There was no question in my mind that I wasn’t ready for this. It hadn’t even been four months since my graduation. I was twenty-four, living in a brand new house, working a brand new job, and just learning how to be a grownup; I had no idea how to be a parent. That, however, was no excuse to be irresponsible and act as if I were just another woman my age. I had responsibilities and limitations most of them didn’t, and I had to start living accordingly, for both our sakes.
Knowing that I couldn’t afford to keep my parents in the dark any longer, I made up my mind to tell my father about the pregnancy as soon as he arrived. In order for me to do that, however, Kellan had to go away. Under normal circumstances I was a terrible liar; I couldn’t even imagine how bad I’d be with the lie staring me right in the face.
“Thank you for your advice, for bringing me to the hospital, and for staying with me, but you have to go. Like you said, I’m on my own with this one, and I have to deal with it accordingly.”
An indecipherable emotion settled into Kellan’s face as he stared back at me. He crossed his arms over his chest and used a very petulant tone when he spoke. “But if I leave, how will I know that you’ve told them and that you’re taking good care of yourself?”
“You won’t. Which was the point, right?”
He looked away from me and shook his head ever so slightly. “I knew you would say that, which is why I am giving you the next few weeks off to relax and worry about what actually matters.”
My eyes widened as I glared at Kellan. “You can’t do that! I need my job and the money.”
He rolled his eyes as he typed something on his phone. “Your job isn’t going anywhere. As for the money, think of this break as a paid vacation.”
The nonchalant way he said that made me even more pissed off than his actions. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but before I could get a word in, my father’s voice echoed from the hallway. I glanced from Kellan’s face to the opening door.
“Pumpkin,” Dad said as he raced into the room with a bouquet of my favorite flowers in his hands and worry in his eyes. “I told you not to overwork yourself.”
Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of my father. I blamed my emotional outburst on pregnancy hormones and anticipation, but I was aware that the real culprit was an irrational fear of how he would react to my news. Unwilling to break into a crying fit in front of Kellan, I kept myself together and forced a smile for my father.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” was all I could manage to say as he hugged me. Once he had released me, he looked at Kellan and smiled.
“Thank you for calling me and taking care of my girl, Kellan.”
Kellan shook his head and said something. I didn’t pay attention to his words, though. I was too mesmerized by their interaction to focus on anything else.
The last time I witnessed them around each other outside of a business environment, I had been a teenager. At that point, my infatuation with Kellan had kept me from noticing that they interacted more like brothers than friends. However, now that I was older and had a more realistic view of the man who had fathered my unborn son, the depths of their relationship was blatantly clear to me, and it put everything into perspective.
As much as I couldn’t condone Kellan turning his back on our unborn baby, I could see that revealing the truth to my father would forever change their relationship. Considering that Kellan had no family that I knew off, I could understand—if only barely—his refusal to claim his child.
Kellan glanced over at me and then at my father. “Well, if she were my daughter, I would have wanted someone to call me as soon as possible.”
His words made my heart ache, but I tried to keep my voice steady as I spoke. “Thank you again for calling my father, Kellan, but you really don’t have to stay.”
I knew that the moment to inform my dad of my pregnancy was now, and I did not want Kellan present for such an intimate family moment. Regardless of how fondly my father regarded him, to me, he was the man who had chosen against being a part of my family and therefore didn’t deserved to experience the emotion that would unfold.
With understanding in his eyes, Kellan nodded and turned to gather his things. It was evident, at least to me, that he was as ready to go as I was to have him gone. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, just as he was saying good-bye to my father, a nurse entered the room.
She greeted the three of us with a bright, warm smile and looked down at the chart in her hands. “Your blood work came out clean, so it looks like you will be good to go once your IV bag is empty. However, the doctor asked me to give you this brochure and make sure you read it.” I looked at her with eyes filled with fear of the train wreck that was about to happen. Oblivious to my panic, she continued. “In this, you’ll find all kinds of information about prenatal care and the new demands on your body. I’m sure you’ve heard it all from your doctor already, but you can never have enough information. Right?”