She offers a sweet smile, and I relax.
“That would be great.”
For a year. I only need peace of mind for a year. I'd be a liar if I said sex with Griffin isn't amazing. If I have a solid means of birth control and we can work out some kind of communication style, maybe we can do this.
I pee in a cup. I have my blood drawn. I’m ushered into a relaxation room with an eye mask and aromatherapy to wait. It feels like a spa.
“Mrs. Calloway?” A nurse touches my shoulder about twenty minutes later.
“Boy, that was fast,” I say, sitting up. The nurse gives me a grin that looks more like a grimace.
I return to the examination room and wait for the doctor. When Dr. Wells walks in, she has a strained look on her face. She's holding papers that set off alarm bells in my head.
“Well, Mrs. Calloway... I want you to know that this is not uncommon with newlyweds. There’s no need to feel embarrassed. However, I cannot perform the IUD installation today.”
She pauses.
“As part of our pre-screening, I administered two pregnancy tests. Both have come back positive. By my estimation, you’re very early in your pregnancy. Perhaps only ten days post-conception.”
What?
Immediately, the nausea I've been battling surges. It’s been eleven days since I took the morning-after pill.
“I took the morning-after pill. Can the test be wrong?” I blurt out.
“We can get a false positive on a urine screening, but not usually on a blood test. Both are showing elevated hCG levels. The morning-after pill is only effective for about forty-eight hours, and its potency can be compromised.”
“I took it right after he... um...” I swallow hard.
“Emergency contraception can fail if you’re taking antibiotics, or if you threw up within two hours of ingestion.”
“I threw up about two hours after taking it,” I confess, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Then I’m almost one hundred percent positive that you are pregnant.”
The room spins.
I don’t want to have an abortion. It’s something I vowed I’d never do. But I can’t do this alone. And I know Griffin. He made it clear:I won't be a dad.He will ask me to terminate.
I start shaking, deep, racking sobs taking over my body. The doctor rubs my back, trying to calm me, but I'm out of control.
“Get Griffin Calloway on the phone,” Dr. Wells says sharply to the nurse.
The nurse dials. Suddenly, I hear his deep voice on speaker.
“Calloway.”
Fuck.
16
GRIFFIN
No. No. No.
God no.
What happened?
