Chapter 8 Naked

Since that day, they had not heard from Mark or Gerard's order. On the one hand, Arya wanted peace and quiet, she had tried to keep the party peaceful with Ayden. He had decided to have breakfast with her, after each hormone injection.

He had to make sure she was healthy, the day of the insemination had come and they were both nervous. Likewise, he had had to re-sample to make sure the most feasible sperm were selected.

"Everything will be fine, you have nothing to worry about," assures the doctor, who has Arya already on the gurney with her legs spread wide open. "You will feel only slight discomfort, but it will pass."

Arya nods, she is nervous, her hands are shaking, and she mentally prays to heaven that everything will be all right. She hadn't talked to Ayden about what would happen in case she couldn't get pregnant, would she have to pay back all the money or just a part of it? After all, her mother was out of danger.

She had managed to get through to her and although Mirella would not give her details of Jeff's call, Arya felt that her mother had betrayed her.

"Arya, I need you to relax," the doctor asks. "I know you are nervous, but you need to lower your pelvis a little and loosen your muscles, can you?"

"Yes, yes..." her voice comes out shaky. "Give me a moment."

Arya takes a breath and releases it shortly, Ayden lies next to her, noticing how nervous she is and how her legs and hands tremble she does what in her right mind she would never do, he takes her left hand trying to give her support.

She does not understand the power that simple touch has for him, how costly it is for him, and yet it has a beneficial effect, for she manages to calm down and stop trembling.

"Easy, we're in this together" Ayden murmurs close to her ear just for her to hear. "You know I will take responsibility for everything. I'm here with you, don't be afraid."

Arya slowly begins to relax until the doctor finishes the procedure.

"There, we are done, you will lie down for about fifteen minutes, and then you can leave" explains the doctor helping her move so that she is fully stretched out. "Good, you've done very well."

Ayden takes advantage and releases her hand, intending to cover her with a small blanket. Arya immediately feels the lack of his touch.

Knowing that she is susceptible to rejection, Ayden tries not to rub his hand against his pants.

"When will we know if it worked out?" asks Arya.

"We will wait fifteen days for it, at ten days they could already do a home test, but to be certain we check with ultrasound and blood tests is it ok?"

"Perfect doctor, thank you very much," Ayden says, praying to heaven that everything goes well.

"Okay, I'll leave you then, remember, fifteen minutes, and you can change and go. Keep taking your prenatal and a balanced diet. See you in a fortnight." Dr. Packard reminds her and then walks out of that cold room, leaving them alone.

"Thank you," Arya murmurs.

"For what? I'm the one who should be thanking you, you will give me a son."

"For holding my hand, I know you don't like to be touched... but thank you" she says in a sweet voice.

Ayden feels helpless at Arya's words, he didn't think he would thank her for it, but he did. He already realizes how important it is for him not to be touched.

"I wish I knew why, but I won't pressure you, to tell me, I just want you to know that it was very precious to me" she comments tenderly. He was, not knowing what to say, just nods his head and sits back down next to her.

"Yes, this turns out well, we will have a happy Gerard Emory" she says again loudly. "Although your brother, I don't think he will be."

"Mark can go to hell if he wants to" snorts Ayden. "He's never seen things the way I do, maybe it's because his mother was just like him, an opportunist."

"What do you mean, they're not brothers from the same mom?"

Ayden realizes he's over spoken and knows he's messed up.

"No, but that's only relevant when it comes to understanding why he's a bastard" she clarifies. "Anyway, speaking of him, he already got you the internship at the hospital. I told him you wouldn't be available these days, until tomorrow."

"What, why tomorrow?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel pressured, I'd like you to rest today and tomorrow you can go see him at the hospital calmly. Later, we make a call with him to make the appointment."

"And you agree, I mean, it's not against any of your rules?" she inquires thoughtfully at his accessibility.

"Just because you're going to be pregnant with my child, doesn't mean I own you. You're free to go on making your life as normal as possible, just be careful. Mark can't be trusted," he clarifies in a serious voice.

Arya is learning to differentiate between his tones of voice. When he is serious, sad, thoughtful, annoyed and sometimes even melancholic. In these days that have passed he has taken to him to a certain extent a fondness that he dislikes.

One day all that relationship is going to end, and he knows that she will have to leave, but that a part of her will stay with him. Even if he doesn't quite like that.

"It's after fifteen minutes," he warns, standing up. "I'll wait for you outside."

He says this and leaves, Arya getting ready to change. She takes her clothes from the chair where she had put them earlier and walks to behind a partition.

"Arya" Ayden calls without knocking on the door, the young woman who had already unknotted her robe lets it fall in fright at the abrupt arrival of the millionaire.

Ayden stands there looking at the nakedness of the young woman, who, embarrassed and taken surprised, tries to cover herself with her hands.