Page 52 of Dr. Baby Daddy

CHAPTER 24

IZZY

Iemerge from darkness to the scent of Oliver’s cologne. I groan as I open my eyes and struggle to sit up. It feels like I’ve been hit by a freight train.

The last thing I remember is trying to hold back tears while he confirmed that things were over between us.

“Whoa.” Oliver appears in front of me, the corners of his eyes crinkled and a thin line between his eyebrows. “You took a hard fall. You’re going to be all right, but you shouldn’t sit up yet. You need to get some rest.”

“I’ll get some rest when I get home.” I shove his hands away as he reaches for me. “Just let me get the hell out of here.”

“No.” He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I have to get to work. I can’t call in. But I want you to stay here, rest up, and call me if anything happens.”

I scoff and squeeze my eyes shut, not bothering to answer him. He’s just using another excuse to run away.

A few minutes later, he leaves while I’m still sprawled on his couch. I sigh and lean back against the cushions, waiting until I’m sure he’s gone.

The second I’m sure that he won’t be coming back, I get up and go to my own apartment, sending a message to Kate on the way.

She meets me at the door, pulling me into a tight hug the moment she sees me. “Why the hell didn’t he take you to the hospital with him? You passed out and hit your head. He should have taken you with him.”

I step out of the embrace and shrug. “He said I was fine.”

Kate’s eyes narrow as she grabs my shoulders. “You don’t look fine. You’re swaying on your feet, Iz. I think you need to go to the hospital.”

“It’s fine.” I wiggle my way away from her and unlock the front door. “I haven’t been feeling the best for the last few days, but it has nothing to do with passing out.”

Kate follows me inside, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you mean? What happened before you passed out, and why haven’t you been feeling well before then?”

I shrug and pour myself a glass of water. “Oliver ran into me while I was bringing the boxes in. He basically said it was a good thing that he ghosted me and that I would be better off without him.”

“I doubt those were his exact words.” She slides onto one of the stools and drums her fingers on the counter. “Now what about this not feeling so well? I’ve been over twice in the last week, and you haven’t said anything about that.”

My phone starts ringing before I can answer her. I pull it out of my back pocket, Oliver’s name flashing across the screen. I hit the button to ignore it, but the phone starts ringing again seconds later.

Kate nods to the phone. “It seems like he wants to talk to you now. Why don’t you answer that?”

“Not going to happen. He didn’t want to talk at all for the last two weeks. If he wants to talk now, he can wait until I’m ready.”

She sighs, disapproval in her eyes. “All right. Well then, at least tell me how sick you’ve been feeling. This could be something serious, and if it is, I’m rushing you to the hospital.”

“There’s no need, really. I’ve been a little nauseous and dizzy, nothing horrible. Maybe a little more tired, but I would be with all the stress in my life. Especially with booking that job at that new jazz club opening on the other side of town. Preparing for that has been hell over the last week. I threw up twice.”

Kate runs her hand through her hair. “Izzy, I don’t want to panic you right now but is there a chance that you could be pregnant? What you’re describing sounds a lot like the first trimester.”

My world comes to a screeching halt as I open the calendar app on my phone. I ignore another call from Oliver as I count the days.

The more days I count, the worse I feel. My head spins as my stomach plummets to my feet. I scroll through the days again, making sure that I have the dates right.

“Kate.” My voice cracks, tears blurring my vision as I look up at her. “Do you have a pregnancy test?”

She nods and leaves the apartment. I stagger over to the couch and sink down into the cushions. As I bury my face in my hands, I try to take deep breaths.

There is no way this is happening right now. I can’t be pregnant. Not when I’m just starting out with my career. And when Oliver wants nothing to do with me.

If that pregnancy test is positive, I don’t know what to tell him. He’s ensured that our relationship came to a brutal end. Is all that going to change because of a baby?

Salvaging a relationship isn’t something I would ever put on a child, which means that I’m going to have to co-parent. Unless Oliver wants nothing to do with our child. Which could be possible.

---