15. HAZEL

15

HAZEL

I'm pounding on the door screaming Nina's name but I don't give anyone a chance to open the door before I bust through it.

"How did you know I was here?" Nina asks breathlessly. "We just got back from the airport."

"I have your location on my phone."

"Did her location show her being in the bedroom?" Jay asks blandly.

"You should know me by now. That won't stop me. If I want to see my friend, I'm coming in no matter where she is," I reply matter-of-factly.

"Take note, Jay, she will. And don't listen to him, Hazel, we just came from Mavericks house. We've got big plans for him!" She laughs diabolically and it makes me wonder what's going on but there's no time for that today. "Anyway, where's the fire?"

I jump into Nina's arms screaming at the top of my lungs. Nina starts laughing as I yell, "Congratulations. My best friend is getting married, and I actually like him."

I step back and grab her hand. "And oh my God the ring, and oh my God let me see, and oh my God we need to plan, and oh my God can I be your maid of honor?"

We're both cackling now. I can't control my excitement, which Nina is used to, but Jay looks scared. "Hazel, I know that you're a bit on the wild side, but I never knew you were also neurotic."

"It's not being neurotic. It's called being excited, there's a difference."

"You're acting like a puppy getting a treat. Also, need I remind you that you knew I was proposing?" Jay asks with a raised brow.

Nina laughs and wraps me in a hug. "I'm sure you had a part in every little bit of it. Also, Jay, take more notes because this is what the next sixty years of your life is going to look like."

I give him a smug smile and with a hand on my hip, say, "She speaks the truth."

"Why am I not surprised?" He shakes his head and sighs. "I need to go check in on the guys at work. You two can keep screaming about whatever it is you're screaming about. Call me later and I'll come pick you up if you want to go out."

Jay gives her a sweet kiss then takes his leave and Nina spins on me the moment the door shuts. "Okay, what's going on?"

"I told you, I just wanted to get here and hear all about the proposal."

She studies me closely. "Nope, tell me."

The fact that she knows me so well should make me feel good. But all it does is make me want to cry. Because this secret I've been hiding is going to change all of our lives.

When my lip begins to quiver, she rushes toward me and urges me to the couch. "Hazel! What is going on?"

I take a deep breath before whispering, "I'm pregnant."

Her hand comes to her mouth instantly and her eyes well with tears. "Hazel! Oh my god!"

She hugs me, wrapping her arms tightly around me as she lets me cry it out. After a moment she pulls back, grabbing tissues from the coffee table, drying my face and brushing the hair away from my eyes. "Honey, this is great news. Tell me why you're upset?"

"You know why."

She smiles softly and plays with my hair. "Does he know?"

I shake my head. "No. I'm trying to come to grips with it before I can tell him. You're the only other person who knows. Well, you and my head nurse. When I was running to the bathroom to throw up every ten minutes during my morning rounds, I had to fill her in."

"When's your due date?"

"December first."

"December first? Hazel! That's four months from now!"

"I know. I had no idea I was pregnant. I've always had an irregular cycle, it never dawned on me that I could be pregnant. I thought I had the flu."

"Okay, Tell me how to act here. Do you want me to be happy? Sad? Mad? Do I need to chop his dick off? What?"

I laugh at her. "I mean, I'm happy. It's not the timeline I envisioned for myself but I'm going to make it work."

"Yes, we will make it work. And if Wes is on board, great. If not, great. But," she grabs my hand, "you do need to tell him and you have to do it soon."

"I know. You're right. I'm just not sure what way I want him to answer yet."

Nina shakes her head and gives me a stern look. "Yes, you do, and it's okay. You two have come a really long way. Be positive, it's all going to work out."