coffee, and spoke gently. “We’ll have the results of the tests tomorrow morning. We’ll know for sure then. Meanwhile, I’m giving you the name of a good obstetrician, just in case. And you’ll need to get a lot of rest and eat plenty of protein.”
She smiled wanly. “The end of the world,” she murmured, and went out into the waiting room to join David.
“What did he say?” he asked as they walked down the street.
“I’m pregnant.”
He stopped dead. “What?”
“He thinks I’m pregnant,” she repeated dully. She laughed. “Cul just said a very definite goodbye, the play’s hardly started, I have no money… Oh, David, I do have such a knack for fouling up my life. I loved him. That was my only crime, I loved him so much. Damn him!”
“You’ll have to tell him,” he said quietly. “I don’t think you’ve got a choice in the world.”
“Oh, he’ll just love knowing what I’ve done,” she grumbled. “Not that he isn’t equally to blame,” she added, remembering his careless attitude toward precautions.
“He has the right to know.”
She glanced up at him. “I’m sorry if I’ve destroyed any illusions for you,” she said, feeling oddly guilty. “I’ve loved him since I was eighteen. I couldn’t help it, David.”
“Of course you couldn’t,” he said, and held her hand protectively. He studied her wan face and smiled. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll even marry you, if he won’t. How’s that? God knows, we’ll starve to death, but maybe the kid can learn to like fish and chips….”
She turned and hugged him, like a sister. “David, I love you,” she whimpered.
“None of that,” he grumbled, pushing her gently away. “I said I’d take care of you, and I will, but don’t start making passes. And in your condition! I’m shocked!”
She laughed delightedly, clinging to his hand. “Well, there’s still the one pale chance that I’m not pregnant,” she said as they walked. “I’ll just cross my fingers.”
Crossing them didn’t help. The next morning, the doctor’s nurse called to tell her the test results. She was very definitely pregnant.
Four
B ett hung up the phone with a strange feeling of calm. Actually hearing it was different from imagining how it would feel. The sense of responsibility that came along with it forced her down into a chair, where she sat and stared blankly at the telephone.
Pregnant. Her slender hands touched her stomach lightly, protectively, and she looked down at it as if she expected to see the baby through it. She and Cul had created a human being. The thought was awesome. She caught her breath under its impact.
She’d wanted children ever since the day she met Cul, wanted them with the same wildness she’d felt with wanting him. It was, to her, such a natural part of loving that she accepted the fact of her pregnancy with quiet pride. Surely now he’d want her. Surely he wouldn’t want their child born without a name. The only thing was, how was she going to tell him?
She sat down heavily on the sofa, her hands at her stomach, wondering at the miracle of life. A tiny smile touched her mouth and she sighed. A baby. After all the years of dreaming about it, it had happened.
She wondered if Cul would be as overwhelmed as she was. He’d admitted that he loved her, and surely it was true. How could he have been so tender if he hadn’t? But in the same breath she remembered his slow withdrawal from her, the look in his eyes when she’d gotten upset about his going to California. And then, too, there was the girl he’d been talking to the last time she’d phoned him. Cherrie.
Her fingers traced an idle pattern on her now tight jeans. Cherrie. Was she a pickup, or someone he already knew? Oh, heaven, what if he’d been hungering for Cherrie and had taken Bett to bed out of frustration?
She got up and paced the floor. It had all seemed so simple earlier. She’d call Cul and tell him, and he’d be ecstatic and come
She smiled wanly. “The end of the world,” she murmured, and went out into the waiting room to join David.
“What did he say?” he asked as they walked down the street.
“I’m pregnant.”
He stopped dead. “What?”
“He thinks I’m pregnant,” she repeated dully. She laughed. “Cul just said a very definite goodbye, the play’s hardly started, I have no money… Oh, David, I do have such a knack for fouling up my life. I loved him. That was my only crime, I loved him so much. Damn him!”
“You’ll have to tell him,” he said quietly. “I don’t think you’ve got a choice in the world.”
“Oh, he’ll just love knowing what I’ve done,” she grumbled. “Not that he isn’t equally to blame,” she added, remembering his careless attitude toward precautions.
“He has the right to know.”
She glanced up at him. “I’m sorry if I’ve destroyed any illusions for you,” she said, feeling oddly guilty. “I’ve loved him since I was eighteen. I couldn’t help it, David.”
“Of course you couldn’t,” he said, and held her hand protectively. He studied her wan face and smiled. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll even marry you, if he won’t. How’s that? God knows, we’ll starve to death, but maybe the kid can learn to like fish and chips….”
She turned and hugged him, like a sister. “David, I love you,” she whimpered.
“None of that,” he grumbled, pushing her gently away. “I said I’d take care of you, and I will, but don’t start making passes. And in your condition! I’m shocked!”
She laughed delightedly, clinging to his hand. “Well, there’s still the one pale chance that I’m not pregnant,” she said as they walked. “I’ll just cross my fingers.”
Crossing them didn’t help. The next morning, the doctor’s nurse called to tell her the test results. She was very definitely pregnant.
Four
B ett hung up the phone with a strange feeling of calm. Actually hearing it was different from imagining how it would feel. The sense of responsibility that came along with it forced her down into a chair, where she sat and stared blankly at the telephone.
Pregnant. Her slender hands touched her stomach lightly, protectively, and she looked down at it as if she expected to see the baby through it. She and Cul had created a human being. The thought was awesome. She caught her breath under its impact.
She’d wanted children ever since the day she met Cul, wanted them with the same wildness she’d felt with wanting him. It was, to her, such a natural part of loving that she accepted the fact of her pregnancy with quiet pride. Surely now he’d want her. Surely he wouldn’t want their child born without a name. The only thing was, how was she going to tell him?
She sat down heavily on the sofa, her hands at her stomach, wondering at the miracle of life. A tiny smile touched her mouth and she sighed. A baby. After all the years of dreaming about it, it had happened.
She wondered if Cul would be as overwhelmed as she was. He’d admitted that he loved her, and surely it was true. How could he have been so tender if he hadn’t? But in the same breath she remembered his slow withdrawal from her, the look in his eyes when she’d gotten upset about his going to California. And then, too, there was the girl he’d been talking to the last time she’d phoned him. Cherrie.
Her fingers traced an idle pattern on her now tight jeans. Cherrie. Was she a pickup, or someone he already knew? Oh, heaven, what if he’d been hungering for Cherrie and had taken Bett to bed out of frustration?
She got up and paced the floor. It had all seemed so simple earlier. She’d call Cul and tell him, and he’d be ecstatic and come
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