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“Yes, and that was the first one I’d had in six or seven months.”
“Well, you’re not technically in menopause until you’ve gone at least twelve months without a period,” the doctor explained. “Even then, it’s best to have a test to verify that you’re no longer ovulating before you have unprotected sex. You’d be surprised how many women have unplanned pregnancies right before menopause. Some people call it a ‘menopause oops’ baby.”
“Even if I’m not in menopause, we should have been safe. He said he had a vasectomy,” I whispered, almost to myself.
“I’m sorry to say that either the father lied to you, or his vasectomy failed. It’s pretty rare for them to fail, but it’s not impossible. It happens in maybe one out of every two thousand cases.”
“Holy shit, I’m forty-five years old. My daughter is twenty-seven now. Is it even safe for me to have a baby at this age?”
The doctor looked serious. “There’s definitely a lot higher risk with geriatric pregnancies.”
I hissed in protest, but she ignored me.
“If you decide you want to go through with the pregnancy, I’ll recommend some genetic tests to make sure the baby is viable. I’d like to see you again in two weeks to see how things are progressing. We’ll do an ultrasound at your next appointment. They can help you schedule that at the desk.”
I nodded, half listening. How the fuck could I have gotten pregnant? What was I going to do?
The doctor patted my shoulder. “Listen Dawn, I know this is a shock, so take a few days to think about it. You’re probably about six weeks along so if you make the decision to terminate the pregnancy, we need to do that sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, here is your lab report and some handouts on prenatal vitamins, things to avoid while you’re pregnant, and more information on managing a geriatric pregnancy.”
She handed me a stack of papers.
“Call me if you have any questions after you process all this. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
I sat on the exam table staring into space for at least five minutes before I pulled on my clothes. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Again. Damn that Griffin and his super sperm. He’d seduced me with his sexy eyes and despite my plan for us to remain friends with benefits, we’d slipped into something that looked a lot like dating.
We were together most nights, fucking nonstop like teenagers, each time better than the last. On the days when I was off work we took long motorcycle rides, watched movies, and cooked together. It was all very coupley and I hadn’t even noticed the way he’d wormed his way back into my life.
Good lord, how was I going to tell people I was pregnant at this age? It was embarrassing.
After getting dressed, I stopped at the front desk to make my next appointment, then I headed right over to Griffin’s house in a red hot rage. I pounded on the door like I was the cops executing a raid. Griff came to the door, grumbling until he saw it was me.
“Dawn? Are you okay? What are you doing here? I thought you were at the restaurant.”
I stalked past him into the living room and started pacing. He came up next to me and placed a big hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off.
“What is it, honey? What happened?”
“What happened?” I screeched. “This happened!”
I shoved a piece of paper at him with the test results. He looked at it in confusion.
“This says your blood pressure is a little high.” He gave me a wary look. “I could have guessed that.”
“Read farther down the page, genius!”
I knew the minute he saw the pregnancy test result. His entire body stiffened, and his eyes widened in shock.
“You’re pregnant? Is...”
My rage ramped up to dangerous levels. I slammed my hands into his chest, pushing him back a few steps.
“If you ask me if the baby is yours, I swear to god I will go to the kitchen, grab the biggest knife I can find, and remove your balls from your body. Slowly.”
Griff winced. “I’m just surprised. I thought you were in menopause.”
“I thought I was too. And you told me you had a vasectomy, you liar!”
“I’m not lying. I had a vasectomy like twenty years ago. I swear it.”
