Page 27 of A Vegas Crush Collection #3

Devon

A nurse in cat-printed scrubs squirts goo on a tool that looks like a long, skinny vibrator. She chatters incessantly, as if I’m not lying here, spread-eagle, totally exposed to her.

“Once, I inserted the vaginal ultrasound tool and, boy, I pulled that thing out faster than you can say lickety-split,” she chatters away as she inserts the tool into me.

“I told the patient, there’s a baby in there, and she was like, yeah, no duh, I’m pregnant.

I was like, no, I mean a baby-baby. Like, not a fetus.

A baby. So, I switched to the belly and sure enough, there was a whole baby in there.

She was, like, twenty-five weeks along!”

“Is that possible?” I ask. “To not know you’re pregnant for that long?”

“It doesn’t happen often, but she said she didn’t think she could get pregnant.

She hadn’t had a period in over a year, so it wasn’t a big deal that she didn’t have her cycle.

And she was heavier set, so she didn’t look pregnant so much.

She said she never got sick or anything. ” She lifts a shoulder.

I turn my head to the little black-and-white screen. There, illuminated proof of what I already know. A tiny, gummy bear-looking thing. Not a baby-baby as she just described, but what will become one.

“Well, there you have it. Looks pretty healthy so far.” She does some things on the machinery below the screen, then removes the ultrasound wand. “About nine and a half weeks, it seems. Does that sound right?”

I nod, tears stinging in my eyes. Yes, that matches up to my night in the hotel with Grant. A little, living blob inside of me. Oh God, what am I going to do?

“I’ll step out so you can get dressed, then we’ll have you chat with the doctor.”

She slips out of the exam room, and I sit myself up, unable to process.

Numb and shocked, I manage to dress myself, but I am on total autopilot.

When I exit the exam room, the nurse leads me to the doctor’s office.

I follow her blindly, barely able to do much more than put one foot in front of the other, my mind spinning with so many thoughts and questions.

The first and foremost being: How am I going to do this?

I’m having a baby.

Correction, Pearson, you’re having Grant’s baby.

“So, Devon Pearson,” the doctor says, looking up from my chart. Dr. O’Hara is a pretty redhead. She has a warmth about her that instantly comforts me. “From the look of you, I take it this is an unplanned pregnancy?”

I nod, unable to do any more than that just yet.

“I understand. It happens, of course. I see it frequently in my line of work. Come’s with the job.”

“Of course. And he told me the condom leaked a bit. But he thought he couldn’t…well, it’s complicated.”

Dr. O’Hara gives me an empathetic look. “These things can be complicated. Humans are complicated. And you have time to decide, of course. Not much, but some.”

“Time to decide what?” I ask, confused. Then it dawns on me, and I suck in a breath, sitting up a little straighter. “Oh. No, I—I don’t want to do that. I’m having this baby.”

A sharp nod as the doctor writes on her prescription pad. “Okay, then. Here is a script for prenatal vitamins. We’ll see you back for your twelve-week check-up when you’re safely through the first trimester. Do you want the ultrasound photos?”

“I do.”

Not ten minutes later, I’m back in my car, staring at the photographic evidence that I am going to be a mother.

And Grant is going to be a father, even though he has no idea.

I have to get to work. Forcing myself to breathe in and out, in and out, I manage to tamp down the panic that threatens to overwhelm me. After I get on the road, I call Gia.

“So what’s the verdict?” she asks immediately.

“Eleven weeks from the last period. Which means it was nine and a half weeks since the conference, just like the movie in the eighties.”

“So definitely a conference baby, then.”

“Yes.”

“Will you keep it?”

“Of course,” I say sharply.

“Whoa, there, tiger. Just asking.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just in shock. And I don’t know what to do, you know? I’m pregnant by a man I can’t have an open relationship with. I’m trying to launch my own business. It just—it just feels like it can’t get any worse.”

“Will you tell him?” Gia asks.

I let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe after the season gets started? He doesn’t need this stress right off the bat. He’s making a bunch of staffing changes and he doesn’t need something like this to worry about.”

“Wow,” Gia says. Then, “Seriously?”

“What?”

“It takes two to tango, Dev. You have a job and a side business. He’s not the only one with stuff going on. Why are you bearing the full weight of something that affects you both? Plus, he seems like the kind of guy who’d want to know.”

“Of course, you’re right. He said he wants kids—er, wanted kids. He tried with his ex but they never got pregnant. She got pregnant right away with her new boyfriend, so Grant thought maybe he couldn’t…you know.”

“He thought his swimmers couldn’t swim,” Gia confirms. “Damn. Sounds like that bitch was doing some trickery on the poor guy. How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. And it doesn’t matter. I just need to think.”

“You’ll figure it out, girl. You’re fierce and smart and self-sufficient.”

“I’m a capable person,” I say with a confidence I barely feel. “I can handle this.”

“Hell yeah, you can.” Gia says. “And your best friend will be at your side the whole way.”

“God, I needed to hear that, Gia.”

“Of course, I’ll be there, Dev. We’re a team.”

“Thank you. Love you.”

“Love you back.” Thank God for Gia.

I get to my office and plunge myself into work.

Players are trickling back from their summer breaks, and I’ve got lots of nutrition meetings lined up.

Apparently, Grant is asking all players to be on a nutrition and fitness plan.

He wants every player in top shape, all working out just as hard at third-string as they would if they were playing in starting positions.

My busy day flies by, and it’s not until late in the afternoon that I have a minute to run down to the therapy gym to drop off some notes to Pam.

“Hey, girl,” she says as she massages the hamstring of one of the guys. “What’s up?”

“Just dropping some notes for you to review.”

“Okay. How’s you? Busy now that the guys are all back?”

“Yep, yep, it’s getting real busy,” I say. “You?”

“Just gettin’ back in the swing,” she answers. “Loosening folks up. Trying to get used to being a working mom.”

“Yeah? How are things with the kids?”

Pam’s radiant smile says it all. “Christ, for two people who always said they never wanted babies, we sure love having kids. They were, like, made for us.”

“And Tyler? Is he involved? Is his mom?”

“Tyler’s always around, which is awesome.

He and Zoya are the best uncle and auntie any two kiddos ever had.

The mom who birthed them?” She grimaces and shakes her head.

“She took off once she signed away her rights at the settlement hearing. Straight up disappeared. Georg and I are committed to always being honest about the kids’ lives before they came to us, but thankfully they stopped asking about her a while ago. ”

“That’s probably for the best then, but I’m sorry.”

“Small price to pay. Seriously. They’re so great and Georg is totally smitten. It’s the best thing ever seeing him be a dad.”

“I’m happy for you both.”

“So when will Devon Pearson settle down and make ridiculously beautiful babies?” she asks with typical Pam cheekiness.

Sooner than you think. “Oh, I don’t know.” I shrug and give her an Academy Award-worthy smile, and wave goodbye.

As I finish out the workday down in my office, I realize I made it through these last eight hours better than I thought I might when I first arrived this morning.

Throwing myself into my work and focusing on my priorities of the moment has helped me to find some clarity with my situation.

So, I’ve made the decision I’ll wait until after my next appointment to tell Grant about the baby.

I need to tell him; there’s no question.

I doubt he’ll be all that upset because I know he wants kids.

And I believe he’ll make a wonderful dad.

Grant is a good man. He’ll want to do the right thing and be supportive, I’m sure.

But I don’t want the “right thing” to rock the boat for him so early in his tenure here.

There’s too much going on, and he has too much to prove to the organization as a whole.

I’ll let him get the season started.

And I’ll get past the twelve-week mark.

We’ll talk about it then.