Page 87 of Castings & Curses

My breath hitched in my throat, and then I wasn't standing, I was falling. Suddenly there were women by my side.

“Honey, are you okay?”

“Let's get you into a chair.”

It didn't take much effort to get me up and seated, and they were asking me all kinds of questions.

“Are you okay?”

“Did they give you bad news?”

“I can't believe Dr. Booth would just send her out here. If they had given her bad news.”

“Kolby, is she okay?”

I glanced up at the very familiar voice of Tyler Weiss. He walked into the doctor's office, a baby carrier strapped to his chest and a toddler hanging off his arm.

“Oh, honey, will you get her some water? She just kind of fell in on herself,” Kolby said.

Tyler started to turn, and then he looked at me again. “Paisley, is that you?”

“Tyler,” I managed to say. “I'm okay.”

“You know her?”

“She grew up in the house next to Nan.”

“Well, here, you talk to her, I'll go see if I can get the nurse to help.”

And then Tyler Weiss was sitting next to me and put his big comfortable arm around my shoulders, patting my head telling me everything would be okay. Can't say I ever pictured Tyler as being the Mr. Mom type with a baby in a baby carrier and a toddler sitting on his other side, but it suited him very well.

A different nurse came out and took my blood pressure, which was slightly higher than had been minutes earlier during my appointment. I was handed a cool glass of water to help calm my nerves.

“I'll be fine.” I kept saying. I think it was more to myself than for them. “Reality hit me. I'm pregnant. I'm divorced. And I don't know what I'm doing.”

Tyler patted my knee and said, “Well, you're home and I don't think any of us know what we’re doing.”

When Kolby’s name was called. I was still leaning against Tyler. She gave him a quick kiss. “You take care of Paisley here, okay?” she said.

“Yes, ma'am.” I could tell by the tone of his voice and the way he looked at her that Tyler adored his wife and was pretty stunned that she was his. I wasn't. He was a sweet guy. She knew she had a good catch with him.

I finally sat up and wiped my face. I finished the cup of water. “Thank you, Tyler. This is embarrassing.”

“There's nothing embarrassing. We all get overwhelmed from time to time, and well, you have extra hormones that kick it all into gear.”

“Yes, I do.” I laughed.

“Where are you staying?”

“I'm back at the house with Terri Ann and I've had a nice visit with Nan, and I'm working for Ash.”

Tyler chuckled. “You don't look like a fireman.”

“I don't feel like much of one, either. No, I'm working on that beefcake calendar the guys put out.”

“They’re raking in quite a bit of money. Taking advantage of their physical assets.”

“Well, if you got it, flaunt it, right?”

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