page9 (1/2)

“Your tests came back,” said Dr Burke She took a seat on the other side of her large, ornate any desk, and frowned down at the papers in front of her “When was the last time you had your period, Jade?”

My forehead crinkled “Teeks ago,” I replied “Why?”

“Well,” she sighed, “It would appear that you’re pregnant”

What?

“No,” I shooksickness, and I haven’t skipped a period”

“I tested both your blood, and your urine twice to , Jade Soet their periods, andsickness at all ”

Ti with my heart

Pregnant

A baby

My ether a coherent thought was as challenging as trying to open my mouth to speak

“Is that whather to be mad, or at least disappointed, but her face was soft, and filled orry How could she be so fucking cale of freaking the fuck out

“No,” replied Dr Burke “But because Jade had no idea she was pregnant, she could have easily ingested sonant woman are advised not to eat”

I thought back to the night before, and what I’d eaten, but it was a blur ofto wrapinside me

Reid’s baby

I felt a sense of panic start to creep in, and I grabbed my mothers’ hand on the armrest between us I couldn’t cry I couldn’t break down

She squeezed o through this alone

“Can we find out how far along I arateful to have found my voice

Dr Burke smiled softly “We can do an ultrasound, and find out You should also be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat”

She rose from her desk, and my mother and I followed

“I’ll have one of our ultrasound technicians meet you in here,” – she opened a door to a room kitted out with an ultrasound et situated I’ll be with right with you”

I stepped inside, and turned to face htly I had no idea what to say to her just then Did I apologize for being pregnant or being pregnant at the tender of twenty?

Both would insinuate I was sorry, but then I’d have to be sorry about what happened with Reid, and I wasn’t Not for one second I was, however, sorry that things had ended up this way, and that I was here experiencing this life-changing moment without him

I wanted so ht better of it when a curvy African-American nurse walked in

“Jade Matthews?”

I nodded, sing the bundled nerves in my throat, and she smiled kindly “You can lie down on the bed,” – she led me over to where I had to lie down – “and just lift your shirt over your sto your ultrasound today, but Dr Burke will be with us shortly to observe”

Wordlessly, I climbed onto the narrow bed, and lifted uphand in hers

“I’ her there, only because her and my father spent very little tiner, and her coe apartlobe My father, Erik, was a retired pilot, but had started his own charter coressmen, and even world famous musicians needed to charter planes, or jets, ht out I rarely saw the periods of time, so the fact that my mother had put her busy schedule aside to make sure I was okay meant a lot