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“It’s private.” My hand instinctually grazed my stomach, and I froze. Dammit, I gave it away.
“Are you pregnant, Emily?” Dr. Sawyer asked.
I choked down a wave of nausea. “Yes.”
“And you’re sure the baby is Max’s?”
“Yes.” Shame covered me, and when I looked up, I saw Miriam Oliver, Goldheart’s town busybody watching us with a mouth agape. I wished I could move my feet, but they were stuck to the sidewalk.
Dr. Sawyer pulled something out of his pocket and dabbed his forehead with it. “Well, this is just great.”
My mother had cried and held me when I told her. We spent a few days discussing all of my options, and I decided, blurry from tears and overwhelm, that I wanted to keep the baby. When I thought about terminating the pregnancy, my heart dropped, like a thud in my stomach. In the end, I knew I couldn’t do it.
When I told my mom I wanted to keep it, she had assured me everything was alright and how thrilled she was. My dad had been just as excited and never expressed any of the disappointment I was so scared of.
Then, they helped me with a game plan. They helped me withdraw from school and smoothed my hair back as I cried. “You can always go back when the baby is older,” she said, wiping my tears away with her thumb. We both knew that probably wasn’t going to happen.
All of my brothers were supportive and promised to be there for me and the baby. “If that asshole doesn’t step up, I will,” Cameron said after he gave me a big, tear-filled hug.
Dr. Sawyer was the first person expressing disappointment in me, and it made me more nauseous than these pregnancy hormones. Miriam wandered away, thank God. The last thing I needed was her knowing my private business.
Dr. Sawyer said nothing as he wiped his head with his handkerchief. I was trying not to puke in the bushes.
“Do you know how to get in touch with him? I want to tell him myself.”
“He’s very busy, but I’ll try to get ahold of him,” Dr. Sawyer reassured. “Give me an hour. When do you get off?”
“At four.”
“I’ll come back then. I’ll get in touch with him so you can tell him.”
“Thank you,” I said, breathing out a sigh of relief. I had never been to Costa Rica, but it sounded remote and difficult to get in touch with someone there, especially a tourist. I was sure Dr. Sawyer will figure it out. Max probably had about a week or so before he’d be back.
I kept busy the rest of my shift, excited to talk to Max soon. It had been almost two months since I’d heard his voice, and I hadn’t gotten a single email from him like he’d promised. I worried he had my email wrong, or something was wrong with his phone. No way someone would act like that on the last night of us together and then disappear on me.
Max loved me. He had told me he would come back to me.
Now, he would know and come back to me and our baby. Our little miracle.
At four o’clock, Dr. Sawyer arrived again, as promised. He stood outside instead of coming in, although the day had grown considerably hotter and his face was the color of the cherry popsicles I’ve been living off of. I took off my apron and shoved it in my locker, before taking my purse and walking outside. Was Max on his way here? I smiled a stupid wide grin at the thought.
“Ms. Finch.”
“Dr. Sawyer.”
“I got in touch with Max. It wasn’t easy, but I talked to him.”
“Great.” I’d get to talk to hear his voice soon, and he would tell me everything would be okay. That he would come back to me. “How can I get in touch with him? Did his phone die? Did he get a new number?”
“I told him.”
“You what?” I wanted to tell him. My chin quivered, but I took a deep breath. I could be strong. Being weak wouldn’t serve me.
“I told him that you’re pregnant. He asked me to tell you that he wants the pregnancy terminated.”
“What?” I said. My hand touched to my abdomen, my baby. A baby I wanted. The world stopped around me as I stared at a crack in the ground.
That wasn’t him. Max would never want that. He had told me that last night all he wanted was to be a dad.
