Chapter 4

“What do you mean you’re pregnant?” Sally screeched loud enough to awaken the dead.

“I can’t be pregnant … I just can’t be. It’s unbelievable, but I’ve been to four different hospitals and they all confirmed that I’m three weeks gone. Oh, my God, Sally, how on earth did I get here?”

“Um, by having unprotected sex with Mr. Hot, that’s how.”

“Please, Sally. This is not a joking matter at all. By the way, we never had unprotected sex, right from day one. We always used condoms, from the best brand for that matter. I’m even on the pill, as you well know, which is why I’m finding it hard to believe that I’m pregnant. I need advice on what to do.” Nora moaned, dropping her head into her hands, and wishing that she would just wake up from this nightmare.

“Well, maybe you should start by telling your baby daddy about your pregnancy and see what he will say about it.”

“No way in hell! I’m not even sure he likes me that much. He just sees me as a fuck buddy, so there’s no way I’m telling him. He asked me if I was on the pill, and I assured him that I was, but he still made sure to use protection. That shows how much he doesn’t want me to mistakenly wind up pregnant. He might not even believe that the baby is his. I mean, I’m not sure that I’d believe it too if I were him. Oh, God!”

“Well, I don’t see what the problem is. You can simply get rid of it, and after that, you go and sin no more. Are you sure it’s not that asshole, Sam’s though? I mean…”

“No, it definitely isn’t. I wasn’t sleeping with Sam three weeks ago. Matter of fact, the last time we had sex was about a month before I caught him cheating. He went on vacation, remember, and when he came back, we didn’t do anything. I don't want an abortion. I've never seen myself having one.”

“You and Austin were drunk that first night you had sex, weren’t you? Maybe you guys forgot to use a condom or something. Birth control isn’t foolproof, so maybe yours failed. Anyway, all that doesn’t matter. What matters now is how you’re going to tell him about it, or if not, what you’re going to do about it.”

“I think I’ll keep it a secret in the meantime, and see how it goes.” Nora decided, and that was that.

She continued to see Austin, and while at it, she tried to figure out how he would feel about having a child he didn’t plan for. The response was not encouraging in the least.

“Have a child I didn’t plan for out of the blues? It just won’t happen, because I’m always careful. That’s the last thing I want, so I always make sure to do everything possible to avoid being in that situation.” He replied when she asked him what he would do if he found out he had a child out of the blues four days after finding out that she was pregnant.

“Oh, wow! You do know that you cannot be a hundred percent careful though, don’t you?”

“I know, but I’ve never had any such problems before, and I sure as hell am not going to start having them now. Why do you keep asking me this question.” He asked her, his eyes hard.

“Nothing, just making conversation,” Nora replied, her heart sinking. How had she found herself in this situation?

“Well, there’s no point in having a child when you’re not ready for it. My parents had me when they were not in the least bit ready for me, and that messed me up for quite a while.”

“Well, I think you turned out just great.”

“Yeah, well. Still, I don’t fancy the idea. Anyway, there’s no point to this conversation. I’d much rather be kissing you, among other things.” Austin told her, beginning to pepper kisses along her chin in a bid to distract her, but Nora was not in the mood, as her mind was in turmoil. She gently pushed him away and got up from his king-sized bed.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked, coming after her, but before she could lie that nothing was wrong, the doorbell rang. Nora wanted to use that opportunity to escape and go check who was at the door, but Austin stopped her.

“Don’t worry. My housekeeper will get it. Come, sit on the bed and tell me what’s bothering you.”

“It’s nothing, really. It’s just some trouble at work.” She lied.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll sort it out. Let me know if I can be of help.”

“I sure will,” Nora replied and began to gather her things so she could leave. She really needed some time alone. Austin watched her pack her stuff with a speculative look on his face, not saying anything. As Nora began to zip up her small overnight bag, there was a tentative knock on the bedroom of Austin’s door. At Austin’s request for whoever it was to enter, his housekeeper came into the room, wringing her hands worriedly and unable to meet their eyes.

“What is it, Hilda?” Austin asked.

“Um, well. Can we speak outside sir?" The woman asked, throwing a worried glance Nora's way.

"Oh, come on, Hilda. You can say whatever it is that you want to say."

Okay, sir. Uh ... It’s … it’s Miss Christina. She’s here, and she’s demanding to see you. I told her that you were not home, but she insisted that she would wait.” The maid informed him, and Nora watched as his face drained of all color. It was clear that he wished that he hadn't told the housekeeper to speak in front of Nora.