Page 50 of Classroom Confessions

I’d barely made it back to my seat when a gray side door opened and a woman in pink scrubs called my name.

“Me.” I shouldered my purse. “That’s me.”

Her smile brightened. “Follow me.” She led me to a narrow hallway and handed me a cup while rattling off instructions that went in one ear and out the other.

I nodded like I understood and escaped into the bathroom. A paper was taped to the wall above a small metal door, the instructions I assumed the woman gave me printed out in bold letters. Thank goodness.

Once I finished my business and put the cup in the metal tray inside the door, I washed my hands and stepped back into the hallway. Another nurse in pink scrubs rolled a machine down the hallway. She slowed. “Miss Roberts?”

“Yes.”

Compassion filled her eyes when my voice squeaked. “You’ll be in this room here. I’ll be in soon.” She motioned over her shoulder. “Room 202. Make yourself comfortable.”

If they told me to undress, I might bolt. My skin flushed and sweat slid down my spine. “How long will it take?”

“Five minutes.” She smiled like she understood my fears and nudged a door open with her hip, backing into the room and pulling the machine in behind her.

My feet were rooted to the floor. Going into the room made it all real. Why had I kept my intentions from Lily? I could use a friend right now.

Taking a deep breath that stretched my lungs, I marched into the room and sank into the most comfortable office chair I’d ever experienced. Soft blue walls with an off-white counter and rows of cabinets took up most of the space. What drew my attention was the patient bed. It was muted gray with the crinkly paper that I always tore when I sat down. My fingers knotted together. My knee bounced up and down, jarring my bag in my lap. I’d forgotten to check the time when I walked in, so I had no idea whether one minute or ten had passed.

The knob turned and the nurse with the cart entered. “All right. Let’s get some numbers real quick.”

“Do you have the results? I just need the results.” I didn’t care about my blood pressure or whatever else they wanted to check.

She frowned a bit but tapped her tablet screen. “Yes, the test is finished. If you’ll let me get your vitals, we can discuss.”

“It’s negative, right?” I stood, holding my bag between us like a shield.

Her frown deepened. “Positive.”

“You’re positive it’s negative?” Blood whooshed through my ears and I swayed.

“Maybe you should sit down, and we’ll discuss this.” Her smile looked strained. “You’re pregnant.”

Every sliver of air I’d ever drawn in fled in a rush that left me lightheaded. I sank into the chair before I fell and lowered my head toward my knees. “How accurate is the test?”

“We can do a blood test to confirm, but the test has a very high accuracy rate. You left the dates blank for your last period. Would you like me to do an ultrasound to check how far along you are? It’s faster than the blood test.”

Oh, God. Ultrasounds. Blood tests. Giving birth. I had a for real human growing inside me. “Um. I can’t.” I stood again. “I have to go.” I ran from the room, hitting the parking lot without slowing, and crawling into my car. Safe. I was safe here. What was I supposed to do now? I rubbed a hand over my stomach. A baby. I was going to have a baby.

The last thing David, Cole, and Ethan needed after the revelation about Carrie was another sucker punch, but I could not keep this from them. One of them was the father. Which one?

I drove without thinking or planning my route, needing time and space to think. Who did I tell first? Or did I get them all together and reveal it at once?

Shit. My parents. There would be no hiding this, not all the way through my pregnancy, and I sure couldn’t show up with a baby on my hip and no explanation. I drove past the pet store where I’d spent time getting to know Cole. He was the most relaxed of the three, the most likely to take this in stride. I worried about David the most, and his threat to talk to Carrie sent my foot slamming onto the brake while I fished my phone from my bag. I’d saved David’s information when he called me about Fitz, and I tapped his name, connecting him to Bluetooth so I could resume driving.

I braced for coldness, maybe even for him to not answer at all. So when he answered on the second ring, my voice failed me.

“Rebecca?” Concern flooded into me at the fatigue I heard through the phone. It saturated the car with a thick, cloying tension.

“I need a favor.” I’d made it home but sat in the driveway with my fingers locked on the wheel. I couldn’t tell him this over the phone, but I had to start somewhere.

The four of us talked about having a relationship. Telling David without telling the others felt wrong, so I withheld the crucial information and focused on the problem we all knew about.

“I’m listening.” He wasn’t cold and distant as much as reserved.

Cold air blasted from the vents, and goosebumps broke out across my arms and chest. “Don’t talk to Carrie yet.”

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