Page 29 of Unsuitable Omega

He might as well know now. There was no point in waiting, not like it would make him any less pregnant. “Thank you, Betty, if you can I’ll take that appointment.”

“Wonderful,” Betty replied, moving towards the landline in the living room. Jai couldn’t help but snort. Who still had a landline for Christ’s sake.

He didn’t have to wait long before Betty came back in and told him he had an appointment for later in the day.

* * *

Well,he was pregnant. The soft-spoken, middle-aged gynecologist confirmed that he really was pregnant, and also warned him he was underweight. A nurse gave him a bunch of reading material.

Jai suddenly realized the enormity of his situation, and the life he carried within him became more real. He was having a child. A child that was half him and half Nickolas, but that really was the sum total of any continuing relationship that they now had. Wasn’t it?

That evening, when Betty returned from work, Jai confirmed his pregnancy.

Betty immediately walked up to Jai and pulled him up for a hug, “I’m so happy for you, honey, and just so you know, finding yourself pregnant is not the end of the world, so stop stressing as I know you have been.”

Jai gulped. “I’m terrified.

“It’s the shock, hun. It’ll wear off. I know you’ll make a wonderful dad,” Betty said.

“I need to get a job.” Jai sighed.

“Oh, honey, don’t worry about that just yet. You know you’re always welcome here. Also, I heard Trevor down at the garage needs help at the front desk, and running the office. You always were good at math. I could give him ring.” Betty said.

Jai burst into tears and hugged Betty again, “Thank you, Betty, I don’t know what I would do without you.” He stepped out of the hug and wiped his eyes, “I don’t know why I keep crying.” Jai lamented as he wiped his tears with the arm of the sweatshirt he had on.

“Hormones,” Betty answered succinctly.

Jai went to bed that night feeling a little more cheerful and a little less ashamed of the past he could not change. He knew he had a lot to plan for, but he decided to take a moment and appreciate that he was about to become a father. He also did everything in his power to silence the voices that pointed out that Nickolas was too.

Over the next week, Jai went back and forth on whether he should inform Nickolas, but every time he thought about it, his chest got tight and the light-headed feeling returned. Which for him was answer enough. He wasn’t ready.

With a baby on the way, he knew he would have to take a long-term view, and that meant he would have to speak to Nickolas at some point. His pregnancy was an accidental development. Now that they weren’t in a relationship anymore, or sleeping together, or whatever one called what had transpired between them, he would have to figure out a civil relationship with the other father of his child. Even though it would kill him every time he had to see Nickolas and Asa together, or even worse, the two of them with Jai’s child. He tried not to think about that, but the seed was planted.

He did his best to put on a brave face for Betty, but underneath all the times he told her he was fine, Jai was actually terrified, terrified at this new curveball life had thrown him. He had never felt so scared and alone in his life. The enormity of the responsibility he was going to face overwhelming him at night in the quiet of his room. How had he let his life spiral so out of control?

He’d started work at the garage and things were going very well. Trevor was a middle-aged beta, who always seemed to have a smile on his face. He was very nice to Jai and had accommodated Jai’s morning sickness, which was really afternoon sickness. He had a feeling it was more about Betty and how the man had a thing for her. She could do worse.

Over the next month and a half, however, Jai grew steadily more exhausted. He worked and tried not to fret about the future. His formerly afternoon sickness spread to all day, and he began lying awake at night worrying.

Being pregnant and ill was more of a struggle than he had expected and he had to cut back on his hours at the garage. Jai couldn’t help thinking of himself as a failure. If he had had to pay rent then he would be screwed. Staying with Betty meant he was able to save some money. And with the cost of baby things he had looked up, he would need to save as much as he could.

Jai would vehemently deny that he was waiting for Nickolas to find him. He certainly didn’t check online daily to see if there was an announcement made on Asa and Nickolas’ marriage. There wasn’t and while he told himself that he shouldn’t care, he was only human.

He was home on a day off from the garage. Luckily he could do a lot of the paperwork needed from home. The only problem was Trevor was left with no one to answer the phones, but he had insisted Jai take the day off, which meant he probably looked as bad as he felt.

“You look a little worse for wear,” Betty said, as she came into the living room where Jai was sitting wrapped in a blanket. He’d just been sick again and was feeling very weak.

“Why do they call it morning sickness when it happens all day?” Jai complained.

Betty snorted, “One of the many mysteries we may never get the answer to.”

“I’m sorry I’ve had more days off work than on. I hope I’m not making you look bad,” Jai said apologetically.

“Oh honey, don’t worry about that. Everyone and their father can see you’re in no state to work. And Trevor is not complaining, he said his office and his books have never been so organized. I don’t think he will be firing you anytime soon,” Betty said

“You spoke to Trevor?” Jai asked.

Betty blushed lightly, “Well I ran into him at the market and he asked how you were doing.”

“I bet that’s not all he asked.” Jai teased.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Betty replied, her cheeks still stained with pink making the words a lie.

“Right, Betty, keep telling yourself that,” Jai said.