“Go on.”
He rubs the back of his neck, a blush creeping over his cheeks. “My mum came to the hospital to find out what was wrong, and I may have inadvertently told her about the baby.” He takes a peek at me as he finishes his sentence.
“Oh god, did you tell her I had a one-night stand?” I gasp at the thought. “She’s going to be so disappointed in me, Cole. What if she thinks I’m just some silly tart now? What do I say to her? What do I tell everyone else? Can I claim immaculate conception? Is that a thing nowadays?” I ramble on, and Cole puts his drink down before moving to sit at the side of my bed.
Grabbing my face in his hands, he looks into my eyes. “Lacey. You need to calm down; it’s not good for you or the baby to get so stressed. My mum could never think that about you. She’s so worried about you that she’s camped outside, refusing to go home. None of the rest of our family is going to think badly of you. Okay?”
I sniffle and nod; then I realise what he said. “Our family?”
His cheeks blaze. “Well, y-yeah. Our family, my family…I mean, you and me and, you know. You’re a part of our family.” He clears his throat, looking uncomfortable, but it still makes me smile.
“So, is May still outside?” Cole nods, I take a deep breath and say, “Can you ask her to come in?”
Although Cole told me his Mum just wanted to make sure I was OK, I can’t help but worry about the judgment people will have when they find out I’ve gotten pregnant from a one-night stand. Nerves are battering my insides as I wait for him to answer.
Cole nods again. “Sure.” Then he gets up and leaves the room while I wring my hands.
A flurry of excited squeals sounds outside the door to my room, and before I know it, May comes barging into the room, her hands full of bags. She makes it to my bed before dropping the bags down, and then she’s here, arms flying around me as she gathers me into one of her hugs.Side note, May’s hugs are the most amazing Mum hugs in the world.
We hug for a good few minutes before she pulls back. Her hands go to either side of my face, and she rubs soothing circles on my cheeks. She looks me straight in the eyes. “Lacey, honey, don’t ever feel like I will ever be ashamed or disappointed in you. I can’t even imagine how scared you must be now, but don’t worry, because you aren’t alone, okay?”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak, not when I can feel my eyes start to sting.
May understands and doesn’t push; instead, she says, “Okay, well, I brought you a few things. I figured they were going to be keeping you in for a few days.” She smiles as she starts to take things out of the bags: my Kindle, some puzzle books, toiletries, clothes, the list goes on.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cole standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. May follows my line of sight and shoos him off, but he crosses the room and stands beside my bed. He goes to lean down but thinks better of it and stands instead. “I need to nip home for a bit, but I’ll be back later on.”
I nod in response and watch as he leaves.
May must see the look on my face because she pats my arm. “He needs a good shower and a change of clothes, that’s all.”
I blush. As far as I’m aware, his family thinks we are just friends and aren’t aware that I harbour more than friendly feelings for him, but the look May is giving me now says otherwise.
“I know. I’m just worried because he has a lot to do before you all fly out in a couple of days.” I sigh. “The nurse said I have tostay in for a couple of days to check me over and run some tests. I definitely won’t be flying to Vegas, that’s for sure.” I aim for nonchalance, but it comes out a lot sadder than intended.
“I had a word with one of the nurses earlier, she said you need rest. Don’t worry about Vegas. Yes, it was a lovely idea to all go together; however, your health is more important, and no one understands that more than Emmy and Cas, okay?” I nod.
“May, can I ask you a question?” I feel so embarrassed that I don’t know what the nurse was talking about. This is something my mum, if she were here, would help me with, I’m sure.
“Of course you can, sweetheart, what is it?” She holds my hand tight, her strength and comfort seeping into me.
“The nurse said I need a scan, uhm…but she said it needs to be a t-transvaginal scan…I feel so stupid, but I don’t know what that means.” I bury my face in my hands as my cheeks scorch.
May peels away my hands and brings her face to my level. “Lacey, there is nothing in this journey that you are now on that is embarrassing. Believe me, with six boys and five pregnancies, I am well versed in every little detail of pregnancy. Because your baby is still small and you’re not very far along, they wouldn’t be able to see anything if they scanned your stomach area. So a transvaginal scan is one where they scan inside…” She gives me a nod, and my eyes widen in horror.
They’re going to stick a massive fucking dildo machine inside of me?
My legs cross automatically. “Jesus. That’s so scary, May. I don’t think I can do this. I’m not equipped to be a mum, I don’t know what I’m doing, I…” My breathing speeds up, but before the familiar panic wraps around my lungs, May is there, enveloping me in her arms and stroking my hair.
“My dear, sweet Lacey. Every mum has the same thought: you’ll be okay, and we will get through this. If you like, I’ll ask them to do the scan whilst it’s just the two of us. And if you wantme to, I’ll be there, okay?” Through tear-streaked eyes, I nod. “Now, let’s get you to the shower so you can freshen up. Cole didn’t do a good job of removing your makeup, so you resemble a panda!”
She cracks up laughing at the horrified expression on my face, although something inside of me melts at the thought of Cole removing my makeup whilst I was sleeping. It’s thoughtful but also intimate, like something someone in love with you would do.
That’s just your hopeful heart.
I dislike my brain sometimes.
Chapter 4
