Well could this situation get any worse? Confused, miserable, in love with two men and now pregnant, oh and I don't know who the father is but except from all that everything is frigging peachy! Tom and I talked a lot about having children when we were together, he wanted desperately to be a daddy but for me it was never the right time I was either too young for the responsibility or I was too busy setting up my bookstore. As for Paul I have no idea how he feels, we never discussed children although I believe he would be a wonderful father I don't know if he ever desires to be one, I guess it's time I found out.
I'm going home today, I've buried my head in the sand for long enough it's time to go home and face the music. I should also book an appointment with my GP in the hope that he can tell me exactly how pregnant I am giving me the chance to answer the question I continue to ask myself, who is the father of my baby.
I arrive back at my flat and it's good to be home. I unpack my things and then stare at myself in the full length mirror trying to picture how I will look in a few months time when my firm flat tummy gets bigger and bigger as my baby grows inside of me. I could murder a glass of wine but resist the urge and phone the doctors instead making an appointment for this afternoon.
I sit anxiously in the doctor's waiting room which seems to be full of parents and their children or pregnant women with their large belly's weighing them down flicking through parenting magazines and I swallow hard as a wave of nausea runs through my body.
"Stephanie Shaw the doctor will see you now."
I stand up slowly and go in.
"Miss Shaw take a seat, what can I do for you?"
"Well Doctor I think I'm pregnant."
"Have you done a Pregnancy test?"
"Yes and it was positive."
"Ok well if you would like to remove you skirt and underwear and hop up on the table so I can examine you."
He pulls the curtain around me as I start to remove my skirt and knickers thoughts racing through my mind, if I'm more then two weeks pregnant than it has to be Paul's baby, how would I feel if it was his? How would he feel? And where would Tom fit in? My thoughts are interrupted by the doctor as he draws back the curtain.
"Right Miss Shaw I'm going to give you an internal examination this will let me determine how far gone you are so if you just put your feet together and then let your knees fall apart."
Oh how degrading, me lying on my back with my legs wide open as if I haven't done that enough lately.
"Ok everything seems fine I would say you are two weeks pregnant Miss Shaw."
"Exactly two weeks?"
"Well it's hard to be exact but no more than two weeks."
I leave the doctor's surgery feeling sicker than when I went in, I can't believe the mess I have gotten myself into I mean I was on the pill for god's sake, I know it's not 100 % effective but near enough. How am I going to tell Tom or Paul or oh god my mother? And then I think of something else, am I really ready to have a child?
I go home and cry and cry and then I cry some more I don't know what I am going to do or what my future holds, I need to talk to Tom and Paul but I don't know what to say. There's a knock at the door and my heart jumps, I ignore it I can't face anyone right now but the knocking continues and I dry my eyes.
"Steph are you in there?"
It's Paul; nervously I approach the door and let him in. He flings his arms around me hugging me tight.
"Oh Steph your home I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too Paul but now isn't really a good time."
"Steph what's wrong, have you been crying?"
"Please Paul I can't do this right now."
"Just talk to me please, I love you Steph these last two weeks have been hell for me, I can't bear not being with you I need you to tell me you love me too."
"You know I love you but things are complicated right now."
"Marry me Steph."
"What?"
"I said marry me, I love you and you love me so lets be together."
"I can't marry you Paul."
"Why because of Tom? He doesn't love you like I do Steph; I would never cheat on you or leave you ever and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
"Paul I'm pregnant."
"What? You can't be?"
"Yeah that was my reaction too but I've seen the doctor Paul, I'm two weeks pregnant which means I don't know if you're the father."
Paul sits down and puts his head in his hands; his shoulders begin to shake as he sobs.
"I'm so sorry Paul believe me I am so sorry."
"I'm not the father Steph."
"You don't know that Paul it's more than likely that it is yours."
"No Steph, I wish more than anything in the world that it was my baby that you're carrying but it isn't, it isn't my baby Steph because I can't have children."
I sit down beside him completely shocked and take his hand in mine, I don't know what to say, this is a revelation I was not expecting and I really don't know how to deal with it. He looks up at me with tears down his cheeks and the pain in his eyes breaks my heart, he really would have been a wonderful father.
"I'm sorry Steph I should have told you but I didn't know how you felt about having children and I was scared you would leave me if you found out I couldn't be a father."
"Oh Paul I would never of left you because of that and you have nothing to be sorry about, all this is my fault. How do you know that you can't have children?"
"When I was younger I got the Mumps, I was really ill with it and developed Orchitis which is an inflammation of the testicles and well there were complications and it left me sterile."
"Paul I am so sorry, that must be awful for you."
"I can still be a father to your child though Steph, I promise I would love him or her as my own, this doesn't change anything for me I still want to marry you."
"I couldn't ask you to father another mans child Paul you would just end up resenting it and me and that wouldn't be fair on anybody and I have to consider Tom's feelings."
"What like he considered yours when he cheated on you, how do you know he won't do it again Steph and it would be 10 times worse with a child to look after? I can offer you stability we could be a family."
"I love you Paul I really do but it wouldn't work, I'm sorry but I have to talk to Tom and if there is a chance that we can sort this out and be a family then I have to take it Paul for the baby's sake, I hope you can understand that."
"I can't lose you Steph."