The doctor gives Mindy a sympathetic look after she finishes throwing up in the trash bin. It's been two days since she found out that she was pregnant.
"I am so sorry. That was disgusting."
"You're not the first pregnant woman I've seen throw up and I doubt you'll be the last, Mindy. Although this may be the first time I've seen a woman react quite the same way to the confirmation of their pregnancy. I take it that this was not planned."
"No, it certainly was not."
"Have you had a chance to think about your options? From what you said, it's still early enough that you don't have to continue with the pregnancy if you don't want to. We would have to do an ultrasound first to be sure that you're not too far along, give you a timeframe of how long you have to decide if you want to terminate."
"I haven't considered anything. Mostly, I was just really hoping that this was all just a big mistake."
The doctor pats Mindy's hand, "I understand. Life's little surprises can throw us a little off balance. I know it's a lot for you to take in and I do not know how involved the father is in this situation but you should take some time to think about things, maybe even discuss your options. I'm going to give you a few pamphlets and write you a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. I'm going to go ahead and schedule you for an ultrasound for later this month, okay?"
Mindy nods and slides off the examination table. She sends Drake a text: We need to talk. She stuffs the pamphlets and the prescription into her purse and drives to work. She likes working at the pharmaceutical lab, it's not her dream job but it's a good job. Drake's thrown himself into trying to write songs for another album, so he's free all day. They'll meet for lunch.
Drake arrives at the restaurant twenty minutes early, the seconds ticking slowly by. He doesn't know why he's so anxious, they've already had the confirmation from two home pregnancy tests. He debates ordering a drink, a beer, before Mindy arrives but he knows that she'll have something to say about that. He taps his foot impatiently. He rises when he sees her approaching the table, "Took you long enough."
She glances at her watch, "I'm two minutes late."
"Whatever," he says as they both sit. "What did the doctor say?"
"That I'm pregnant and that I have options." She orders a glass of water and a salad when the server comes by, Drake's not hungry. "You were right. We should have told Josh in Vegas; we should have explained everything to him that morning."
"Are you going to go through with it?"
"It? The pregnancy?" He nods. "Abortion is not an option, that's not how I was raised. This isn't how I was raised either but I don't think that I could not go through with this pregnancy. I mean, it's not that I'm against abortion, I just can't fathom having one myself."
"Even though you don't want the baby?"
They pause as the server drops off a basket of rolls and butter. Mindy lowers her voice, "Did I say that I didn't want the baby? I don't know what I want, Drake, but I am going to have it—the baby." She plucks a roll out of the basket, "There's always adoption."
"What are we going to tell people?"
"I don't know!" she hisses. "And stop asking me all these questions. Contrary to whatever you may believe, I do not have all the answers. You're part of this, you claim you want to take responsibility, that you can be responsible, why don't you try using your pea-brain and come up with something?"
He straightens up in his chair, "Okay, fine. I want us to tell Josh. Tonight."
"I am not ready to tell anyone, let alone Josh."
"You just said that he needs to know!"
"I know that. But what are we supposed to tell him? 'Hey, Josh, remember when we went to Vegas and you spent all that time in the casino? Well, while you were trying to plan for our future, Drake and I got shitfaced, got married, and had sex. The good news is that the marriage was annulled; the bad news is that I'm pregnant with your brother's baby. No hard feelings.'"
"Did you just curse?"
She drops her head into her hands, "Why is this happening?"
"If we explain, yeah, he'll be mad with us at first, but, you know, he may get over it. It was an accident. Once he gets over the shock, he'll understand that. We didn't do any of it on purpose. And we didn't tell him when it happened because we didn't want to hurt him."
She looks at him, wearily, "Why are you making sense? And why are you trying to make me feel better?"
He shrugs, "'Cause we're in this together? And because I'm not a bad guy."
She sighs, "So what exactly are we going to tell Josh?"
They agree to wait until Friday night to tell Josh so that they don't run the rest of his week. They briefly consider telling him in a public place to lessen the chances of him completely freaking out and having a meltdown. They decide against it. Drake knows that his mom and Walter are going to some second chance prom thing Friday night and he doubts that Megan's coming home from college. Mindy will make plans with Josh to stay in for the evening and watch a movie or two upstairs. Drake will be there when she arrives. They feel a little bad that they're going to blindside him but they don't know what else to do.
Friday evening gets off to a rough start when Megan breezes into the house. Drake gags a bit on his soda when he sees her step into the living room, dropping two bags of laundry on the floor.
"Hey loser," she says as she turns to skip up the stairs.
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here. Weirdo," she calls down from the stairs.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," he mutters as he fumbles for his phone to text Mindy. They can't do this with Megan in those house because there's going to be yelling. There's no way that there won't be any yelling because there is no way that Josh is not going to blow his lid. Mindy's response is a lot calmer than he expected: Maybe she has plans with friends. And Megan does. She's irritated that he's trying to get in her business because she really doesn't care what bimbo he plans on entertaining at the house.
Josh reminds Drake that Mindy's on her way over, and even though they're being civil towards one another, he knows that they'd prefer to spend as little time in each other's company as possible. "You know that's gonna have to change when Mindy and I get married. I bought a ring."
Drake's eyes nearly pop out of his head, "You—you bought a ring? What kind of ring?"
"An engagement ring, Drake."
"Why?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I love Mindy, I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and I'm hoping she wants the same. Look, I know that the two of you are never going to be BFFs and neither of you would give the other a kidney, but I'm going to need the both of you to try a little harder."
Drake starts pacing, "Josh, have you really thought this through? I mean, marriage is a big step. Maybe you shouldn't ask her over microwave popcorn."
Josh laughs, "No, man, I'm not going to ask her tonight. I want to do things right. I'm gonna ask her dad first."
"I don't think he's going to marry you, Josh. Also, he's already married to Mindy's mom."
"Drake, be serious for a minute. I'm going to ask him for her hand."
"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea."
"And why not?"
"I just don't."
"There has to be a reason and not just because you don't like Mindy."
"I don't think that it's the right time. I mean, think about it, you really haven't been dating that long."
"Seven years is a pretty long time, Drake. For a guy who's never dated the same girl for seven weeks, I think you'd know that."
"Seven years on and off, so, when it comes down to it, you've only dated for, what, four or five years?"
"You're not making any sense, Drake. What is this really about? Why are you trying to talk me out of proposing to Mindy?"
"I just don't think it's a good time. You two need to be in a better place."
"A better place, Drake? What does that even mean?" He holds his hand up, "No, don't say anything. I knew you wouldn't be thrilled with the thought of being related to Mindy but I at least hoped you'd be happy for me. You're being really selfish right now."
There's a light rapping at the door and Mindy pushes the door open. "Hey guys." The tension in the room is palpable. She cautiously asks, "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Josh says tightly, momentarily glaring at Drake before turning his attention to his girlfriend, his features softening.
"O-kay," Mindy says, pushing the door closed.
"Drake was just leaving, weren't you, buddy?"
"Actually, Josh, he needs to stay. There's something we need to tell you."
Josh looks a little confused, "You and Drake 'we'?"
"Yes."
"What could you both have to tell me?"
Mindy starts slowly, "Josh, do you remember when we went to Las Vegas?"
He sits on the back of the sofa, "Yeah, yeah, of course I do."
"I was a little upset when you didn't join us for dinner. I know we hadn't talked about it but we, you and I, were having problems. I thought that you didn't feel the same way about me anymore and that maybe our relationship had run its course. So, I decided to drown my sorrows in alcohol and Drake and I went out and we both got so drunk, we still don't remember anything that happened. But what did happen, Josh, I swear, it was an accident."
Josh's eyebrows knit together as he's trying to piece together whatever it is Mindy's trying to tell him. "What was an accident?"
"Drake and I," she takes a deep breath, steadying herself, "we slept together. We didn't mean for it to happen and we really don't remember it happening but it did. And it was just the one time and it didn't mean anything."
"This happened in Vegas?" She nods. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Mindy's pregnant." They both look at Drake, they had forgotten that he was in the room.
Josh shakes his head, "This is a really sick joke, you guys. And it's not funny."
"It's not a joke, Josh, I kinda wish it was though. I'm sorry, man."
There is so much hatred in Josh's eyes when he looks at his brother, his volume rising, his words full of venom, "You're sorry? You're sorry? What happened, Drake? Was Mindy the only girl from Belleview left that you hadn't slept with? Well, congratulations! You won yearbook sex bingo!"
"Josh, that's not what happened," Mindy starts but when he looks at her, fury and pain and tears in his eyes, she can't continue.
"You. How could you do this to me? To us?" His voice breaks a little as he continues, "I loved you. You were supposed to be the one girl immune to Drake's charms. So, what, he finally threw you a compliment and you just spread your legs for him?"
The sharp sound of Mindy's open hand hitting Josh's face reverberates through the room, "We. Were. Drunk. We do not remember." She wills herself to stay strong and not to cry because crying will not help, it will not fix anything, "And I would never intentionally do or say anything to hurt you."
"I got drunk a few times in college and you know what I managed not to do? Sleep with someone! No matter how much I had to drink, Mindy, I stayed true to you, even when we were on a break. And it was easy. So don't blame it on the alcohol or whatever problems you think that we were having. None of that should have matter, but I should have; what we had should have mattered." Each word stings her. He rounds on Drake, pointing an accusatory finger at him, "You're supposed to be my brother and my best friend. I wanted you to be my best man and—oh my God." Realization dawns on his face, "This is why you didn't want me to ask Mindy to marry me. You planned this. You let me go on and on knowing that in just a few minutes the two of you were going to do this. You're a jerk, Drake, and you're the worst friend or brother that anyone could ever have."
"Josh, come on, man. It's not like we were sneaking around behind your back. You have every right to be upset but we didn't do this to you."
"That's right, you did each other," he snarls. "And you've spent the past two months lying to me and now you just expect me to believe that it was a one-time thing—yeah, okay. Tell me, Drake, Mindy, would you have ever told me if Mindy wasn't pregnant?" Their silence is answer enough for Josh, "That's what I thought. I hope the two of you are very happy together. And you know what else? I'm not upset, I am done. Finito. With both of you. Enjoy your lives," he storms to the door, yanking it open so hard Mindy's afraid it'll come off the hinges. Josh idles just outside of the threshold and casts one last look at Mindy, "I hope neither you nor the baby end up with the clap," and he slams the door.
"We deserved that," Mindy says flatly when they hear the squealing of Josh's tires as he speeds away from the house.
"How can you be so calm right now?"
She throws her hands up in the air, "Because we expected this, Drake. Unlike Josh, we had time to prepare and we knew how he was probably going to react. What? Do you think I should be crying? Maybe flailing my arms around? Should I throw myself down on Josh's bed and beat my fists against the pillows? It's pointless; none of that will change anything. I've had the last few days to accept the fact that Josh and I are over."
"So that's it? You're okay with losing him forever? Because I'm not."
"And neither am I but, as you are well aware, I do have a small person growing inside of my uterus, so I think that's going to be my main priority for the foreseeable future. Josh'll come around eventually. If he doesn't and I keep this baby, and if you and I were to try to raise it together…I don't know."
"I want to." She looks at him, an eyebrow raised. He elaborates, "If you decide to raise the baby, I want to be around. And I—I would like to go with you when you get to see it and hear the heartbeat."
He sounds so unsure of himself in his request and she looks vaguely amused, "You want to go to the ultrasound?"
"Yeah." He wants to add that he could be a good dad. He'll be a better father to this kid than he's been a brother to Josh. He can prove he's not a total screw-up.
"Okay."
"Yeah?"
She shrugs, "Yeah, I mean, why not." She looks down, twisting her hands, "I should probably head home."
"I'll walk you out." She gives him an odd look but doesn't say anything, letting him follow behind her. She walks out the front door and down the walkway to her car; Drake calls out, "Drive safe." He turns around, goes into the kitchen, and grabs a beer from the refrigerator. He twists the top off and walks towards the living room, taking a swig. He sits on the sofa then does a double take, jumping up. Megan is standing on the staircase, arms folded across her chest, giving him a withering look. Nervously, "Hey. When did you get back in?"
She unfolds her arms and saunters down the stairs, "Sometime around Josh yelling about Mindy having been the last girl you needed to sleep with from Belleview for you to win some sort of sex bingo. Then he congratulated you so I can only guess that means that you and Mindy did the horizontal mambo." She sighs, "I always knew you were a dumbass, Drake, but this is beyond your normal levels of irresponsibility and stupidity."
"Did you catch the part about her being pregnant?" he asks sheepishly as he trails after her into the kitchen.
She pulls a beer from the fridge, "Oh my god, you're both idiots! You know, I expect this sort of thing from you, but Mindy, that's just disappointing."
"So, you're not angry? Or surprised? You're taking this a little too well."
"Eh. Not my problem. Besides, I always thought the two of you seemed to hate each other a little too much. They say it's a thin line between love and hate, so, honestly, I'm just surprised it took this long for you two to hook up. I actually would've put money on you two doing it when you were in high school," she says, fumbling through a drawer for the bottle opener.
"That's disturbing. Mindy's pants were never a pair I wanted to get in and you're not old enough to drink."
"Oh please, I'm nineteen, I'm at home, you knocked up our brother's girlfriend, and now I'm giving you advice about your incredibly fucked up life—"
"Hey, language!"
"—so I think that I deserve a drink or two. Also, I'm not twelve, calm down," she says flippantly, hopping up onto the counter. "So, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to be there for Mindy and the baby and hope that Josh forgives us one day."
She gives him a patronizing look, "It's bad enough that you knocked her up, don't go developing real feelings for her, Drake. You're already in a big enough mess as it is. Josh might be pissed now but once he remembers that you and Mindy don't like each other, he'll come around. That or we'll spend holidays redefining the words 'awkward' and 'dysfunctional.'" She groans as she slides down off the counter, "Jeez, being nice to you really takes it out of me," and thinks a moment before adding, "Maybe now you'll learn to keep it in your pants. Tell Mindy I said hey and that I call dibs on being godmother."
Drake sighs and takes his phone out of his pocket so that he can call Mindy to let her know about this latest development.
