Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 125- Cooked to Perfection?

I head into the nearest stall and reach for my pocket, pulling out the box wrapped in a plain brown paper bag and taped on one side. I rip into the bag and pull out the box, my heart leaping into my throat as I do.

A pregnancy test.

Honestly, so much has been going on–the finale, my first time with two men, Janice's spying–that there wasn't time to focus on my potential pregnancy aside from steering clear of alcohol and avoiding bacon.

But now, I have the answer to my 'what-ifs' literally laying in the palm of my hand.

Or, I will, in a few minutes. I take a deep breath and take the test. The instructions state that I need to wait fifteen minutes for accurate results, so I cap the end and wait.

"(Y/N)?" Taylor's voice echos against the walls of the restroom. "You in here girly?"

My head snaps up from my lap, and I instinctively shove the test as far into my pants pocket as it'll go. "Er, yeah! Gimme a minute!"

I flush the toilet and step out, smiling at Tay and moving to wash my hands. Taylor takes the sink beside me and washes her hands as well, looking excited.

"Man, I can't wait for tonight! I really want you to win, you've earned it," Tay says as she dries her hands. "How's everything, by the way?"

I turn to her and she raises an eyebrow, clearly implying more than she can say with the presence of cameras and microphones.

"Great," I start, "he's been perfect, really. I want to win, of course, but that hasn't caused a rift between us."

"Good, cause we're gonna beat the time outta him," Tay says, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "Be sure to talk to me after all this is over, alright? Don't get swept away! Promise?"

"I promise," I affirm, heading for the exit with her.

When we leave the restroom, the kitchens are already filled with our teammates and the sous Chefs working on prepping today's dinner service.

"(Y/N)! There you are!" Gordon waves me over. I let go of Tay and approach him as Tay goes back into the kitchen.

"You'll need to determine who's on which station, right? I told them to be useful in the meantime. Please prepare me one of each dish on your menu and I'll taste it to make sure it's perfect before dinner service. Got it?"

"Yes, Chef!" I affirm.

"Good girl," he says, winking slyly before turning on his heel. "I'll be in my office if you need anything."

Gordon ascends the steps to his office two at a time, closing the door behind him. I take a deep breath, attempting to focus.

Today is the last day of Hell's Kitchen. In mere hours, our secret will be out. And there have to be plenty who already suspect something based on the tabloids. Oh God, I hadn't thought about the customers! Will they be respectful, or is someone going to try to get their ten minutes of fame? I recall the customer who tried to say my pizza was under-cooked and how Gordon came to my rescue, but he won't be able to do that for me this time. I'll have to show I can handle myself both at the head of the kitchen and in the dining room.

Entering the kitchen with my head held high, I attempt to push my fears to the back of my mind. I've had my time to be vulnerable, I've been saved time and time again, now it's my turn to save myself. I can do this. A flash of my parents' smiling faces blinks across my vision, and I remind myself how proud they would've been for me to make it this far. Winning the competition would just be icing on the cake.

"Hey, head Chef!" Christina calls out to me before approaching my side. "Do you know where you want your teammates?"

"I do," I say.