The Nurse's Baby Secret

Now, Savannah was pregnant and making excuses for him.

Already it had started.

He was following in his father’s footsteps whether he wanted to or not.

Which was why he folded up the photo and slid it into his pocket. He couldn’t look at it anymore. He couldn’t be involved because that life in Savannah’s belly would be a helluva lot better off without Charlie in it.

That much he knew.

He’d set up some type of trust for the baby, for Savannah, to help with financial needs, and he’d stay away.

Maybe Nashville wasn’t far enough to keep him away from what he was leaving in Chattanooga.

The only thing strong enough to keep him away was the past.

* * *

“He left, knowing you were pregnant? I mean, I know he left last month,” Chrissie corrected herself, waving her spoon around as she talked. “But he knew you were pregnant and he still left?” Her friend shook her head in disbelief. “How could he do that? I didn’t understand before and I sure don’t now that I know he knows you are pregnant.”

They sat at the small four-person dining room table and kept their voices low as Joss was curled up asleep on the sofa.

Savannah shrugged. “I didn’t want him to stay. Not because I’m pregnant. Not at all. Not anymore.”

Savannah forced herself to take a bite of the vegetable beef stew she’d put in her crock pot that morning, prior to leaving for her twelve-hour shift. The stew might have been the best thing she’d ever stuck in her mouth. Savannah wouldn’t know. Nothing had much taste these days, but at least most of her “morning” sickness had passed and she’d eat fairly healthy for a few nights on the stew. Chrissie had jumped at the chance to sit and talk with Savannah as, for the most part, Savannah had shut her friends and family out for the last month. She’d moped around long enough, and had decided it was time to get back to living life, back to feeling like herself. She was strong. She didn’t need a man. She had this.

She’d invited her friend over to eat and have a girls’ powwow. She’d told Chrissie earlier in the month that she was pregnant, had told everyone at work earlier that day. She hadn’t necessarily been ready to face the knowing eyes of her coworkers, but she’d caught more than one coworker staring at her midsection as if trying to decide if she was or wasn’t, despite her attempts at hiding her pregnancy beneath her scrubs. The first three months had been easy to conceal her barely-there belly. But, over the past month, her tummy had blossomed.

Other than a few expressions of, “Oh, honey!”, everyone had been supportive. Even the Oh, honey!s had hugged her and said they’d help any way they could. She’d faked a big smile and told everyone how happy she was at the prospect of being a mother.

She shouldn’t have had to fake that smile.

She was happy about being a mother. At times, she was over the moon at the thought of being a mother. At others, she wanted to crawl into the fetal position and cry.

Darn Charlie for stealing her joy.

Darn her for allowing him to steal her joy.

Darn him for leaving her.

Darn her for caring.

“We’re better off without him.” She rubbed her stomach, and felt the tiny movements she’d been feeling for the past few days. At first she hadn’t been positive if the tiny flutters were the baby or her body. Now, there was no doubt when she felt the little movements. Her baby was growing and she should be ecstatic. Instead, the first time she’d been positive of what she’d been feeling, she’d called her mother and described the feelings, described her joy, then burst into tears that she couldn’t stop. Thirty minutes later her worried mother had shown up on her doorstep and ended up staying the night. Pathetic.

Not how her mother had raised her. After her father had died, Sally had struggled to make ends meet. She’d been a stay-at-home mom, but Savannah’s father hadn’t planned on dying so young and hadn’t had life insurance. He’d left his family rich in love, but otherwise poor. Determined that Savannah would never be caught in a similar situation, Sally had raised Savannah to think for herself, to be able to take care of herself financially, to be strong and independent.

No doubt she’d disappointed her mother.

“I don’t need him.” She didn’t. She might have had a weak moment or two, but that didn’t mean she needed Charlie. She would raise her baby and she’d do a fantastic job.

Leaning back against her dining room chair, Chrissie frowned. “What is wrong with that man? How could he just leave like that? A blind fool could see that he’s crazy about you.”

Spooning another bite of stew, Savannah shook her head. She’d thought the same thing, once upon a time. She’d gotten over that foolishness. “That was just sex.”

Chrissie didn’t look convinced. “I sure didn’t think that’s all it was.”

“Welcome to the club.” She wrapped her lips around the spoon and slowly pulled it from her mouth, then sighed.

“Now you do?”