EVE JERKED UPRIGHT ON THE couch, her eyes wildly searching the darkness.
Her pulse was racing, but the palms of her hands were cold. It took a minute for her to realize that she was not still in that deadly brush.
A dream?
But it had seemed so real. John Gallo had been gone nearly three weeks, but he had also seemed so real. Although it was a John Gallo she had never known. If she was going to dream about John, why wouldn’t it be sensual, sexual, and not a horrible, deadly chase that had ended her life. That was what her time with John had been all about. Sex, passion, and mindless pleasure that had ended with a desperate intensity that had almost frightened her.
And perhaps that was why she had dreamed of John as the pursuer, the enemy, just exaggerated and translated into a life-and-death struggle.
And all this soul-searching was crap over a simple nightmare. She swung her feet to the floor and got up and went to the bathroom. She drank a glass of water, then went back to the couch.
Go back to sleep. It was only a dream. She was doing fine. She was back in her routine of work and school and keeping herself so busy that she barely thought of John. It was as if that period was also a dream. It was probably good that she had experienced that passion then and not later. She could put it behind her and concentrate on work.
And that was crap, too. She was giving herself excuses, and there had been nothing calculated about what she’d done.
But it was over now, and she was doing just fine.
“YOU DON’T LOOK SO GOOD.” Teresa was gazing at Eve critically. “You got the flu or somethin’?”
“Maybe.” She finished the to-go order and set it on the warming shelf. “It’s going around.”
“Well, you’re white as that paper bag. Don’t breathe on me. I’ve had enough bugs this year.”
“I’ll stay away.” She wished Teresa would be quiet. Her head was pounding, and she was fighting against throwing up. The smell of frying hamburgers was making her stomach churn.
“You should go home. You gonna have to ride the bus?”
“How else?”
“I thought maybe John might be back in town. He’s been gone a couple months, hasn’t he? Have you heard from him?”
“No. I didn’t expect to hear from him.”
“Hot and heavy, then good-bye?” Teresa made a face. “Yeah, that’s the way it goes. But it can be worth it.”
“Maybe.”
“He had a real thing for you. I couldn’t get him to pay any attention to- Where are you going?”
Sick. So sick.
She barely made it to the bathroom before she threw up.
And then threw up again.
Lord, she felt awful.
She sank down to the floor beside the toilet.
She’d get up again soon, but she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her right now.
“Eve?”
Teresa.
“I’m okay. Go back to work.”
“You’re not okay.” She opened the door of the enclosure. “Can I get you a wet towel or something?”
“No, just leave me-” She scrambled over the toilet again and threw up. “I’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, sure.” Teresa was wetting a paper towel at the sink. “Like my roommate, Linda, was okay. You think I don’t know the signs. How far along are you? Almost two months? Three?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about that gorgeous son of a bitch who didn’t protect you.” She laid the towel on Eve’s forehead. “You’re only a kid. He should have-” She broke off as she saw Eve’s expression. “What did you expect? Anyone could see that you were so hot for each other, you were dizzy with it. You should have come to me. I’d have helped you.”
“You think I’m… pregnant?”
“The timing’s right. My roommate started getting morning sickness at about three months.” She frowned. “Aren’t you? Haven’t you missed your periods?”
“I’m not always regular. I thought the pills might have-” She closed her eyes. “I
Teresa was dabbing at her forehead. “Nothing is foolproof.”
“My mother never got pregnant, and she’s been on them for years.”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re not pregnant,” Teresa said. “But I’d go to a doctor and find out.” She paused. “And then maybe call John Gallo and see if he’ll help you out. He should pay if he’s going to play.”
“Pay?”
“You’re sixteen. You can’t handle this. I can take you to Linda’s doctor. If you’re not too far along, an abortion is easy. She only had to stay home two days after hers.”
Abortion.
The word struck her like a blow. The shocks were coming at her too fast, too horribly.
She shook her head, hard. “I’m not pregnant. You’re wrong. It’s a mistake.”
“It always is.” Teresa patted her shoulder. “Look, you go on home. I’ll explain to Mr. Kimble.”
Eve looked at her with alarm.
“No, not that you’re pregnant. He might get rid of you. Bosses don’t like to deal with women’s problems.” She helped her to her feet. “You have the flu, remember? Stay here. I’ll go get your purse.”
Stay here? She felt so weak that she didn’t know if she’d even be able to get to the bus stop. Nausea, shock, horror were all attacking her, bringing her down. She hung on to the basin to keep upright.
“It’s okay.” Teresa was back and handing Eve’s purse to her and helping her toward the door. “Get going.”
“I will.” She stopped to look back at Teresa. Even through the haze of shock and panic, she realized that the girl had been kinder than Eve could have expected. “Thank you.”
Teresa shrugged. “We’ve got to stick together. I could be in the same fix myself someday. The only thing you can trust a guy for is to give you a good time. The rest is up to us.” She gave her a gentle push. “Get on home. Crackers used to settle Linda’s stomach.”
Eve wished she’d stop comparing her to her roommate. Maybe she wasn’t in the same condition. Maybe Teresa was wrong.
But she had the panicky feeling that she was right.
