From Quinten. “Please let me know that you’re okay. I’m worried about you.”
Feeling guilty for making them worry but knowing she couldn’t have that conversation in the car with Heath right there, she text messaged them both back.
To Ben. “I’m fine. I’ll call you in a bit. I’m in the car with Heath running an errand.”
To Quinten. “Please don’t worry. I’m okay. I’m running an errand with Heath and will call you in a bit.”
Heath must’ve been able to tell she had a lot on her mind and kept mostly quiet on the drive back to Divine. The mild panicky feeling that had been stirring in her mind since leaving the doctor’s office was doing its best to swell into a full-blown panic attack. Her heart was like a jackhammer in her chest and her fingertips felt a little numb. She closed her eyes and took slow, shaky deep breaths. You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re just fine. Stop shaking.
Out of the blue, she pictured her mother, in the moment she found out she was pregnant with Camilla. She’d still been in high school, same as her father. Had she been afraid? Had she known back then that Camilla’s father was unlikely to stay for the long haul? Had she been desperate for a solution and grasping at straws when Camilla’s father had offered to marry her against his parents’ wishes? What had it been like to marry him and know that she didn’t have an education or a job…or a leg to stand on? She’d probably felt trapped. Maybe even resentful toward Camilla.
Stop thinking about this! It’s not helping. The past is in the past.
She focused on her breathing again, trying to not let on to Heath that she was so upset. She imagined that the tension must’ve been rolling off of her in waves.
Right about the time the strongest of the panicky symptoms settled, her phone vibrated with a message from Quinten. “What did the doctor say? Where are you? Can I come to you?” Her heart lurched a little because she could sense his concern in wanting to come to her.
That message was quickly followed by one from Ben. “What did the doctor tell you?”
She was torn. She didn’t want to tell them that she was pregnant in a text message, and she wasn’t ready to tell them because she didn’t know how she felt about being pregnant. So she did the cowardly thing and turned her phone off. She felt like a first-class bitch as she put the phone in her purse. It was awful to acknowledge that to herself, but it was better than focusing on the fear.
* * * *
As he pushed the shopping cart down the aisle, Quinten put his phone to his ear after dialing Ben’s number. “Did she call you back?” He put a bottle of ginger ale in the cart. “Ginger ale is good for nausea, right?” He was at the store picking up items that might help Camilla’s stomach to settle.
“No, she hasn’t.” It was just one phrase, but Ben’s concern was obvious in his tone. “Her text message said she was running an errand with Heath. And I don’t know about the ginger ale. I guess it is.”
All either of them had gotten was a simple text message reply back from her. No details. No news. He was beginning to worry. No. He was past the beginning stage and into full-blown worry. What if she became ill again?
“You gonna call Heath?”
Ben let out a long breath. “No. I think she’d appreciate it if we gave her some time. She was pretty upset this morning.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No. She didn’t tell you?”
“No. I’m glad she took Heath with her.” Even though it was an uncharacteristic move for her. She generally preferred to go about her day without an escort. Quinten wondered again where she was headed.
He knew Heath was capable at his job. But he didn’t like having to trust a man who’d had feelings for her with her care in a sensitive situation like this. That was his job. Quinten knew Ben’s urge to track her down and make sure she was okay was just as great as his.
“Let’s give her some time before we go tracking her down. If she’s had big news—”
“If she’s pregnant, you mean.”
“If she is indeed pregnant, she’s probably in shock. Let’s give her a chance to get over that.”
“We told her that we’d be there for her no matter what.”
“I know we told her, but I’m not sure if she heard us, Quinten. Remember, she’s got some heavy-duty issues with her parents. I’m not sure if what we told her really registered.”
“That makes me worry more, not less, Ben.” His heart clenched. “What if she’s out there thinking that we’re going to be unhappy about a baby?” He didn’t want to think what might happen if that was the case.