“Miss Redford,” he says, holding up a clipboard. “I’ve got your preliminary test results here. I put in for additional blood work in the meantime, just to make sure we’ve covered all our bases.”
“Doctor,” I greet him with a weak smile, “do you know what caused me to pass out yet?”
“I believe so, yes. You’re exhibiting rather common symptoms for women in your condition.”
“My condition?”
Vivian lets a sharp gasp out as soon as the doctor looks at me, brows furrowed. “You’re pregnant!”
“Indeed,” Dr. Radcliffe replies. “You appear to be in your first trimester, but the tests were conclusive. You are pregnant, Miss Redford.”
“Oh, Jesus,” I whisper.
Heatwaves ripple across my whole being as I try to adjust to this new reality and what it entails. I’m pregnant. A life is forming in my womb, a human being. My heart expands and threatens to burst while I struggle to process the implications and envision the days and weeks and months ahead.
“The additional tests I ordered are purely for informational purposes, to make sure we’ve got all of the bases covered before I prescribe any prenatal vitamins,” the doctor says. “I will need your family history, in the meantime, to scan for any potential genetic anomalies and so on and so forth.”
“I’ll tell you everything you need to know,” I manage.
I can feel both Vivian and Kaleb’s eyes on me, but I cannot bring myself to meet their gazes just yet. The doctor nods slowly. “Something tells me you weren’t expecting to hear this news.”
“No, sir,” I reply.
“How about I give you a few minutes to process, and then I’ll come back and talk to you about your options,” he says. “But you should know, at first glance, you are perfectly healthy. Some vitamins and minor lifestyle changes might make the pregnancy a lot easier to handle. Perhaps some stress management might be appropriate.”
I lift an eyebrow at Kaleb, as he’s definitely been a source of stress.
“Sure, I’d appreciate a few minutes to wrap my head around this,” I tell the doctor.
“I’ll go back to my rounds, then, and I’ll see you shortly,” he says and walks out. The silence he leaves behind feels heavy.
“I think you should’ve seen this coming,” Vivian says in a low voice, “right?”
“I didn’t even think about it. Everything happened so fast. It was so intense. I forgot to keep track of my period, too?—”
“Dammit, I’m going to kill them,” Kaleb mutters.
“You will do no such thing!” I snap. “I’m dealing with enough as it is, Kaleb!”
He shakes his head and gets up from his seat. “They’re responsible for this, too!”
“It takes two to make a baby.”
“Which of the three is part of that two?” he asks, hands on his hips as he glares.
I blink a few times, genuinely confused, while my cheeks warm with a mixture of shame and amusement. “I’m not quite sure.”
Vivian can’t help but burst out laughing while I stare in befuddlement, and Kaleb just watches, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Are you serious?” Kaleb growls.
Vivian isn’t intimidated. “Take it down a notch, Reverend Redford.” She raises a hand to shut him up. “I get it. You’re the traditional type. The do-right-by-the-lady type. The marriage-is-between-one-man-and-one-woman type?—”
“I’m not a prude!”
“You draw the line at one woman with three strapping gentlemen, though,” she says. “But one guy and three women? That’s like 70 percent of internet porn searches right there. I wonder what we’d find in your phone if we looked hard enough?”
Kaleb’s face turns bright red. “Vivian, that’s not the same thing?—"
