by Vanessa Rose
Blake's heart raced. He was sure where she'd gone, and soon he was on his own flight to Gulfport, Mississippi. It was a whirlwind of travel, but quicker than Blake thought it would be. He went to the visitor's center desk when he arrived at the airport and searched their listings for a cab. All of the stories that Joslin ever told him about her childhood pretty much circled around a single pier and parcel of beach. That was the only place Blake could think to look for her. After some general description, the cab driver knew exactly what Blake was talking about. Twenty bucks got him a direct ride to the pier. When he stepped out of the taxi, Blake looked around. He took a few deep breaths, relying more on his heart to find Joslin than his eyes.
Following his instincts, he walked past the groups of people and even passed the stand where Joslin had bought her floppy hat and snacks. The kids and families running every which way around him only added to the profound feeling Blake held within his heart. Joslin had become so much more to him than just a partner in an act. She had become his love, and he was certain he knew why she'd run away from him. The fact that she'd gotten sick after lunch a few days earlier but failed to come down with a fever pretty much confirmed his suspicions. Blake could have kicked himself for not guessing earlier that she was pregnant.
Through the entire time they'd spent together, Blake always maintained that he didn't want to get married and settle down. He held to that even as he fell in love with Joslin. Even as he noticed her falling in love with him, it never occurred to Blake to re-think his position. By the time he did, it was too late. He realized he hadn't let her know that there was opportunity for them as a couple. The thought of Joslin becoming the mother to his children propelled him forward with more determination than the changing tides.
With each step, Blake felt more and more sure that Joslin was his one true love. He began to actively look for her. It never occurred to him that she might be somewhere else, but he started to get nervous just before he spotted a suspicious figure seated sadly on a bench towards the end of the pier. His heart pounded in his chest as he approached her. The sun was in front of them, so Joslin didn't see a shadow as Blake stood behind her. Slowly, he walked around to the front of the bench, softly approaching her line of sight so that he didn't startle her.
His efforts didn't work. Joslin gasped when she saw him. She flew up from her seat on the bench and put both hands to her mouth in astonishment.
“How did you find me all the way out here, Blake?” she asked, tears already springing to her eyes.
Joslin hadn't breathed a word to anyone after she'd purchased the pregnancy test from the drugstore back in Beaumont. She'd almost been completely silent, except for dealing with airport security, since the moment the little stick turned pink. There was no way Blake could have known anything. Joslin fought with all her might to keep the confession from pouring out of her. Blake swiftly stepped forward and took Joslin into his arms. He held her closely and rubbed his hands along her back.
“I love you, Joslin,” Blake whispered to her.
Joslin couldn't help but let a few sobs start to escape. Her mind was racing as she whispered the words back to him. Blake placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face so that he could look into her eyes.
“Are you having my child?” he asked simply.
Joslin only nodded. When Blake's face broke out into a gleeful smile and tears sprang to his eyes, Joslin lost it. She cried into his shoulder with relief. Joslin had fallen in love with Blake almost instantly, and it had been such a struggle to keep herself from making their pretend game into something real. Blake held her a few more moments until the strongest of her emotions subsided. He took her hands and they sat next to one another on the bench.
Blake looked out into the ocean and pulled a folded piece of newspaper from his pocket. Joslin looked down at it, but couldn't tell what it was or why he was holding it. He took a deep breath and a long look into her eyes before he spoke.
“I know that people don't normally start out the way we did, and I know that we've got a lot to learn, to work out, and, you know, a lot to do. I know it won't be easy. But,” he said as he slowly unfolded the newspaper, “well, thanks to my mom, we could skip right to the wedding if you'd like.”
Blake smiled as he handed Joslin the engagement notice from Beaumont's newspaper. She looked down at it in disbelief before genuine, heartfelt laughter worked its way up and out of her. She threw her arms around Blake and he held her, both of them swirling in their happiness. Suddenly, he pulled away a short distance, kissed her gently and fumbled for something else in his pocket.
“I know you really like that sapphire, but I’d like to make this official, if you don’t mind See, Mom's had this ring planned for my wife's finger since before I was born,” Blake said as he produced an incredible diamond ring that sparkled in the sunlight. “She left it with me before she went back to Houston. Tried to convince me to get you to use it as your wedding band, which you can do, if you like...”
Joslin cut him off with a kiss. She slipped the sapphire ring she was still wearing from her left hand to her right hand. Happily, Blake placed the family heirloom around her fingertip.
“Joslin,” Blake said softly, “Will you marry me?”
Through tears, and giggles and hiccups of joy, Joslin nodded. Blake swept her up into his arms and spun her around. A few people close by had noticed their display and clapped happily as witnesses to their love. Arm in arm, Blake and Joslin walked back up the pier.
“Just think, too,” Blake said excitedly, “we're already in town for me to meet your parents and tell them the good news!”
He stopped and placed a hand on her stomach and his lips to hers in a kiss before he continued.
“We'll tell them all of the good news, Joslin. And there'll be plenty more good news to come for us in the future, too. I promise,” Blake said to her as the sun set peacefully along the shoreline beyond them.
The Doctor Got Me Pregnant
Vanessa Rose
© Copyright 2018 by Vanessa Rose. All rights reserved.
No part of this novel may be reproduced, duplicated, distributed or transmitted in either electronic or print form. Neither may it be stored in a retrieval system, database or in any form without prior written consent from the author.
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1: Alone in the Forest
Chapter 2: A Fallen Angel
Chapter 3: Lisa’s Life
Chapter 4: Examination of Love
Chapter 5: Down the Path Together
Chapter 6: Deep Roots
Chapter 1: Alone in the Forest
Dr. Andrew Casseter had driven aimlessly around the dense forests of central Alabama quite a bit over the past few weeks. With his fingers tight around the steering wheel, he checked every place he could remember going with her. His mind spun more frantically than his tires as he pulled into the large parking lot of the only apartment complex in their small, Southern town.
Lisa's car was gone.
Andrew parked his truck and hopped out. He jogged down the pathway and up her flight of stairs. He slowed when he came three steps from the top to listen. His ears focused on any tiny vibration they could pick up, but he knew in the pit of his stomach that she wasn't inside either. Nevertheless, he continued up to the stoop. Andrew stood at the door and held his breath. He watched his shadow and noticed his shoulders rise and fall with each desperate breath. The wind chime he'd given her gave off gentle, sorrowful notes in the spring breeze. Andrew felt his heart sinking lower and lower.
“She took off outta here about an hour ago, Sweetie,” said a honey-sweet voice from the building across the path.
Andrew spun around to look at Lisa's neighbor, Miss Tonya, who was wrapped up in an oversized spring-colored dress. Despite her aging eyes and the distance between them, Miss Tonya could tell that Andrew was upset to have missed the young lady, and she offered him a sympathetic look as she stood on her balcony.
“I don't kn
ow where she went to, either,” she added, “Far as I could tell, she was packed to go somewhere, but not long, wherever she went.”
Andrew only nodded. He said thank you and chatted with her for a moment more before he followed his feet back to his truck. Andrew let his hands open the door and he plopped in his seat. There weren't many other places he could think to look for her. He relaxed against the headrest of his seat and took a few deep breaths before rolling the windows down and turning the key in the ignition.
The roads just outside of Oak Grove, Alabama, twisted and weaved through tall, lush green trees. Animal life was everywhere, and you could hear the rushing sound of the Coosa River about a mile before you got to it. It was just at about that point when Andrew's awareness came back to him. He'd driven almost twenty minutes from Lisa's apartment completely in a daze. Thankfully, there was no other traffic on that weekday afternoon, and Andrew decided to check the riverbank areas once more.
It was as if he was on autopilot as he searched. He drove past the more obvious spots where families always parked. Her car wasn't there, and he knew she wouldn't like that scene anyway. She was more into tree branches than picnic benches, which made sense given the fact that it was her job to study the ecology of the area and find ways to protect it. The modern conveniences of humanity lurking in the wilderness always got her riled up.
Andrew continued down the road as it curved along the river. He passed the driveways of private homes and the playground next to the dog park. His heart constricted as he remembered the rainstorm and the time they spent swinging on those swings at that playground. He kept driving, hoping that she was just around the corner. He decided to turn down a forest service road before he got too north. Andrew knew she wouldn't have gone up to Childresburg. In fact, he was certain that she would have left town altogether if he couldn't find her.
He felt his pocket vibrate. Startled, Andrew reached and pulled out his phone. He slowed to a crawl down the dirt road and looked at the screen, hoping to see a message from Lisa. It wasn't, and he instantly didn't care who else in the world might need to talk to him. With a heavy conscience, he took a second glance. It was the clinic wondering if he was going to make it back for his afternoon appointments. He pushed his foot to the break and sat for a few moments.
Maybe that's what went wrong, Andrew thought to himself. He began to ponder whether or not his schedule could have been to blame for Lisa's sudden departure. Maybe she really had started to fall in love with him but decided she couldn't commit to someone who was so obviously committed elsewhere.
His brow furrowed, and he shook his head. No, he thought, that couldn't be it.
Lisa's schedule was almost just as packed as his, except with much different tasks. He was in charge of caring for a small community’s aches, pains and chronic illnesses. Lisa was in charge, it seemed, of all the plants. As a field scientist affiliated with University of Alabama, she was constantly working on one project or another, gathering something from some place or another, and, of course, documenting everything. It was a sense of nerdiness that had drawn them together in the first place, and her companionship was something that Andrew realized he didn't want to go without.
His brain kept trying to convince him that she was just working, but he knew that wasn't true. There had been something wrong at dinner the night before, and he couldn't figure out what it was. Andrew hadn't been seeing Lisa for very long and he didn't want to disrespect her need for privacy, but every molecule in his body wanted to help her in any way that he could. He didn't know how to say that out loud, and it seemed he might not get the chance to.
Andrew tried to dismiss his pessimism and decided to keep on driving. He didn't call the clinic back; he simply wasn't sure what he was going to find. Slowly, his truck crept forward as the trees around him thickened. He heard the sound of the water and, if he didn't know better, he'd swear he was about to drive straight into the river. Andrew remembered the tricks Lisa taught him about navigating the area. He smiled, but he was still worried. He tried to call her again. As her phone rang, he thought again about the decision looming in front of him, and instantly regretted not confiding in Lisa about it earlier.
Life as a small-town doctor wasn't exciting, and it definitely wasn't something that Andrew had aimed for when he took his current job. He landed here quite accidentally. It was Lisa who kept the charm in the atmosphere; her absence was making him dreadfully aware that she was the only thing he wanted. Without her, the decision was an easy one to make. A sudden rut in the road shook the thoughts from his head and forced his eyes to focus on the dirt ahead of him.
With less-than-expert skills, Andrew drove as close to Lisa's spot as he could get. When he pulled the truck around the final corner, his heart started to beat faster. There wasn't much more time left before he would know for sure whether or not Lisa was there. When he thought about it honestly, Andrew couldn't decide which option preferred.
It was normally so easy to talk to Lisa. The two of them had shared stories about a million different topics, but when it came down to how Andrew actually felt about her, he couldn't muster a single syllable.
Maybe that's what did it, he thought to himself again. Perhaps Lisa had taken his silence as rejection, and that's not at all what it was. As the truck bumbled along the road, the trees cleared and Andrew spotted Lisa's car.
Instantly, his heartbeat reached a ferocious pace. He felt his blood rush to his cheeks as he parked and got out of the car. He glanced inside her Blazer, but she wasn't in there. It was parked, and the hood was cold. Andrew listened for a moment. Suddenly, he heard a faint voice echoing off not too far in the distance. He knew it was Lisa and he started running down the path.
When he finally found her, she was exactly where he thought she would be. About ten feet up, sitting on a sturdy branch was the beautiful young black woman he had fallen in love with. Yet, as beautiful as she was, she looked just as pitiful as the first time he'd met her. It only made Andrew love her more.
Chapter 2: A Fallen Angel
Andrew had seen quite a few patients in his office during his short time at the Oak Grove Clinic. After graduating and finishing all of his requirements, Andrew had done some volunteer work overseas. When he came home, his parents moved and he found himself without a place to truly call home. A well-placed ad on his Facebook feed gave him an opportunity to sign up with a company for temporary placement all over the country. It included guaranteed room and board, and Andrew signed up.
Oak Grove had truly been an accident. His logistics manager had misunderstood a story during his interview and mistakenly checked that Andrew had geriatric skills. While he did have experience dealing with the elderly, he didn’t have a specialty. He never would have been chosen to take Dr. Graham's spot otherwise, but he arrived three days before her baby was due and he had been ever since.
Dr. Graham was scheduled to take a full six months off. That would make his stay in Oak Grove the longest placement that Andrew had seen yet. He was nervous at first, but quickly fell into a nice pace and sense of familiarity with the locals. Also, being from upstate New York, Alabama was a nice change. Andrew had never been much for snow, anyway.
The day he met Lisa was like most of the other days that came before it. He saw a few patients in the morning, did write-ups in the afternoon over lunch and wrapped up the day with anyone who was late getting into town. The clinic always had walk in’s, and Andrew wasn't surprised to see a few names on the list. As he glanced out over the waiting room, Lisa immediately caught his eye.
Her shoulder was wrapped in a cut-up t-shirt and her foot was resting on a folded hoodie on the magazine table. Her head was laid back, resting against the wall, and there was a grimace of pain across her face. Andrew noticed the id tags hanging from a lanyard around her neck but he couldn't read them. She looked like she'd taken quite a tumble, and he was even more concerned when he noticed she was there all by herself.
After a quick, quiet chat with the ass
istant at the front desk, Andrew walked out into the waiting room. As always, everyone looked directly at him, but, true to his habit, he only made eye contact with the person he meant to address. He cleared his throat before he spoke, looking directly at Lisa.
“Miss Sanders?” he asked politely with a compassionate smile on his gorgeous face.
Lisa nodded her head and struggled to get up. Andrew put his left hand on her shoulder to gently stop her. She looked up at him.
“I'm Dr. Cassetter,” he said nicely, “Just sit right here a moment and let me see if I want you walking all the way back there or not.”
He smiled as he examined her foot. The limb was swollen from half way down her shin to the tip of her toes. Her ebony skin was turning dark purple as it bruised around her ankle. Twigs, splinters, thorns and other chips of wood were caught in abrasions and wrapped in the cuff of her jeans. Andrew turned his face to look up at her. His green eyes radiated with kindness.