LA Baby ♡ Manhattan Dreams Sequel

17. Stomach Bug

Sunday comes and goes in the blink of an eye. I wake up around seven a.m. and head to the basement studio to get in some practice but unfortunately, I only get about twenty minutes in before my stomach starts twisting and turning in revolt.

So, I pack up and walk back to the apartment, ready to crawl back into bed. From there, I sleep about half the day away before waking up, calling Josh back since he'd spent the entire afternoon blowing up my phone and attempting to make a dent in my homework.

By Monday morning I'm exhausted. My body aches and I'm woken up well before my alarm by the overwhelming urge to throw up.

I rush out of my bedroom, hoping I don't wake Riley for what would be the umpteenth morning since she moved in and crash into the bathroom, losing the contents of my stomach yet again.

Finally, when I feel a little better I sit up and flush the toilet before leaning back against the wall waiting for the room to stop spinning. "Peaches?" I look up and find Riley looking down at me, her eyebrows crinkled in worry. "Sick again?" She asks, taking a seat beside me on the bathroom floor.

"I don't know what's going on with me" I admit. I was sure it was food poisoning but maybe it was the flu or a really bad stomach bug.

"Well, if you were late I'd suggest that you were pregnant" she laughs, the thought so crazy in her mind but suddenly a puzzle starts to piece together in my head. My eyes widen. I hadn't gotten a period lately, not since before Josh left. Which was weeks ago.

I needed to look at a calendar, first and foremost. I wasn't going to jump to conclusions before then and I wasn't going to let Riley know that there was any chance in hell that she was right until I knew for sure. "Haha" I reply dryly, attempting to stand up to escape this suffocating conversation. "We uh should get ready for school." Shit. I had rehearsal today too and that was meant to start in roughly twenty minutes.

"You aren't going anywhere. Call Willow and let her know you're sick. You need to sleep this off. Seriously."

I wanted to argue but if I stayed home sick today I could get my answer without being under her watchful eyes. "You know what" I breathe deeply. "You're right. I'll call myself in." Riley lips quirk into a smile, proud that she's seemingly finally convinced me to take care of myself.

I just hoped she'd still be this supportive if she ends up right. If I am pregnant. I shake the thought from my head. I can't be pregnant. I just...can't be.

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"Shit." I stare at the calendar open in front of me, counting down from my last period...and it's painfully clear that I'm late. But I am stressed. So, so stressed so maybe that's it. I inhale shakily, standing up and grabbing my keys from the counter. I had to know. I couldn't sit here and run numbers anymore. I was either pregnant or I wasn't. Simple as that.

The drive to the drug store seems to take forever and in the time that it takes to get there Josh calls three times. Probably because I'm not just letting my phone ring, I'm declining. I just can't take the ringing. It's only making my nerves worse.

I leave my phone in the car while I run inside. I went an extra few minutes away from campus to ensure that no one would recognize me and luckily, my plan seems to have worked. I get all the way to the family planning aisle and stare at the pregnancy tests. "Jesus." These things were fucking expensive. But so is a child so, I guess it made sense. I just couldn't believe I was really here, buying one of these things. We had been so careful...expect when we weren't. I sigh, grabbing three different brands before heading to check-out.

The woman who checks out my purchases is sweet. She spots my promise ring on my finger and asks me how long my husband and I have been married. I tell her it's been a little over a year and she smiles, handing me my bag and wishing me luck. Ironic that she's wishing for a positive result while I'm hoping for the complete opposite.

As I climb back into my car I release a deep breath, staring at the purchases in my passenger seat. What would I do if they were positive?

I throw the car in reverse and pull out of the parking lot, speeding off back towards the apartment and rushing inside when I get there.

Within seconds I'm in the bathroom, tearing all three boxes open and reading the instructions. It all seemed pretty straightforward.

I take each test, setting a timer on my phone after I set them all on the counter. Suddenly, I'm wishing I would've answered Josh's calls. Having his voice in my ear might've made this easier but it's too late now.

Finally, the timer goes off and I slowly walk towards the counter.

"Oh my god" I gasp, staring down at the results staring back at me.