Little Brown Benefit novel Chapter 21

She put her phone away and turned her attention to me.

"Hey." I started.

"Hi." She answered softly.

"I saw Josh outside, he told me what happened. Sacha, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in the hospital."

She stayed silent, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at me. I slowly walked over to her side and took her hand into mine as I stoked her cheek with my thumb.

"Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded yes.

"Good. I'm happy to hear that." I said and an awkward silence fell into the room. For once, it felt like all my worries had been washed away and I was at peace with myself.

"My mother is in here as well. She got something stuck in her throat at dinner tonight."

"Oh. I hope she'll be okay."

"Yeah, me too."

"Christian, there's something you ought to know and help me to make a discussion on because I can't do this on my own or without you knowing about it." There was a serious expression on her face.

"Oh, you mean besides you fainting?"

"It's what caused me to faint." She said and began fidgeting with her fingers.

"What is it?" I didn't like the sound of things.

"Christian... I'm."

"Visiting time is over." A doctor said as she entered the room.

"Doctor, please, five more minutes. This is the guy." Sacha told her.

"Christian Alexander!" The female doctor turned to me with her mouth opened and she froze as if doing the mannequin challenge. "Okay, five more minutes." She finished and left the room.

"What was that all about?" I asked Sacha.

"Christian, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." She cried. The tears wet her beautiful face and my heart hurt as they did. I spotted a box of tissues on a small table and handed several to her.

"Sacha, what is it?" I asked again.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered but I caught it.

It took a minute for her words to register. "Pregnant?" I thought back at our encounters.

When did I ejaculated inside of her?

Oh right! The back seat of my car, almost a month ago when I ended things.

"Oh man." I almost shouted and I started pacing the room back and forth. I was lost for words. I couldn't think. I couldn't wake up for this dream because it wasn't one.

"Yeah, well, I ought get back to my station anyway." Tim said. He got up and walked out of the room, leaving me with Kevin.

"Hey man, what's really going on? Are you leaving Audrey for Sacha?" He asked me.

I shook my head no. "I got Sacha pregnant. I'm responsible, but I'm revisiting that abortion option. Sacha is just twenty one and she got a sister to take care of. I can't play house with Sacha and a baby at the same time. I'm with Audrey. But then again, I don't want to rob an innocent unborn child of his or hers future because I'll always feel guilty and I wouldn't be able to live with that. Kevin, I don't know what to do."

"Do the right thing, Christian. I know this isn't my place but why are you really with Audrey when you're not even in love with her?"

"Of course I'm in love with her or else I wouldn't be marrying her."

"Although you've been friends with Tim longer, I believe I know you as well. When you talk about Audrey, it's always more like a complain than an expression. When you talk about Sacha, you light up and a smile appears. I know you said she's nothing more than a 'benefit' but is she really?" And with that, Kevin walked out of the room and left me thinking.

Later that evening, when I got home from work, I found Audrey in the kitchen having a glass of juice.

"Hey, how was your day?" I asked her.

"I went shopping."

"For the wedding?"

"Well, you could say that but it was mainly for a few family members. They don't have wedding attires so I thought I'd get them some. I used your card by the way."

"Of course you did." I told her and poured myself a glass of juice also before loosening my neck tie and removing my jacket.

"Audrey, there's something I have to tell you."