Dolly (Part three-Max Mitchell series)

TWENTY TWO

"Max! What's going on in there?" Wendy was pounding on the bathroom door.

I had no words. The room seemed like it was spinning and I thought I might be sick again.

I have to tell Tom.

He's going to freak out.

Don't puke again.

He's going to leave.

He's going to think you've trapped him, Max.

Holy shit. What am I going to do?

"MAX!"

I opened the bathroom door, to find Wendy, equally excited and petrified.

"I'm pregnant."

She let out a wild squeal and squeezed me so hard, I thought she would break me in half.
"Max! This is incredible."
"Is it?"
"Of course it is! A baby is an incredible miracle!"
"But...but--"
"You're stunned, I get it. Sit here." she said, as she fluffed my pillows and motioned for me to sit down on the bed. "I'll be right back."

The weight of what I'd just discovered felt like it could crush me, pulverize me. I'd never, ever expected it to happen. I hadn't taken any extra precautions with Tom, aside from the daily pill. I didn't think I needed to. The idea that my birth control would fail because of the antibiotics I'd been given, had never crossed my mind. Tom and I had never talked about kids. I didn't know if he even liked kids. I hadn't ever thought about my plans for having children. I'd been on the pill for ages, so pregnancy never landed in my realm of possibilities. Just as expected, the thoughts that were swirling around in my head came out in the way of tears. I hung my head in my hands and bawled. I completely came apart because I was petrified. I cried because I was scared of the tiny life inside of me. I cried because Tom wasn't there, and I cried because I was scared he'd run for the hills as soon as I told him.

"Max..." her voice softened "it's going to be alright." She sat down on the bed, and handed me a cup of coffee.
"How do you know that?" I sounded frantic. "You don't know that. Can I even drink this coffee?"
"You're right. I don't know. We'll go step by step, ok?"
I simply nodded.
"Is your Doctor in your phone?"
"Yes."
"And when is Tom coming back?"
"Um. A few days. Sunday."
"Ok. Let's start with the Doctor first. We'll get you in ASAP and get this confirmed, ok?"
"I want to tell Tom in person."
"Understandable. He said he'd call again later today, just so you know. I'm going to clear your schedule for the rest of the week, and we'll go from there."
"Thank you Wendy. You're an angel."
"It's no problem. You have to call Stef too."
"I will, but Tom needs to know first."

Wendy immediately jumped into action. I was melting down, and she was there to keep me going. I was sure that I'd still be lying on the floor of my bathroom in misery, if she hadn't showed up.

"If we want to get in, we have to go now." Wendy yelled up the stairs. I crawled out of bed and pulled on a denim denim jacket over my knit dress.

Shoes? Check.
Purse? Check.
Phone? Check.

In an absolute crisis? Check.
Missing Tom? Check. Check. Check.

***

"Maxine Mitchell?" A nurse appeared in the waiting room of my Doctor's office. I followed her to another area, and it was like a complete out of body experience. It was as if I was watching from the ceiling, seeing a stunned, and totally freaked out Me being ushered to the lab.
"We're just going to draw some blood, and then your doctor will see you shortly."
I nodded as she wrapped a rubber strap around my arm and took a vial of my blood. A few minutes later, I was sitting in a room, completely zoned out. I didn't even hear my doctor enter the room.