Masquerade

RYAN

Ryan found herself staring at her phone for several long minutes. Work was over, and she was ready to either call or text Marco. She just couldn’t figure out what to say.

“Did you call him yet?” demanded Anna as soon as she stepped into the doctors’ break room.

“No, I’m still trying to decide what to say.”

Scoffing, Anna grabbed her phone and dialed Marco’s number before Ryan could protest, putting it on speaker so they could both hear it ringing.

“Hello?” That voice. It sent chills down Ryan’s spine in an excellent way.

Ryan swallowed, then forced out the words, “Yes, this is Dr. Andrews. I understand you were looking for me earlier today.”

He sounded breathless now. “I was… I was wondering if we could meet for a coffee.”

Anna answered for her, “Okay!” Ryan shot her friend a dirty look but couldn’t complain aloud while Marco was on the phone.

“How does that indie coffee shop on Fifth, Julio’s, work? Say, an hour?”

“See you there,” Anna answered yet again. Then she hung up before Ryan could say anything. “This is your chance; take it. What were the odds that he would come in looking for you?”

Ryan shook her head. “He’s probably looking for a fuck buddy. He’s not going to love it when I come in with the news I’m pregnant.”

“At least you know he didn’t forget you. You’re going to that coffee shop, hon, even if I have to drag you there myself.”

“Fine, but I’m not changing.”

Anna shrugged. “You look hot in scrubs anyway.”

Ryan knew she didn’t look terrible; her scrubs were clean, and her hair was in a messy bun with tendrils hanging down to frame her face. But still, she worried about whether she would meet his standards.

Marco Livingston was known for always being well-dressed. But Ryan was comfortable, and after a long day, she decided that was all that mattered to her. It wasn’t like she actually expected anything from this meeting.

MARCO

Marco got to the café fifteen minutes early, ordered a coffee, and started stirring it restlessly. He realized that he kept looking up every time the door opened and forced himself to stop.

He didn’t know why he was so nervous. He’d found Dr. Andrews. After months, they would finally be together again, and he could ask her out properly. The hard part was over!

…Right?

“Marco?” came a voice, pulling him from his thoughts. Somehow, Dr. Andrews was even more beautiful than he remembered. He sprang up to pull out her chair.

“Please, have a seat. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Well, you found me,” she said, hanging her coat on the back of her chair. She was still wearing scrubs from the hospital. She made them look amazing.

“You didn’t tell me your name that night,” he complained. “You just snuck away.”

Dr. Andrews glanced up as the waiter brought her a steaming cup of tea, without her even having to order. She must come here a lot. He wondered if that was a bad sign. Should he have invited her someplace new and exciting?

She turned her attention back to Marco. “I wasn’t exactly sure what the protocol was.”

“What is your name? Or should I just call you Dr. Andrews?”

“Ryan,” she said. “My dad wanted a son and he got me.”

Ryan. He tried the name out in his head. It suited her. “Well, Ryan, I’d love to take you out to dinner.”

“Why?” She sounded shocked. He couldn’t imagine why.

“Because I’d like to get to know you better,” he said.

“I think we should talk about what happened that night,” she said, sounding nervous about something.

Marco smiled, hoping to put her at ease. “I enjoyed it. I was hoping for a repeat until I woke up alone.”

She laughed. “I think we might have enjoyed it a little too much.”

Ah. So that was what she was worried about. “I’ll admit, that wasn’t my first one-night stand. But it was the first time I was unprotected. Don’t worry, I’m clean.”

“Same here,” she said, “but I’m not talking about diseases.”

He furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry; I don’t follow.”

She reached into her purse and handed him a piece of paper. “Here.”

He took it, glancing over what looked like a blood test result. His eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. “Wait,” he said, doing the math in his head. “Are you saying that you’re pregnant? And it’s mine?”

“I’m sure it is; you were my only partner in six months, and it’s obvious we did something that night.” Ryan stood up. “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you for anything. Just thought you should know.”

Marco grabbed her hand before she could walk away. “Wait, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. If you want to have a paternity test done, I’ll have it arranged.”

He had been studying her facial expressions and body language as she spoke, and he realized he believed her. If any other woman showed up with a surprise pregnancy, he would think she was trying to trap him. But Ryan…?

“I think a paternity test would be wise,” he said slowly. “I’d still like to take you to dinner so we can further discuss this.”

“Don’t you want to wait for the results so you know I’m not lying?” she challenged.

“I don’t believe you are lying; the paternity test is just a formality. If we’re having a child together, I think we need to work out some details. Don’t you?” The words felt foreign in his mouth. Having a child together.

She blinked at him like she didn’t know how to react. “Come to the hospital at nine tomorrow morning and we’ll do the test. It could take a week for the results to come back, though.”

“I’ll pay to have them by the end of the day,” he promised.

“Fine. We’ll figure everything else out after we get the results.” She tried to walk away again. He kept hold of her hand.

“Do you really not remember that night?” he asked.

“Just pieces of it,” she admitted. “I remember meeting you, and going up to your hotel room. I remember leaving as the sun was coming up. In between…it’s mostly impressions. Flashes.”

He tried for a flirtatious grin. “My own memories couldn’t be more vivid. I’d be happy to share if you’d like a reminder.”

He hoped her blush was a good sign.

***

Marco showed up at nine the following morning and had his blood drawn and his cheek swabbed. Then he watched as the doctor, Ryan’s friend Anna, did the same blood draw on Ryan.

“This test isn’t harmful to the baby, is it?” he asked. Overnight he’d had enough time to think a little, and while the idea of a baby was still new and strange, it wasn’t unwelcome. He wanted to protect this child.

Anna smiled. “Not at all. We can use her blood to tell the DNA of the baby; the test will even show the sex.”

“How accurate is it?”

“Basically a hundred percent. You can trust the results.” Anna put the labeled tubes of blood and the cheek swab into an envelope and passed them off to a technician. “How should we contact you?”

“I’m on until eleven tonight, so they can just find me here,” said Ryan.

Marco handed Anna another card, since he assumed she’d given his first one to Ryan. “Please email the results to me as soon as they are available, including the sex.” Then he put his suit jacket back on and walked away.

For the rest of the day, he couldn’t seem to stop checking his emails. He didn’t think Ryan was lying to him, but he had to be sure; he wouldn’t be taken for a fool.

Finally, with yet another inbox refresh, there it was. Requested test results, read the subject line. He hesitated for a moment before opening it. His eyes skimmed over a long list of gene names and numbers, to the summary at the bottom.

Based on the analysis listed above, the probability of paternity for subject Marco Livingston is 99.99 percent.

Marco sat with that for a moment. Then he let his eyes skim back up to the first line, which listed the child’s chromosomes. XY. It was a boy.

He reached for his phone and called Ryan, but it cut off on the second ring. She must’ve intentionally sent him to voicemail.

He read and reread those results: a son. He was going to be a father, and he hardly knew the mother.