Delayed Penalty (Empire State Hockey #5)

Chapter 12 – Avery

Chapter Twelve

Avery

“ W hat fresh hell is this,” I groan as I lay in bed the first full week of summer break. When I imagined what my first summer break as a teacher would be like, I definitely didn’t imagine spending it horizontal in bed, with my only company being a box of saltine crackers and ginger ale that I’m desperately praying will be my salvation from whatever bullshit sickness this is.

When I left work last week after waving all the school buses off with the rest of the teachers, I had hoped to be at a park with a Stanley cup filled with Pinot Grigio and a steamy book to keep me company while people watching nearly every day of the summer. Not whatever this hell is.

Being a teacher definitely has its perks, including a small chunk of summer without work. This may have only been my first year with my own classroom, but I was raised by teachers so I’m well aware of the misconception that teachers have a full summer off—at least, not anymore. Slowly, school has started to get out later and our yearly professional development has started to creep earlier leaving us with July and half of August.

It’s a nice break but damn, I wish it were longer. Or that we were actually paid for the hours we work… including the actual hours spent planning and prepping because that sure as hell isn’t able to happen in the measly forty minutes a day we get to plan. Especially because that’s also supposed to be our time to prep, grade, and collaborate with our grade level team.

So, to be spending today home sick, it feels like a cruel and unusual punishment. I started to feel crummy last week but usually once I ate breakfast and had my coffee I was fine. I figured it was just exhaustion from the end of the school year. I slept the first couple of days we were done but was hoping I would be feeling better by today. Unfortunately, the second I woke up this morning, I was throwing up before I even brushed my teeth.

Kelly

YEAR ONE IS DONE!

Are you still up for meeting at the park to celebrate your first year done?

My sister is a single mom, has been since she split with their dad when her son was one and her daughter was five, and somehow time has been a thief and he’s already five and she’s nine. She works as a nurse, but luckily at a place where they work as a team, and they’ve been very flexible if she’s needed to move things around because of the kids. Once she split from their dad it became challenging, especially because he lives like six hours away and makes her drive most of the way to pick up and drop the kids off each time. That’s where the kids are right now which has been nice because I’ve been able to steal their room while sick.

Not a chance.

I’m still dying.

I see the dots start… then stop… start… then stop until finally she responds.

Kelly

What’s going on now? Fever? Cough? Do you need medicine?

Mom mode activated.

No fever, just the same shit I’ve had all week.

Kelly

Still nauseous?

Yeah…pretty much all the time right now. I think it’s the stomach flu.

I was finally able to hold down a few crackers now though.

It was nice that I was home alone last night, when I got back home from running errands, I didn’t have to do anything for anyone else. I didn’t have to make sure the house was clean, that I was presentable, hell, I didn’t even have to fake being interested in talking to anyone. I was able to take a bath and crawl into bed where I slept like the dead for fourteen hours.

Kelly

That’s how it’s been all week, right?

Yeah.

Kelly

I’m on my way. Need anything?

No. But I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be here if I have the stomach flu.

Kelly

Yeah, unfortunately for you, it doesn’t sound like the kind I can catch.

See you in twenty.

Weird.

Twenty minutes later on the dot, she’s walking into the apartment with bags, setting them down on the counter and immediately digging through in search of something, pulling out a bottle.

“Here,” she says shoving a bottle of water at me as I rot on the couch now. “Chug.”

“I finally just stopped throwing up and you want me to chug this? Pretty sure that’s not going to happen unless you want me to vomit all over you. What the hell is even going on, Kel?”

“I brought you a pregnancy test.”

“You brought me a what? Why the fuck would I need a pregnancy test?” I ask, but already my mind is doing the math, calculating the timeline and possibility, but thankfully, she can’t be right. Peter and I have never really had the best sex life… but toward the end it became pretty non-existent. In fact, I’m honestly not sure we’ve even had sex in the last year so there’s not a chance I could be pregnant.

Oh, fuck…

“Motherfucker,” I say, my face dropping to my hands.

“Did you let that asshole knock you up right after you got the fucking courage to leave his ass? If that good for nothing motherfucker knocked you up when he couldn’t even give you an orgasm I will lose my shit.”

“It wouldn’t be his,” I tell her, the words sour as I say them sending another wave of nausea through my body at the fear that’s swirling in my mind. I’m waiting for her to pick up on it because I’m actually afraid that if I say what I’m thinking that I might just lose my battle and lose the crackers I just ate.

We’re each other's keepers; although, it still doesn’t feel good to tell her the truth of this one. I was honestly hoping I’d take this one to the grave. “Peter and I haven’t had sex in six months so it won’t be his or else I’d be closer to popping and definitely a little more obviously knocked up.”

“So, what are you saying?” Kelly’s eyes narrow as she watches me suspiciously, her head tilting like she’s trying to make sense of this and is just not understanding. When it finally clicks her eyes widen, the reality of what might be happening sinking in. “Oh, fuck.”

“Exactly my thoughts.”

I lean back, my head against the couch, praying for it to just swallow me whole.

“Are you telling me that handsome piece of man meat, the rockstar NHL player who came and dropped off fucking soup and Gatorade for you last week, driving an hour both ways just to make you feel better and who was able to give you so many O’s you lost count, is the one who would’ve knocked you up if this test is positive?”

“I mean… I guess that’s what I’m saying.”

“Praise Jesus, Peter’s karma is coming quick.” Kelly giggles, a little fist pump in the air, and I can’t help but smile. Kelly didn’t just dislike Peter, she fucking loathed him from the very beginning, but I was the right amount of broken that I let him in.

“Do you realize just how fucked up this might make my life, though? Peter has already been giving me enough problems as it is. He’s basically refused to let me tell anyone about us breaking up, which I mean isn’t too hard to fake with it being the summer now. But it’s been hell not being able to tell mom and dad. He threatened me that if I told anyone he will tell his parents I cheated and get me fired since it goes against the school’s values. It’s bullshit but since his mom is in charge and she’s a bit out there, she’s crazy enough she might just believe him and do it. And then I’ll lose out on not only the penthouse, but I’ll also be out of a job and insurance and be well and truly fucked and then you’ll be stuck sharing a bed with me for the rest of eternity.”

“Okay, Miss Dramatic. First off, if Peter does shit, I’ll end him. I promise I’ll make that man regret his own existence if he fucks with you at all. Second, if his mom is really that crazy and would believe him over the truth that’s pretty black and white, do you really want to work for someone like that?”

“Well… I’ve always wanted to work there ever since we were kids and went to that school. I guess I’ve wanted to do it for so long that I stopped even questioning if it was actually what I wanted to be doing, or at least if it was where I wanted to do it. So… I guess I’m not exactly sure.”

“Why don’t we start with the first problem at hand… let’s find out if we even have a little nugget growing by you going to pee on a stick. Agreed?”

“Do I need to go find a stick outside or did you bring me one?” I ask innocently, batting my lashes because I can’t help it. My world may be on fire but at least I can still drive my big sister crazy.

“For fuck’s sake, Avery, take this seriously. Pee on a damn pregnancy test , you pain in the ass.”

“Fine… but I hope you know this means I’m definitely puking.”

“Why is that?”

“Either I’m puking with relief or puking because I’ll have to tell Harris he’s going to be a dad—fuck, even the thought of having to say that makes me want to puke.”

Spoiler Alert: It’s option two.

“What the fuck am I going to do?” I ask from my spot on the kitchen floor, the cold tile helping me not want to vomit every two seconds. “At least, this makes sense as to why I’ve been throwing up for like two weeks. Whoever the fuck called it morning sickness deserves to be punched in the dick for false advertising.”

“How do you know it was a dude?”

“Because there’s no way a woman would be stupid enough to call it that when it’s far from just in the fucking morning. But out of everything I said, that’s what we’re focusing on?” I groan.

“Tou-fucking-ché. I didn’t think your other question needed an answer because we both know what you need to do is text that man that you need to talk to him. Until you do that, we can’t do anything.

I’ve been lying on the floor for the last hour, my phone in hand as I’ve been trying to get up the courage to text Harris. There’s not a chance in hell I’m going to text him this information, even I’m not that insensitive. This is life changing information for both of us. Hell, the two of us are about to become parents… together. If this isn’t some cosmic karma bullshit for everyone involved, I’m not sure what is.

I don’t want to text him this. I don’t even want to text him that I need to talk. Even that just feels too impersonal when what I want to talk to him about is so… big.

“Okay… how would you feel about doing me a big favor?” I ask, sitting up against the cabinets as I wait to see if I’m going to hurl.

“What’s the big favor?” Kelly asks apprehensively.

“Any chance you could drive me to his place? I sort of think I just need to be face-to-face with him to have this conversation. I think if I text him, I’ll chicken out.”

“So, you’re just going to show up?”

“I mean, he did it, didn’t he?”

“Fair point. I mean, he brought chicken soup and you’re bringing impending parenthood with you, basically apples and oranges, if you ask me,” Kelly deadpans.

“Fuck off. Are you taking me or not?”

“Only if you shower. I’m not letting you in my car until you don’t smell like vomit.”

I look down, my hair still sticky from sweat, cracker crumbs on me and I’m sure she’s not wrong that there’s vomit on me since it’s all I’ve been doing.

“Fair.”

I guess I’m doing this. I guess I’m really about to tell Harris I’m pregnant—and that he’s the dad. I’m nowhere ready to unpack the emotions surrounding having something I always dreamed of having one day coming true, yet somehow it’s a nightmare.

The man I’ve loved since I was eighteen years old, the man I dreamed of having a family with is about to be the father of my child… only we’re not together.

Fuck my life.