There were some things a guy should never ask... or suggest. Growing up with two sisters and a mother in the house, Samuel had picked up a few pointers.

Asking a girl you’d just met if she was pregnant was specifically on that list. Asking a girl who obviously didn’t know she was pregnant was not specifically on the list, but he was pretty sure it was contraindicated.

As he stood in line at the corner CVS with a box of Premium saltine crackers in one hand and a bottle of lime-green Gatorade in the other, he wondered how she could possibly not know. He’d heard of girls not knowing they were pregnant, but they were usually girls who were significantly overweight. Danielle was maybe one hundred ten pounds. If she didn’t know she was pregnant, it couldn’t possibly be long before her clothes started to get a little tight around the waist.

Maybe he should just wait.

In the three days he’d known her, she hadn’t done anything that would harm a fetus. She didn’t drink alcohol, or smoke cigarettes, or do anything else that would be considered harmful behavior.

Nonetheless, he had two nieces and one nephew, and he had heard more details from his two sisters, who had gone through pregnancies, to know that there were things that needed to be done.

He paid for the crackers and went out to his truck. He was doing everything he could to make sure Danielle ate regular small meals and kept her in crackers to help with the nausea. But she needed to go in for a medical evaluation and she needed to start prenatal vitamins.

He steered his truck out into the traffic to head back to Danielle’s office. I’m not a doctor. Having nieces and nephews does not make me an expert. Leave her alone.

Feeling good about his decision, he walked across the parking lot and into the building. Besides, it wasn’t like she was his girlfriend. She’d said she was never getting back with her ex. Once a cheater, always a cheater. But if they were having a baby together, that could very well change things.

Samuel did not want to get in the middle of that. If Jessica had gotten pregnant with their baby and some other guy tried to get involved in it, Samuel would have had to break his jaw. It wouldn’t have mattered if they were broken-up or not. The baby would still be theirs – something they made together. What kind of guy would let the mother of his child just walk away?

Samuel’s resolve and good intentions lasted another twenty seconds – until he walked into her office and found her sitting on the floor next to the trash can. Her face was pale and her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

“I don’t feel so good,” she said.

Even if she wasn’t pregnant, something was definitely wrong. “I need to get you to the doctor,” he said.

She shook her head. “I’ll have to call my doctor in Los Angeles, then get my dad to fly me over.”

Even to Samuel, a pilot, Danielle’s way of thinking baffled him. It obviously didn’t even occur to her to see a doctor in Houston; Houston was home to some of the best doctors in the country.

He smiled to himself. Was this what he had to look forward to with his own child? Did the daughter of a pilot automatically think of flying as the first option for transportation?

He cleared his throat to keep from laughing. Danielle didn’t even have a car. She used the city bus system and Uber.

“I can get you in to see a doctor here.”

“I don’t have a doctor here,” she said, as he helped her off the floor and into her chair.

“My sisters go to the Houston Women’s Clinic. I can call and get you an appointment.”

She didn’t say anything. She just watched him with those huge green eyes. I pushed her too far. He opened the box of crackers and tore one of the sleeves open. He smiled as he held it out to her. “It’s just an offer,” he said.

She took a cracker, chewed, and leaned back with her eyes closed. “That might be a lot easier,” she said. “I don’t really have the energy to make the trip to L.A. right now.”

“Do you want me to see if I can get you in tomorrow?” he asked, slipping his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

“Sure,” she said, rubbing her temples. “I didn’t know I was going to fall apart at age twenty-three.”

He laughed. “I don’t think you’re falling apart.”

She sniffed and sighed. “I think I’m coming down with a cold, too.”

Samuel located the phone number of the clinic and dialed. He told himself that his deception was warranted. She doubtlessly thought she would be seeing a primary care physician. He would play dumb when she found out she was seeing an obstetrician.