As was the ritual, I reported to Lettie in the living room. Maylean sat at the bay window reading a magazine. Anya and Lettie shared macaroons and tea around the coffee table.
While I'd rather be anywhere but here, it would be easier if I didn't have to endure another inspection without an audience. Somehow, there always seemed to be an audience.
I held the pregnancy test out to Lettie, whose mouth twisted like she had eaten something sour.
She said the same thing she always said. "I swear, I got pregnant every time Arnold looked at me. All three of you girls must be doing something wrong. If I left it up to you, the Heavenly bloodline would dry up in a generation."
I hung my head in embarrassment, knowing the quickest way out of this was to remain quiet and let the old woman rant.
Maylean looked up from her magazine. "Mother, you know Daniel and I agreed to only two children in the prenup. I've held up my end of the bargain. I've gifted you with two beautiful, healthy grandsons. The Heavenly bloodline is safe."
"You could always produce more. The prenup was the bare minimum," Lettie said. "I always pictured spending my retirement surrounded by grandchildren. Your little demons are just a start to fulfilling my dream."
"You're right. I could, but can they?" Maylean motioned to Anya and me.
"Don't pull me into this," Anya said. "Josh and I have only been married a year. Besides, half the time when I'm ovulating, Josh is on call. I can't get together with a man who isn't there. It isn't on me."
Lettie said, "Keeping birth control in your lingerie drawer is on you, Anya."
"You went through my things?"
"Nothing in this house is private. You should know that by now."
"But we don't live in the main house. We moved to one of the cottages specifically for privacy," Anya argued.
"On my estate. Same difference."
"No, Mom, it isn't. Josh and I are adults. We have the right to privacy and to decide when to conceive."
It was ironic how Anya felt she deserved privacy, but I didn't. If I didn't know better, I would think she planned her schedule around being available to witness my humiliation. Maylean, not so much.
I jumped when Lettie slapped the table. The plate of macaroons and the teacups rattled.
Lettie snapped. "Not in this family, it isn't. Now, you and you," she pointed to Anya and me in turn, "will report to me each morning for hormone treatments until you test pregnant.
"And, Anya, if I catch you using birth control again, your marriage is over. Done."
"Josh will never divorce me. We're in love."
"You are fooling yourself if you believe that, Anya. I am his mother. He owes me his life. He will never side with you over me."
Anya stomped her foot. Tears glistened in her eyes. "Mom, this isn't fair. I have a successful career. Having a child isn't part of the plan right now. Maybe in five or ten years, when my business is more stable, I'll add a partner and take time to have a child, but right now, Josh and I barely have time for each other."
"Now, Anya."
Lettie snapped her fingers and called out, "Joshua!"
Joshua entered the room with his doctor's bag. A burly orderly and a sour-face nurse followed behind him.
"Give these girls their first injection."
"No!" Anya and I called out at the same time.
I couldn't let this go on without at least making a token attempt to stop it. "Mom, shouldn't we go through a medical exam, you know, to determine there aren't other problems? I mean, it could be I'm not pregnant because King has a problem."
Lettie said, "You are bound and determined that someone in this family is infertile, aren't you? Are you trying to deflect from the fact you aren't woman enough to make a baby?"
"No, Mom, honest. I just think we should go through all the steps before jumping to injections."
She didn't need to know how much I abhorred needles, but she probably would now. As I watched Josh open his bag and pull out a vial and syringe, I couldn't prevent my eyes from widening and stepping back.
"Stop her," Lettie demanded.
The orderly darted to my side and grabbed my upper arms, effectively stopping my subconscious retreat.
"Mom, no. I disagree with this." I looked to Anya and Josh to back me up. "Josh, tell her. We need to go to the client and go through the testing process. Taking hormones like this can be harmful. I don't want these. Please."
I didn't know if what I said was true. I'd never researched infertility treatment. I just assumed King and I would keep trying until we were successful. It certainly couldn't hurt anything if we had sex more than once a month. The ovulation kits I used were bound to have a window for error in timing my fertility period.
"Just do it," Josh said. "It's easier than arguing. I can schedule you for a full check-up next week."
"Then let's start the treatments next week. It's just a week. Please, Mom. One week."
I couldn't help but struggle against the orderly's hold as I watched in horror as Josh moved to his wife's side and lifted her blouse hem.
"Josh, no, please," Anya cried as she tried to back away with her hands in front of her, but she had nowhere to go. Her legs hit the edge of the couch, and she fell back onto the cushions.
"I'm sorry, baby. I've got to do this. I promise, though, you'll be okay."
And Josh did look regretful, but it didn't stop him from injecting her in the stomach as we looked on.
Lettie grinned in satisfaction as I looked on in horror. This was going to happen. No matter what I said, Lettie would win. My brother-in-law was going to insert a foreign substance in my body whether I wanted it or not.
Head shaking, I chanted, "No, no, no," as Josh pulled out a new syringe and loaded it. The orderly grip on my arms tightened as Josh walked toward me.
My gaze was fixated on the needle. This would hurt. Needles always hurt. I'd had to inject my mother twice a day when she fell ill and refused to die in the hospital. I could still visualize the pain on her face. I could hear the soft moans she tried so hard to suppress. I could see the bruises on her pale skin, new bruises layer over old ones, the puncture wounds red and bleeding.
If I had to go through daily injections, my skin would be the same way. Every day, I would have to suffer through the anxiety of knowing I was facing another one the following day. And worst of all, I'd endure all that for something I didn't truly want.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Teela, stop being such a baby," Lettie said. "It's just a shot. People take them every day."
Lettie jumped to her feet and stormed over to me. She grabbed the bottom of my t-shirt and jerked it up high enough to expose my bra to everyone in the room.
Tears streaked my face as I struggled against the orderly. As Josh's hand touched my bare flesh, I kicked out. My knee coming into contact with a human body.
Lettie cursed.
My shirt fell down to the top of Josh's hand, but it didn't stop him from inserting the needle into my flesh. I felt the medication entered my body. It was too late.
Stunned, I stopped struggling, resting back against the orderly and opening my eyes. It was then that I saw why Lettie had cursed. She was limping to a chair.
"Damn it, girl, you kicked me. No one has struck me since that good-for-nothing Arnold left. You'll pay for this."
Josh and the nurse rushed to Lettie's side as Maylean and Anya looked on. After a quick examination, Josh determined that it wasn't serious. He set about elevating and icing her knee.
"Lettie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You meant to hurt someone."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"You do a lot of not thinking, Teela. When King gets home, we will deal with this. Go to your room."
King. During all of this, it hadn't occurred to me once to ask if he knew what was happening to me. Now he was going to 'deal' with me? What even did that mean?
The conversation last night was more intense than anything King and I had shared since marriage. There had been no 'dealing' with me. Not once.
"You don't have to pull King into this, Mom. I'm truly sorry. Is there anything I can do to gain your forgiveness?"
"Now, I see I've got your attention," Lettie said. "Forget it. I've still not forgiven you for marrying King in the first place."
Lettie leaned back into the chair cushions and then, as if having a second thought, motioned for me to move closer. "If you want my forgiveness, get pregnant."
She laid back, looking satisfied that she'd won this battle, and she probably had. I'd probably willingly show up the next morning and allow her to inject me again.
But for now, I was resigned to going to my room and waiting for King.