“Hey, lady.” The voice was accompanied with a hand on her back and Deven sighed in relief. Now Leslie, she could tolerate, even in her weakened state. The girl was one of the newer nurses on the floor and still had the kind, sweet, zealous spirit, with a full-fledged Alabama accent to match her southern hospitality.

Leslie slid next to Deven on the bench, their legs bumping companionably. “Is there anything I can do? You want some water or some crackers or something?”

Deven managed a nod. “Some water please.”

Leslie seemed eager to oblige and she popped up and headed for her locker. She returned with a bottled water and what was left of her peanut butter cracker sandwiches in a Ziploc bag. Deven accepted both, taking greedy sips of the lukewarm liquid.

Leslie clasped her hands together, probably wishing there was something else she could do, poor thing. “Do you want me to call the nurse director?”

“No, I’m good, thank you so much, Leslie.” Deven held up the half-empty water bottle for emphasis. “I appreciate your help. Just a little food poisoning.”

Leslie laughed and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. “Oh, it’s no problem. I just figured you were pregnant.”

Funny. Working in Labor and Delivery, Deven should have expected everyone to make the correct assumption. She didn’t know how long she was going to keep up the facade, or at least keep it up enough for people not to question her. Perhaps after she told Justin this weekend. They still hadn’t had a real conversation, but he did send a text message saying he would be flying in late Friday night and might need to come over to crash. The message had been brief, but it had pacified her.

The sickness feeling was dissolving and Deven pulled herself to her feet. She knew she probably looked like death run over. Leslie’s hand remained steady on her back, just in case. “Do you think you can cover for me a little bit?”

Leslie’s nod was instant. “Of course. You sure you don’t need anything else?”

“I’m good. Just need a few minutes to get myself together. Brush my teeth,” Deven added with a chuckle. That part was true. And she would. Later. She needed to do something else first.

Deven knew she should’ve made her health a bigger priority. It wasn’t like she didn’t want the baby. She just wanted the marriage more. Justin was supposed to be that husband, which made it even more disheartening when he still had not proposed. And instead of an engagement, she’d received the positive pregnancy test. The shock had left her reeling.