Dolce Vita

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Sloane felt like her stomach was doing flip flops as she reached over and turned off the alarm on her cell phone. She looked at her sock clad feet, which were directly in front of her as she sat on the bathroom floor with her back against the side of the tub. She picked at a ripped hole in her jeans, pulling a fraying piece of denim off and tossing it onto the floor beside her as she bit down hard on her lip.

Sitting beside her on the edge of the tub were three identical white plastic sticks, and a fourth was sitting only a few inches away from her on the tub edge flipped over. She had yet to look at it, she wasn’t even sure why she thought the fourth would display anything different than the first three. Taking in a large breath of air she let it out, picking up the most recent stick, tossing it onto the floor beside her upon flipping it over and seeing that annoying little smiley face displayed on it.

Fuck you Clearblue.

Taking in a deep breath Sloane pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned the back of her head against the tub. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly so tears wouldn’t escape and let out a strangled laugh. This had to be some kind of sick joke.

“Sloane! Seriously! I need to pee!” Sloane didn’t move when Kim yelled through the door and banged against it. She wasn’t sure she could move anyway, she felt like she was stuck in her spot. After several seconds of silence Kim called out again, “You’ve been in there for like an hour!”

Sloane pulled herself up off the floor, she wrapped all the pregnancy tests in toilet paper and threw them into the trash before she stood in front of the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror, she tucked her hair behind her ears, looked at her body, before shaking her head harshly and splashed a few handfuls of water onto her face.

She yanked the bathroom door open, stepping around Kim, who rushed inside, and went straight into her bedroom, flopping onto the bed and yanking the comforter over herself. She screamed in frustration into the pillow and her alone time didn’t last very long because only a minute or two later the bed shifted as Kim sat down beside her and asked, “Alright, what the hell is going on?”

Sloane pushed the covers off of her face, rolled onto her back and said, “Nothing.”

“Bull. I can see right through you.” Kim told her with a pointed look.

“Well…uh… I’m pregnant.” Sloane told her, making Kim drop her phone into her lap.

“Oh. My. God. Roman?”

Turning to narrow her eyes at Kim Sloane stated, “No the guy that serves me coffee down the street-yes Roman!”

Kim held her hands up in a surrender fashion and told Sloane, “Well I was just asking to be certain! I mean…well are you sure?”

“Took four tests.”

“Okay well here-wait…how did you produce enough urine to take four tests?” Kim asked incredulously.

Sloane grabbed the pillow from beside her and threw it at Kim and told her, “That is so not the point right now.”

Kim put the pillow in her lap and nodded, “You’re right…We’ll go to the Dr. today, you’ll get a blood test. Maybe you’re not even pregnant, isn’t there a false positive thing?”

“Four in a row? Ya right.” Sloane muttered, tears filling her eyes.

Kim crawled under the covers beside her, wrapping her arms around Sloane and told her, “Oh honey, don’t cry. We’ll figure it out.”

“How could this have happened?” Sloane muttered, reaching up to wipe at her cheeks as Kim ran her hand over Sloane’s caramel locks.

“Well…I mean… I could tell you a few ways if you really don’t know.” Kim told her, and when Sloane turned her head over her shoulder to glare at her Kim said, “I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Yeesh.”

“I am not in the mood for this Kimberly.”

“I know. You’re right. I’m sorry.” Kim told her, before yanking the covers off of them both. Sloane narrowed her eyes again at Kim, who simply grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out of the bed. She told Sloane as she dragged her out of the bedroom, through the apartment and to the front door, “We’re going to get you a blood test.”

“I don’t wanna.” Sloane muttered.

She crossed her arms over her chest as Kim put her shoes on, and rolled her eyes when she shoved her own shoes toward her and told her, “You can’t just pretend this isn’t happening.”

“Watch me.” Sloane stated, making face when Kim knocked her shin with a boot. She let out a loud and dramatic sigh as she stuffed her feet into the chunky heeled booties and followed Kim outside to her car.

Sloane sat in the passenger seat in silence while Kim navigated through traffic to get to whatever clinic she was taking Sloane to. Glancing at Sloane while she stopped at a red light Kim asked curiously, “You want to call Roman first?”

“No.”

Kim quirked an eyebrow, “That was quick.”

“I just… how do you tell someone something like that? Like hi how’s it going by the way I’m pregnant and your life is basically over.” Sloane told her, tapping her nails against her knees as Kim hit the gas and tried to get out in front of the truck beside them to switch lanes.

“It won’t be that bad.” Kim told her with a pointed look.

Shaking her head Sloane told her, “He’s twenty-three, he makes millions a year and is paid to travel all over the place. The last thing he’s gonna want is to be stuck with some girl he barely knows for the next eighteen years. How can I do that to someone?”

“I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit.” Kim told her, pulling into the parking lot and circling it twice looking for a spot to park.

“Come on Kimberly, I’m not stupid, who in their right mind would actually want this?” Sloane asked as Kim finally found a parking spot and pulled into it.

Turning into her seat to face Sloane Kim said, “No one, but the point is he’s not gonna be the kind of guy who’s just gonna leave you to deal with it by yourself. He’s gonna want to know what’s going on, and I guarantee he’s gonna want to be involved.”

“Yeah, sure.” Sloane stated as she got out of the car, trying her best not to slam the door behind her,

Kim followed her inside, standing back to let Sloane check herself in, and she took the empty seat beside her friend in the waiting room once Sloane sat down. They were silent for a long time before Kim told her, “All I’m saying is that you have to tell him at some point.”

Ignoring her comment and changing the subject Sloane asked her, “So what happened with you and Colin?”

Kim let out a sigh and told her, “He just decided things weren’t gonna be serious and exclusive and I’m not gonna waste my time on high school shit. Either date me and only me or don’t.”

“I hate him and he’s a hag.” Sloane stated with a nod of her head that made Kim chuckle and lean her head on Sloane’s shoulder.

“You’re my best friend in the entire world.” Kim informed her with a grin.

“Better be, and you’re mine. There’s no one else I’d want to keep me company at Planned Parenthood.” Sloane told her, making them both chuckle.

“Sloane Vega?” She practically jumped out of her uncomfortable chair when her name was called, and Kim linked their arms together and walked them both out of the waiting area and into a room down the hall. Letting out a breath of relief when Kim hopped onto the table beside Sloane, linking their arms together again, Sloane got as comfortable as she could and glanced around the room.

Her eyes locked on the poster of what goes on in the body during pregnancy, and she had to tear them away when Kim nudged her and said, “Stop freaking out, just relax. No matter what you’re gonna be fine I’m gonna make sure of it.”

Sloane nodded but said nothing, and fifteen minutes of silence later an older woman with greying hair and a lab coat walked into the room with a chart. She didn’t even look up as she asked, “So you’re here for a pregnancy test?”

Sloane nodded, her mouth was too dry for her to speak and Kim gave her arm a squeeze. The lab tech glanced between them as Kim told her, “She took a few home tests but just needed the confirmation.”

The tech nodded and grabbed her supplies, and without any warning she was grabbing Sloane’s arm, wrapping a tourniquet around her bicep and sticking the needle into the crook of her arm. Sloane watched the vial fill up with blood and as soon as it did the tourniquet was yanked loose and the needle was pulled out as a cotton ball was placed onto her skin.

“We’ll give you a call with the results by the end of the day. Is there anything else?” When Sloane shook her head the tech left them alone and Sloane put her head in her hands. Kim rubbed her back soothingly and she couldn’t stop a giggle from slipping past her lips.

Sloane turned to look at her with an eyebrow raise and she burst out laughing when Kim grinned and told her, “She totally thought we were lesbian lovers trying to have a baby.”

“Please, like I’d ever date you.” Sloane told her, laughing as Kim rolled her eyes and hopped off the table.

“That would imply that I would date you.” She retorted, linking their arms together again as Sloane got off the table.

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m hot.” Sloane stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Kim chuckled and told her, “Check your ego at the door please.”

As they were walking out to Kim’s car Sloane asked, “So what do you think is worse? Lesbian lovers or an unmarried 23 year old pregnant with some guy she barely knows?”

“I think either way she would have had a conniption.”

- - -

Shea glanced at Roman as he tossed his phone into his jacket pocket with a huff, his hand reached into his pocket to swish his keys around noisily. They were walking out into the players parking lot together, the last two to leave the locker room after a particularly tough loss, and despite knowing Roman probably didn’t want to talk Shea asked him, “What’s up man?”

Roman turned his head to his left to look at Shea as they stopped at Shea’s SUV and shrugged, telling him, “Sloane’s been weird lately.”

“She’s a girl. You’re gonna have to define weird for me.” Shea joked, and when Roman didn’t even crack a smile he asked, “Okay, what’s the deal?”

“We haven’t talked in almost a week. She doesn’t respond to my calls or texts, I went over to her place a few days ago and she was home but wouldn’t come to the door. I just don’t know what’s going on, like if I said or did something or something.” Shea felt bad for his defense partner, he was absolutely lost. Roman hadn’t had a girlfriend since getting to Nashville, a few dates here and there but never anything serious and Shea knew he didn’t know how to approach this.

“Alright, we are gonna have to call in the big guns on this one.” Shea stated, unlocking his car and steering Roman to the passenger seat. When Roman raised his eyebrows Shea explained, “Riley will know what to do.”

With that Roman hopped in the vehicle, he didn’t need any more explanation than that, Riley always fixed things. She always knew exactly what to say and when to say it, and her advice was always on point. The ride back to Shea’s house was silent, and as they approached his street Roman glanced at his phone again, finding no new calls or messages and wondered out loud, “Is this how girls feel when we say we’ll call them back and then we don’t?”

Shea grinned at him, “I wouldn’t know, I’m not a grade A asshole.”

Roman let out a chuckle before he asked, “You’ve never done that? Not even once?”

“Nope. I never took numbers of the girls I wasn’t interested in for more than one night.” Shea stated, making Roman nearly gawk at him for the statement.

“So… is there a term that’s above grade A asshole?” Roman asked him curiously.

“Yeah it’ called a guy trying to forget about the girl from high school.” Shea told him as he pulled into the driveway, not bothering to park in the garage this time.

As they walked up the driveway Roman asked, “Yeah but it worked out well for you.”

Shea smiled as he unlocked the door and said, “Yeah it did.”

They both looked up and then at each other when they heard a loud thump from upstairs. There was a door slammed, and then Riley came stomping down the stairs covered in water and mud. She narrowed her eyes at Shea when he stifled a laugh and she told him, index finger extended toward his chest, “You can go clean the bathroom and your dog or you’re sleeping outside with him tonight.”

Shea visibly gulped and without so much as a word he climbed the stairs two at a time. Riley shook her head and walked into the kitchen, and Roman cleared his throat before asking, “Is it safe to proceed?”

She let out a chuckle as she filled a glass with water and two with chocolate milk before handing Roman one of the chocolate milk glasses. When he sent her an odd look she told him, “I’m not trying to mother you. Shea likes it after a loss, and you look like you could use it.”

“Thanks.” Roman told her, taking a drink of it. Riley smirked when she heard thumping noises from upstairs, at least Shea was having the same luck with the dog as she had after he had so conveniently decided to bathe in mud outside. Roman asked her curiously, “Dug driving you nuts?”

She nodded and asked him, “Yeah…you want a dog?”

He let out a chuckle which turned into a full blown laugh when he saw Shea walk into the kitchen absolutely soaked in water. When he went to walk toward Riley she put her hands up to warn him to stop, and took off in a run when he didn’t stop. He caught up to her, wrapped one strong arm around her middle, pulling her tight against him and more than a foot off the ground. He nuzzled his face into her neck, making her let out a squeal as she kicked her legs against the air in an attempt to get him to put her down. Roman watched them in near envy, he had always been somewhat jealous of what his captain had with Riley, the two were always laughing and joking around and even though he never admitted it out loud Roman had always wanted that.

Shea put Riley down, kissed her head and told her, “Love you.”

“Ya ya you big jerk.” She muttered, ushering him upstairs to put clean and dry clothes on as Dug came trotting into the living room. Riley glared at him as he laid down in his bed beside the patio doors. Once she was over it, or at least for now, she turned to Roman and asked, “You hungry?”

“Sort of.” She smiled when he said this, and handed the plate of steak to Shea to grill outside while she got the potatoes ready. Roman grabbed the peeler, helping her peel them and when he looked up to find Riley watching him with a concerned look on her face he asked, “What?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Is it that obvious?” He asked curiously.

“Pretty much. What’s up kid?” She asked as she got the potatoes ready for the pot on the stove.

“I’m not that much younger than you.” Roman pointed out, and Riley laughed. After a few seconds she shot him another look and he sighed and said, “There’s this girl.”

“I figured.”

Roman rolled his eyes and told her, “Well I just thought things were going really great between us.”

“And?”

“And then she just stopped returning texts or answering my calls. She doesn’t answer her door when I go there…. She kind of just dropped off the map so to speak.” Roman told her, watching as Riley nodded slowly as she began putting potatoes in the pot.

“Well… is there anything you can think of that might have messed things up between you two?” She asked him curiously, chuckling when he narrowed her eyes at her. She then told him, “Then it’s probably a personal thing. Maybe she’s going through something and needs some space. Maybe something happened in her life and this is her way of dealing with it.”

“So what… I wait for her to start talking to me again?”

Riley shook her head as Shea walked back into the house, he set the plate on the counter and Riley told Roman, “You could always do what Shea did my first year of college when he was in Vancouver and I got really mad at him.”

Shea’s cheeks flushed, “Ah, come on. Why do we always have to go to that story?”

Roman’s interest was piqued and he raised his eyebrow at Riley before turning to Shea and saying, “If it helps man…”

Shea sighed as Riley wiped her hands on the towel hanging from the oven door before turning to Roman and telling him, “He literally sat in the hallway outside my apartment door all night. I got a phone call at like 7 in the morning from my landlord asking if the guy sleeping next to my apartment belonged to me.”

“She kind of had to talk to me after that.”

“That could work.”