“You mean the little boy that used to eat dirt?” the second woman asked.
“He's grown now and manages the feed lot, but yes.”
“Oh my.” Second woman fanned herself and if she had pearls on I think she would have clutched them. “What in the world is the town coming to? I thought we raised our children better than this.”
“It's a disgrace is what it is,” the first woman replied. “How does such a thing happen?”
Well, I thought to myself, when a man and a woman start feeling something and they act on it...
It's not that complicated.
“Libby is all excited about a grand baby, but honestly, they aren't married. It's just not something that I, or the town, should abide.” The first woman crossed her arms and preened.
I ducked as low in my seat as possible and prayed that they didn't recognize me. Listening to them was like having a running commentary on how my future was going to go. I could just hear it:
“Did you hear about Hannah O’Leary? She pregnant. The horror!”
It made me want to run and hide, but I'd promised Karina I'd stay and I was afraid if I moved they'd see me. I half suspected the members of the Ladies' Bridge Club to be like the T-Rex. Maybe they couldn't see me if I didn't move.
Luckily, Karina and Leigh Ann appeared. Karina looked frustrated.
“We have to go change,” Karina announced. “They have paper towels, but she's soaked through.”
“No worries,” I told her quietly. “I was just heading back to work.”
Karina gave me a hug followed by Leigh Ann. I didn't even mind that I had a wet spot on my scrub top because it was good to hug my favorite kid. Well, favorite kid outside my body.
“I'll see you guys soon,” I said as we went our separate directions.
I smiled as Leigh Ann reached up and took Karina's in hers as they walked across the street. I could see the small, proud smile cross Karina's face.
I was going to have that. Even if this town was awful and hated me, I was going to be a mother. They couldn't take that away from me. It wasn't the end of the world if I had to find a new job and stay on the outskirts of town.
I could make it work.
Losing the clinic would be a huge financial and emotional blow to Jacob, but I knew he could get a job at the hospital in thirty seconds of walking in the door. Our lives would change. Our hours wouldn't be quite as regular and we wouldn't get to work together like we did now, but we would make it work.
For the sake of our child, we could do it.
With a new found sense of hope, I flashed a smile at the two Ladies' Bridge Club members. They both looked aghast at me, which just made me laugh. Just wait until they heard the rest of the gossip.
“Did you hear about Hannah O’Leary?”
Chapter 28
“We need to talk.”
I winced and was really glad I wasn't facing my mother when she said it.
I took a deep breath and slowly turned to face her.
“Okay, Mom. I get off of work in about ten minutes.” I checked my watch.
She looked around the empty waiting room and shrugged. “I'll just wait here.” She sat down in one of the plastic chairs and crossed her legs.
At least Donna could keep her company. They were both members of the Ladies' Bridge Club. That had to count for something, right? I tried not to panic as I finished restocking the rooms and making sure that everything was set for the night.
We'd managed to have a small amount of patients today. Apparently, people liked getting healthcare in town rather than driving forty minutes and having to redo paperwork. It wasn't fast enough, though. Dr. Taggert wasn't pleased. He was more than ready to kick Jacob and I to the curb to save his beloved clinic.