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Not of it made any sense.
The Stig I’d gotten to know wouldn’t go into another room without kissing me at least three times, let alone just leave without telling me where he was going.
Perhaps he’d just gone to surprise me with some breakfast. My stomach turned at the thought, though. Physically, I was a wreck. Emotionally, I felt “off” enough to know something was wrong, even though I didn’t know what.
My lips were dry, and my heart was empty, drained of anything I might have felt before.
It was time to face the fact that I could be pregnant. Sure, there were only two times Stig and I hadn’t used protection, and they were way at the beginning, before we went and got condoms, but that was all it would take.
Things had been going great between us and we’d seen each other so many times. I’d thought things were getting serious but maybe he didn’t feel the same way.
I quickly made a call.
“Suspicious Activity,” the familiar, chirpy voice answered the phone.
“Claudia?”
“Hey, Holly, what’s up?”
“I can’t come in to work today.”
“Everything okay?” she asked, sounding surprised.
I couldn’t say “I think I’m pregnant,” so I just said, “I don’t feel very well. I think I have a stomach bug.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll hold down the fort for you. Get well soon!”
“Thanks,” I told her, sincerely appreciating it.
Then I did my best to get dressed and walk outside, despite my churning stomach.
I made my way to the bus stop because I wasn’t in any condition to drive and I couldn’t ask Stig to drive even if I wanted to, since I didn’t know where he was. I just hoped my bike would be okay in his parking spot.
Once I was on the bus, it rumbled under me as I sat with my head between my knees. All I could do is hope I wasn’t pregnant, or that if I was, that Stig would turn back up soon!
Chapter Twelve – Holly
Three buses and two close puking calls later, I was back home, and running for the porcelain throne to repeat the process.
On my way back from Seth’s, I had stopped at a pharmacy and bought two pregnancy tests before getting back on the bus. Now that I was home and done puking, I decided to pee on the tests.
I was staring down at two positive pregnancy tests— one with an inappropriate-looking smiley face symbol on it and the other with two pinks lines on it— and blinking my eyes in disbelief for the third time in a row when the buzzer rang. Ignoring it wasn’t an option, because whoever had put it in had selected a tone that was intolerable to human ears.
“What?” I called out.
“Let us in, honey.”
I would know Jonna’s voice anywhere.
Even through the buzz of a crappy intercom.
“Us?”
“Stephanie is here with me.”
Of course she was. Not only was she Jonna’s sister, but she had also basically taken on the role of surrogate mother to everyone at the label.
I felt better knowing she was here, despite also not wanting to see anyone.
Cognitive dissidence could be a strange thing.
I hurried to throw the tests away before going to let them in.
“Right,” Stephanie said, as soon as they were through the door, “you need to sit down, missy.”
Before I could get a word out, Stephanie was shepherding me over to the couch, Jonna mouthing her apologies.
“Eat,” she ordered, handing me a pack of saltines.
“I really don’t think I can—”
“How many babies have you had?” Stephanie asked.
“None.”
“Well, I’ve had two, and I’ve raised this one since she was a tot. Listen to someone who knows, honey.”
“Where are they, anyway?” I asked her. “Your kids?”
“With their grandparents for an extended visit. They’ve hardly gotten to see the little ones, living in Bergen and all, so they get them for a couple weeks a year. I miss them like crazy, but I also understand.”
That made sense, since Stephanie’s in-laws still in lived in Norway, where Ragnar, like Stig, was from. Still, it sounded difficult.
“Aren’t they still nursing?”
“Karin isn’t, not anymore. I sent some formula with Ada, and I pump in her absence. Now, eat up,” she instructed me, turning her mom-voice on. “When you’re done, drink this, in slow sips.”
She handed me some ginger soda.
“How is this going to help?” I asked.
“It did when we were pregnant,” Jonna said.
“Pregnant?” I repeated, still pretending to play dumb.
“Oh, come now. You and Stig have been together for over a month, and suddenly you call in sick one morning, when you never call in sick or arrive late. It doesn’t take a math genius to add up those coincidences together or Sherlock Holmes to solve this mystery. You’re well and truly preggers, darling. Don’t worry though, we gotcha. You’re part of the Suspicious Activity family.”
“Okay,” I told her. “Perhaps I am. But what am I ever going to tell Stig?”
