The Other Part of Me

Cassie

The following morning, Cassie opened her eyes to find sun creeping into her bedroom. She felt a pressure on her belly. She stared down and found Braden resting his cheek against her gut. She felt her heart contract at the sight. She reached down to stroke his hair, careful, so as not to wake him.

She hadn't seen him after he stormed out of his bedroom-not that she was looking for him. Truthfully, she was thankful for the time alone. After an hour, she went to the dining area for an early dinner. Gloria was there, per the norm, staring her down. Cassie tried smiling at the woman, but the matron turned and walked away from her instead.

After a quick bite, she came up to her room and must have fallen asleep immediately because as she looked down at her body, she saw she was still in yesterday's clothes and the digital clock on her nightstand was now nearing 6 AM. She slid out slowly from under Braden's reach. There was a lot she wanted to do this day and even if she did feel tired, sleeping in was not an option.

She hurriedly got herself ready to start the day and once set to go, she grabbed the Bloodstone ledger from the nightstand, and walked out of the bedroom.

By eight o'clock, she had mostly everything she needed, she just had one final stop to make.

She found Bridgette in the dining area earlier and asked her if she would mind meeting her in the pharmacy once she finished her meal. Bridgette immediately agreed. Cassie left, letting her know she would wait by the building so she would not pressure her friend to eat any quicker than she was accustomed to.

Moments after Cassie made herself comfortable on the red metal benches outside of the pharmacy, Bridgette appeared.

"I ate as fast as I could," Bridgette said as she pulled keys out of the pockets in her jeans. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, no. You shouldn't have rushed," Cassie felt both guilty and thankful. She thought about the perishable items in her Jeep. She was conflicted.

Bridgette held the glass door open for her. "Oh, don't worry. It's been a long time since I've been in here so early. I had forgotten how much I like the smell of powdered herbs and stinky gelatin capsules in the morning." She winked at Cassie. "What can I get you?"

Cassie smiled at her, "Well, since you insist on being so helpful," she grabbed a piece of paper sitting between the pages of the ledger. The book had quickly become an extension of Cassie. She handed the loose leaf to Bridgette, "If you have any of these in stock and ready to go, I'd like to have them please."

Bridgette looked at the list. "Antibiotics, pain killers and miscellaneous." She frowned at Cassie. "Can I ask what these are for?"

Cassie shook her head. "Not yet. I promise, I will tell you in due time. I'll probably have to tell Braden first." She said. "I don't think he'll like it."

Bridgette raised a brow towards the future Luna. "Honestly, I don't even want to tell you this because Braden is an amazing Alpha, and although he never told me this, I know he would love to have a family of his own." She grabbed Cassie's hands. "But Braden gave me the green light." She took a moment, and finally sighed. "Braden said it was okay to give you the abortion pill, so if you want the drugs, I can help you with that."

Cassie flinched. "He said that?"

Bridgette nodded.

Cassie stared at her friend, and thought for a moment. "Okay, then I'll need one more thing."