Page 47 of One Night with the Doctor

Callie swallowed. Somehow the mere thought of doing the test gave credence to this whole crazy thing. It gave it legitimacy and that scared the hell out of her.

‘This can’t be happening to me.’ To her horror she felt tears prick her eyes.

‘Maybe it isn’t. There’s only one way to find out.’

Callie reached for the packet. ‘I don’t want this.’

Geraldine nodded. ‘Sometimes you don’t get a say, Callie. And sometimes things happen that might seem like a complete disaster at the time yet they turn out to be the best thing that ever happened.’

Two minutes later, a little pink plus sign swimming before her eyes, Callie’s worse fears were realised. She opened the door to find Geraldine who took one look at Callie’s face and opened her arms. Callie walked straight into them and promptly burst into tears.

‘I can’t do this, Geri. I don’t want this.’

Geri listened silently as Callie sobbed and ranted and choked out incoherent words and jumbled, half-formed thoughts. She didn’t say anything until Callie had run out of steam.

‘Go home. It’s Friday. Take the weekend. Don’t make any rash decisions. Talk it over with Seb⁠—’

‘Oh, God!’ Callie wailed. ‘Sebastian. He wants kids even less than I do.’

So much for continuing after he left to go back to Melbourne. She’d be lucky if he actually spoke to her for the rest of his term. What on earth had possessed her to have unprotected sex that night? And why hadn’t she had her contraceptive implant replaced after the other one had come out last year?

She’d thought she’d give her body a bit of a break but it had been her intention to get another one implanted.

‘This is a mess.’ Callie sniffled noisily. ‘A big bloody mess.’

‘Maybe he might surprise you,’ Geri offered.

Callie shook her head. ‘We’ve talked about this. He…’ She couldn’t stop herself thinking about the moment she’d insisted on not using a condom. This was all her fault.

Her. Fault.

‘He’ll be pretty angry.’

‘Angry? That doesn’t really seem like him. Why don’t you stop speculating and just tell him. You have to talk to him some time, better sooner than later.’

Callie avoided the frank look in her friend’s eyes. ‘I know. I know. I just need to think first. I need to… work out what I’m going to do.’

Geri nodded. ‘Sure. But don’t forget, it’s his baby too. He’s probably going to want a say.’

Sebastian’s baby. She was pregnant with Sebastian’s baby. It was too big. Too momentous to even comprehend. ‘Can you tell him that I called in to say I’ve gone away for a few days and that I’ll see him on Monday?’

‘Callie… since when do you avoid things?’

‘Please, Geri, please. Just this once, okay? I will tell him but I need to figure out how to do that. I need time to think.’

Geri sighed. ‘Okay.’

Callie hugged her friend, her colleague, her boss. ‘What would I do without you?’

Geri patted Callie’s back. ‘You’ll never have to find out.’

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Geri. ‘I don’t believe you.’

Geri shrugged. ‘I’m just telling you what she said.’

Sebastian jammed his hands on his hips. ‘So between seven this morning when she texted me that she was feeling better and that she’d see me at work and now—’ He checked his watch. ‘A quarter past nine, she’s just decided to take off for a few days? Without rhyme or reason? Without telling me?’

Geraldine drew herself up to her very unimpressive height. ‘Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.’