Bad Things

10. You Might Be Worth It

"Shawn?"

He heard his name spoken softly from just a foot or so in front of him. Shawn looked up and met the gaze of a small Asian woman in a white lab coat. She wore her hair twisted tightly to the back of her head and a gentle smile on her face. The two things seemed to be at odds with one another: one severe and one kind. He blinked up at her for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"You're Shawn Mendes? The one who brought Camila in, right?"

He nodded, cleared his throat, and answered, "Yeah. Is she—where is she?"

"Hi, I'm Dr. Shelly." She held out her hand, and Shawn shook it tentatively. "Could you come with me, please?" She took a step back and held the same hand out toward the door through which Camila had disappeared earlier.

Shawn followed her gesture with his eyes. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I just thought maybe I could discuss a few things with you."

Why did she need to discuss anything with him? What the hell was going on? Dr. Shelly must have caught on to his panic, because she laid her hand on his arm and spoke quietly "It'll only be a few moments and then you can talk to Camila, okay?"

Shawn's eyes flitted to the door once more then back to the doctor. His legs felt wobbly and his stomach twisted in knots as he stood and followed her through the door and into a small office. She gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs situated in front of the desk, but he shook his head. He didn't want to sit; he just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Okay, that's fine if you don't want to sit." Dr. Shelly perched on the edge of her desk and clutched a clipboard to her chest. "While I can't discuss any of Camila's specific medical issues with you, because she has given me your name as the father of her baby, there were just a few things I wanted to discuss with you."

Shawn's stomach twisted tighter. The father of her baby ... God.

"First of all," she looked down at the clipboard and removed a couple of brochures, handing them to him, "we have a lot of excellent counselors and support groups for teenage parents through this clinic. Of course no one will make you go, but I highly recommend you at least think about talking to someone about this. It's not going to be easy for you or Camila to deal with all of the things that can and will happen as a result of this pregnancy."

Shawn looked down at the pamphlets and tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry.

"Camila has explained to me the ... details ... surrounding how she became pregnant. I assume because you were under the influence at the time, it somehow slipped your mind to use a condom and you do possess the knowledge of how to operate one?"

Heat coursed up Shawn's neck and pooled into his face. Holyshit. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Dr. Shelly said, and checked off something on the paper attached to the clipboard. What the hell was that? "Now, since you came with her, and stayed," her eyes rested on his, "can I assume you'd like to be involved?"