Page 38 of Oops, My Professor Got Me Pregnant!

“How did it go?” Céline asked, falling into step beside Lauren. They made their way towards the small on-campus café where they frequently spent time between classes.

“Really well.” Lauren described the class, including a few too many details in her excitement. “I’m just glad I came. I felt a little nauseated this morning, but in retrospect it was probably just nerves.”

“Probably. I used to get sick with nerves before my classes.” Lauren paused. “Although you did say you were feeling a little sick on Tuesday, too.”

“I guess so.” Lauren pulled to an abrupt stop and turned to Céline. “And I’ve been tired. You don’t think…” She bit her lip and her hand raised to her grandfather’s ring. She’d been reaching for it less and less, but in this moment, she needed to feel him with her. If there was a chance she was… pregnant…

“When was your last period?” Céline asked. Then she wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry; that’s such a personal thing to ask.”

“It’s been a while.” Lauren counted back on her fingers. “I had my period about two weeks before I came to Paris. And… not since then.” She bit her lip. “I thought it was just the stress of adapting to a new country and a new relationship.”

“It probably is.” Céline linked her arm through Lauren’s. “But maybe we should get you a test. There’s almost an hour until the next class.”

Lauren nodded and tried to stay calm, but the pieces of the puzzle were clicking together. A little nausea and a late period wouldn’t be much to think about alone, but together… and there was the exhaustion Lauren had been facing for the last few weeks. She’d thought it was all because of the stress and excitement of a new country and a new relationship, but there could be another explanation. A more likely explanation.

As they walked to a nearby pharmacy and Lauren purchased a pregnancy test in its little pink box, she felt more and more sure that there was no need to take the test. She already knew what the result would be. And sure enough, when she took the test in the professors’ bathroom, Céline waiting outside the door to offer moral support, it didn’t even take the full two minutes for two strong, clear lines to bloom inside the plastic window.

She was pregnant.

For a moment, she just sat on the closed lid of the toilet, the test in her hand, reeling. Despite the difficulty and unexpectedness of the situation, her first reaction upon seeing those two lines was happiness. Lauren had always wanted to be a mother. She’d dreamed of having a big family and raising children. Her experience with Louis in the past few weeks had only confirmed that she loved children and wanted to have more of them. She wanted to be like a mother to Louis, if he and Nico would have her, and she wanted to be a mother to whoever this baby would become.

The problem was that this wasn’t how Lauren had imagined becoming a mother at all. She’d dreamed of a positive pregnancy test with her husband by her side, of packing a bag and hurrying to the hospital for the birth, of spending long nights together with a newborn. For most of her life, the role of “husband” had been played by someone whose face she couldn’t quite see. Recently, that role had been taken by Nico.

But Lauren had imagined a pregnancy a few years down the road. She and Nico had agreed to baby steps, not another baby. He’d shown repeatedly that, as much as he loved Louis, he struggled with the way he’d become a father. Now, seven years later, history seemed to be repeating itself. After only a few weeks of dating, Nico was about to become a father all over again.

Panic gripped Lauren’s heart. There was a good chance Nico would respond badly to the news of another baby. She couldn’t blame him. But the thought of losing him, the man she loved and the father of her baby, was too much to bear. And, if Nico didn’t want anything to do with her, she would lose Louis, too.

“Lauren?” There was a gentle knock on the door. “Did you see the results?”

Lauren stood and walked mechanically to the door, where she let Céline in. Then, still numb, she held up the positive test. Céline looked from the test to Lauren and back again, her eyes wide.

“Wow. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling a lot of things.” Lauren gave a watery chuckle and Céline took her hand.

“Come on. Let’s go to my office and talk. And don’t worry about the next class. I’ll cover it for you.”

“Thank you.” Lauren let Céline lead her down the hall to her office. They sat side by side on the couch, where they’d graded tests together and giggled about Lauren’s romantic life, but the atmosphere was much heavier today.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Lauren said, her voice breaking slightly.

“We can talk about options,” Céline said. “You?—”

Lauren raised a hand. “I don’t want options, Céline. I want this baby. And I want Nico, too. I just don’t know if he’ll want either of us.”

“Oh, come on.” Céline put her arm around Lauren. “I know this all seems huge and terrifying right now, but remember what a good guy Nico is. And he’s a wonderful father. You’ve told me how loyal he is to Louis and to you. I’m sure he’ll take a new baby in his stride, even if it comes as a bit of a surprise.”

“I hope so.” Lauren wiped her eyes. “I just can’t help thinking about how we agreed to take things slowly. This is the opposite of taking things slowly.”

“Sure, but it isn’t your fault.” Céline smiled at her. “You didn’t decide to get pregnant. I’m not sure how well American schools teach you these things, but it does take two people to make a baby.”

Lauren rolled her eyes, but she felt a little better. Céline had a point. Nico couldn’t very well be upset with her for getting pregnant, not when the pregnancy came from something they’d both wanted to do. And they’d been careful. It just hadn’t worked.

“I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right. Now, the important thing is that you’re honest and straightforward with him right away. Just after Jean and I got married, an old boyfriend sent me a few messages. I didn’t realize it was getting flirtatious soon enough, and even though I shut things down right away once I knew, I felt really bad about it. I decided not to tell Jean, but he knew I was keeping something from him, and it all turned into a way bigger deal than it would have been if I’d just been honest.”

“Be honest.” Lauren took a deep breath. “I can do that.”

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