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Dr. Munroe sits behind a desk and sets the folder down. Slowly, I move forward and sink into the seat opposite her. Wordlessly, Sam takes the chair across from me and takes both of my hands in hers.
“So, you mentioned that you had a birth control implant placed, right?”
I sit up straighter and frown. “Yeah, why?”
“According to your medical files, it was removed because you had to go into surgery.”
I have a vague memory of being told about the implant by a young-looking doctor with dark eyes.
But I don’t remember anything else.
Dr. Munroe closes the folder and links her fingers together. “You’re pregnant, Isabella. The good news is that it’s still early enough that you can make the decision not to keep the baby.”
I grip Sam’s hand tighter. “I… I can’t be pregnant.”
The doctor reaches into her drawer and pulls out a pamphlet. “Why don’t you go over these? Here’s my card as well. Call me if you have any questions, and be sure to schedule a follow-up appointment with your obstetrician. Congratulations.”
She pushes her chair back with a screech and gets up.
My ears are ringing, and my stomach is in knots.
Sam is the one to lead me into the blue-colored hallway, past nurses and doctors in scrubs. I’m vaguely aware of monitors beeping in the background and the smell of disinfectant following us out into the emergency waiting area. There is a flurry of activity as a few stretchers are rolled past, and loud voices call out for the doctor.
Suddenly, I’m outside, and Sam is helping me get into her car.
The seatbelt snaps into place, and the door clicks shut behind me. Sam hurries around to the driver’s side and reaches for her belt. After checking the mirrors, she starts the car and backs out of her parking spot. After she merges onto the main road, she glances over at me and waves a hand in front of my face.
“Are you okay? Do you want me to pinch you or something?”
I blink, and the world tilts back into focus, revealing Sam’s AC whirring in the background and a blur of trees and buildings rushing past me beyond the car windows. With a frown, I sit up straighter and run a hand over my face. Then my hand drops to my stomach, and I stare at it in disbelief.
How the hell did this happen?
“I can be there when you tell Carter,” Sam says in a strange voice. “I’m guessing by your reaction that you didn’t plan any of this, but that’s fine. I’m right here, no matter what you decide.”
A lump rises in the back of my throat. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“I think you’ve still got time before it’s too late.” Sam places both hands on the wheel and rolls her shoulders. “You’ve got options, Isabella.”
I glance up at Sam, and my throat is dry. “What if I want to keep the baby?”
Sam glances over sharply, then drags her gaze back to the empty road ahead. “Are you serious?”
I hold my arm more firmly over my stomach and blow out a breath. “I don’t know, but I think I am. Sam, I… I can’t get rid of my baby.”
Because I can’t imagine it. And I don’t want to think about giving my baby up for adoption.
The thought of having a part of Carter and me out there in the world doesn’t sit well with me. Not if it means not having the baby in our lives.
A swell of emotion rises and grows in my chest. “Look, I know it’s crazy, but since my dad died, you know how hard it’s been. I’ve been feeling really lonely and isolated, and I don’t want to feel like Carter is my only family.”
Sam’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. “I understand that, Isabella. I do, but what about Carter? How’s he going to feel about this? They’re in the middle of a civil war, and there’s the bullshit with that journalist…”
I push my hair out of my face. “I know, but this could be exactly what we both need to help us focus on what really matters.”
In the distance, Anita’s house looms, bathed in the glow of the late afternoon sun. On either side of us, mansions race past, and Sam hasn’t looked at me once.
Not since we got into the car.
