One to Tell the Grandkids by Kristina M Sanchez Page B

laugh, because she believed him. She could hear the traffic. “That car is more trouble than it’s worth. I’m sorry.”
    “No, I’m sorry. I swear I want to be there. In fact, if I can get the car situated, maybe I can make it there a little late.”
    She wasn’t going to hold her breath. “It’s okay.”
    “If I don’t make it, though, you’ll call me when the appointment is over, right? Let me know how it went?”
    “Yeah. Of course.” She hung up the phone quickly after that and bit her lip to stave off the tears that threatened. The second she knew he wasn’t coming, the urge to have someone by her side through this hit her so hard she swayed where she sat. It wasn’t want; it was need, and she was desperate. She was sinking deeper beneath the water, and Slate’s phone call was the last light of the surface fading away.
    Taryn called up her contact list and scrolled to her mother’s number. Even if the doctor found nothing wrong, there would be a laundry list of ways Taryn would have to alter her life just to let the baby incubate. That was too big. She needed her mommy and daddy to hold her hand.
    She hit send but then ended the call just as quickly. Her parents had no more control than she did. There was a reason she hadn’t invited her mother to this appointment in the first place, despite Faye’s not-so-subtle hinting. It would have only raised her blood pressure. Her mother had paranoia down to an art form.
    “Hell with this. You’re the mommy now,” Taryn said to herself. She wiped her silly tears away, took a breath, and shrugged off the melodrama. Robin and Melanie were busy. Slate was stuck. Her parents wouldn’t be helpful. Maybe Taryn didn’t want to be alone, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be. She found her purse and got herself out the door for her first appointment.
     
     
    “I hate doctors’ offices, Slate. With a passion. I hate the smell. I hate the way they look. I hate everything.”
    On the other end of the phone, Caleb’s friend sighed. “I know you do, man. You know I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. And really? You’re bitching because it smells like antiseptic?”
    “It seems wrong. I walk into this place, and someone inside is getting the worst news of their lives. A place like that should smell like sour milk at least.”
    “You know what, don’t go. That’s my kid. Are you trying to freak me out, ‘cause it’s working.”
    “Ah, hell. I’m sorry. I was babbling. Don’t pay any attention to me.” Caleb sighed and rested his head against the window. He glared at the medical building for another second before he dragged himself out of his car. “This is the good kind of doctor. OB. It doesn’t get more euphoric than that, right? No bad news for your kid.”
    Slate was quiet for a beat. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
    “No. You should have. That’s what friends are for, and you’re right. Taryn shouldn’t be alone. I’m all over it. Don’t worry.”
    As he stepped into the waiting room, Caleb searched for Taryn. He saw happy couples with their heads bent together over swollen stomachs, but not Slate’s baby momma. He went over to the receptionist. “I’m here for Taryn Sato.”
    “Are you Daddy?”
    Caleb’s heart gave a painful twist. “Yes.” The lie was the easiest way to get where he needed to be, he knew. Less complicated.
    “Oh, good. Mommy said you might be joining us. Hopefully that will make her feel better.”
    “She’s not feeling well?”
    “It’s normal for Mommy to be nervous, especially on a first appointment. Doctors aren’t everyone’s thing.”
    “You can say that again.”
    Caleb turned down the hallway and hesitated outside the room she’d indicated. The receptionist had said the doctor wasn’t with her yet, but she might have been getting undressed. Erring on the side of caution, he knocked.
    “I’m decent.” Taryn’s chipper voice went a long way toward grounding Caleb’s discomfort.
    He