Page 37 of Silver Fox's Intern Dilemma

Dad went to his office and never saw me, but Mom brought some fresh produce into the kitchen and met me on my knees, holding my hair back. She brought a paper towel for me to blow my nose and wipe my face, and while I was leaving the rest of my breakfast there, she rubbed my back and spoke softly to me.

"You know, Sophia. Dad and I were fools when we were younger." Her hand smoothed over my shirt in circles and I had no clue what she was talking about. "Andrew and Thomas were so young when I did my residency. It made things so difficult for me. But you know, young love is passionate and risky. You make choices you don't think about."

I felt another strong wave of vomit and tried to block her out. She picked a rather stupid time to be nostalgic about us as kids. I just wanted to eat without throwing up. I was losing weight as it was instead of gaining, and my body was weakened by the anemia. If I just kept throwing up my vitamins, they’d be pointless.

"And my goodness, the morning sickness I had too. I couldn’t eat for weeks and when I did, the only thing my body let me really enjoy was waffles. I had to try to sneak in some vegetables through juices.” She chuckled, and I started to get the feeling that she wasn't going to be shocked when I told her I was pregnant. I knew all this throwing up was too obvious.

"I drank spinach in my morning coffee." She laughed, and I sat back and took the paper towel from her hand. "Oh, that was so awful. But I made it through."

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I asked, trying to act really confused, but deep down, I knew it was too late. She'd figured it out somehow and I didn't have a leg to stand on. I saton the floor by that trash can and blew my nose, waiting for the hammer to fall.

"Oh, Sophia, it's okay. I've known since that day at your apartment." She stood up and offered me her hand, and I took it. When I rose next to her, she hugged me.

"Known what?" I asked, because if she didn't say it first, I would be a fool to confess it.

"That you're pregnant, silly." Mom held me at arm's length, and while I saw the disappointment in her eyes, I saw more compassion and love than anything else. "And it's okay."

"My God, it was Maylin?" I said, suddenly feeling frustrated with my sister. If she so much as breathed a word to them about this, I'd never speak to her again.

"No," Mom said, shaking her head. "May-May only spoke with us last night because she was concerned with you. She cares, and she put us in our place." Mom chuckled again, and I raised my eyebrows. May put them in their place? "She told us if we judged you or lectured you for this that she'd stop coming home for holidays and visits." Mom gestured at the table. Sit?"

I walked to the table feeling stiff and scared. So Mom knew about the baby, and it sounded like Dad knew too. Why wasn't he in here lecturing me? Why had he not lectured me last night when I sat on the front porch for air? Why had they not woken me up last night at any point and told me how stupid I was?

I sank into the kitchen chair as Mom opened the fridge and started putting away the food she got. She left a few things on the counter, pulled out the blender, and made me a smoothie with a vanilla yogurt base, some spinach, bananas, strawberries, and a bit of the same juice I'd just been drinking. When she sat across from me and handed me the glass, I stared at the ugly green concoction with disgust.

"Drink it. I promise, it's good and it will stay down." I took a sip and realized the green was only because of the spinach,but she was right. It did taste good. Whether it stayed down was another thing.

"I don't know what to do, Mom." I sighed and had another drink. I knew what I needed to do, but facing Jack meant facing the uncertainty of the job, his reaction, my future… my vulnerable heart.

"I say you have to talk to Mr. Thornton about that." Her eyebrows rose and I felt my throat constrict.

"She told you it was Jack?"

Mom nodded and her expression darkened. "Dad has some things to say about that too, but remember, he's seven years older than me… So that works in your favor."

None of this felt right. I pinched my arm and it hurt and I winced. Mom chuckled and I shook my head. "I'm just trying to decide if this is a dream. Why are you being so nice?"

While I drank more of the smoothie, Mom replied, "Because I know what young love is. I know how it's easy to get carried away and be hasty. And I know how driven you are. I know you weighed the risk and consequences against the benefits, and if you think this Jack person is worth it, then I trust your judgment."

It was the first time my mother had ever said those words to me, and I was shocked. But I didn't have time to respond to her because Dad walked in with a scowl on his face and a stack of papers. He dropped them on the table in front of me and pursed his lips.

Mom kept smiling as she looked at me, then Dad, then the papers. I glanced down at them and it looked like a work contract from UCHealth. The state teaching hospital across town had rejected my applications before. Why would Dad have this now?

"I got you a spot with Dr. Chase Partners at the big hospital." His grunt of dissatisfaction was exactly what I expected, but hewasn't lecturing me at least. "You can start in two weeks. They know about your… They know the condition you have," he said, and he seemed very stiff.

I knew something like this for Dad was huge. His family worked in a completely different way. He didn't understand people who chose to have sex outside of marriage or young people who got pregnant. To him, that was putting the cart before the horse and a gross injustice to those young people's future. I knew he was probably disappointed, so I didn't understand why he'd still be helping me.

"Daddy… you didn’t have to do this." I picked up the paper and set the glass to the side. Mom was right. The mixture was staying down. Finally, I was able to eat something and not throw it up.

"Yes, I did. It's what parents do. Their kid makes choices with bad consequences, and the parents help them make it right so it doesn't affect the rest of their lives. And this one," he said, tapping the paper, "is not optional. I already turned in your letter of resignation at Twin Peaks. Accept this as my final word." He folded his hands in front of himself, and I nodded.

I was gravely aware of how stern he was and that he meant what he said. He'd follow through, and that would be the end of his helping me if I rejected this offer. It made my heart feel both terrifyingly sober and so fully loved at the same time. I stared at the contract with tears in my eyes, but Dad wasn’t done.

"And as for Dr. Thornton, I expect him to do the right thing." Dad's tone was very gruff now. I could see in his eyes how angry he was. Dad was so old-fashioned. He didn't understand that American men don't officially ask parents for permission to date daughters. He needed to loosen up, but just the fact that he had broached this topic without shouting made me thrilled.

"You want to meet Jack?" I asked timidly.

"I forbid you from seeing him again unless he comes to meet me face-to-face and is a man. Do you understand me? It's bad enough that he's ten years older than you." Mom reached over and touched Dad’s hand, and he sucked in a breath and relaxed his shoulders. "But he got you pregnant at a time in your career that you should have been protected. He has to answer to me for that. And if he is man enough to do that, I will consider giving my blessing."

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