Page 131

Bane: Call me when you wake up.

Bane: The girls made you cards.

Bane: I’ll come back as soon as they’ll let me.

I picture him trying to keep Babs and Biddy distracted, probably checking his phone every few minutes, and my chest tightens.

Emma: I’m awake. Waiting for the doctor. I’ll call when I know more.

His reply appears almost instantly.

Bane: I’ll come as soon as you need me.

A smile slips across my face.

Emma: Stay with the girls. I’ll see you later.

Three dots appear before disappearing, then another message arrives.

Bane: Promise you’ll call.

Emma: Promise.

I lock my phone just as a knock sounds at the door.

Dr. Patel steps inside carrying a tablet, closes the door behind her, and pulls the visitor’s chair beside my bed before sitting down.

My stomach tightens.

“Your scans all came back clear,” she says. “Your heart looks healthy, your neurological tests were normal, and we didn’t find any injuries from your fall.”

Relief eases through me. “So I pushed myself too far.”

“Stress and dehydration contributed,” she says, “but your bloodwork gave us another explanation for the fatigue, dizziness, and nausea.”

I study her face. “What explanation?”

She lowers the tablet onto her lap. “Emma, you’re pregnant.”

I stare at her, waiting for the rest of the sentence that never comes. “I’m sorry… what?”

“Your pregnancy test came back positive. We repeated it with this morning’s bloodwork to confirm it.”

Every sound in the room disappears beneath the rush of my pulse.

“That can’t be right,” I manage.

Dr. Patel studies me with patient understanding. “Is there any reason pregnancy wouldn’t be possible?”

I search for an answer, but every symptom I’ve brushed aside over the last several weeks comes rushing back instead.

The exhaustion, the nausea, the afternoons when I couldn’t keep my eyes open through a movie, and the mornings I fueled myself with coffee instead of breakfast all fit together in a way they never had before.

I’ve blamed work, stress, Spencer, and the endless pressure of the last few months because those explanations felt easier to accept.

They weren’t the right ones.

Dr. Patel asks about my cycle, medical history, and recent symptoms before setting the tablet aside. “Based on your hormone levels and the information you’ve given me, I’d estimate you’re around eight weeks. I’d like to confirm that with an ultrasound before you’re discharged.”