Chapter 11
VAUGHN
Isla’s chest visibly moves up and down, but my sight keeps drawing back to her swollen belly. It’s visible without a doubt.
A baby.
Our baby.
I’m completely blindsided by this news. I can’t even process how I feel about the fact that I created a child. Instead, fury takes over me.
“You’re already in your third trimester?” I repeat what she said earlier.
“Yes, due in a few weeks.”
Fucking late-season hurricanes.
I step closer to the bed, undecided what I’m doing. “So, that means you’re like, what, about to birth a child?”
She takes a long breath through her pursed lips. “Seems you’re great with numbers.” Is she seriously attempting to make a joke right now?
“You had nine months to tell me, yet here I am after accidentally discovering that you’re pregnant.” I’m livid I think, which is why my eyes narrow in on her, and she looks kind of uncomfortable, but I believe that I have a little right to feel this way.
“First off, it’s not nine months, we still have nearly a month to go.”
“Cute.” I flash her a contrite smile.
“I-I tried to tell you… a few times.”
“So, what? You were going to wait until I saw you carrying a baby? Invite me to their high school graduation and be like, by the way, you’re a dad? Were you ever going to tell me?” My voice raises slightly.
Her eyes hood closed then open, with fresh tears, and the vision of her right now has me torn, because I’m angry, but she’s the woman sitting on a hospital bed.
“No, I was going to tell you… eventually.”
I scoff a sound and bring my hand to my forehead to check that I’m still alive. “When? When did you try to tell me?” I want answers.
“First when I phoned you and the crazy girl answered.” Shit. “Again, at Christmas when you were here for the game.”
“You wanted to let me fuck you and not even tell me that you were pregnant?” I’m astonished.
“I didn’t let you screw me, thank you very much,” she defends.
My hands slowly clap together. “Let’s give you an award for having a conscience.” I’m being cynical. “That only lasted so long,” I snipe.
“I freaked out because you said you didn’t like kids and you didn’t see yourself wanting kids anytime soon,” she adds.
I shake my head. “I did say that, but it doesn’t mean you had a right to withhold this critical information.”
“You have a choice to walk away if you want, I know that. I tried again to tell you when I came to your place, but you were so visibly not ready to hear the news. It felt like it was the last thing that I should say.”
Again, looking back, I had an inkling there was something more at the time, but I was too frustrated in my life to press her for what it may have been.
“Instead, you didn’t. You let us have sex while you harbored a secret.
” Unbelievable. I didn’t want to think less of Isla, but right now, she has crossed a major line by keeping this big of a secret.
“Seriously? This is a shitty thing to do. The last thing that I would expect from you.” Then another fact dawns on me, and I rub my temples.
“Wait, how the hell did I not see you were pregnant when we had sex?”
She lifts a shoulder up to her ear. “I didn’t really start to show until more than halfway.
I mean, I had a little bump, but I wasn’t wearing the right outfit to make it obvious.
” She lifts a finger indicating for me to wait.
“And to be fair, our position of choice didn’t exactly get me naked, nor could you notice my belly. ”
“No, instead you let your bigger boobs entice me into ramming my dick up inside of you.” It scrapes out of my mouth.
Her own mouth gapes open from my harsh words.
“Incredible, you’re focusing on our ability to fuck between a seat and steering wheel when you should be focusing on other aspects. I mean, really? We had sex, a few good conversations, that doesn’t mean you know me inside out,” she refutes.
We’ve had a connection from moment one when we met, which raises the scale of my disappointment.
My face falls to my hands because we may go in circles right now.
“I need to process this,” I admit. Then it dawns on me that she is in a freaking hospital. “Wait, why are you here?”
She chortles to herself. “I thought something was wrong. Turns out I was a little dramatic, and it was just eating the wrong thing and had Braxton Hicks contractions, which is like my body practicing for the big day. The baby was kicking more than normal too.”
“Baby? You don’t know…”
“If it’s a boy or girl?”
Why am I asking as though I’m already invested? I haven’t figured out my feelings.
The line of her mouth slants to the side. “No. I didn’t want to find out.”
I nod slowly, attempting to soak this all in.
The knock on the door kind of sends a surge of dread through me, in case it’s her gladiator-hyped-up brother. Luckily, the doctor peeks her head around the door.
“Ready? I need to see you now so we can get you home soon,” she explains.
“Sure,” Isla agrees.
The doctor walks in with a genuine smile.
“I would like to do an ultrasound just to be safe, but your blood work seems good, and the baby’s heart rate is strong, just spiked earlier because he or she seems to be an active one.
You probably need a little rest considering your body seems under stress, and it’s also preparing for him or her to come out.
” She begins to roll a machine to Isla’s bed. “Will he be staying?”
“Yes,” I blurt out. I have had enough undisclosed information for one day.
The doctor smiles at me. “That’s great, but again, the patient gets to decide.”
My gaze snaps to Isla to inform her that I won’t be accepting no for an answer.
She grasps my demand and quickly answers. “He can stay,” she assures the doctor.
“Okay, lean back and lift your shirt. You’re a pro at this now.
A bit of gel and then here we go.” The doctor removes the contraption belt around Isla then squirts something that oozes from a bottle and places the wand-shaped thing in her hand against Isla’s belly.
“You should probably get closer to Isla if you want to enjoy the show.”
Reluctantly, I take a few steps next to Isla’s bed near her upper body. She gives me a nervous look before her head zips back to the screen attached to the portable machine.
When I can see the outline of a baby, I’m taken aback.
“Wow, the baby has grown since the last ultrasound,” Isla notes with a fond smile.
“It goes really quick now. The baby is almost so big that an ultrasound won’t show many new things because the baby doesn’t have much room to move around.” The doctor stays glued to the screen as she zooms in to different sections.
The sound of the heartbeat fills the room, similar to the sound of being underwater, but there is a rhythm.
Steady and fast, a sound that I wasn’t expecting to cause a twitch somewhere inside of me.
For a second, I’m in awe that I played a role in creating that.
It’s really a baby. We’re also way past the stage of debating what to do, in terms of options.
I’ve missed the majority of her pregnancy, and this is a full-fledged baby that has a heartbeat and legs and arms… and is about to enter the world.
Isla doesn’t seem fazed like I am by the image on the screen. I guess she has had ample opportunity to listen to this.
“Your file states that you didn’t want to find out the sex. Still the case?” the doctor asks.
Isla shoots me a look as though I have a say. I'm not sure if I'm glaring or my face is frozen because Isla seems to try to break the air between us. “I didn’t want to, but maybe…”
Is she waiting for me to answer?
“I do. I’ve been graced with enough shockers today.” My voice is a little bitter.
Isla nods to the doctor that it’s okay.
“Ooh, fun.” The doctor zooms in then brings her finger to the screen. “Baby is giving us a great view today, as I can see very clearly that you’re having a daughter.”
“A girl?” Isla cries, but her smile indicates that they are happy tears.
I tilt my head to examine the screen, and I feel my mouth tug. Yeah, it’s pretty visible, otherwise there would be a large line if it were a boy.
“Yep. Get ready for tea parties.” The doctor keeps the wand in place so we can stare for a few seconds at the screen while she seems to be taking measurements of limbs. “Dad looks like he’s already planning this girl’s ice-skating career,” the doctor attempts to joke.
Dad is planning nothing. I’m still in disbelief.
A daughter. Wow.
Isla seems to be searching my face for a clue to understanding where my brain is at.
“Okay, everything looks great. You’re doing excellent, Isla.
But really, try to be stress-free. At this point, the baby is at a good point in the pregnancy and has a better chance to live a long and happy life if born a few weeks early.
The longer she stays in, closer to the due date is ideal, but any moment it can happen. ”
"About to go into labor." My tone is flat. "I find out when she's about to go into labor." I feel a hint of anger boiling inside of me.
The doctor stares at me with perhaps exasperation or a warning to calm the hell down. She removes the wand and turns off the machine before she begins to detach the cords connected to Isla’s finger.
Isla ignores me and speaks to the doctor. “Don’t worry. I’m taking my vitamins, ensuring I eat vegetables, no caffeine, not even any desserts with alcohol in the recipe, lots of sleep, and daily walks.” Isla seems to be proud of her habits.
“You're doing great.” She hands Isla some paper towel to wipe her stomach.
“Of course, and sorry I overreacted. I didn’t expect the contractions or for her to suddenly hate Jolly Joe’s cinnamon rolls,” Isla apologizes.
The doctor stands. “That is a travesty. How can she ever be a true Lake Spark citizen?” she jokes. “You did the right thing. If there is anything else going forward, then call right away.”
“Yep.”
The doctor begins to walk out. “You’re free to go. See you.”
With the doctor now gone, Isla and I return to a stalemate with our eyes in a stare down.
“A girl,” she whispers to herself.
An overwhelming feeling hits me, a need to assure her, but that anger keeps poking at me. I want time to process still, I’m not that type of guy who forgives so easily. She didn’t tell me for months, with no plan in sight that she would have.
"How?" I state more than I ask. I'm near numb from confusion.
A sound escapes her mouth. "The low pressure in the air from a hurricane increases your chances of getting pregnant."
My head perks up in astonishment. "Really?"
"No," she deadpans. I shake my head that, of course, I'm being an idiot. "We didn't cover it up, and I forgot a pill, so this is all on me."
I debate how to answer her. "I think a man is still involved in that equation, and that just so happens to be me. I’m moving to Lake Spark.
That was already happening before I discovered your little secret.
We have a big discussion ahead of us, but it can’t happen right now.
I’m sure as hell not going to jump in as if you didn’t keep this from me," I snipe.
“Are you saying that you don’t want to be involved?” Disappointment floods her face. “It’s fine. I can do this alone; you have an out.”
I scratch the back of my head. “Isla, I’m pissed. No, furious. I need time to process. So I’m leaving and finding a strong scotch. We’ll talk when I’m ready.”
Then I walk away.