The Unexpected Messenger

"It's alright, babe. We'll talk more after class."

Send.

Dylan finished up his text message before turning his attention to his friend, Theo, once again. "I dunno, man, she's just been acting really weird lately."

"She" being the recipient of his text, and his girlfriend of several months: Sabrina. And "weird " being another word for distant. Even when they were spending time together, Dylan could sense that her mind was a million miles away... Her behavior had been carrying on for a few days now, and Dylan was optimistic that his mate would have some advice.

But Theo's answer left something more to be desired: "Duh; she's a chick." His smartass smirk gradually vanished when Dylan's mood ceased to perk up. "Okay," he leaned forward in his seat, "the realistic response? You're never going to get an answer unless you just talk to her."

Speak of the devil -- Dylan's phone alerted him, to an incoming call from Sabrina this time. Perhaps this was fate at work...

He clicked answer and was about to say hello, but Sabrina was already in mid-sentence. And not to him, but to someone else. Dylan strained to listen to his girlfriend's voice...

"-- like, can you understand where I'm coming from? I'm terrified to even begin to tell him..."

It was Sabrina's voice, alright -- and she was anxious. Dylan couldn't help but wonder if he was the "him" she was referring to, if this fear would explain her distant attitude.

Theo snapped his fingers in Dylan's face. He mouthed the words, "Who is it?"

"Sabrina," Dylan softly said back.

Another voice, a female voice, replied to her friend feebly in the background. "Yeah, but you can't just keep a pregnancy from him --"

The word "pregnancy" nearly caused Dylan to fall out of his chair. The dots finally connected -- Sabrina must have butt dialed him. And now she was unknowingly confessing her secret pregnancy to him.

His reaction evoked another explanation from Theo, and this time he asked aloud, "What's going on, man?"

Dylan pulled the phone away from his mouth. "Sabrina is pregnant."

Theo's eyes bulged. "What?!"

"Yeah, and I've gotta go talk to her." Dylan grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair in a frenzy. "She's headed into philosophy with Cassandra, so I've gotta try to find her."

Theo didn't need anymore explanations; there was no need for one. He simply nodded his head before nervously watching his friend leave the library.

On a normal day, Dylan wouldn't have been caught in the library -- neither would have Theo, for that matter -- but fate was definitely at play today. And thank goodness that it was, because being in the library as opposed to the dorm rooms had just saved him ten minutes of running.

Class had already, and Dylan had already burst through the doors and headed for the desks before finally realizing what he was doing, and freezing on the spot. He immediately turned around and headed out the doors again, just managing to catch a glimpse of the stunned professor's face, who obviously wasn't accustomed to such an outburst.

Only moments after stepping back into the hallway did Sabrina eventually emerge as well. Naturally she had assumed that Dylan's abrupt visit was meant for her, and had asked the teacher to step out.

Sabrina calmly approached Dylan, taking his hand in hers. "I just realized," she remarked. "My phone. I only realized now that I had accidentally called you." Sheepishly, she glanced down. "And given your reaction, you must have heard..."

"Pregnant." Dylan breathed the word out loud, the surprise of it hitching in his throat. "My God, Sabrina, how long have you known?"

Still directed towards the floor: "I'm about 7 weeks along. I only found out about it 4 days ago."

Dylan was still stunned and unable to find words for their situation. "I just don't get it; we were always safe..."

"Dylan, just answer one thing -- please." There was a degree of urgency in Sabrina's voice, and she looked at her boyfriend with pleading eyes. "Just tell me if you're upset or not..."

"I think I'm more shocked than anything." She gazed at him sorrowfully, obviously expecting more of an answer. So he continued... "But I want this, Sabrina." He squeezed her hands tightly in his. "We can figure this out, right? You do want this with me, right?..."

It was Sabrina's turn to squeeze back. "Of course, Dylan," she said softly. "I'm ready to put everything on the line for this."

"I only have to finish this year, and then I'll have my degree," Dylan explained. "I'll be able to find work in tech, you'll be able to stay home, I'll be able to provide for you guys. We can do this..."