Page 50 of Inferno

“I did,” Celesteconfirmed,her tone wry. “But apparently I’ve now joined the one percent of women who still manage to become pregnant after undergoing a tubal ligation.”

“But you got your tubes tied ten years ago! I thought the chance of getting pregnant decreases every year after the procedure.”

“That’s true. But there are always exceptions.” Celeste shook her head, her lips twisted into a bitterly sardonic smile. “As a nurse, I’ve seen my fair share of medical miracles. I just never thought I’d become one.”

Prissy stared at her, at a loss for words.

Just then the waiter arrived with their meals. Prissy watched impatiently as the young man made a production of grinding black pepper over their steaming pasta before he gathered their salad plates and departed.

Neither woman touched her food.

“When did you find out?” Prissy asked.

Celeste hesitated. “A month after I moved out of the house. When I first noticed that my period was late, I just assumed it was from the stress of everything that had happened. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could be pregnant after all these years. But then I started feeling really tired and nauseous. So I went to see my doctor and…well, the rest is history.”

“Wait a minute.” Prissy stared at Celeste, struck by a sudden realization. “Is there any chance that the baby isSterling’s?”

Celeste held her gaze for a long moment,thenwhispered, “Yes.”

“Oh, my God.”

Tears welled in Celeste’s eyes. “Sterling and I made love the night after I slept with Grant at the hospital. So the baby could be either of theirs.”

“Oh, my God,” Prissy repeated, leaning back against her chair as she shook her head at Celeste. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Celeste sniffled, swiping at the corners of her eyes with trembling fingers.

“I just thought of something,” Prissy said. “Getting pregnant after a tubal ligation can lead to having an ectopic pregnancy, right?”

Celeste nodded.

“So is the baby…?”

Celeste hesitated for a long moment. “My doctor ran tests.”

“And?”

“The baby appears to be normal.”

The disappointment in her voice was unmistakable, and Prissy knew why. Ectopic pregnancies were so high-risk that they often had to be terminated to save the mother’s life. Being forced to abort an unwanted child would have absolved Celeste of any responsibility.

“Does Grant know?” Prissy asked her.

“No.”

“What?” Prissy was stunned. “Why haven’t you told him?”

“I’m not ready.” Celeste exhaled a deep, shuddering breath. “Grant doesn’t want any children.”

“What?”

“It’s not that he doesn’t like children,” Celeste hastened to defend her lover. “Hedoeslike them. He just doesn’t want any of his own. His career is really taking off. If we stay in Atlanta, he’ll be promoted to head of the neurosurgical residency program, which means even greater responsibilities on top of his research studies and the numerous committees he serves on. And once I start school next fall, we’llbothbe too busy to raise a child.”

So once again, the couple’s needs and ambitions took precedence over the welfare of innocent children.

“What about Sterling?” Prissy demanded. “He has a right to know that you might be carrying another child of his.”

Celeste grimaced. “I know.”