CHAPTER SIX THEO
CHAPTER SIX
THEO
“Where are you running off to, Simms?”
I glance over at Matty sitting at his stall, tugging on the Velcro straps of his chest protector as I pull on my sweatshirt. “I have an appointment I need to get to.”
Lucy texted me this morning that her appointment moved to earlier in the day because of her doctor’s schedule and needing to cover in the hospital for the afternoon. I glance at the digital clock on the wall. I originally planned on picking her up, but that’s not going to work.
I have less than thirty minutes to get out of the building and meet her at the outpatient center.
Matty tosses his chest protector into his pile of gear he needs to put away. “What appointment? Everything good?”
I hate keeping things from him, or any of the guys, but Lucy hasn’t told anyone else other than Elena and me. I have to respect that above anything else.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say. “Just a boring meeting with my financial advisor.” The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but it comes out without any hesitation, it’s believable enough that Matty doesn’t press any harder.
“You have fun with that.”
“Sounds like a snooze fest,” Shaw chimes in with a chuckle. “We’re going to go to Tyson’s house later, if you want to meet us there.”
I glance at Shaw and back at Matty. “I’ll let you guys know then.”
“Cool.” Matty smiles, collecting his gear from the floor. “Later, Simms.”
I grab my keys and phone, stuffing them in my pocket. “See ya guys,” I call out as I head out of the locker room and into the hall. My strides are long and rushed as I make my way to the player’s entrance and slip through the door, finding my car in the lot.
Knowing Lucy, she’s most likely already at the OBGYN office, waiting for me and wringing her hands together. I know she’s terrified and anxious and the thought knots my stomach together.
I waste no time getting into my car and on the road, heading straight to her.
I find Lucy’s car in the lot and pull up next to her, into the empty spot to the right of her car.
I put it in park and kill the engine, glancing through my window and into hers.
Lucy doesn’t see me. Her delicate fingers are still wrapped around the steering wheel and her forehead is pressed against the space between her hands.
Her seatbelt is still secured and she’s frozen in place. My eyes don’t leave her as I slowly climb out of my car. Her chest rises and falls in an exaggerated, yet steady rhythm, as if she’s counting her inhales and exhales.
My heart constricts. I don’t know what I can do to help her. I don’t know how I can make this any easier for her. Seeing Lucy upset over anything has always been the one thing that can make me fold without a second thought.
I walk around her car and stop beside her door. Her window’s cracked, just by half an inch, and I don’t want to startle her by knocking on it.
“Hey, Luce,” I say softly through the crack.
She doesn’t lift her head, and she doesn’t release the steering wheel. I wasn’t loud, but maybe she didn’t hear me. Her rhythmic breathing doesn’t shift. My chest tightens and my heart shifts into the next gear.
“Lucy.”
Her shoulders shift, the movement so subtle, if I weren’t hyper focused on her, I would have missed it. Relief washes over me, chasing away the brief panic that was building in my chest.
Her chest expands as she sucks in a deep breath and slowly turns toward me. She rests the side of her head against the backs of her hands and her eyelids flutter open, revealing those ocean eyes so blue I could swim in them.
“I don’t think I can go in there, Theo.”
Fuck.
“Yes, you can,” I assure her, planting my hand against the top of her door. “You can do this.”
She purses her lips, shaking her head. “If I go in there, it makes all of this real.” She pauses, a ragged breath escaping her. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
My throat constricts and my teeth clench together.
The asshole who got her pregnant had better hope I never get a hold of his name or location.
“I know, Luce,” I whisper, my eyebrows drawing together as I talk to her through the cracked window.
“If you don’t do it today, you’re going to have to do it at some point. ”
She sighs, her eyes closing for a brief second. “I know.”
“I’m here with you, Freckles. I promise you everything will be okay.”
Her eyes slowly search mine. “I’m supposed to go to my parents’ house tonight for dinner.” Her throat bobs as she swallows hard. “I don’t know if I can tell them.”
“You don’t need to think about that right now. Let’s take things one step at a time, that way it’s easier to digest.” I push off the car and open the door. “The first step is getting out of the car.”
She presses her lips together, her eyes glassy. “Okay,” she whispers as her seatbelt slides across her body. Her movements are slow as she eases out of the car. Her head tips back to look up at me. “Step two?”
“Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go inside.”
She closes her eyes again, breathing in deeply before looking at me. She pushes her shoulders back, straightening her spine and nods at me. “I’m ready.”
Lucy Taylor is one of the strongest people I know. She’s the type of person who’s a cheerleader for her friends and family. She’s the type of person to give you the shirt off her back. If someone has a problem, Lucy’s right beside them with unwavering support.
I know this isn’t easy for her. I know it’s hard for her to be strong right now… So that’s why I have to be her strength for her.
I resist the urge to take her hand in mine and instead, I fall into step beside her, less than a foot of space separating us as we head into the front of the building. Lucy’s quiet as we head down the hall to the office and I pull open the door for her, letting her lead the way.
She checks in and I sit down, saving an empty one for her. She sits down next to me, but her eyes don’t meet mine. I glance around the office at the other people waiting. There’s one cradling her stomach with one hand and scrolling on her phone with the other a few chairs away.
On the other side of the waiting room, there’s another pregnant woman smiling as she watches her other child playing with a plastic kitchen set up in the corner of the office. Lucy folds her hands in her lap, her head bowed as she picks at the skin around her manicured nails.
“Hey,” I murmur. I reach for her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Her eyebrows lift, fear and hope swirling in her eyes as she slides her fingers through mine. “You’re doing great.”
She scoffs, her face breaking into a small smile. Warmth spreads through my chest. There’s my Luce. “We’ll see how I am after we get out of here.”
“You know what, less than ten minutes ago, you were still in your car afraid to come in here.” I rub my thumb against her soft skin. “Step by step. You got this.”
Her expression softens, her eyes warm. “Thank you for being here with me. I know you’d probably rather be somewhere else, but I’m glad you’re here.”
The muscle in my chest tightens. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Lucy Taylor?”
Lucy’s face blanches at the sound of her name being called. “Will you come back with me?”
“Of course.” I stand up, guiding her to her feet. She doesn’t release my hand, and I ignore the way my chest swells. The way my stomach flips.
The nurse smiles as we walk over to her. “Hi. I’m Evelyn and I’ll be your nurse today.” She holds the door open for us. “We’re going to stop and get your height and weight and then I’ll take you back to the exam room.”
We stop by the scale for the nurse to check her height and weight and Lucy’s hand finds mine once again before we head back to the exam room. It’s as if I’m her anchor, her lifeline. The only thing keeping her grounded in this moment.
Once we’re in the room, time speeds up. The nurse runs through a series of questions, taking down her medical history before sending her to the bathroom with a cup to pee in.
Lucy’s gone for a minute, and the nurse draws a few vials of blood when she returns.
She’s just finishing up, placing a small bandage on Lucy’s inner elbow when the doctor walks in.
“Hi!” a smaller woman with a white lab coat and a stethoscope says as she enters the room. She walks over to shake Lucy’s hand. “I’m Dr. Liverpool. You must be Lucy.” She looks at me. “And you are?”
“Theo.” I smile, shaking her hand.
“It’s so nice to meet you both,” she says, walking over to wash her hands as the nurse excuses herself.
Dr. Liverpool turns back to us as she dries her hands.
“So, we checked your urine, and the test came back positive. The blood test will tell us about your hormone levels, blood count, blood type. Basically everything we need to know.” She pauses for a beat, lowering down onto her stool, her voice dropping lower.
“Are you planning to continue with the pregnancy?”
Lucy’s hand tightens around mine. She glances at me from the corner of her eye, sucking in a sharp breath. “Yes.”
“Brilliant.” The doctor smiles, scanning the nurse’s notes.
“I’d like to get you in for an ultrasound so we can take a look at things and make sure the pregnancy is viable.
” Her fingers move across the keyboard, entering something into the computer.
“Based on everything here, it looks as if you’re probably ten weeks, so that would put your due date as March twenty-eighth. ”
A smile tugs on my lips. Her due date is right after my birthday.
“I’d like you to start taking a prenatal vitamin every day. Over the counter is fine.” She types something else. “Oh, how lucky! They have an opening in five minutes, so we can get you in for an ultrasound and schedule your follow-up.” She turns to look at us both. “Is that okay for you both?”
Lucy glances at me and I nod. “Absolutely.”
“Perfect. I’ll put that in now and I’ll take you over to the ultrasound room.” She stands up and Lucy and I follow suit. “Do you have any questions or concerns?”
Lucy’s tongue darts out to wet her lips. “I don’t know.”
Dr. Liverpool laughs softly. “That’s okay and completely normal.
I’m sure questions will arise. This is a lot to take in and a bit of an information overload.
” She walks over to the door and opens it for us.
“If you have any questions after you leave, you can always call us. The nurses’ line is always open. ”
“Do you have any recommended resources?” I ask. “Like any websites or books? Maybe an app or something?”
“There’s a pregnancy app on the paperwork.
It’s great for tracking weekly changes in the baby and your body.
Honestly, any pregnancy book at the bookstore will suffice too.
” She stops as we reach the ultrasound room and another woman stands in the doorway smiling.
It seems like all anyone does here is smile.
“This is Erin and she’ll be your tech today. Congratulations to you both!”
Lucy and I look at each other immediately. Her eyes are wide, her lips parted. Shit. The doctor thinks the baby is mine. I blow out a chuckle, smirking as I shrug my shoulders. Saying anything now will just make the rest of this appointment awkward.
“Hi, guys. I’m Erin, if you want to come in here with me!” She leads the way into the dimly lit room and shuts the door. “Dad, if you want to take a seat over there, you can.” My stomach tumbles into my fucking ass. “And Mom, you can get on the table over here.”
Lucy doesn’t say anything. I don’t say anything. My heart hammers away inside its enclosure and I take a seat where Erin said to go.
Jesus Christ.
Lucy climbs onto the table and Erin explains to her what she’s going to be doing.
Something about pulling her shirt up and a cool gel being applied to her lower abdomen.
I don’t know. I’m trying to listen, but my eyes are glued to the TV screen on the wall.
I can’t stop thinking about the fact that the doctor and the ultrasound tech both think the baby is mine.
Excitement blooms inside my chest and my stomach does a somersault. Lucy’s going to have a baby. A little replica of my favorite person. I wonder if it will have freckles like she does?
My stomach sinks. What if it looks like the asshole who got her pregnant?
The piece of shit who’s letting her do this alone.
I’m lost in my head, watching weird blurry objects on the screen as the tech measures different parts of Lucy’s anatomy.
“Well, would you look at that? There’s the little bean.”
My heart stumbles over itself and I sit up straighter in my seat as my eyes widen, staring at the screen. The shape of the baby is undeniable. It’s right there in the flesh, displayed on the TV for us to see.
Holy fucking shit. This is real.
“That’s the baby?”
It’s not yours, you fucking idiot.
“Yes, it is.” Erin smiles at me and then at Lucy. A whooshing sound comes from the TV. Steady and strong. “That’s the sound of its heart.”
“Oh my god,” Lucy breathes, her eyes glassy, yet filled with wonderment as she stares at the screen. My eyes roam over her face, my stomach fluttering with excitement as I see the slightest smile pulling on the corners of her lips. “It’s real.”
Erin chuckles. “Of course it is!” She smiles at us.
“The doctor will send you over a report after it’s reviewed, but from what I can see, everything looks exactly as it should.
” She looks at Lucy as she wipes the gel from her stomach and pulls down her shirt.
“I’m going to print out some images from today’s ultrasound. Would you both like copies?”
The air grows thick around us. “I—uh,” Lucy starts, her eyes wide as she glances at me.
My expression softens, a smile dancing across my lips as I look at Erin. “We would love that.”
Relief washes over Lucy and there’s an immediate transformation in her expression as she relaxes. “I’m sorry,” she mouths to me as Erin turns back to the computer and the printer starts spitting out strips of ultrasound pictures.
She hands one to Lucy and one to me, smiling brightly at both of us. I stare down at the black and white images of the life growing inside of Lucy. This makes it so much more real. Seeing these photos. Hearing the thrumming of its heart. Holy shit.
My best friend is having a baby.
“Congratulations, Mom and Dad!”
And it isn’t mine.