Second Hand Waitress

Kira nodded, allowing her future cousin-in-law to push her toward the bathroom and into a warm shower. Becky was waiting when Kira stepped out fifteen minutes later—her eyes red from crying—holding out a pair of oversized, cozy pajamas.

“I told Lexi you weren’t feeling well and that you were heading straight to bed, so you don’t have to see him again tonight.”

Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, Kira hugged Becky tightly.

“I love you, cuz,” she murmured. “I wish my cousin would hurry up and marry you already.”

Becky kissed the top of Kira’s head.

“It’ll happen soon enough,” she said with a smile. “Now off to bed with you.”

Kira had trouble sleeping that night. Her thoughts kept racing, running through a thousand different possibilities. She had no doubt in her mind now—she was pregnant. Becky had said she had choices: she could put the baby up for adoption, she could end the pregnancy, or she could keep working and save as much as possible to help her through the first few months of being a mother. She could even move in with Becky and Lexi, who would surely support her.

Then there was another possibility…

She could tell Tesah.

She’d rather eat worms than tell Tesah Clover.

But this baby was his too. Didn’t he have a right to know? It wasn’t her fault his condoms had failed or that he had ridiculously strong swimmers. Why should she be the only one worrying about this? Why should she be the one making all the sacrifices while he went on with his life as if nothing had happened?

But seriously… she would rather eat worms than tell Tesah.

With that unsettling thought, she finally drifted into a restless sleep.

---

The next morning, Kira called in sick and wandered aimlessly around the empty house, struggling with the nausea she had started to dread. After managing to stop herself from throwing up, she got into her old Volkswagen and headed home to shower and change. Later that afternoon, she would be meeting Becky near her workplace so they could go to an OB/GYN together.

When Kira stepped into the small apartment she shared with Jake, a heavy sense of despair settled over her. How could she bring a baby into this place? The one-bedroom apartment had an open-plan kitchen and living room. Jake slept on the couch, but he never bothered folding away his blankets, and his clothes were scattered everywhere. Half-empty takeout boxes littered the space. A bowl of popcorn from three nights ago still sat on the coffee table. The sink overflowed with dirty dishes, and the place smelled musty.

Jake wasn’t home. Hopefully, he was out job hunting, though Kira doubted it. She knew if he had an audition lined up, he would have talked about it nonstop for days. Lately, Jake had gained a reputation for being difficult to work with, and many dance groups were hesitant to hire him. He had once been part of a contemporary dance company but lost his spot after making ridiculous demands once he landed a lead role. Kira wished he would stop sabotaging himself, but every time she tried to talk to him about it, he would get defensive and storm off.

She sighed, pushing thoughts of her cousin aside as she stepped into her tiny bedroom. The room was a mess—her bed was unmade and buried under piles of clothes. The closet doors were open, with even more clothes spilling onto the floor. At least there wasn’t any old food in here; she never ate in her room.

She cleared a small space on the bed, sat down, and buried her face in her hands. She was so tired of crying, yet the tears kept coming. After getting it all out of her system, she forced herself up and headed for the bathroom. She needed to stop sulking. Maybe she wasn’t even pregnant. Maybe her period was just late, and that would explain the mood swings and constant crying.

Just PMS. That’s all it was.

---

“You’re definitely pregnant.”

Kira stared at the doctor in shock, squeezing Becky’s hand so tightly it must have hurt.

“You’re still in the early stages—about eight weeks along,” the doctor continued. “That means your due date would likely be sometime in March. Does that seem right?”

Kira nodded weakly, her vision blurring with unshed tears. The doctor gave her a sharp look.

“I take it this wasn’t planned?”

When Kira nodded again, the doctor opened a drawer, pulled out some colorful pamphlets, and handed them to her.

“You have a lot to think about,” she said gently. “There are options—adoption, termination, or raising the baby on your own. If you decide to keep it, there are support groups for single mothers to help you feel less alone. But no matter what you decide, you need to start taking care of yourself right away. Prenatal vitamins are important, and so is a healthy diet. You’re underweight, and I want you eating three full meals a day.”

“I would if I wasn’t throwing up all the time,” Kira muttered bitterly.

The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. “We can help with that.”