Fatal Series 00 - Fatal Destiny

that.
    “I was late for the shower. I’m sorry about that. But let’s not turn it into something it’s not, okay?”
    Biting his tongue and holding back the desire to shake her until she leveled with him, Nick nodded.
    She brushed past him, and he followed her, relieved to have found her but still riddled with worries. She’d said exactly what she thought he needed to hear. But the wall was still up, and he was beginning to wonder if it would ever come down again.
     
    The gifts had been opened and properly oohed and ahhed over. She’d eaten and laughed with her sisters and coworkers and even razzed his deputy chief of staff, Terry O’Connor, a man she’d tangled with in the past, about his flirtation with Chief Medical Examiner Lindsey McNamara.
    Their guests left with an impression of a happy bride eagerly awaiting her big day. The moment the last guest left, though, Sam mentioned a headache and went upstairs to bed. Before the miscarriage, they’d always gone to bed together. Always. Now, it seemed she couldn’t go far enough out of her way to avoid him.
    Listening to the soft cadence of her breathing, he remembered something she’d once shared about being lonely with her ex-husband. She’d said that even when Peter was sitting right next to her on the sofa or lying next to her in bed, she was often lonely in the relationship. They’d vowed to never let that happen to them. Yet here in the dark of night with the woman he’d waited so long to find sleeping right next to him, Nick was lonelier than he’d ever been in his life.

Chapter 2
    Sam waited impatiently in the exam room. Harry was running late, but she’d forgive him since he snuck her in last-minute on a Monday morning. At least this time he wouldn’t have his hands all over her girl parts.
    A knock on the door preceded him into the room. “So sorry to keep you waiting, Sam. I had an emergency earlier that’s put me behind.”
    “No problem.” Like she did every time she saw Nick’s close friend, Sam admired his dark hair, handsome face and adorable dimples.
    “Nice shower the other night.”
    “It really was. My sisters went all out.”
    “I gotta say, I’m surprised to see you this week,” he said. “I figured you’d have far more important things to do than to check in with me.”
    “I need a favor.”
    His smile faded and his brows knitted with concern. “Everything okay with you and Nick?”
    “Yeah, sure. Everything’s fine. It’s just that… um…”
    “Sam,” he said, smiling. “Spit it out. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”
    “I want something for birth control,” she said in a burst of words. “Something that works right away.”
    “I’m surprised to hear that. I was under the impression you were anxious to start a family.”
    “I’ve decided I need some more time before that happens. Nick and I haven’t been together that long. We could use some time alone before we take the next step.”
    “Hmm.”
    Sam studied him. “What does that mean— Hmm ?”
    “It’s just, you know, you suffered a miscarriage a few weeks ago, and now you’ve totally changed direction on how you feel about having a baby. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask how you’re doing up here.” He tapped his head.
    “I’m fine,” Sam said, annoyed. She wanted a shot, and she wanted to get out of there. What was so hard about that? “Look, Harry, I appreciate the concerned friend routine. I really do. I’m not looking to get my tubes tied. I want something short-term that will buy me a little time to get used to being married before I add a baby to the picture. That’s all there is to it.”
    “While I’m honored that you consider me a friend, I’m actually coming at this as a doctor more than a friend. I know how much you wanted that baby, Sam.”
    Goddamn him. Goddamn him and the softly spoken words that had her swallowing frantically to deal with the emotion that closed her throat. “I wanted the baby. I won’t deny that. And I won’t deny I’m not ready to try again.”
    “So why not go with condoms until you are?”
    Good old Harry was too damned perceptive for his own good. “Not that you probably want to hear this, but if I’m covered, then we can be spontaneous, which makes for a much better honeymoon, right?” Sam made a big show of checking her watch. “Are you going to help me out, or should I go somewhere else?”
    Harry studied her for a long, long moment.
    It was all Sam could do