Page 48 of Doctor's Surprise Twins

21

ALLY

Iknew he wasn’t going to be happy or excited, but I never expected him to be mad.

I expected him to be worried—worried about his job, mine, and maybe even a little worried for my overall health given that he lost his wife to a complicated pregnancy.

I expected him to be anxious about the hospital finding out and the repercussions we could face because of this.

I expected him to be surprised because while we might have had unprotected sex the first couple of times, I quickly got on birth control so it wouldn’t be anything to worry about.

But I never in a million years thought he’d be mad at me; that he’d blame me. It’s not like I did this to myself. I was just fine until he came along. MaybeIshould be mad and be the one pointing the finger.

I’m surprised by his reaction, but I’m also angry. How dare he put all the blame on me? And he’s walking away? The door slamming behind him is a slap in the face. However you look at it, it’s the end.

All day I’ve been leading up to telling him the news. It was at the forefront of my mind. It powered every move I made. Butnow, I have no choice but to start making plans for myself and my child. No matter how hard I tried to be different, I’m just like my mother. Nowthat’sfate. No matter how much I wanted to believe in destiny or that my choices mattered, I was shown that destiny can only take you so far. That in the end, the path we walk might be by choice, but all roads lead to where you’re meant to be. Apparently, it’s been determined that I’m doomed to live the life I always wanted to avoid.

Realizing this makes my hands tighten into fists. I push myself forward, pulling open the door and marching out into the hallway. It’s empty. He’s already gone, and since no other office space is being used in this hallway, there’s nobody around to witness my walk of shame. Instead of heading toward the elevators, I turn in the opposite direction and take the back stairwell, so I don’t have to see or deal with anyone. I stop in the locker room and grab my things. I don’t bother changing out of my scrubs. I’m in too big of a hurry to get out of here.

I run. I run away from this hospital. I run away from him. I run from my past, and I try to run away from my future. That’s something I can’t escape, though. No matter how fast or how hard I run, I’m still running into my future.

As I ride the subway across town, I lean my head against the window, thinking about this morning. This morning, I didn’t know I was pregnant; I only knew that I could be. I still had my whole life ahead of me. All my hard work was paying off. Every plan I had made was still in place: finish the externship, graduate, get a job, and live the life I’ve dreamed of since I was old enough to dream. I took the pregnancy test before lunch, and that’s when everything changed. I spent my lunch hour talking with Grace and telling her the news. I could see the pity in her eyes because she knew how badly I wanted to be different, yet here I am, traveling the same path as my mother, twenty yearslater. At least Grace didn’t tell meI told you so. She tried to stay positive, but all her positives walked out the door when he did.

Now what?

I walk into our apartment and stop dead when I see her.

She takes one look at me and knows. “He didn’t take it well?”

I drop my bag onto the floor and remove my coat. “Nope.”

She crosses her arms and leans against the doorframe. “Why don’t you go get out of those scrubs, and I’ll make us a cup of tea.”

I nod, pushing forward. I walk through the apartment and into my room, closing the door behind me. I pull out a pair of sweats and some slouchy socks.

I have an old, wooden dresser with a big rectangular mirror attached. There’s a strand of mini lights around the frame, and pictures and special notes and things tucked into it. My eyes land on the picture I took only a couple of weeks ago of me and Ethan at his house, lying in bed together. I have my head on his bare chest, and an afterglow fills our eyes.

I turn away from the mirror as I change, not wanting to see the look that will only make me miss him more. God, how pathetic am I? I should hate him right now. He ruined my future. I should be taking every picture of him and burning it, along with anything else that reminds me of him. But here I am, missing him. I miss the way he’d walk up to me and wrap his arms around me, hugging me to his chest as he rested his chin on the top of my head. I miss how I’d bury my face into his shirt, inhaling his scent. I miss the way his warm skin almost burned mine when we’d cuddle in bed. I miss the feeling of his breath on the back of my neck, the way his hand tightened on my hip, and how he’d wake me in the morning by attacking my neck with kisses while his hands roamed my body, bringing every inch of me to life.

The butterflies in my stomach come alive, and it causes my blood to overheat the way it always does when he’s involved. Shaking my head, I finish changing and go back into the living room. I flop down on the couch, crossing my arms. I probably look like a pouting child, but I don’t care.

Within minutes, Grace walks into the room with two cups in her hands. She passes me one before sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

“Thanks,” I mutter as I take the cup. I pull my legs up and to the side as I lean my left side against the arm of the couch, resting my cup on the top.

“So, he didn’t take it well.”

“No, he did not.”

“Now what?”

I shrug. “I guess I’m going to give him time to come to terms with it.” I look over at her. “This is a big thing, and it’s not like he was all that adjusted in the first place. Maybe he just needs some time.”

“And if you give him time, and he still doesn’t want anything to do with this?”

I bite my lower lip and take a deep breath. “Then I guess I have to change my plans and figure things out for me and a baby.”

“So, you’re going to keep it?”

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