Siren Call

In The Balance

Pregnant?...

Pregnant!?!

I felt like the ground had just opened beneath my feet.

I need to sit down...

I went to bend my knees and sit on the sofa, but they weren't moving.

You're already sitting down Ev... Next state... laying down, probably comatose.

I tried to focus, to form words, but nothing was coming to the surface.

You've got to say something. Just speak... now.

"Pregnant?" The word burst from my lips, my voice croaky with shock. "As in, a baby?"

Noooooo, as in an elephant.

Kat stared at me, her eyes wide as she tried to gauge my feelings whilst she absentmindedly picked at her cuticles.

"Yes." She muttered.

I stared ahead, trying to remain as calm as I could. Something that wasn't easy as I struggled to keep the rest of my emotions in check. As I tried to get my head around the surprise revelation, I remembered the text, and how distant she'd been and it clicked into place.

"How long have you known?" I asked, a small spark of annoyance rising to the surface at the idea of her keeping it from me.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and I knew that my hunch was right.

"Since Friday."

I nodded slowly, the fact that she'd known about this for days and not bothered to tell me until now was churning in my stomach and my anger was beginning to overtake my feeling of shock.

"You didn't think it was worth telling me sooner?" I asked, attempting to keep my tone as measured as possible, but failing as it came out in an angered growl.

Kat looked hurt at the attitude she received, but I couldn't help it. How did she honestly think I'd take it. She'd kept such a huge thing from me for days, then suddenly dropped this bomb.

"I wanted to, but I just needed some time. You have no idea how much of a shock it was to me." She snapped back at me.

I knew the feeling of needing some time, I'd only just had that same thought about telling her how I felt, but this was different, this was huge.

"Oh no, of course not. I have no idea at all. This isn't a shock to me in the slightest, I'd secretly been counting the days to this wonderful revelation." I sniped, the sarcasm in my tone practically drowning every syllable.

"You might think you know how it feels, but you don't. You're not the one who has to handle this."

Handle this? What the hell does she mean by that?

"Handle it?" I asked, trying to curb my anger.

Kat's temper seemed to fizzle out at the question, her face falling as she averted her eyes.

"Well yeah, it's not like I can keep it."

Her words hit me full force, solid punch to the gut. She wanted to get rid of the baby... my baby. I felt sick. Although the news had practically floored me, I wasn't unhappy to hear it. How could I be? I loved spending time with Everly so much, and since she'd been born, the more time I was with her, the more I thought about having children of my own. Watching them grow, teaching them things, being a father. Having the woman I've fallen in love with, tell me she is carrying my baby, it was almost perfect.