Soulsearch (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Soulmate Series: Teen Paranormal Romance Book 2) (5 page)

“And you think you’re ready to take your relationship to the next level?”

“Yes!” Rachel gasped as the doctor’s fingers pushed their way in between Rachel’s legs and began to press.

“Well, birth control pills are a wise choice if you plan to be sexually active, but you know they can’t prevent the spread of disease, right?”

Rachel’s legs began to shake and she struggled to hold still as the doctor’s fingers probed invasively.
 
“Uh, yeah, I know.
 
Um, we’re both virgins,” she admitted, but then paused as she realized she didn’t know that for sure.
 
She really didn’t know anything about what Cameron had been like before Rider took over his body.
 
What if he had slept with half the girls in his class?
 
Rachel started to freak out a little at the possibility.

“Don’t worry, honey, we’re almost done,” the doctor cooed reassuringly as she inserted a cold, plastic speculum.
 
Rachel practically levitated off the table at the invasion, but she soon realized it didn’t actually hurt and she calmed down enough for the doctor to proceed.
 
A few minutes later the doctor extricated herself from beneath Rachel’s gown and allowed her to sit up.

“All right, we’re all done,” Dr. Miller announced, pulling off her gloves with a snap.
 
“I’ll send off your pap smear to the lab and you should get the results in a week or so, but everything looks good, so I’ll write your prescription now.
 
Please call if you have any questions or concerns, okay?
 
We’re here to help you.”
 
Her face had that same look of concern that Rachel saw on her own mother’s face every time she allowed Rachel to do something new and risky.
 
“I’ll leave you to get dressed.
 
When you’re ready, just take this paper to the desk and they’ll check you out.
 
It was nice to meet you, Rachel.”
 
The doctor smiled and waved as she said goodbye and Rachel had a feeling she wanted to hug her.

As soon as she was gone, Rachel quickly texted Rider that she was almost ready to leave then pulled her clothes back on and stuffed the gown in the bin labeled “used gowns” before peeking outside to look for Paige and Rider.

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Rider’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the name.
 
Until now, this idea had only been a fantasy to Rider, a story he had imagined to make sense of the unknown.
 
He had made plans to come here, not really expecting to find anything, but more so out of a need to at least try to find out what he could.
 
Never in a million years did he expect to be standing here in this musty basement holding evidence in his hands that corroborated his theory.
 
He still had no proof of anything but he had to consider the possibility that it could be true.
 
Returning to the shelves of patient files, Rider located the “P — S” box from 1998 and searched for the name Jessica Reynolds.
 
He found Laura Reynolds and Samantha Reynolds, but no Jessica.
 
Unwilling to give up, Rider tried the 1999 box, but there was no one by the name of Reynolds at all.
 
Desperate, Rider yanked the box from 2000 off the shelf, but it was heavier than he imagined and it dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

Rider jumped to avoid having his toes crushed under the box and then had to pause to catch his breath and let his nerves settle down enough so he could hear if the noise had attracted any curiosity.
 
When he was sure no one was coming, he kneeled down on the floor to dig through the box.
 
His hands trembled as he neared the R’s and he had trouble separating some of the thinner files in order to see the names, but eventually his fingers found what he was hoping for and he slowly extracted the yellowed file.

Just then, Rider’s phone chirped again with another text from Rachel, this one telling him it was time to go.
 
Regretting that he didn’t have time to read the file before he left, and hoping it contained all the information he needed, Rider shoved the file under his shirt and zipped his hoodie over it.
 
He quickly lifted the box back onto the shelf then looked around to make sure he left no evidence of his invasion.
 
Satisfied, he hustled up the stairs less carefully than before and stopped at the top to text Paige.

“I’m coming out.
 
Is the way clear?” he typed.

Instead of replying, Paige opened the basement door and shooed him out into the hallway, their faces both flush with exhilaration.
 
They scurried to the door of exam room 3 just as Rachel was emerging and the three walked silently to the front desk, carefully holding their emotions in check.
 
Paige and Rachel cast curious glances at Rider who was poker-faced but radiated an aura of success.

As the receptionist announced the total, Rachel’s jaw dropped and she fumbled nervously through her wallet, pulling out bills.
 
She never expected such a short visit to cost practically her whole life’s savings.
 
Before she could count out the right amount, though, Rider had handed the lady a wad of cash and was whispering, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” in Rachel’s ear.
 
Her heart melted as she looked at her boyfriend and she knew their could never be a better guy for her than Rider.
 
The three held their composure till they were outside the clinic and climbing into Rider’s SUV, but as soon as the doors closed they all started talking at once.

“That was so exciting!” Paige exclaimed.

“That was so humiliating!” Rachel whined.

“I think I found something!” Rider revealed.

Both girls’ heads swiveled towards Rider at his announcement, their mouths gaping.
 
“What did you find!!!!” They squealed in unison.

Rider carefully extricated the file from beneath his clothing while he explained what he had discovered.
 
The three stared reverently at the file in Rider’s hands and tried out the name Jessica Reynolds under their breath as Rider opened the file.
 
He flipped slowly through her records, looking for clues.
 
He had no idea what he was looking for.
 
How could he ever prove his theory?
 
All he knew was that she was scheduled for an abortion at the exact same time Rachel’s mother was having an ultrasound.
 
For all he knew, there could have been other women having abortions at the same time as Mary’s previous appointments.
 
What if his mother had been one of them?
 
He wished he would’ve had time to look through all of Mary appointments.
 
And what if his idea was totally wrong?
 
What if the jump happened somewhere else altogether?
 
What if he wasn’t a baby at all when he jumped?
 
What if he was some 80 year old man on his death bed?
 
The possibilities overwhelmed him and he shoved the file away in disgust.

“Forget it, this was stupid.
 
I’ll never figure anything out by looking at this,” he complained.

“Rider, no!
 
Don’t talk like that!
 
The fact that you found this at all is amazing!
 
It may not be proof but it’s something!
 
Don’t give up now,” Rachel encouraged.

Meanwhile, Paige had taken the file and was flipping through the pages.
 
“Hey guys,” she said quietly, “Check this out.
 
It looks like Jessica Reynolds had two unwanted pregnancies.”

Rachel and Rider both stopped their conversation and turned curiously towards Paige.

“Look, she had an abortion in July of 1998.
 
What if the same thing happened then, Rider?!”

Rider reached curiously for the paper Paige was holding.
 
His mind mulled over the possibility.
 
It was an incredibly long stretch, but he had to find out.
 
“I have to go back in there and see who was in the clinic while she was having this abortion,” Rider declared resolutely.

“Okaaay,” Rachel agreed hesitantly, “but, how?”

“I left my keys in the bathroom,” Rider offered, “and you have to go to the bathroom.
 
It will only take me a few minutes to find what I’m looking for now that I know where to look.
 
You stand watch by the door while I sneak back downstairs.”

“What about me?” Paige asked, feeling a little left out.

“You stay here.
 
I don’t want to draw any more attention than necessary.
 
We’ll text you if we need you to create a distraction,” Rider replied.

“Just act natural,” Rider encouraged Rachel as he climbed quickly out of the car and headed for the door.
 
Rachel struggled to keep up with his determined stride.
 
When they entered the clinic, the receptionist looked up in surprise.

“I think I left my keys in the bathroom,” Rider explained before she had a chance to question him.

“And I’d like to use the bathroom,” Rachel added.
 
The receptionist just smiled and nodded as Rachel and Rider hustled down the hall past her desk.
 
As they approached the bathrooms, Rider glanced behind them for any witnesses.
 
A nurse and doctor were chatting in the hallway, heads bent over a patient’s file, so Rider paused to take a drink from the fountain.
 
When they switched to talking about last night’s episode of Shark Tank, Rider’s stomach swelled from gulping so much water as he waited for them to move on.
 
Finally the coast was clear, so he quickly opened the basement door and disappeared down the stairwell, leaving Rachel alone in front of the bathrooms.

Rider paused for only a moment before turning on the basement lights.
 
He was certain that no one else had entered the space since he had left, and he doubted anyone would visit any time soon, but his heart still pounded as he rushed towards the boxes on the shelves, looking for the list of appointments from July 10, 1998, the day Jessica Reynolds had her first abortion.
 
His hands quivered as he rifled through the printouts, his sweaty fingers making it difficult to separate the pages.
 
Finally, his eyes landed on the correct day and he quickly scanned the names, looking for Ms. Reynolds.
 
Her appointment had been for 2 pm, 15 minutes after Miss Cara Pasquetti arrived for an ultrasound.

Rider raced to the other bookshelf and began rummaging through the boxes, looking for Cara Pasquetti.
 
Year by year, he tore through the files, searching for her name but always coming up empty.
 
A quick glance at his phone told him he had been in the basement for five minutes already and he knew Rachel would be getting anxious.
 
He was making a mess of the boxes; files were pulled out haphazardly and the boxes which had originally been lined up neatly on the shelves were now in disarray.
 
As he approached the last box of files, Rider’s chest swelled with anticipation and a gasp of joy escaped his lips as he pulled a file from the box.
 
Rider was just about to stuff it in his shirt when he realized the name at the top said Carla Pasquetti, not Cara.
 
His heart sunk as he stared dejectedly at the incorrect file, willing the name at the top to change before his eyes.
 
When no miracle of transmogrification occurred, Rider angrily shoved the file back in the box and kicked it back into place on the shelf.
 
He took one last look around the room, hoping to find another box of files hidden somewhere, but his luck had run out.
 
Taking just a few more seconds to straighten the boxes and shove the errant files back into place, Rider eventually headed for the stairs, texting Rachel as he climbed.
 
His mind was awhirl, trying to conjure up a plan to find out more about Cara Pasquetti, but his nerves were too rattled for him to think clearly.

As soon as Rachel saw Rider’s face she recognized his disappointment.
 
“Let’s get out of here,” he grumbled, taking her hand and leading her back down the hall towards the exit.
 
He forced a smile as he passed the front desk, dangling his keys for the receptionist.
 
“Found ‘em,” he said, trying to look happy and innocent while inside he felt completely opposite.
 
Rachel offered a slight smile and a wave as well.
 
Once they were in the car, Rider explained what he had learned.

“Did you say the last name was Pasquetti?” Paige interrupted as Rider was describing what he had found.
 
“Because there’s a kid at school with the last name Pasquetti.
 
I used to think of him as ‘Spaghetti Pasquetti’ when we were little because he had curly red hair,” Paige admitted guiltily.

“Oh yeah!” Rachel replied giddily.
 
“I think I remember him.
 
He was a really dorky-looking kid, but he started to get a little cuter as he got older.
 
Isn’t he a grade ahead of us?”