapter Two
     
    As
the statement hung in the suddenly heavy air between us, the enormity of what she’d
said reached me like a sharp slap. 
    Theresa’s
voice was incredibly kind.  “Listen to me, Ellie.  I can take care of
this and no one, not even your parents, will ever know about it.  I know
how deeply you love them and they will never need to know this happened to
you.  I will take your confidence to the grave.”
    I
stared out the window for a long time.  The heat vapor coming off the roof
below my floor held me mesmerized as I rolled the shocking news around in my
mind.  I’d always been pro-choice and I always would be. 
    Still,
I saw the emptiness of my life stretch out in front of me and wondered if this
was the one gentle take-away from my ordeal. 
    Part
of me recoiled in terror, in disgust, knowing the seed of one of those men had
taken in my womb.  That part of me wanted desperately to vomit.
    Another
part of me thought about all the children in violent homes or waiting to be
adopted.  Kids who came from flawed circumstances through no fault of
their own.  They hadn’t asked to be born drug-dependent or physically
disabled or at the wrong time in someone’s life. 
    With
my eyes closed I examined who I was and who I tried to be.  This was a
decision that would affect the rest of my life.  It might hurt my mother
and father. 
    Finally,
it was Preston who made up my mind. 
    I
met her gaze with as much certainty as I could muster.  “I can’t,
Theresa.  My parents tried for twenty-five years to have children.  I
have no family, no real friends who aren’t paid to spend time with me, and one
day my mom and dad will be gone.”
    Just
the thought made my hand press firmly against my heart.
    “It’s
unlikely that I’ll ever marry or have the chance for a relationship or children
in a normal situation.  The legacy from my parents, the love they’ve