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I nod. She seems to believe me since she turns around and continues out of the bathroom. I take out my phone while following her out, nearly bumping into a student as they rush off to class. Lauren glances over her shoulder, her eyes sliding to my phone and she gives me an approving look and a small smile.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay?” She says while holding open the door.
“Okay.” Although I have no clue what I would ever need her for. I can’t quite ask her to attend appointments with me. She can’t give me any advice on how to get through morning sickness, back pain, and when I need to pee at the drop of a hat. There’s really nothing no one can do to help me.
We go our separate ways and I find myself sitting at a bench, under the hot sun, sweating up a storm underneath my large cardigan. It would be nice to come out in the open about the pregnancy. Then I can wear clothes that don’t make me sweat like a pig. With a long, stress-filled sigh, I call Hunter first, wondering if he will have the time between class and work to drive me home.
“Hey, Rachel, what’s up?” Comes his gentle voice, making me smile instantly.
“Oh, nothing. Are you busy?”
“I have class in about ten minutes.”
Shit. Just my luck.
“Why?”
Oh, because I ran out of class due to morning sickness. By the way, I’m pregnant.
“I was wondering if you could drive me home. I’m not feeling well.”
I can practically hear the alarm bells going off in Hunter’s head as he asks, “Are you okay? Do you want me to come now? Do you need to go to the doctor?”
“No, everything’s fine,” I say while running a hand through my hair. I should have just kept my mouth shut. There are so many taxis I could have called instead. I shouldn’t have called him. He already suspects something is wrong.
“I have time after this class. Can you wait an hour, or is that too long?”
“That’s fine.” Although, I have no clue where I can wait. I can’t go to the cafe, since sitting there, not being able to drink coffee, is absolute torture.
“I’ll pick you up at the track fields.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“And, Rachel,” I hear him pause on the other line as if he’s choosing his words carefully. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can tell me anything, you know.”
I smile and cradle the phone to me, wishing he were here so I could calm his worries. “Yes, I know. And everything is fine. I’m just a little tired.”
Somehow, that seems to work and he doesn’t question me any further. After I get off the phone with Hunter, I send a quick text to Lucas with as little details as possible, telling him I won’t be in as I’m feeling a little ill.
My phone rings two seconds after the text sends with Lucas’s name flashing on the screen. As soon as I answer the phone, I hear, “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor?”
I pull my head away from the phone, shaking my head in an attempt to clear the ringing in my head. “Yes, Lucas. I’m fine.”
“What happened?” He shouts.
I purse my lips, not expecting that question. Lucas usually doesn’t pry, but maybe things at the cafe are stressful today. We still have yet to find another coworker to take on the other shifts. “I just vomited… a little.”
“What?”
I grimace as the ringing in my head increases.
“Oh, my God, I should have listened to Hunter. Something is going on.”
My heart stops. I should have known Hunter would talk with the others about his concerns. They’re going to figure it out. And then… I can just hear the arguing already, hear them asking me:Why didn’t you tell us? Why did you keep this a secret? How far along are you?
I stifle a groan, trying to think of what to tell Lucas, what to say. I thought I had more time. I thought I could tell them when we’re all together.
“Do you have stomach cancer?”
