* * *
A little less than an hour later, I pull into the street parking in front of Tink’s place, and just as I imagined, she jogs over and jumps in the back seat. She flings her bag in and leans into the gap between the two front chairs. “Okay, fess up. Where are we going?”
“Ah, actually.” I look to Iz. “I don’t know yet. I didn’t ask…”
Iz sits up straighter and takes a deep breath. She faces us and nibbles on her bottom lip nervously. “I found a scanning place online. They take last minute appointments… So I made one. I was really hoping you guys would come.”
“Of course.” I start the car and look out into the street. “Tell me where we’re going.”
“Thank you.” Her voice shudders with unbearable sadness. I knew I needed that cereal. We’re going to see a damn baby today. A baby that didn’t exist – as far as we knew – eighteen hours ago. “The place is in the city, and the appointment is at eleven.”
I watch Tink frown through the rear-view mirror. “You move fast, Izzy. A scan already?”
She shrugs and fidgets with the strap of her bag. “The unknown is killing me. Already. So, step one, get a scan so we know what’s in there. Who knows, maybe the test was wrong and we can all relax.”
Tink smirks as I exit town and move toward the freeway. “That was a super brave speech, Izzy. You know I love a gal who deals with shit head on.” She laughs softly. “Even if it comes with a side serve of denial.”
“You guys don’t mind coming with, do you?”
“No! Not at all,” we both answer at once.
Reminding me she was sick last night before bigger news took over, Tink sniffles into a tissue and makes honking noises that don’t match her tiny frame. “What’s step two?” she croaks. “Step one is the scan. What’s step two?”
“Step two… Is a toss-up.” She watches out the window as we move along the tree lined road. “I need to talk to Ben. And I need to talk to the guys. I don’t want to do either.”
Telling the guys is going to be… rough.
Bobby’s going to lose his shit. Hell, even Jack and Aiden will lose their shit. But when Jon and Jimmy find out… Jesus, it’s going to be messy.
“When do you get results from the scan?”
“Right away… like, we’ll see the screen.” She uncharacteristically bites her nails. “We’ll know in a couple hours.”
“Izzy, honey?” Tink leans forward with her painfully pink nose. “Have you decided what you’ll do with the baby? You know, those options we discussed…”
Izzy, barely twenty, not even old enough to legally drink yet, sits in my passenger seat with – probably – a baby in her belly and big decisions to make. She’s single, still in school, no permanent job – though of course, the gym would pay her whatever she wanted for whatever hours she wanted – and she lives in about five different houses at once.
When she checks into the hospital to give birth in nine months, the address she puts onto the forms won’t even be where she sleeps most often. Her world is so shaky already, and to bring a baby into that…
She swipes a hand across her nose. “Yeah. I spent most of the night thinking about it.” Her scared eyes meet mine. “I can’t abort, and I can’t grow a baby then give it up, so… I’ll be keeping it.”
“We’ll always be there to support you, you know that, right?” I squeeze her hand in mine. “You won’t be alone.”
She nods and stares at the floor as a fat tear dribbles to the tip of her nose. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Hey, I mean it. You can move in with us. We have plenty of room, and I love babies. You’re my sister.” I glance between her and the road. “We’ve got this, Iz. We’ll rock it.”
“Okay… I think I’ll make those decisions another day. I can’t take more on today.”
“Of course. The offer’s always open, so come to me when you’re ready. Today, we’ll deal with the scan.”
She nods and goes back to watching the road and wringing the crumpled tissue in her hand. “I love you, you know that, right? I couldn’t think of anyone better to marry my brother.”
“Thank you. I love you, too.”
“And you too, Tink.” Iz turns in her seat and smiles. “I miss having you around more than you know. There’s no one on this planet I’d rather Jon end up with.”
“Umm, thanks, dummy, but we’re not together, remember?”
“Oh hush.” Iz turns back to the front and smirks. It’s weak, it’s desperate, but it’s there. “You will be. Just as soon as you come home again.”
Tink rolls her eyes and sits back. “Whatever, preggers. Put a pickle in your mouth and stop talking now.”