#SundaySample
“I got a woman pregnant.”
The uncharacteristic silence at the other end of the line set his nerves on edge, but Nick waited for his mother's response.
“You said you were being careful, so how—”
“She almost lost the baby.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. She has a condition.” He squinted at the cupboard. “I can’t remember the name. She went into early labor.”
“What exactly is the problem?”
He left the kitchen to pace the living room. “I told her the baby wasn’t mine.”
“Why would you do that?” She sounded incredulous and disappointed at the same time.
“Because … “ He sat on the couch. “It was only one time.”
“You’re bright enough to know that making a baby doesn’t take a lot of practice,” she said dryly.
When he didn’t answer, she continued, “I’m going to assume this isn’t someone you care about.”
He sighed. “Right and the trouble is, there’s another woman I’m interested in.”
“Have you done a test?”
Rubbing his forehead, Nick answered, “She doesn’t want to do one.”
“I’m sure she’s in a quandary because of her situation, so now might not be the right time to force this issue.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear it. If you weren’t in her bed, or she in yours, you wouldn’t have this problem. Do what you must until you don’t have to.”
“Are you saying I’m to act as if—”
“At least until you sort out the paternity situation. Now is not the time to pressure her. Not while she’s in a hospital bed.”
He thought about that for a moment. In the interim, he heard the doctor’s voice in his head.
"The good news is that the baby is safe for now. The not-so-good news is that Miss Barnes will have to remain in the hospital. We'll stitch her womb to keep the baby in place so she doesn’t deliver early."
At that point, there was no reason to tell the doctor that he and Kylie weren’t connected like that.
“You’ll have to provide some support for her, at least for now.” Mom sighed. “Are you in a position to do that?”
A year ago, he might have said no to get her to send money, but he cleared his throat. “Yeah, it won’t be a problem.”
“So, about this other lady. Is she aware of this, and does she understand the situation?”
He gave a half-hearted chuckle. “She knows, but I don’t think she wants to have anything to do with me in the foreseeable future.”
“That’s the thing about the challenges we face,” she said. “We can’t see beyond the moment we’re in, so tackling anything more is a sure recipe for stress. It will work out even if it doesn’t look that way now. I’ll be praying for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“No need to thank me. You keep me close to God in a way I wouldn’t be if you were a different person.”
“Should I be offended?”
“No, baby. I believe you’re exactly where you should be on your life journey. One day, you’ll grow into the man God intended you to be. Until then, your father and I will keep you lifted in prayer.”
At this moment, he didn’t know who he was supposed to be, but he’d do what was necessary to survive.
Find out how Dominic gets through this challenge. https://bit.ly/DominicsPride
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