Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“A couple of days?” She pulls back to look at me. “Nicole, you’re a nurse—you know full well that’s not normal.”
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, forcing myself to sit back on my heels. The nausea is fading, but I still feel off.
“It’s probably a stomach bug,” I mutter.
Mia gives me a look. “But you don’t feel sick otherwise?”
I shake my head. “If I did, I wouldn’t be at work risking the health of our patients,” I mutter, almost annoyed. She knows me better than that.
She hums, gears clearly turning, then goes utterly still.
I frown. “What’s wrong?”
She meets my gaze, dead serious. “You aren’t pregnant, are you?”
The word rattles around my head like a curse. My body locks up, short-circuiting. Pregnant? No. There’s no way. Right? I swallow hard, my mind racing.
“No,” I answer immediately, more out of shock than anything. “There’s no way.”
I do the math, counting back the weeks in my head. Then I realize that I don’t remember when my last period was. My cycle’s always been a little inconsistent, so being late rarely fazes me. Of course, I don’t usually have hot, wild sex with a stranger.
Mia must see the panic in my face because she gently grips my arm, keeping me anchored. “Hey. Deep breaths.”
I take one. Then another. But my heart is racing.
Pregnant? No. There’s no way.
I feel dizzy. Mia steadies me, helping me stand. She leads me to the sink, her firm touch the only thing keeping me upright. I grip the edge of the counter, staring at my reflection under the unflattering fluorescents. I look shaken. My skin is pale, my lips parted slightly, my eyes wide with something between fear and disbelief.
Mia grabs a paper towel, wets it, and presses it to my forehead.
“Are you okay?” she asks softly.
I shake my head.
She nods, like she expected that answer.
“Okay. Listen to me.” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “We don’t know anything yet, so there’s no reason to panic.”
I nod weakly.
“So let’s just get you a test.”
I freeze, the mere suggestion making this all feel far too real. “What?”
Mia nods, all business, and grabs her purse.
“I’m getting you a pregnancy test.”
My chest tightens. “Mia, I—”
She holds up a hand, cutting me off.
“Nic, we need answers.”
I press my fingers to my temple. This is too much. It’s impossible. It has to be impossible. I mean, I don’t even know Sergei’s last name. I don’t know where he lives, what he does, if I’ll ever even see him again. I’ve been very good these last few weeks about not spiraling, not staring at the phone and wondering if I should just text him again.
I feel lightheaded again.
Mia steadies me. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out. Okay?”
I exhale slowly and nod weakly. “Okay.”
She studies me for another second and nods. Then she’s gone, slipping out of the bathroom to find a pregnancy test, leaving me alone with the looming reality. Alone with the fact that in just a few minutes, everything could change.
A few minutes later she slips back in, a small brown paper bag clutched in one hand, and checks that the restroom is still empty. She hands me the bag and shoos me into a stall, where I have to actually take the damn test. My hands shake as I pull it from the box and hold it underneath me.
I pace while I wait for the results. My sneakers squeak against the linoleum floor with every step, my arms wrapped around my middle like I’m physically holding myself together. Mia sits on the sink edge, elbows braced on her knees, chin resting on her palm. She’s not pacing. She’s not freaking out. She’s just watching the pregnancy test with the patience of a Buddhist monk, waiting for the results to become clear.
I swallow hard, blood rushing in my ears, drowning out everything else. I should be thinking about what I’m going to do. I should be preparing myself for either answer. But all I can think about is Sergei. The way he touched me. The way he left. The way I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since.
Mia’s phone vibrates against the sink.
The timer is up.
I freeze mid-step. My breath catches in my throat. For a second, neither of us move. Then Mia straightens, inhaling slowly.
“You want me to look first?”
I nod so fast it makes me dizzy. “Please.”
Mia reaches for the test. I squeeze my eyes shut.
This is it.
This is the moment my life changes forever.
I hear Mia’s breath hitch. She flips the stick around. And I force my eyes open.
Two lines.
The air punches out of my lungs in a sharp, shattering exhale.
“Fuck.”
The word hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating. Mia doesn’t say anything.
I stare at the test, my vision tunneling, my entire body going numb.