Flaw Less by Shana Burton

Author:Shana Burton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urban
Published: 2013-01-26T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

“Did you say the doctor said you were sterile?”

—Sullivan Webb

Sullivan studied the calendar. It had been almost six weeks since her encounter with Vaughn, and her period was officially five days late. She didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. It had been late before. Unlike the previous times, however, this time was a welcome surprise. The only dilemma would be pinpointing the exact date she conceived. Not that it mattered, though. For all intents and purposes, any child that came out of her body would only know Charles Webb as its father.

Charles dragged into house looking downtrodden and defeated. “Hey, honey.” He gave Sullivan a peck on the lips.

“You look sad, but I think I have news that will cheer you up.”

Charles sighed and sank down onto the sofa. “My spirits certainly could use a lift.”

Sullivan rushed to his side, laying a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong, honey? What’s going on?”

He reached for her hand. “My doctor called with my test results from my physical a couple of weeks ago.”

Sullivan covered her mouth with her free hand and braced for the worst. “Charles, please don’t tell me it’s cancer.”

Charles patted her hand and chuckled a little. “No, nothing like that, sweetheart.”

She exhaled, relieved. “So what did he say? Does he want you to lose some weight, start working out more?”

“Yes. My cholesterol and blood pressure are a little higher than he’d like it to be, and he’s worried about atherosclerosis.”

“My God!” gasped Sullivan. “What’s that?”

“It’s buildup of plaque in the artery walls. Sometimes it can lead to a heart attack or a stroke, but that’s not what concerns me.”

“Well, that’s what concerns me!” exclaimed Sullivan. “I keep telling you those hens at the church aren’t doing you any favors by cooking all that fried, lard-infested soul food.” Charles didn’t say anything. “What’s the matter, honey? What aren’t you telling me?”

He took a deep breath and looked Sullivan in the eyes. “The doctor says I might not be able to have children, Sullivan. He says most of my sperm aren’t active and haven’t been for a long time.”

Sullivan froze, the air and life seemingly sucked out of her. She began trembling. “Did you say the doctor said you were sterile?” She had to make sure she’d heard him correctly.

“Well, not completely sterile, but it’s definitely what the doctors consider to be a low sperm count. Without some intervention, there’s a very slim chance of you getting pregnant the old-fashioned way.”

“Wa-wa-wait, Charles,” she stuttered, clutching her chest. “Doctors can be wrong. Those tests can be wrong!”

Charles shook his head. “He ran the test twice, honey.”

“It’s a mistake!” denounced Sullivan. “There’s got to be some kind of mix-up or something!”

She began panting. Thoughts began racing through her mind. She’d slept with Vaughn. She didn’t use any birth control, and now her period was late. She was prepared for the letdown of not being pregnant. She was even prepared for a possible miscarriage or a stillbirth. Being pregnant with

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