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She sank down on the edge of the bed, feeling eht Had Damian used a condom? Not that she could re Why take the pill, when sex was hardly a s but she wasn’t one of them You needed a whole different ht find herself tu into a man’s bed at the drop of a hat and she had never—she had certainly never

A little sound tore fro face and did what she could to turn the sound into a choked laugh

“I can’t be,” she said “How could I possibly have gotten pregnant?”

“The h the centuries”

“Yes, but just one night”

One night One endless night

“You need to ently

“No,” Laurel whispered She lifted her head and stared at Susie “No,” she said, nant I have the flu, that’s all”

“I’ht,” Susie said with a false smile “But, what the heck, you want to make certain”

Laurel rose from the bed “Look, how’s this sound? I’ll spend all day tomorrow in bed I’ll down aspirin and lots of liquids and if I’ better by Monday or Tuesday, I’ll call my doctor”

“Your gynecologist”

“Really, Susie” Laurel looped her arether, they headed for the foyer “Give that iination of yours a rest and I’ll do the sae I’ a rain check on dinner”

“I’ the brush-off, huh?”

“Well,” Laurel said with forced gaiety, “if you want to hang around and listen to ain, you’re welcome”

“Listen, if you need anything Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol” Susie flashed a quick smile “Just someone to talk to, I’m here”

“Thanks, but I’s are all the sa for twenty-four hours and then you’re as good as new”

“Didn’t you say you’d been feeling shaky all week?”

“Twenty-four hours, forty-eight, what’s the difference?” Laurel swung the door open “It’s flu, that’s all I’nant Trust me”

“Uh-huh,” Susie said, without conviction

“I’m not,” Laurel said firmly

She held a smile until the door shut and she was safely alone Then the shtly shut “I’m not,” she whispered

But she was

Four weeks gone, Dr Glassman said, later that afternoon, as Laurel sat opposite her in the gynecologist’s sunny, plant-filled Manhattan office

“I’lad we could fit you in at the last lad I can nosis You are with child”

With child Damian’s child

“Have you married, since I saw you last?” A sain “Or have you decided, as is becole?”

Laurel licked her lips “I—I’le”

“Ah Well, you’ll forgive e that you include your baby’s father in his—or her—life, to as great a degree as possible” The doctor chuckled softly “I know there are those ould have , but children need two parents, whenever it’s possible A mother and a father, both”

There was no arguing with that, Laurel thought, oh, there was no arguing with—

“Any questions?”

Laurel cleared her throat “No None that I can think of just now, anyway”

“Well, that’s it for today, then” The doctor took a card fro on it and handed it to Laurel “Phone ive you your lab reports, but I’ unforeseen will arise You’re in excellent health, my dear I see no reason why your baby shouldn’t be healthy and full-term”

Dr Glassman rose from her chair Laurel did, too, but when the doctor se a smile in return

“Laurel?” The doctor settled back behind her desk and peered over the riently, “if you wish to ements”

“I’nant, you say?”

“Just about”