“Of course,” she says, giving Angelo a glance as he steps out of the room.
“Close the curtain and make sure they’re gone,” I tell her because I don’t want any chance of my family overhearing anything I’m about to say. The blowback would be catastrophic.
Michelle climbs on the gurney, tucking her leg under her bottom and grabs my hand. “Are you okay?” She laces her fingers with mine and squeezes.
“Michelle, this couldn’t be any worse,” I whisper.
“Why are you whispering?” she whispers back, mocking me.
I tick my chin toward the hallway, knowing full well my entire family is nosy as fuck. “You know how they are listening.”
“We’ll figure this out.”
“How?” I ask, peering up at her with tears in my eyes.
I don’t see a way this finishes with a happy ending. The one damn time I have unprotected sex, I get knocked up.Un-fucking-believable.
“You’re going to have to tell Leo.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, letting the tears spill down my cheeks. “He’s going to go ballistic.”
I’m not sure how I’ll break the news to him. I’ve spent an entire month trying to pretend he never existed, and the entire time, our baby was growing inside my body. God, what if he thinks I was trying to trap him as some part of an evil plan?
“He may surprise you.”
“Well, I’m about to surprise him,” I say and start to laugh.
“Ms. Gallo,” a woman says near the doorway as she pulls a cart behind her. “Are you ready for your ultrasound?”
Michelle goes to stand, but I pull her back down. “Stay with me.”
My mother’s right behind the ultrasound technician, smiling from ear to ear as she follows her into the room. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby,” she says like she’s going to be the one giving birth. “This is so exciting.”
“Yeah. Thrilling,” I mumble under my breath as she scans my bracelet.
The ultrasound doesn’t take very long, and the technician doesn’t say much while she takes pictures of my uterus. I stare at the black-and-white screen, trying to figure out what the hell I’m looking at, but I don’t see much of anything.
“Did you see a baby?” I ask as she cleans off her equipment and packs up to leave.
“The doctor will be in shortly to go over the ultrasound with you.”
Her words don’t give me comfort. “Everything will be fine,” my ma says, but she doesn’t understand the absolute mess I’ve created.
Moments later, the doctor walks in, holding the ultrasound pictures in his hand. “Everything looks good, Ms. Gallo. You’re around four weeks into your pregnancy. You’ll want to follow up with your OB/GYN this week, but as of right now, both mom and baby are perfectly healthy.”
“Great,” I say, trying to plaster on a fake smile.
“Here’s the first photos.” He hands me the sheet of paper and points to a tiny speck. “There’s your baby. Congratulations.”
“I have to go tell everyone the baby’s okay,” my ma says before kissing me on the cheek and leaving Michelle and me alone.
I stare at the photo and try to think of the best way to break the news to Leo. For a minute, I think about not telling him. Breaking up with him would probably be the best solution. His life would remain uncomplicated, and our secret would stay hidden.
“Don’t even think it,” Michelle says as I climb off the gurney and reach for my clothes.
“What?”
“You have to tell him,” she says with her arms crossed in front of her chest like she’s reading my mind.
