Chapter 15 Nuh-uh
NUH-UH
DAPHNE
“I’m fine,” I say for the third time as my family stands around the gurney I’m currently lying on in the emergency room. “This is ridiculous.” I start to sit up because I’m ready to leave, but my mother pushes me back down.
“We’re not leaving until we find out what’s wrong,” she tells me.
“I didn’t eat this morning. It’s no big deal.”
“You’ve never passed out before, Daphne.” Angelo stands near my feet with one hand resting against my leg. “We’re not taking any chances.”
“Come on,” I plead, hoping someone will have some common sense. “Dad dropped a bombshell on us. My body went into shock. It’s seriously no big deal.”
They’re staring at me like I’m a wounded animal, waiting for the moment I kick the bucket.
I wonder if this is what it’s like to be old or dying, and I know I’ll hate every moment of it.
I think of Marissa, Angelo’s wife, and the way we sat vigil at her bedside for the last week of her life.
I hope we brought her comfort, unlike what my family’s doing to me in this very moment.
“Ms. Gallo,” the doctor says as he pushes aside the cheap yellow curtain that has concealed us from the chaos of the hallways. “I have some test results back.”
“What’s wrong, Doctor? Is she okay?” My mother’s practically in tears, gripping her chest like she’s about to hear news of my impending death.
“Maybe it’s best if your family leaves the room so we can discuss the results in private.”
That is the worst thing the doctor could say.
“Oh. My. God. You’re dying,” my mother cries out and almost throws herself on top of me.
I run my fingers over her red hair, trying to soothe her. “I have no secrets from my family. Go ahead, Doc.”
“First of all, you’re not dying,” he says right away.
Well, that’s a relief. For a minute, I was wondering if he was going to drop some giant bombshell in my lap, turning my entire life upside down.
For weeks, I’ve been worried about how my relationship with Leo could end up with one of us dying, but I never thought some crazy-ass disease would take me before that could happen.
“Oh, thank God.” My mother gasps and lifts her head from my chest. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Jesus. Everyone needs to calm down.” I pretend like I’m not worried. But to be honest, I was petrified after the doctor came in without a smile. Asking me if I wanted my family to leave meant the news wasn’t going to be something I expected.
“We’re concerned, Daphne,” my father tells me like I’m the one acting crazy.
The entire family is staring at the doctor, waiting to hear what the tests have revealed. “Your blood work came back, and surprise,” he says and finally cracks a smile, probably thinking this will be a happy moment. “You’re pregnant.”
My mouth falls open. “But I just had my period. The test has to be wrong.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know. Maybe five weeks.”
“So, you missed a month?” he asks.
“Not really. My periods are never on time.” After a year of tracking my periods, I chucked the calendar in the trash. There was something up with my ovaries, and I was never a regular girl with a twenty-eight-day cycle.
“The blood test doesn’t lie, Ms. Gallo. You are indeed pregnant. We’ll order an ultrasound to make sure the baby is okay since you passed out.”
“I didn’t eat this morning,” I tell him, still thinking he’s yanking my leg.
“You’ll need to be more careful about eating every few hours, and start prenatal vitamins right away. Other than that, you’re completely healthy.”
My world’s rocked. I blink a few times with my mouth still hanging open as the doctor walks into the hallway, leaving us behind.
“You were with the baby daddy last night, weren’t you?” Vinnie says as he pushes against my leg.
I glare at him.
“She was with Michelle,” Angelo says, and I instantly want to punch Vinnie in the gut.
“Nuh-uh. She got in at seven this morning.”
They’re all staring at me like I’m about to tell them everything, but I’ve never been one to spill my guts.
“Daphne,” my mother says, but she’s so excited, she’s almost shaking. “My baby’s going to have a baby.”
“Fuck,” I hiss, dropping my head to the bed, and stare up at the ceiling.
This is the worst-case scenario. I’m knocked up. A single mother. Not just that, but I’m pregnant with Leo’s kid. It’s like the big man upstairs has it out for me. Why can’t I catch a break?
“Best You’ll Ever Have?” Angelo says, reminding me he knows all about the mystery man. Well, at least enough to know I’ve been seeing someone on the side but not sharing the details.
“The father better be an honorable man,” Lucio says as he clenches his hand into a tight fist. “Or we’ll have a problem.”
“Everyone, stop.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath, wishing I could go back in time and remind myself to use a condom.
Vinnie’s laughing. “You always think I’m going to knock some chick up, and look at what you’ve gone and done.”
“Vinnie, don’t start with me.” I glare at him.
Just as I’m about to lose my shit, Michelle comes running into the room. “Oh my God, are you okay?” she asks as she pushes between my brothers, gasping for air. “Angelo called me and said you were in the emergency room.”
“I’m fine,” I tell her as my teeth grind together. “Just fucking perfect.”
“She’s knocked up,” Vinnie says, still laughing his ass off at the irony.
Michelle’s eyes widen.
“Yep.” I nod.
“Oh no,” she whispers and covers her mouth, looking every bit the way I feel.
Angelo turns to her, tipping his head to the side as he cracks his neck. “You know him?”
“No,” Michelle lies. “I didn’t know she was seeing anyone.” She shakes her head, but she’s a little over the top with her performance.
My heart’s pounding against my chest so hard I can barely breathe. I shake my hands, feeling a panic attack about to strike. “I can’t,” I say, and my voice cracks on the last word. “I can’t be a mother.”
“I want to know who the guy is,” Angelo says again, never letting shit go. “He better step up and take care of his responsibility.”
“I’m no one’s responsibility,” I tell him, wishing they’d all just leave.
I need time to process this.
The baby.
My baby.
Leo’s baby.
Our baby.
Just when I think life couldn’t get any crazier, God has a way of reminding me I’m not in control.
“Can I have a minute?” I ask as my nose starts to tickle.
“Sure, baby. We’ll be right outside,” my ma says before she clears the room when no one moves right away.
“Michelle, can you stay?” I ask, knowing I need someone to be with me, and she’s the only one who knows everything that’s going on.
“Of course,” she says, giving Angelo a glance as he steps out of the room.
“Close the curtain and make sure they’re gone,” I tell her because I don’t want any chance of my family overhearing anything I’m about to say. The blowback would be catastrophic.
Michelle climbs on the gurney, tucking her leg under her bottom and grabs my hand. “Are you okay?” She laces her fingers with mine and squeezes.
“Michelle, this couldn’t be any worse,” I whisper.
“Why are you whispering?” she whispers back, mocking me.
I tick my chin toward the hallway, knowing full well my entire family is nosy as fuck. “You know how they are listening.”
“We’ll figure this out.”
“How?” I ask, peering up at her with tears in my eyes.
I don’t see a way this finishes with a happy ending. The one damn time I have unprotected sex, I get knocked up. Un-fucking-believable.
“You’re going to have to tell Leo.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, letting the tears spill down my cheeks. “He’s going to go ballistic.”
I’m not sure how I’ll break the news to him. I’ve spent an entire month trying to pretend he never existed, and the entire time, our baby was growing inside my body. God, what if he thinks I was trying to trap him as some part of an evil plan?
“He may surprise you.”
“Well, I’m about to surprise him,” I say and start to laugh.
“Ms. Gallo,” a woman says near the doorway as she pulls a cart behind her. “Are you ready for your ultrasound?”
Michelle goes to stand, but I pull her back down. “Stay with me.”
My mother’s right behind the ultrasound technician, smiling from ear to ear as she follows her into the room. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby,” she says like she’s going to be the one giving birth. “This is so exciting.”
“Yeah. Thrilling,” I mumble under my breath as she scans my bracelet.
The ultrasound doesn’t take very long, and the technician doesn’t say much while she takes pictures of my uterus. I stare at the black-and-white screen, trying to figure out what the hell I’m looking at, but I don’t see much of anything.
“Did you see a baby?” I ask as she cleans off her equipment and packs up to leave.
“The doctor will be in shortly to go over the ultrasound with you.”
Her words don’t give me comfort. “Everything will be fine,” my ma says, but she doesn’t understand the absolute mess I’ve created.
Moments later, the doctor walks in, holding the ultrasound pictures in his hand. “Everything looks good, Ms. Gallo. You’re around four weeks into your pregnancy. You’ll want to follow up with your OB/GYN this week, but as of right now, both mom and baby are perfectly healthy.”
“Great,” I say, trying to plaster on a fake smile.
“Here’s the first photos.” He hands me the sheet of paper and points to a tiny speck. “There’s your baby. Congratulations.”
“I have to go tell everyone the baby’s okay,” my ma says before kissing me on the cheek and leaving Michelle and me alone.
I stare at the photo and try to think of the best way to break the news to Leo. For a minute, I think about not telling him. Breaking up with him would probably be the best solution. His life would remain uncomplicated, and our secret would stay hidden.
“Don’t even think it,” Michelle says as I climb off the gurney and reach for my clothes.
“What?”
“You have to tell him,” she says with her arms crossed in front of her chest like she’s reading my mind.
“All right. I’ll tell him.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”