I faced Janelle. “Do you know whose baby it is?”
Her cheeks tinted pink. “It has to be Archie’s. I… I haven’t slept with anyone since he… d… died.”
“Hmmm.” I studied her. “Do you plan on having the child?”
“I don’t know what to do,” she wailed, watching me as if I was going to give her the answer.
“This is your decision, Janelle.”
She touched her stomach, whimpering. “I loved Archie so much, but he wasn’t who he said he was. How can I bring this baby into the world?”
“Why couldn’t you?”
“What?” She blinked at me.
I frowned. “Obviously, it’s your choice. As your doctor, I fully support any decision you make. But from what you’ve said, you loved Archie, and by all accounts, even as big a louse as he was, Archie loved you. You were both in love when you conceived the baby. You don’t have to get rid of it unless that’s really what you want.”
“But won’t people think it’s weird for me to still have the baby?”
I scowled. “Who cares? Do what you want, Janelle. People are full of opinions and are only too happy to tell you what to do. But when push comes to shove, you’re the one who will have to raise this child. You’re the only one who gets to decide if you want to do that or not.”
Girdy poked her head out of the room. “The room is ready,” she called out cheerfully.
I led the way to the examination space, and Janelle followed slowly. “Go in and change into the paper gown. I’ll be in shortly.”
“Okay.” She closed the door.
I turned to Girdy. “She’s conflicted about the baby.”
“Yes. I can’t blame her,” Girdy said.
I lowered my voice. “If you were her, what would you do?”
She raised her auburn brows. “Oh, uh… hmmm.”
I smiled. “Sorry. Maybe that’s a stupid question because the baby isn’t yours.”
“It’s not a stupid question, but I’m not sure what my decision would be. Janelle is rich, so she wouldn’t have the same concerns that I’d have being a single mother. Her parents will be no help emotionally, whereas mine would support me a million percent.”
“Yes, your situations truly are different.”
“I’ve heard it’s harder to meet guys when you have a kid. They don’t like being saddled with some other dude’s spawn.”
“What a lovely way to put it,” I murmured.
She laughed. “You can see I’m not ready for kids yet.”
“No, well, you’re still very young.”
She nodded. “Janelle wouldn’t need to worry about the guy thing for now though. I’ve heard she and Kobe are dating again.”
I widened my eyes. “Really?”
“Yep. His patience is paying off. He’s been there for her every step of the way. He’s not drinking anymore, and he’s back at work.”
“Well, I’ll be.”
Sighing, Girdy said, “It’s a crazy world.”
