THIEF: Part 6 Read Online Free PDF Page A

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                  “It’s up to you, Erin.”She hesitates.“As your doctor, though, I feel I should give you my professional opinion: the risks aren’t worth it, in this case.You had a serious illness, and your body didn't have time to recover from the treatment.So if you can wait until the baby’s born, you should.”
                  My heart feels like it’s filled with lead.I don’t try to hide it.“I understand.”
                  Dr. Day gives me a sympathetic pat on the knee.“Stress isn’t good for the baby, either,” she reminds me, “so if not knowing is gonna drive you crazy, maybe the test is the right choice.Only you can decide.”
                  I think her words—“It’s up to you,” “Only you can decide”—are supposed to comfort me, so I smile and thank her, even though all they do is make me want to cry.I manage to hold it in all the way through the waiting room and parking lot, but once I’m in my car, it becomes too much.
                  “Are you okay?” Alex says when I call him.The sun hits my face through the windshield, and I feel the hot tears getting even hotter.
                  “Yeah,” I sniff, both hands holding my phone.“Well…kind of.”
                  “Oh, my God,” he says, “what’s wrong with the baby?Where are you, I’ll drive over—”
                  “The baby’s fine,” I interrupt.I take a ragged breath and hold it, shutting my eyes.It doesn’t stop the tears.“I need to talk to you, though.Now.”
                  “Okay,” he says, a little calmer, but hesitant.“I’ll take an early lunch break and meet you outside?”
                  “I’ll text you when I get there.”
                  “Okay,” he says again.He pauses.“I love you.”
                  This makes the tears hit again.He may as well have said, “Remember: what you’re about to tell me might very well destroy me.”
                  “I love you too, Alex,” I whisper.I hang up before he can hear the sob working its way up my throat.
     
     
    Fittingly, it starts to rain when I pull into the parking lot of Alex’s office.The building of Gunderson Advertising is squat and sprawling, a brick afterthought just outside the city’s historical district.Alex is an entry-level employee, but still earns decent money.For all his globetrotting, I think he secretly likes having to wear a tie every day.
                  Here , I text him, putting the car in neutral.I recline my seat a little and look up at the roof, deep-breathing.It doesn’t help.
                  “Knock, knock.”I jump when Alex taps the glass.He slides into the passenger seat and hands me a paper cup of hot chocolate, which I sip once, out of politeness, before setting it in the cup holder.
                  We’re quiet for a moment, listening to the rain.Alex clears his throat and fidgets with his tie clip.
                  “Please tell me this isn’t a break-up,” he blurts suddenly, then laughs.The sound is shallow.
                  I feel my sentences twisting up, getting caught in my chest.“Depends,” I say, letting out a breath.“You might hate me after I tell you this, and—and I wouldn’t blame you.It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever done to anyone.Including pickpocketing.”
                  “Pickpocketing?”
                  I shut my eyes for a moment, taking another sharp breath.“Sorry, I thought I told you about that.It’s—Whatever, that’s not what this is about.”My teeth rake across my bottom lip.“Remember when you made me promise that…that if anything happened with me and my ex, I’d tell you?”
                  Alex stares at me.I feel his eyes, but can’t see them, as they search my