Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
Monday morning, Lana was still queasy, but not sick enough to stay home.
She was standing in front of a cupboard at Tender Loving Daycare, choosing supplies for the Monday art project and handing them to her assistants to arrange on the tables, when Jasmine frowned.
“No offense, Lana, but you’re really pale. You don’t look so good.”
“You should’ve seen me yesterday. You know that flu bug that’s going around? I caught it with a vengeance.”
Jasmine, who worked mornings and spent her afternoons at the local community college, where she was majoring in early child development, made a face. “Poor you! I hope I don’t get it, not with finals coming up.”
“Me, either,” Brittany said as she placed crayons in trays around the tables. She worked full-time. “I’m saving up for a new car and can’t afford to miss work.”
They were both in their early twenties and full of energy. They also loved kids. Lana counted herself lucky to have been able to hire them.
“I don’t have any classes today,” Jasmine said. “I was planning to start writing a paper for my child psych class, but if you need to go home, I can stay all day.”
Lana shook her head. “I appreciate that, Jas, but I’ll be okay. I’m a lot better than I was.”
Her prediction turned out to be true. By the end of the day, she felt her usual self. Tuesday was the same, with a few queasy moments that soon passed. She’d finally kicked the flu bug, and what a relief.
Wednesday morning, Brittany and Jasmine set out the instruments for the weekly music class, which was always fun.
Lana was sitting at the desk in the corner, sipping herbal tea and leafing through several well-worn children’s books for afternoon story time, when Brittany stilled and made a face. “Uh-oh.”
Lana didn’t like the sound of that. “Please don’t tell me you’re coming down with the flu.”
“No, it’s my period. I’m a few days early, and I don’t have any supplies with me. Help!”
“I keep extras in my locker,” Jasmine said. “Come with me.”
The two women headed for the employee kitchen on the other side of the daycare.
While they were gone, Lana contemplated her own cycle.
Between meeting Sly and Sophie, so many things had happened over the past month that she’d barely thought about it.
She counted back to her last period—it’d finished at the end of March.
Since then, nada. What’d happened twenty-eight days later, near the end of April?
Here it was, the first week of May, and nothing.
She was never late, never. Was it stress? Maybe, but even during the divorce, which had dragged out for a few months and was exceptionally distressing, her cycle had remained as regular as clockwork.
The implications boggled her mind. Dear God, what if she was truly sick?
She sank onto one of the preschool chairs and sought to reassure herself.
Aside from the flu, she felt decent enough—except for a queasy stomach in the mornings and at some points during the day.
Her breasts were sore, and she’d been more emotional than usual.
Even more than when she was PMSing. Those were all signs of pregnancy.
She couldn’t possibly be pregnant. Could she?
The doctor had stated that her chances of that were slim to none, which was why she and Sly had skipped using condoms. Slim to none meant there was a teensy bit of a chance.
“Look at you, sitting in one of those little chairs and pale as the butcher-block paper we laid out,” Brittany said. “Don’t you want to go home?”
Lana managed a fleeting smile. “No, but I think I’d better. Are you two sure you can handle this?”
“I’ve worked here for almost a year,” Brittany said. “And Jas has been here since September. We have the day-care routine figured out.”
Lana nodded. “Okay, but if anything happens, be sure to call.”
“We will,” Jasmine assured her. “Just rest up and get well.”
Lana drove straight to the drugstore. Not quite ready to head inside and buy what she needed, she sat in the car and speed-dialed Kate, who was at work. “Can you talk?” she said.
“I haven’t opened the doors yet, so now’s good. Shouldn’t you be greeting the first kids of the day about now?”
“I left work.”
“You’re still sick with the flu. I’m sorry, sweetie. You caught a real nasty bug.”
“It’s not the flu,” Lana said. “I— This is strictly confidential.”
“Dear God, don’t tell me it’s something even worse.”
“Actually, it’s wonderful.” And scary.
“You’ve got me really curious. Let me guess—you’re sneaking away to meet Sly. Now there’s a yummy idea.”
“I told you over the weekend that we agreed not to see each other again after Sophie’s visit this Saturday.”
“So? You can still sleep together.”
Not what Lana needed to hear. “Will you please stop?”
“You don’t have to yell.” Kate finally got quiet.
Even though Lana was sitting in her car with all the windows up, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “My period is late.”
“I can barely hear you. It sounded like you said your period’s late.”
“You heard right.”
“But you’re always as regular as clockwork... Wait just a hot damn minute. Are you saying what I think you are?”
Lana pictured her friend, face aglow with excitement. For the first time since she’d realized she might be pregnant, she smiled. “I’m sitting in the drugstore parking lot, about to pick up a couple of pregnancy tests. Will you come over after work and keep me company while I take them?”
Kate didn’t even pause before answering, “Definitely.”