That Thing Between Eli & Gwen

“Hannah?” He went toward the door as the paramedics brought in a woman who couldn’t have been Hannah. I took a step back as they wheeled her in. My heart started to race, and blood pumped to my ears.

“What happened?” Ian asked, looking into her eyes.

“She was out at lunch with a few other people from the clinic and fainted. She came to a little bit before demanding to be brought here.”

My eyes were glued to her stomach. Her clearly pregnant stomach.

It’s Sebastian’s. It’s Sebastian’s.

“She said the baby’s father was a doctor here.”

I wanted to collapse, but it made better sense to run…to run far, far away from all of this.

Eli

Stepping out of the OR two hours later than I would have hoped, I stretched and pulled off my cap to find my mother and Ian both waiting for me. Ignoring them, I went to the sink to wash my hands. “I know what you guys are going to say. No, I didn’t officially come back yet. But I brought him in, and I wasn’t going to just drop him off and go on my way again,” I told them, but neither spoke as I turned around. “Mom, it’s fine. I only stood watch; I didn’t operate in any way, though we are going to have to put him on the donor list.”

“Sweetheart, we aren’t here about that,” my mother whispered, pushing off the wall, her arms folded. “Just listen to me—”

“Is it Guinevere? Is she all right? She said she was coming here, and I haven’t—”

“It’s not Gwen, Eli,” Ian stated as I was already halfway out the door.

“If it’s not Guinevere and it’s not Logan or my mother, why do you all look like someone died?” I snapped at them.

“Hannah came in—”

“If this is about Hannah, Mom, I—”

“Listen to me, Eli!” she yelled.

I went still. “Hannah came in, bleeding…she’s pregnant. She has cervical insufficiency and her water broke. We are trying to slow down her labor, but there is only so much we can do, you know that.”

“You guys can’t possibly think it’s mine. She was having an affair, you know that, right?” They couldn’t be serious. “Shit, did Guinevere hear any of this? She might have gotten—”

“Hannah had a non-invasive prenatal DNA test, twice, from a toothbrush you left at her place, and both times you came out as the father. 99.97% positive,” Ian kept spitting out the nonsense.

My brain couldn’t wrap around it at all, and I felt nothing but panic.

“Eli, I checked her charts. She is going to give birth, and you are going to be th

e father of a tiny, premature baby, so you need to go—”

“Mother.” I stopped her, shaking my head. “What I need to do is make sure Mr. Wesley doesn’t drink himself to death so I can put him on the donor list. Then I need to call Logan, well, because that little brat isn’t answering his phone, lost it or something. Then I need to unpack, because 24 hours ago we were in Cypress, Alaska. And 24 hours ago, being a father was nowhere on my list of accomplishments. So I don’t know what Hannah told you, or why you are—”

“Eli, I know this is hard for you. I understand you are confused and upset, but right now it can’t be about you. It needs to be about Hannah, and your baby.”

“What baby?” I yelled. “Hannah was here for months. She told me she missed me. She got mad at me for going on dates. But never did she ever tell me about a baby. So either the baby isn’t mine, or she doesn’t want me in her life.”

Ian said nothing, his arms crossed. I realized I preferred him making jokes.

“Was Guinevere here when this all happened?”

He didn’t answer.

“Ian. Was Guinevere here?”

He nodded. “Hannah came in when she was looking for you in the ER.”