Fact: I’m having a baby.

I closed my eyes, feeling Nick’s lips against mine. I didn’t know whether I should deepen the kiss or stay exactly like this because for some odd reason it felt so perfect.

“Okay this is a crock of shit,” Austin said. Nick backed his lips away and looked at Austin. I couldn’t stop starting at Nick. “There’s no way that you were with him while we were together,”

“Why do you think I ran after her?” Nick asked as I looked back at Austin, with a smile on my face. “If I didn’t care about her, I wouldn’t have done that. It’s her business, but she’s my business and now we’re having a baby, so thank you,” he said as he started to walk over to Austin and paused. “Thanks doctor, when can she go home,”

“Savannah, is this true?” Austin replied, looking at me. I swallowed, nodding my head slowly. “You promise?”

”Oh I promise,” I replied, sarcastically. “Will I be able to go home tonight?”

”He wants to move up to a room and keep you over night,” Austin said, picking the folder back up from the bed. “I’ll go tell him that I told him your diagnosis and that you’re ready to be moved,”

”Well is the baby okay?” Nick asked as Austin looked back in the folder. “She didn’t loose it or anything did she?”

”Everything’s stable,” he said, closing the folder. “That’s why he wants to keep her overnight. Congratulations,” he said, pulling the curtain back to leave.

I looked at Nick, seeing him put his hands over his mouth in shock. I was in shock. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do. I was having a baby. I was going to have to actually give birth this time. I was going to be a single mother to two children.

”Oh my god, I’m in trouble,” I said, leaning back on the bed. I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. They were flowing down like rain now. “Being a single mother to Nichole is fine you know, but two kids? Oh my god, the worst mistake of my life –“

‘Dude, Savannah, listen,” Nick whispered, sitting down next to me, reaching for my hand again. “He doesn’t have to know the baby is his, let me do this for you,”

”Do what for me?”

“Let me be the father,”

”Nick, did you get into the hospital drugs while I was passed out?” I asked as he laughed. “You don’t know –“

”You don’t want him to know that it’s his do you?”

”No,”

”Then let it be mine,”

”But it’s not yours and we aren’t even together Nick,”

”Biologically Nichole wasn’t yours either and I didn’t even know you but now we share her,” he said as I stared at him. I was freaking out inside. “Listen, the people close to us can know the truth, but for the sake of Nichole and Austin and whoever else, it can be mine.”

“I’m having a baby,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “I’m so scared right now that I don’t know what to do. I didn’t have to give birth to Nichole. I just picked her up one day and she was mine and now I’m having a baby,”

”Savannah, listen to me, it’s going to be okay. You’re not gonna be alone,” he whispered. I opened my eyes, looking at him again. “I’m sorry about the kiss, I just wanted to make it seem believable. I knew you wanted him out of your life,”

“I did and I do,”

“Think about how happy Nichole is going to be,”

”But Nick it’s so wrong,” I said, sitting back up in bed. “This baby already has a brother and sisters that it will never know because it’s father –“

”Sperm donor –“

”was so horrible and careless and evil.”

“This baby has a sister and her name is Nichole,” he said as I smiled. “You’re not gonna be in this alone. You have me and you have Diana, and Leighanne’s been through this so she’ll be there,”

“I’m glad I met you,” I said, leaning up to give him a hug. “I don’t know if I can ever thank you enough. I really don’t know how I can ever repay you,”

“Just let my daughter be happy and let’s try to give her the best life possible,” he said as I moved away, smiling. “You took care of my daughter when nobody wanted her. Now it’s time for me to return the favor. I want to help this baby like you helped Nichole,”

“Baby,” I whispered, looking away. “I can’t believe I’m having a baby.” I looked down at my stomach, putting my hands on it. “I mean, I always knew I would be a mother, that’s why I adopted Nichole. I never imagined myself giving birth or being pregnant. God I’m gonna be a huge heifer now,”

”Heifer?”

”Female cow,”

”You’re not gonna be a cow,” he said as I rolled my eyes. “Just think how excited Nichole is going to be,” I nodded my head, looking back at my stomach until Austin walked back in, handing me some papers to sign. “Can we help you?”

”I need Miss Shiver to sign some papers so she can be taken to her room for the night,” he said, glaring at Nick. “I know that you’re probably wondering what I’m still doing here,”

”Actually, yeah,” I said, handing him the papers back. “I thought you said you were moving,”

”I graduate next month, and hopefully we will be moving to Charlotte, North Carolina where her family is,” he said, closing the pen top. “Then you’ll be rid of me,”

”I already am,” I replied, reaching over to hold Nick’s hand. He nodded his head, and turned around to walk out of the door.

“You handled that really good,” Nick said as my head moved back against the pillow. I closed my eyes and just sighed in return.

- - -

I’m pregnant.

Who would have thought? Definitely not me. I didn’t even feel any symptoms. I didn’t feel bad until this morning. I’m not a very sickly person. It just shocks me. I was awake all night long, thinking about it. I’m scared to death. I think I know when it happened. Well the doctor gave me a date this morning when he examined me.

I think I got pregnant the night we went to dinner with Brian and Leighanne. I saw Austin with his sister, got drunk, he brought me home and we did it on the living room. Then we did it in the bedroom and I was so out of it I’m not sure that I reminded him to wear a condom. It has to be that night. Every time since then, we wore a condom. That night would be it considering I’m five weeks pregnant.

According to the doctor, I’m due January 9th. That’s sad, but sweet considering it was my parent’s anniversary. This year would actually be their thirtieth anniversary. According to Nick, it’s also AJ’s birthday, which is great.

Great.

Just perfect, because I’m having a baby.

Having a baby isn’t my only issue right now. Sure, it’s a very big issue but there’s another small one that’s growing just as fast as a baby. It’s my crush on Nick. Ever since his lips touched mine when he kissed me, I really can’t get him out of my mind. I need to get over this little crush.

Sure, he wants Nichole to have a normal, real family but we’ll never be more than friends. I should just accept that. I will eventually. I always get little crushes and they eventually go away. I’m so scared deep down that this one won’t go away and I’m going to end up getting hurt, so hurt that I don’t know if I will ever recover from it. That’s not gonna be good since I’m having a baby,”

”I’m having a baby,” I whispered, looking down at my stomach. Nick looked at me as we walked up to my apartment door the next morning and smiled. “I’m speechless,”

”Well come on, let’s go in and tell the news,” he said, unlocking the door. We looked in to see Diana and Nichole, sitting on the sofa, eagerly waiting our arrival.

“Mommy!” Nichole yelled, starting to run up to me but Nick picked her up, swinging her around. “Daddy, I wanted Mommy to pick me up and hug me,”

”Babe, she doesn’t need to pick you up right now,” Nick said as Nichole leaned over to give me a big, wet smack right on the cheek. “That’s a good girl,”

”Well what’s going on?” Diana asked as I walked over to sit down on the sofa. “All you told us is that they wanted to keep her overnight so I called the paper to tell them that I had a family emergency,” I looked at Nick who sat down on the edge of the recliner. “Savannah, what is it?”

”Mommy, did I hurt you bad yesterday?” Nichole asked, sitting down beside me. “I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry. I do you want me to kiss your tummy and make it better?”

”No sweetie you don’t have to. My tummy is okay now,” I replied, looking up at Diana. “I’m five weeks –“

”Five week’s what?”

”Along –“ Nick replied, finishing the sentence.

”What are you talking about?” Diana asked as I mouthed the word “pregnant” to her. “Oh my god, no you’re not!”

”Yeah, I am,” I said, looking at Nichole. She had a confused look on her face. I looked back up at Diana and nodded my head. “It’s his, we saw him and he thinks it’s Nick’s.”

”Why would he think that?” Diana asked as she looked back at Nick.

“Because I told him it was mine. Savannah wants him out of her life,” Nick said as he stood up.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Nichole asked as she looked me in the eyes. “What are you and Daddy talking about? What did the doctor man tell you?”

“Sweetie, you know how you always wanted a Daddy?”

”Mommy, I have one,” she said, pointing at Nick.

“Well, what did you want with your daddy?”

“Ice cream,”

”What else?”

”A little brother or sister,”

”Well, you’re going to get a little brother or sister now,” I said as her eyes lit up. “That’s why my tummy started hurting because it’s in there and when you pushed on my tummy, it didn’t like it,”

”It’s in there like I was!” Nichole yelled as she jumped up to my tummy, hugging it. “I’m sorry little baby. I didn’t mean to push you!”

”Oh my, isn’t that just sweet,” Diana said as she leaned over, hugging me. “Congratulations darlin’,”

”Thanks,” I replied, looking up at Nick as we hugged. He smiled and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Daddy, are you going to be this baby’s daddy too just like you are mine?” Nichole asked. Nick walked over, picking her up and smiled. “That way we can buy a big house like Uncle Brian and Aunt Leighanne and have a big backyard,”

”Yep, I’m going to be it’s Daddy, just like I’m yours,” Nick said. Diana looked at me, crossing her arms as her eyes widened. I closed my eyes, looking down at my hands. “Why don’t we go in your room and draw your mama and the new baby a picture?”

”Okay Daddy, but shhh, it has to be a secret,” she said as I smiled, watching them go into her bedroom.

“Savannah, what are you doing?” Diana asked, sitting next to me. “He’s going to be the father? What is going on here?”

”He wants to do for me and this baby, what I did for Nichole,” I replied, causing her to stare at me. “Diana, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m so scared right now. I don’t know what I’m saying or agreeing too. All I know is that I never wanted this to happen,”

”This baby?” she asked as I nodded my head. Then I began to shake it. “What?”

”This baby and,” I said, looking back at Nichole’s bedroom door. Then I looked back at her, crying. “This baby… or falling for Nick which I think I’m doing and I’m going to set myself up for even more trouble. I just know I am Diana,”

”No, come here,” she said, wrapping her arms around me. “You’re like the daughter I never had and I’m going to be here for you. Nick, well, he seems to really care for you,” she said, moving my hair out of my eyes. “It takes a real big man to step up and do what he’s doing and if you feel something, maybe you should tell him.’ I shook my head. There was no way I was going to tell him anything.

There was not a chance in hell.