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When was my last period? Think, Reed. THINK.
I search my mental calendar for my last period. It was before Christmas. A week before. Maybe two. I need my planner. Where the hell is my planner?Oh god. Oh. God. No. No, no, no, no, no.This cannot be happening. There is no possible chance I am… pregnant.
“Shelly?” Devlyn’s lips are at my ear. “What’s wrong? You’re shaking. And you look… gray.”
Oh god. I think I’m going to be sick. As the thought crosses my mind, my stomach rolls.
I drop Devlyn’s hand, slap mine to my mouth, and dash out of the room. In the hall, a nurse smiles then frowns. A hand to the mouth is obviously the universal sign for “I’m going to puke” because the nurse rests a hand on my back and rushes me down the hall to the restrooms.
Bolting into the bathroom, I run for the stall, slam the door and lock it, then drop to my knees and expel the contents of my stomach. When my body finally relaxes, I ease up from the floor, flush the toilet, and step out of the stall. Erin stands next to the sink with concern marring her expression.
“Shell, are you okay? Jesus. You scared us all.”
I turn on the faucet, splash my face with cold water and rinse out my mouth. “Yeah. Must’ve eaten something bad at lunch.” The lie rolls off my tongue with too much ease.
She gives me a hug. “Long as you’re okay.” She releases me and hands me a wad of paper towels. “Devlyn’s outside.” She points to the door.
“Thanks. Will you tell him I’ll be out in a minute?”
With a nod, she says, “No problem. Sure you’re okay if I leave?”
I smile at my friend. “Promise I’m good.” After another hug, she exits the bathroom.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I brace my hands on the sink and take several deep breaths. For the next minute, I have a heart-to-heart with myself.
I didn’t eat anything bad in the last few hours—lunch was more than five hours ago. But the nausea could be from a number of things. The chemical smell of the hospital mixed with the adrenaline rush of being here plus not having much in my system. That has to be it.
“There’s no way I’m pregnant,” I whisper to my reflection. “We used protection. Every time.”
But what do I know about condom usage? Other than the sex ed classes in school—more than fifteen years ago—I haven’t had much experience or education in the department. Sure, I know they aren’t one-hundred-percent effective, but Devlyn would have said something if the condom broke.
Regardless, I need to exit the bathroom before Devlyn panics and waltzes in. After one last deep breath, I push off the sink and head for the door. Soon as I step out, Devlyn is inches from me, his hands framing my face, eyes studying every detail.
“Are you okay?” he asks, voice low and shaky.
Tears sting the backs of my eyes because I have no clue. For all I know, I could have a virus. It is the time of year for that. I shrug. “Yes. I think.” He hugs me to him and I fist the back of his shirt.
A moment later, the same nurse who guided me to the bathroom steps up. “Sorry to intrude, sweetheart. Just wanted to check on you.” Her smile is bright and warm.
“Might be a bug,” I tell her.
“Why don’t you come with me and we can have you checked out? Shouldn’t take but a few minutes, if you’d like.”
Might as well since I’m here.Will they also test to see if I’m pregnant?“Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
She walks us to the elevator then takes us to another floor, this one more clinical and cold. Coughs and sneezes and grumbles echo from every direction. The bleach scent is ten times worse and I force myself to breathe through my mouth rather than my nose.
“Hey, Suzanne,” a man says from behind the desk. “How can I help?”
“Paul, this young lady…” The nurse looks my direction.
“Shelly,” I say.
“Shelly wasn’t feeling well upstairs. Would you please run a virus panel?”
He smiles at Nurse Suzanne and nods. “Sure thing.” Then he looks in my direction. “I’ll just need identification, Shelly, and some forms filled out.”
I dig through my purse and hand over my identification. He hands me a clipboard and points to a group of chairs along the wall. While I fill out basic personal and health information, Devlyn wraps an arm around my shoulders and rubs small circles on my skin.
