Chapter 10 #4
The shock and embarrassment that rolled over Poppy’s face was laughable.
“Oh my, for a student who earned a scholarship for her nudes, you seem very shy about being seen in the buff yourself,” quipped Thompson.
Then he added, “If it makes you feel any better, I am playing for the other team, so it did nothing for me.”
Even as bad as she felt, Poppy could not stop the laugh that rippled from her. “Okay, since you put it that way, Tommy, it is.”
“Is there anyone I need to call for you and let them know where you are,” asked Tommy.
Shaking her head, Poppy said, “Sadly, no. The only person I could call is my Gran, but she is taking care of my great aunt, who is dying of cancer. I don’t want to bother her unless I have to. I am sure I am just dehydrated and will be fine after I get enough fluids.”
Nodding, Tommy said, “Okay, if you are sure.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and an older doctor and nurse came in. “Well, young lady,” said the doctor, “how are you feeling? It is good to see you awake.”
In a weak voice, Poppy said, “Yes, I am feeling better, embarrassed, but better.”
“That is good. I am Dr. Lonnie Burk,” said the doctor as she listened to her breathing. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. Lots of pregnant women get dehydrated.”
Poppy almost fell off the bed. “I am not pregnant.”
Giving her a surprised look, the doctor said, “Oh, I assure you, young lady, you are. Your HCG levels say otherwise. It is standard procedure to do a pregnancy test before we treat a patient, especially one who can’t answer questions. Your test came back positive. When was your last period?”
Poppy was so shocked at the news she forgot to be embarrassed talking about her periods in front of her teacher. “The birth control I take keeps me from having periods. I did miss a few pills back in August, but I stopped the packet. I had a mini-period and started a new pack.”
“Hum,” said the doctor. “Most likely, the bleeding was from implantation.” Turning to the nurse, she said, “Amy, could you please bring the ultrasound machine in? We need to determine just how far along this little peanut is.”
It only took a few minutes, and the nurse returned with the machine. When Poppy saw her baby pop up on the screen, she burst into tears. She was not the only one. Tommy grabbed her hand as a steady stream of tears fell from his face.
The doctor took several measurements and determined that Poppy was almost eighteen weeks pregnant. She also found out she was having a boy. It was a lot to take in.
With worried eyes, she asked the doctor, “Given that I had no idea I was pregnant, is the baby okay? I am not a drinker or anything, but I have been on birth control the whole time. Did that hurt the baby?”
The doctor patted her and said, “From what I can see, the baby looks great. The heartbeat is strong. He is measuring right on time. All the organs look good. I would obviously stop the birth control. I am leaving instructions for you to follow up with your OBGYN. Given how far along you are, I would make an appointment as soon as possible. Be sure you tell them about the birth control and any other drugs you have taken while pregnant.”
“I will. Thank you so much,” said Poppy.
With that, the doctor headed to the door. Before leaving the room, she said, “Congratulations, you two. I hope this is a happy surprise for you both.”
Neither Poppy nor Tommy corrected the doctor. The second she was out of the room, they erupted in laughter at the absurdity of her gay teacher being the father of her child.
Within a few hours, Poppy was discharged and Tommy offered to help her get home. On the way, Tommy asked about the father. At first, Poppy was hesitant to talk about it, but Tommy was so open and kind that the whole story soon flooded out.
Poppy told him that Bennett was older and always tried to hide their relationship. She told him about how the summer they had together and how it had all come to a crashing halt when his friend was killed.
Based on the dates from the ultrasound, Poppy realized that she must have gotten pregnant the night that Tatum died.
She was sick several times that day as she read her mom’s diary.
Then, with all that happened that night and the following days, she forgot to take her birth control pills.
She had abandoned her pack and started with a new packet the following month after her next period.
On the way to Poppy’s apartment, which she shared with five other girls, Tommy suggested she come back to his house to rest as it would be quieter.
He was happy to look after her. After declining several times, Tommy made it clear he did not intend to take no for an answer.
He had the cab turn around and go back to his place.
What started as a one-night thing turned into a week-long sleepover.
Tommy had a second bedroom and told Poppy to stay in it as long as she needed to, at least until she went home for Thanksgiving.
Truthfully, it was so much more peaceful at Tommy’s.
By the end of the week, Poppy was feeling better.
She had seen a doctor at one of the free clinics offered by the school and started prenatal vitamins.
She was coming to terms with how her life was about to change forever.
Poppy had promised her grandmother she would come to Memphis for Thanksgiving and Gran sent her a bus ticket.
Poppy was not sure how she was going to tell her grandmother about being pregnant and unmarried, just like her mother.
She knew it would destroy her. Since she was barely showing, Poppy decided to wait to tell Gran until she talked to Bennett.
She planned to do so Thanksgiving in Memphis and then take a bus to Searcy.
She tried calling Bennett. She wanted to tell him she was coming early Saturday morning.
But, every time she called the house, Mr. Carrington answered.
She would hang up without saying a word.
When she returned the cell phone, she had purposely not kept his cell number.
Having it would have made it so easy to call him in a weak moment.
Instead, she made a clean break. Now, when she actually needed that number, she did not have it.
She did call his office and ask Katie to speak to Bennett.
He was in meetings all day, but she promised to have him call her.
In a moment of bravery, Poppy asked Katie about Bennett’s Thanksgiving plans.
She told her Mr. Carrington was going on another cruise, but Bennett planned to stay home.
Feeling confident about her plan, Poppy boarded a bus out of New York and spent all day reading baby books.
She rolled into Memphis late Wednesday night.
Gran met her at the station downtown and Poppy’s heart broke.
She had never seen her grandmother looking so haggard.
She immediately decided she would not mention the baby.
In her mind, she had begun to fantasize about what would happen when she told Bennett about the baby.
In her fantasy, he would immediately demand they marry.
She would finish the semester, then move back to Searcy and live happily ever after raising their perfect little boy.
In this fantasy, she did not allow thoughts about what this would do to his career to intrude into her future.
Around midnight, Poppy’s phone rang. She was already asleep but roused herself enough to answer.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Poppy?” said Bennett.
“Yes, Bennett?”
“Oh baby, I have missed you so much. When Katie said you had called, I was almost afraid to believe her. Where have you been? I have been trying to find you for months. You just disappeared. Why would you do that?”
Poppy took a deep breath and said, “Let’s not get into all that right now. Just know I did what I thought I needed to do at the time.”
“Do you know what the hell you have put me through? First, you won’t answer your phone.
Then, you send the phone back and move out of the apartment.
I even went to New York a week ago and hung out at your school, but I never saw you.
Where the hell have you been? Why would you do this to me?
” Bennett sounded so out of control and unBennett like that Poppy could hardly make sense of everything he was saying.
“Okay, so much for not getting into it right now. I really did not want to do this over the phone, but here we go. I was sick recently and missed some classes. But since we are doing this, what took you so long to come to New York if you were so worried? Like you said, you knew where to find me.”
“I was tied up with the bar exam and was assigned my first big case. I have been working my butt off trying to get to the point I could take off several days and come and find you. When I finally got away, I guess that was when you were out sick. Are you okay now? Why did you not call me? I would have come immediately.”
“I am fine. Just dehydrated after a stomach flu. But really, you would have come immediately? If you wanted to talk to me, why did you not call Gran? She knew where I was. You could have called her anytime and got my new number.”
“You know why I could not do that. I would have had to explain why I was looking for you.”
“Oh, great, back to being Bennett’s dirty little secret.”
“Poppy, baby, please don’t start that again. It is so good to hear your voice. God, I miss you. I miss talking to you. Kissing you. Holding you. I even miss fighting with you. Tell me where you are. I will fly to New York to see you.”
“I am in Memphis with Gran for Thanksgiving.”
“Oh, that makes sense. How are your grandmother and your aunt?”
“Sadly, she is not good. She could go any day. I promised Gran to come here for the holiday.”
“How long will you be there? Could you get away if I come over and get a room?”
“Well, I thought I would come to Searcy on Saturday. Thought it would be okay since Katie said your dad was gone.”
“Oh baby, that is perfect. We will have the house to ourselves just like the old days. Tell me where to pick you up. I will drive over and get you.”
“No, I have already got a bus ticket. Gran is expecting to drop me off at the bus station. If I changed my plans, she would want to know why.”
“Okay, I get that, but knowing you are so close and I can’t be with you is killing me.”
“You’ve missed me. I mean, you have really missed me?”
“Missed you, baby, I have burned for you. I love you. When you just cut me off, I lost my mind. Dad even called me in and told me to get my shit together. It has been a rough couple of months. Please tell me you still love me the way I love you.”
“Oh, Bennett, of course, I still love you. I never stopped loving you. I just felt hurt. I was just tired of feeling like your piece on the side. I needed to protect myself. You promised never to leave me again, but it felt like that was all you did. I felt like I was losing you bit by bit to Taylor.”
“Taylor, no baby, Taylor has nothing to do with us. I promised her brother I would take care of her if anything ever happened. That is all I have been trying to do. Honor my commitment to him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The day before Tatum died, he told me he knew you and I were back together.”
“I bet he loved that,” said Poppy sarcastically.
“Actually, he said he could tell I was happier than I had been in years. He just wanted me to be careful. He understood how damaging our relationship could be to my future but he got how much I loved you. As for Taylor, one of the last things he said to me was to make sure to take care of his sister no matter what happens in the future. That is all I am trying to do. She had really suffered. You are so good-hearted; if you knew her, you would love her.”
Poppy seriously doubted that but did not say it. Instead, she said, “So, Gran and I are going out for lunch tomorrow before we go to the hospital. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
Bennett was quiet for a moment and then said, “I am scared to tell you. I am worried you will take it the wrong way.”
“Hum, why do I think I am not going to like this?”
“Well, this is Taylor’s first holiday all alone. I decided to stay in town and do Thanksgiving with her.”
“Of course you did,” said Poppy, rolling her eyes.
“Poppy baby, please don’t make more of this than it is. It is just me being there for a friend who has been through more than anyone should ever go through. She is like a sister to me.”
“Okay, I will let it go. But, admit it, it has been a lot to take. If the situation was reversed, and I would always be with some other guy, you would have hated it.”
“Not going to deny that any thought of you with another guy makes me see red. I have been half out of mind thinking of you hooking up with all those artsy college guys. Please tell me you haven’t been with anyone else.”
“Are you kidding me? I have been too busy missing you to see, much less talk, to another guy. What about you? Have you…been with anyone else?” Poppy was not sure she even wanted the answer to that question. It would destroy her if he said he had been with someone else. But she had to know.
“Hell no. All I have done is work my butt off trying to get to you. You are it for me. Don’t ever doubt it.”
It was ridiculous how happy his words made her feel.
She was so happy, she almost told him about the baby.
But that was not a conversation she wanted to do over the phone.
Instead, she said, “Not going to lie. Even though I was not tempted to be with anyone else, some days, I think my hormones are screaming your name.”
“You think I don’t get that? Just the belief that I would find you and fix this is all that has kept me going.
Please tell me you thought of me every time you touched yourself because you have had a starring role in all my naughty fantasies.
Speaking of naughty things, tell me what you are wearing. ”
Chuckling, Poppy, who was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt, said, “Oh, you know, I am just laying here naked.”
Bennett shouted an expletive and said, “Red, are you trying to kill me?”
“Nope, just trying to get you going.”
“Done. Just hearing your voice did that. But now, let’s get back to you being naked. Tell me more.”