Empty Net

“That’s fine, thank you so much, Linda,” Audrey said as the door opened and she followed the nurse to Room 3.

“Anything for you, honey, I hope you’re okay,” she heard Linda say as she entered the room. Audrey sat on the patients’ table and looked up at the ceiling. She felt bad for making Linda think she was dying, but she needed to see someone who knew her, and that person was Dr. Richards, or Bryan. Dr. Richards had been her Ob/Gyn since she was sixteen, and Bryan used to … well, they dated for a very long time. Bryan had graduated from Vanderbilt last year and then started interning in his dad’s practice. She knew that he was more than qualified now. He had always wanted to deliver babies, and she was proud of him for living his dreams.

Kicking her legs back and forth, she looked down to see her hands settled against her stomach. She slowly poked her stomach as her eyes pooled with tears. Was there a little someone in there? Would it have Tate’s eyes and her hair color? Was it a girl or a boy? Audrey felt the tears come hot and fast down her cheeks as her heart skipped a beat. Could this be her chance? Did God bless her with a miracle?

When the door opened, she looked up to see Bryan Richards with a worried look on his face. Bryan was a beautiful man. Sharp angles to his face, light green eyes, and blond hair that was cut high and tight. He had a friendly, happy face, and was overall one of the best guys she knew. The whole Richards family would basically do anything for her.

“Audrey, are you okay?” he asked, coming in and shutting the door. He came over to hug her. She basked in the hug. She needed it.

When they parted, she looked up at him and said, “I was just told I’m pregnant.”

Bryan paused, then lowered himself to a rolling chair. “Okay. That isn’t an emergency, honey, it’s a part of life.”

“No, Bryan, Dr. Richards told me I couldn’t have kids because of that crappy abortion I had all those years ago,” she said through shuddering breaths. “I’ve gone almost nine years thinking I couldn’t have kids. I’m crying because I thought I wasn’t a complete woman, but apparently I am! And I’m pregnant now!”

“Okay, wow, this is a lot to process,” he said. “I didn’t know you had an abortion. It’s not in your file.”

“Yeah, I did, Derek knocked me up and left.”

“Well, hell, okay, so bad abortion leads to what?”

“Blockages of the fallopian tubes and severe irregularity, apparently. I haven’t had a period in four months, but I know damn well I’m not four months pregnant.”

Lord, she hoped not, that would mean it was Levi’s baby.

Holy fuck.

“Okay, calm down,” he said, looking over her chart. “You were here in November for a screening, everything came back good, and you weren’t pregnant then.”

Oh yeah, thank God! Audrey thought as she nodded. “Yeah, had unprotected sex with my now boyfriend, back when he was the one-night stand.”

“Wow, you’ve been busy,” Bryan said with a grin.

Audrey laughed. “Shut up!”

Bryan chuckled some more. “Okay, so who said you were pregnant?”

“Doctor’s Care said they did a pregnancy test and it came back positive.”

He nodded as he stood. “Okay, we’ll do one now and also take some blood samples to send off. I’ll meet you in the ultrasound room.”

“Ultrasound?”

“I know you, you won’t believe this till you see it, so let’s see if we can see this baby.”

“But, Bryan, I can’t have kids,” Audrey insisted, tears rolling down her face.

“Well, Audrey, apparently something was overlooked or something changed. It’s been nine years, and there could have been a lot of changes in your body during that time.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered as she wiped away her tears.

“Why are you crying? This is a good thing.”

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