Page 7 of All or Notching

I close my eyes, drop my chin to my chest and take a few deep breaths. There’s been nobody since that one night at the bar, so I know who the father is. However, I also know he used a condom, obviously a defective one, so there’s nobody to blame. It was an accident. The question is, what to do now? This was never part of my plan.

The door opens, and I see the hem of a white coat. It must be the doctor. I’m afraid to raise my head because once I do, and this appointment starts, in my gut, I know how it will end with me moving on to an unexpected and unplanned phase in my life as a single mother.

I lick my dry lips.

The blood is whooshing in my ears.

Time to get this over with and decide what to do next. I raise my head and lock eyes with Doctor Tessler.

I blink. It can’t be.

I literally close my eyes again and shake my head.Hard.

“Laurel?”

“No.”

“No, you’re not Laurel? You sure look like her.” I hear amusement in his voice. I remember that voice. My body shivers as that sexy as fuck timbre crawls over me. Oh yes, I remember that voice and how the man who owns it made me feel so alive that night.

I open one eye.

Yup. DoctorTristanTessler is My Guy from the bar. My one and only one-night stand. The sweetyoungman that has apparently turned my world upside down.

“Hello, Tristan,” I croak. “Or should I call you Doctor Tessler? I um, I didn’t know you were a doctor.”

The room spins. I grab the arms of the chair.

Unaware of his effect on me, Tristan sets the chart he’s holding aside and grabs the stool on wheels, pulling it closer so he can sit in front of me.

I’m instantly hit by the lingering scent of his aftershave. I can see his five o’clock shadow, his blue eyes. I remember them looking down at me as he thrust into me repeatedly.

“I’m sorry I had to leave like I did. The hospital I work out of called me in to help with a multi-vehicle accident. I left you a note, though. I assume you found it?”

He knows I did. He wants to know why I didn’t contact him. “I really enjoyed our evening, but I wasn’t looking for a relationship.”

He shrugs. “I get that. No worries. I had a great time, too. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t regret it.”

“I didn’t.” I do now, though.

He straightens and picks up the chart again. “So, what brings you here this evening?”

“Oh, nothing.”

His dark blond eyebrows pop up.

Bile rises in my throat.

I can’t tell him. Ishouldtell him. But I can’t tell him. What the hell am I going to do? I can’t tell this man I had a few hours of fun with that I’m pregnant with his child. What if he has a girlfriend?

Oh, God, what if he has a wife?

My gaze drops like a stone to his hands. No ring. Mild relief rolls over me. But there remains the problem of a little person probably growing inside me right now that is part of him. We don’t even know each other. Did I mention he’s too young for me? Damn it, he’ll have more in common with our child than I do.

Tears burn at the back of my eyes.

A knock on the door interrupts us as the nurse enters with a piece of paper in her hand. She smiles at me. “Here you go Doctor Tessler. It’s Ms. Downing’s results from the urine test.” He takes the sheet from her and thanks her. She silently backs out of the room, closing the door behind her.

In my brain, I’m screaming at her to take that piece of paper with her. It holds my future, and I don’t want to know what that looks like right now.

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