Page 51 of Thick & Thin

I had a brain tumor or an aneurysm. My mind went over all the things that could make me pass out and kill me, and I felt my heart rate speed up.

Death.

It was the only reason he would ask a question like that. He didn’t want my family to be there to get the terrible news that I was slowly dying from some terrible disease.

Lilly reached out and took my hand reassuringly, somehow knowing I was on the verge of freaking out.

I shook my head and squeezed her hand.

“No. Just give it to me straight, Doc.”

“Well … you’re pregnant, Miss Michaels,” the ER doctor said without even looking at me.

The sip of water Devin had been taking from the little plastic cup a nurse had given him spewed, and he started to choke. My dad’s face paled, and Lilly’s hand went limp in mine.

“What the fuck?” Devin said, swiping at his mouth.

The doctor didn’t seem to notice my family’s reaction to the news. If he had, then he played it off nicely. He scratched notes on the pages on his clipboard and checked his watch before marking the time on the paper.

“That’s impossible,” I stated, positive his equipment and tests were faulty.

“Excuse me?” Finally, he looked up at me.

He was an older man, his salt and pepper hair thinning up top and his blue eyes watery.

I looked around the room, taking in the worried faces of my family.

“I mean, I’m on the pill. I’ve been on the pill since I was fourteen to regulate my period. Not to mention, I’m not having sex.”

My dad and Devin breathed a sigh of relief, trusting my word and sure that the doctor had it wrong.

The doctor cleared his throat and scratched at his temple in confusion. “I’m sorry. Are you saying you’re a virgin?”

Suddenly, I wished I had cleared the room before having this talk with the doctor. It wasn’t fun admitting you were no longer a virgin in front of your dad and overprotective brother.

“Well, I mean, there was once, but that was—”

“Once is all it takes,” the doctor interrupted me.

“Shit,” Devin muttered, standing and leaving the room.

He almost ripped the curtain down separating the space we were in from the person next to us when he left. My cheeks flooded with heat, embarrassed for myself and for the way my brother was acting.

Lilly stood and patted my shoulder. “I’ll go check on him.”

Once she left the room, Dad scratched at the back of his neck and cleared his throat nervously. “I think I’ll just give y’all a minute.”

It’s not like it mattered at that point, but I was relieved when everyone left.

“I understand it only takes once, but like I said, I’m on the pill,” I repeated.

“Do you take it like you’re supposed to?” he asked.

I snickered; positive I had done what I was supposed to do. I took my pill like clockwork at the same time every night. “Without fail every night.”

“Hmm. Have you been on any antibiotics lately? Some affect the potency of the birth control pill.”

“Nope,” I answered confidently. “I haven’t been on any kind of …” And then I paused.

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