I don’t know why the sight makes me emotional, but it does. Maybe it’s because it’s something I never got to experience with my mom. So many times I longed for her to be the one picking me up, only for it to never happen.
Ignoring the lump in my throat, I answer his question. “She was great. Her skills are looking good.”
“That’s good to hear. If you ever need to contact us, my wife and I want to be as involved as we can be,” he says, then adds, “Have a good night.”
“Good to know, and yes, you too, thanks.”
Once the last two students are gone, I put away the equipment we used today and then head to my office, where I shut the door and sink down to the floor.
I lean my head against the door, taking a deep breath.
Today has been a whirlwind of feelings.
From being nervous, to content, to stressed, to exhausted. I think I’ve felt it all, which is more than I’ve felt in the last two weeks in total.
Despite being tired, I feel…proud of myself.
For trying something new, something I didn’t necessarily want to do or ever see myself doing. But I’m here, I’m trying, and I’m actually enjoying parts of it, which is more than I expected from this job.
After I go over my plans for tomorrow, I grab my speaker from my bag and bring it with me back into the gym. I hit play on my playlist, and “Alive”by Pearl Jamblares through the gym.
A slow smile spreads across my face as I realize I have the entire gym to myself and can practice for the first time in weeks.
By the time I’m done, having practiced floor stunts and balance beam tricks, I feel more like myself.
And hope travels throughout my body, that this really might be a good thing.
Chapter 9
Teagan
8 weeks later - June
“Pregnant?” I chuckle because I’m positive I misheard her somehow. “Did you mix up my chart with another patient’s?”
“We’re waiting for your bloodwork to confirm it, but the test came back positive. You’re pregnant, Teagan.”
I’m…pregnant? How? I threw up a few times this week after eating that bad salmon from this weekend, and I felt a little tired, but I’ve been staying after work to do my training and teaching kids all day doesn’t help either.
But I haven’t had sex since Baseball Guy and we used protection.
“We used a condom, and I was getting the shot,” I mumble to myself.
“Condoms aren’t foolproof. There are instances where they break. And the shot is only effective when taken on time,” she explains softly.
Shit. I was supposed to call for an appointment and get my shot after the competition, but because of everything that happened, I forgot all about it.
Sensing my panic, she places a hand over my shoulder. “Teagan, I can tell this wasn’t something you’d planned, so know that I’m here for you. There are options…”
The rest of her words drift off as I try to process what she just told me. My lungs tighten as the news sinks in and the room feels smaller than it did before.
I place a hand over my flat stomach. I’d never thought about having children. I’ve always been focused on my career and didn’t think that far ahead. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever settle down and have a family of my own. I kind of always thought I’d work in gymnastics once I actually retire, and do life all by myself. I never imagined a partner because why give someone else the power to walk away from me?
Growing up, I thought that a family is one with two loving parents whose world centers around their kids. At least that’s the version we’re shown by the media. But it’s not always the case. My dad wanted no part in knowing me, while my mom preferred traveling around the world instead of raising her kids.
While my grams and pops might not have been my biological parents, they did their best to make it feel like it and raised me and my brother with so much love. They proved to me that family doesn’t have to look a certain way; it’s about the feeling. And with them, I felt loved, supported, and cared for. No matter how much of a troublemaker I was, they never gave up on me.
Life threw them off the path they thought they were on, and instead, found themselves much happier than they were before. And maybe this ismydetour to something better.
