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"Have a seat on the table, please," he says.
The sanitary paper makes a crinkly noise as I get comfortable. The nurse takes my vitals and asks me why I'm there.
I say, "I think I have the flu. I've been throwing up all morning."
"Okay, the doctor will be with you in a moment." He leaves and closes the door behind him.
I look around at all the gadgets and posters, swinging my legs back and forth like a kid. I feel another round of nausea coming and look for a trash can. I make it just in time. I'm cleaning myself off when the doctor knocks and walks in.
"So, what are your symptoms?" The doctor hasn't even looked at me yet.
I get back on the table and tell him I'm nauseous and throwing up and think it's the flu.
"Any other symptoms, fever, chills, aches?" He looks at me now, directly in the eyes.
I think for a minute and finally say, "No, none of those, just the nausea and vomiting."
"When was your last period?" The doctor asks, and I try to think back.
I should have had one by now. I tap on my fingers and realize I haven't had a period since before Orlando. I have missed two periods. I can feel the color drain from my face. Holy crap. The doctor sees the realization on my face, orders me to pee in a cup, and takes a blood sample, then has me wait in the waiting room again.
I have given myself anxiety while waiting for the results. I naively pray it's not true while knowing it is. What the hell have I done?
"Erica," the doctor calls. I get up and walk back to the sterile room on shaky legs.
The doctor closes the door and says, "Congratulations, you're about two months pregnant."
I fall back into the chair with a thud. I have made a bad situation so much worse. What am I going to tell Aaron? I start hyperventilating, and the doctor gives me a bag to breathe into slowly. I begin to calm down. He prescribes prenatal vitamins and tells me to make an appointment with my OBGYN. I thank him and walk out into the too-bright sun.
I barely make it to the car on my wobbly legs. Once inside, I sit there staring at nothing, stunned and panicked. If I was worried about ruining my friendship with Aaron before, it's nothing compared to how I feel now.
I drive to the studio, ask for the afternoon off, say I'm sick, and then go home. I walk in the door, grab a blanket off the back of the couch, and lie down. Another bout of nausea hits me, and I'm kneeling in front of the toilet for the fourth time that day. I'm unsure if the morning sickness or the anxiety is causing me to throw up.
This is bad. This is very, very bad. I can't handle this right now, and Aaron will likely flip. The premiere is coming up, and I'll be showing a bit by then. I can't tell Aaron before the premiere; it will distract him. What will he think when he hears, we will have a baby?
Chapter Fifteen
Aaron
Istepintomymeeting with my PR rep and explain the situation. By now, she has seen the photos and videos from Orlando, and based on her text to me while I was on vacation, she did not like getting blindsided. She has been fielding calls all week and has not received an actual response. It doesn't help that I ignored everything, hoping it would all blow over before I returned. It didn't.
"So, your engagement is fake, but we are telling people it's real? Is that what I'm hearing?" Her eyebrows are drawn together, not a look I associate with her usually friendly demeanor.
"Yes, you are hearing right. So, now that Erica is moving to San Francisco, I think this would be the perfect time for a public breakup. We could say the distance and busy schedules don't mesh right now, so we are postponing the engagement indefinitely." I'm not very convincing since, deep down, I don't want to fake a breakup with Erica. I already feel her absence.
"And now you want to fake a breakup? What is wrong with you for going along with this?" She asks tersely. I stay silent as she chastises me.
A few moments of silence pass. My leg shakes with anxiety, and I wish Erica would answer me directly without the hassle. I'm not a child.
"Well, your surprise photo bomb at the airport in Orlando went viral, so breaking up now would create more chaos and questions, especially with the short time the public has known about you two. It would take away from the movie premiere because the focus would be on Erica and your 'relationship.' Let's wait until after the premiere to do this. When you two are back in the same geographical area, you grew apart during the separation and busy schedules.
That hits a little too close to home because we have grown apart. I've noticed our calls have dropped off, and emails and texts need to be more consistent. I need to figure out how to fix it. I do know I don't like it. I miss her every day, and it kills me when we don't talk or even text. Why has it taken a fake engagement for me to see her as a potential life partner?
I think it over and decide she's right. "Okay, we will break up publicly after the premiere."
It looks like Erica and I will be fake-engaged for quite a while. We did not think this through very well. In all honesty, I actually like being engaged to her.
"Are there any other surprises I should know about?" she asks sarcastically.
