Sweet Trouble by Sasha Gold

because Sydney sounds irritated when she nudges my shoulder. I blink and see her coming at me with a teaspoon of ginger ale.
    “One of us isn’t appreciating that this is my first day off in thirteen days. I could be down at that cute little market shopping the craft stalls the fundraisers set up. I could be supporting the Rebuild Leandro effort but instead I’m here spoon feeding you tequila shots.”
    I gasp and struggle to push the spoon away.
    She rolls her eyes and snorts at her the hilarity of her tequila comment. “Shut up already, would you? Like I’m going to waste tequila on my preggers girlfriend. I don’t think so, sweet pea.”
    Groaning I take the spoonful of soda and sink back to my bed. I just want to curl into the fetal position. I also want to figure out a way to get Sydney to stop talking. When I feel a little better I plan on doing something really mean to her. Not sure. But it will be good. Epic.
    “You need to tell the father, Bailey.”
    “I know,” I whisper. I haven’t told her who the father is and I know it hurts her feelings, but I can’t talk about him. I miss him. Like crazy, crazy. But I’m so scared to tell him. I’m scared to even see him.
    “And we need to find a way for you to see an OB,” she says, speaking more quietly now.
    That’s the other thing that weighs on my mind. I knew I had the world’s shittiest insurance, but now I find out it doesn’t even cover prenatal stuff. Like nothing. I could have gotten supplemental coverage, when I signed up, but now my coverage was set until the next Open Enrollment, the HR lady told me cheerfully. Thanks, I wanted to tell her. So helpful.
    I never imagined I’d be able to conceive. It’s a miracle, I tell myself, spreading my fingers across my stomach. What will it feel like to have a little baby bump?
    I fall asleep to the sound of her fussing about how prenatal vitamins will make my nails awesome and who would have thought that I would be the one to get knocked up. I wake up a few hours later. It’s dark. The motel room is pitch black and I shine my phone towards the opposite bed. Sydney lies fast asleep just a few feet away. I breathe a sigh of relief. Sometime later she whispers something about breakfast and she slips from the room.
    After that, I drift into a restless sleep full of dreams about Nick. Some of the dreams are sweet but some scare me and I wake in a cold sweat, clutching my stomach. I’m angry. Lost. Bitter. How could he do those things to me if he hated me? Maybe he did them because he hated me.
    There’s a knock at the door and my heart jumps in my chest. It’s still thundering from the dream I just had. It’s daylight and I’m lying, tangled in bed sheets. I try to catch my breath, imagining him on the other side of the door. Knocking. Which is ridiculous. There’s no way Nick could know where I am. My brain is addled from hormones. I get to my feet and stagger to the door. I could use the chain on the door to check and make sure it’s Sydney, but that would be just paranoid.
    Feeling stupid, I unlock the door.
    “Surprise!” Sydney yells, practically giving me a heart attack. “I brought breakfast tacos and coffee.”
    “Did you forget your key?”
    She pushes past me and sets several bags down on the little coffee table by the window. “I did. Sorry. But to make up for it you can have the only potato and egg. Can you believe they…”
    Sydney’s voice fades and the foil-wrapped taco she’s holding, rolls from her hand, landing on the stained carpet. She’s staring past me with a look of terror on her face. I spin towards the open door.
    Nick steps into the room.
    Sydney grabs a cup of coffee and tears the lid off. She’s holding it like a weapon. Her hand shakes so badly the coffee sloshes. “Who the fuck are you?”
    He just stands there, scanning the motel room with a look of disgust. He’s wearing a suit, a suit! And a tie. His eyes are hidden behind a pair of aviators and he’s