Cupid has arrived
Title: Cupid
Author: inlove_n_inhate
Plot: A blessing from Ancient Greece meets modern day science and when stuff like that happens there's bound to be an explosion of massive proportions.
Disclaimer: Let’s face it if I owned them the subtext would have been the text.
Author’s Note: Mirandyscrow posted a prompt months and months ago that I just couldn’t pass up. So…here is the story that just wouldn’t leave me alone. It's a little late for Valentines day but...it's here! And I've now posted two stories in one day. That's a record for me.
The banner that I hope to figure out how to post for the next entry can be found here. It was made by radak and it is beautiful!
Introduction
----Ancient Greece----
The sound of the growing storm howled through the small cottage atop a hill on the outskirts of the city of Athens. Within the slightly unsteady cottage came the howling cry of a woman in the throngs of labor and a soothing voice of the woman who had previously lived alone in the cottage. The woman lacked the proper tutorings of a midwife but went about her small cottage preparing the mother for the arrival of her child as best she could with what she had. The storm had prevented her from taking the other woman to the healers down the hill in the city and now as the storm worsened she wondered if they shouldn’t have tried to brave the first front of the storm after all. With a growing sense of courage and anticipation with a hint of dread the woman hustled around her home preparing herself and her little dwelling for the presence of a small child as she did her best to soothe the woman of her fears.
As the wind tore through the cracks a chill ran through the rather warm cottage. The young woman who’d taken in the wandering pregnant woman watched with widening eyes as the air around her small homey cottage sparked with electricity and a great shower of golden sparks. In the place of the sparks stood a female form with a rather menacing look upon her face. The woman gasped and stepped back nearly stumbling over the preparations for the child on its way into the world. The isolated woman had known that her visitor had been running away from something and needed a place to stay so she could have her child, but she hadn’t the faintest clue in all of Athens that the woman had been running from the Gods themselves. At the frightened gasp of her visitor the women pulled all the courage she had left inside of her and stepped between the Goddess and her intended victim.
“Foolish mortal…” the Goddess drawled as she eyed the woman now standing between her and Psyche. “If you value you’re life you will step aside.”
The woman took a deep breath and at the sound of the other woman’s groan she tightened her fists. “I will not move.”
“Then you will suffer the same fate as her…”
“So be it.” The mere mortal whispered as she stood her ground. No one was going to harm this woman and her child. No matter what her supposed crimes this child deserved to live as did it’s mother and she was not going to let them be harmed by anyone. Even if they were immortals and could turn her into whatever they pleased. She wouldn’t move. She wouldn’t falter. Not now that it counted.
Psyche’s eyes widened as she watched this woman stand up to the Goddess of Love herself, all to protect her. She had arrived in Athens only to be turned away by everyone she sought help from. It had been her last chance; this cottage and the woman who lived in it alone had been her last chance. She had barely gotten a few words out before the woman had ushered her inside as the wind howled and blew about the remnants of the summer trees. That was mere hours ago, and now here she was in this woman’s home giving birth to her child. A child that shared the blood of the God of Love himself, Eros, her true love. Here it was that a woman she hardly knew stood up to the threat of death on the behalf of her and her unborn child.
She swore when this was done no matter the outcome she’d find a way to repay this kind woman. She swore it on the life of her child that this woman and all her descendants would be blessed with exactly what she was enabling her to have and keep. This woman would help her keep her life, child, and her everlasting love of her husband, which had allowed her this beautiful little girl. She’d promise them all true love and the most precious gift one can be given through true love…a child.
----A long time later----
-----February 23, 2007-----
Andy stood in front of the mirror, a horrified expression gracing her face. It couldn’t be. There was no physical way. This had to be a mistake. It had to be. Another quick glance down at the graying porcelain counter of her sink verified it. The small blue plus sign in the small little box on the horribly wrong stick was all it took.
Fear flooded her. Confusion followed with a splash of nausea on top and a side order of excitement.
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
So said the stick on the sink’s counter. As well as all the other discarded sticks in the wastebasket. All the little boxes on the long sticks read the same result, pregnant, positive. It was right there, staring her in the face but comprehension and acceptance hadn’t come yet. She figured after another two boxes of disposable pregnancy tests they’d come. Just like the other emotions had.
Andy swallowed the bile building at the back of her throat.
This wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t physically possible. Andy stared at the positive sign and only when the colors began to blur did she look away. The mirror showed her how pale she had gone at the results. Results, which were scientifically impossible! It was just not something that happened…
…ever.
To anyone!
People did not just get pregnant! There were rules about pregnancy. There were scientific rules! Rules that stated a woman had to have sex with a man to have a child. Unprotected sex, protected sex (for those few times the protection didn’t work); heterosexual sex with a man that was capable of making a woman pregnant, and a woman who was capable of having children. Hell, the sex didn’t even have to be good sex, but sex nonetheless. Sex, intercourse, a row in the hay, horizontal tango, whatever one wanted to call it, but sex.
Sex!
Which she hadn’t participated in!
In the last seven months!
Yet here she was staring at her reflection in her bathroom standing before a milestone in her life. A milestone, which she should not be standing before, because she could not be pregnant!
Why was that? Well one just had to go over how a woman became pregnant to understand. Then to know that she had not participated in any activities that could possibly leave her here, in this moment, because she had not undertaken such an activity since a one-night stand with Christian Thompson. Seven months ago. Seven long months where her love life was none existent. So, one had to wonder, how the hell did she end up here? Standing before her bathroom sink looking at the little stick that told her all her scientific knowledge was worth squat!
“Seven months. Seven months, seven freaking months!” There was no way that this was some kind of fucked up accident. There was no way she was pregnant with Christian Thompson’s child. Yet, she was pregnant and he was the last man she had sex with.
“Okay, calm down.” Andy ran her hands over her face and groaned. She bent forward, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water over her face.
Seven months.
Not possible.
Positive sign.
Scientifically impossible.
Yet, she was pregnant. No, there was a mistake. With all sixteen tests?
She sighed.
There was no mistake, but just in case she was going to make a doctor’s appointment. She splashed cold water on her face again and began rubbing the water away, groaning louder and louder as she did so. Her hands slammed down on the counter of the sink and the stick shook. Her eyes fell, once again, back to the little plus symbol. She yelled, flicked her wrist, and watched as the test went flying across the small bathroom into the nearest wall. It landed face up, the little + sign mocking her.
That’s when the tears came. She stared at the little stick and wondered how something so small could represent something so enormously huge-life changing huge. Horror and fear left her and were replaced with sheer and utter panic.
“I need to call someone. I need to talk to someone. I need…” Lily. Andy rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed up her phone, hitting speed dial. The phone rang, and rang and…
“Hey Andy, what’s up?”
Andy gasped as a sob jerked from her. “Lily…” was all that she could utter while her body shook uncontrollably as she tightly held the phone. Praying this was some sick and twisted joke of a defective shipment of tests. For four different companies?
Andy sobbed into the phone unable to answer any of Lily’s questions. She was falling apart. How could this have happened? What could have done this? How was this possible? When did this ever happen to anyone? Why did it happen to her? How could this happen to her? How, how, how, how, how!?
“Oh my god Andy, what’s wrong? What happened? Where are you? Are you okay? Of course you’re not okay you’re crying into the phone. Are you at the office,” no answer, “at home?”
“Yes…” Andy croaked out.
“Alright, hold on, sweetie I’ll be there in a few. Just hold on okay, I’m coming.”
Panic. “No! Don’t hang up!”
Silence for a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll stay on the line,” Lily answered. Andy heard her talking to someone on the other end. With any other circumstances she would have laughed at the fact that Lily was telling her boss to can it, she was leaving, that there was an emergency. Then she came back and just talked. Calmed her down, like only Lily could.
“So, woman trouble?” Andy smiled for a moment before sobbing again. “Um…boy trouble?” Now Andy couldn’t stop the laughter, the stark dark laughter. If only it could be boy trouble. Maybe it was. After all, how could she be in this situation without a boy/man? It still confused her. Probably would until she was told that all those little stick tests were wrong. They had to be!
“Now you’re really scaring me.” Lily stated out of breath.
“I need help Lily.” Andy whispered pathetically into the phone.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
By the time Lily arrived at Andy’s apartment Andy was rocking back and forth her eyes glued to the wall in front of her. Silent tears fell from her eyes, and she didn’t even look up at the sound of the door opening and closing. The sight of Andy so dis-shelved and distraught got to Lily more than anything ever had. Tears fell from her own eyes as she rushed over to her best friend. She wrapped Andy in a hug unsure what else to do. She still didn’t know what was wrong. Andy had barely spoken to her over the phone since she confessed she needed help.
After a while Andy finally laid her head down on Lily’s shoulder but continued to cry silently. Lily just held her, waiting. Andy would tell her what she needed to know when she was ready. Lily would just wait. She hadn’t seen Andy this upset since…She had to think about it. Well, since freshman year in college.
Time passed. Then, “I’m pregnant.” Lily’s ears perked up at the sound of Andy’s voice. Missing what was spoken into her shoulder.
“What was that?” Lily asked as Andy sat up, removing herself from her grip. Andy looked at her for a second before looking down at her hands.
“I’m pregnant.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Who?” When, how, well she knew how, but when and with who? The last she heard Andy was harboring an unrequited crush on an unnamed woman. Woman, well that had definitely been a shock, but who was she to judge? Andy was still young, and seemed to be searching for herself. If she found herself with a woman rather than a man, who was she to say anything?
“I don’t know.” Lily barley caught Andy’s answer the woman was whispering so low.
“You don’t know?” Lily asked and wondered what exactly that meant. “Andy, you’re going to have to explain that a little better than that. How don’t you know?” Lily felt her stomach twist tightly as she waited for Andy to respond.
Andy looked up and met Lily’s eyes. They were red and puffy but focused and clear as she spoke. Her voice rose in volume as she spoke. “I mean I don’t know how I’m pregnant. The tests say I am but I can’t be.”
Lily nodded her head, although she understood nothing that Andy was trying to say.
Andy sighed, “I’m pregnant when I shouldn’t be. I haven’t…” she looked down at her hands again, “the last person I slept with was Christian.”
“That was almost seven months ago.” Lily recounted.
“I know. That’s the problem, Lil. I can’t be pregnant because he’s the last person I slept with. I haven’t been with anyone since him and here I am. Sixteen home pregnancy tests later, still with child.”
Lily opened and closed her mouth. What was there to say? She closed her mouth and just stared at Andy. Let the silence seep in. Let everything seep in.
“We’re going to a doctor.” Lily said as she stood up, and moved to Andy’s side table. She bent down and pulled out Andy’s phone book, flipped through it until she found Andy’s physician. She dialed the number and made an appointment.
----------
An hour and a half later, Andy was sitting on an examining table waiting for her doctor. Lily was sitting in the chair along the wall, bouncing her foot. They hadn’t really spoken since Lily had made the appointment. Andy smiled as she thought about how Lily forced her into the bathroom to clean up, picked out her clothes and brought her here. Promising, when they made it to the door, that’d she’d be there to help her no matter what. Andy had thanked her, with tears in her eyes, still unbelieving as she sat in the waiting room. She still couldn’t believe what was happening even now.
Andy looked up when the doctor walked in. He was a skinny middle-aged man, who had been her physician since she’d arrived in the city. A relative of her doctor back home in Ohio, Dr. Henry Miles. He was a good man. Hopefully he’d be able to give Andy the answers she was looking for.
“So Andy, what seems to be the problem?” He asked as he turned to look at Andy, after scanning her file.
“I’ve missed my last two periods.” Andy stated simply.
“Alright…” Dr. Miles looked at Andy. “Is there any chance you’re pregnant?”
Andy sighed. “There shouldn’t be.”
“Come again?”
“I took several home pregnancy tests. They all came back positive.”
Dr. Miles nodded and smiled softly. “Well then I can suggest several OBGYN’s for you.”
“No!” Dr. Miles stopped his movements and turned to Andy. Even Lily, who’d been silent since they came into the office, jumped at Andy’s exclamation. “You don’t understand Dr. Miles. I shouldn’t be pregnant. I haven’t had sex in seven months.”
This caught Dr. Miles attention and he stood from his chair and moved to stand behind Andy. “Now Andy I need you to be completely honest with me here. You’re saying you haven’t had your period in two months, and haven’t had sex in seven, but the tests say you’re pregnant?” Andy nodded.
Andy immediately noticed the change in Dr. Miles’ demeanor. He moved to her chart again and called in a nurse. Lily noticed the change in the good doctor as well.
Lily stood up and moved to stand beside Andy, noticing that Andy had become extremely tense at Dr. Miles actions.
“Doctor, is it possible that the tests were wrong?” Lily asked.
“It is possible.”
“What could cause them all to be wrong?” Andy asked her hands shaking a little as she watched her doctor pull out a needle. Andy paled. She hated needles. The nurse had a vile ready and they moved over to her. Andy stiffened and Lily rubbed her back.
“That’s what we’re going to try and figure out. There are several instances where tests are wrong.” Andy sighed with relief, before she saw the needle again. “We’re going to run our own blood test. See if we can’t find anything.” Andy nodded and extended her arm. Felt the pinch and listened as he continued to speak. “If it comes back positive, we’ll schedule an ultrasound. If it comes back clear then we’ll move into doing a more thorough examination.”
“What could it be?” Andy asked as she opened her eyes to look at her physician. “What could it be if I’m not pregnant?”
“There are many things it could be. Have you been feeling abdominal pain lately?”
“No.” Andy watched the vile fill with her blood and cringed.
“Hmm…have you been stressed?”
“A little. I have a new job.”
“Stress could be a factor, so can many things. It may just be that you’ll wake up to find you have your period tomorrow.”
“That doesn’t explain the pregnancy tests.” Andy noted as the nurse capped the vile filled with her blood and scribbled her name onto the tape.
He sighed. “No it doesn’t. But don’t worry about it yet. The tests are most likely defective. When our test comes back, we’ll talk more about it.”
Andy looked at Henry and nodded. His test would find that she wasn’t pregnant. She was sure of it.
------------A Week Later------------
----March 6, 2007----
“What do you mean I’m pregnant?” Andy exclaimed as she stared at Dr. Miles and Dr. Melissa Turner, her OBGYN. They had to be mistaken. “You’re not getting it. I can’t be pregnant! I haven’t had sex in seven months! There’s got to be some mistake!” Andy tried to sit up, but Dr. Miles held her in place.
“Andy calm down.”
“How can you tell me to calm down? From what you just told me I’m four months pregnant, I’ve only missed two periods and haven’t had sex in seven months. None of it makes any sense!”
“I know it doesn’t right now, but…”
“No buts! I’m not pregnant.”
“The child right there…” Dr. Turner pointed at the image on the ultrasound. “…says otherwise.”
Andy shook her head. “This is impossible.” Andy puffed and threw her head back down against the examining bed.
Then she listened to the heartbeat of the child on the screen and her face paled. The heartbeat of her child. No matter how impossible or improbable it all really was, that little blip on the screen, that little gray blob with a heartbeat was her child.
Finally…after a week, comprehension and acceptance moved inside of her with the largest side order of love she had ever felt.
She was pregnant.
TBC…
Part 1
Author: inlove_n_inhate
Plot: A blessing from Ancient Greece meets modern day science and when stuff like that happens there's bound to be an explosion of massive proportions.
Disclaimer: Let’s face it if I owned them the subtext would have been the text.
Author’s Note: Mirandyscrow posted a prompt months and months ago that I just couldn’t pass up. So…here is the story that just wouldn’t leave me alone. It's a little late for Valentines day but...it's here! And I've now posted two stories in one day. That's a record for me.
The banner that I hope to figure out how to post for the next entry can be found here. It was made by radak and it is beautiful!
Introduction
----Ancient Greece----
The sound of the growing storm howled through the small cottage atop a hill on the outskirts of the city of Athens. Within the slightly unsteady cottage came the howling cry of a woman in the throngs of labor and a soothing voice of the woman who had previously lived alone in the cottage. The woman lacked the proper tutorings of a midwife but went about her small cottage preparing the mother for the arrival of her child as best she could with what she had. The storm had prevented her from taking the other woman to the healers down the hill in the city and now as the storm worsened she wondered if they shouldn’t have tried to brave the first front of the storm after all. With a growing sense of courage and anticipation with a hint of dread the woman hustled around her home preparing herself and her little dwelling for the presence of a small child as she did her best to soothe the woman of her fears.
As the wind tore through the cracks a chill ran through the rather warm cottage. The young woman who’d taken in the wandering pregnant woman watched with widening eyes as the air around her small homey cottage sparked with electricity and a great shower of golden sparks. In the place of the sparks stood a female form with a rather menacing look upon her face. The woman gasped and stepped back nearly stumbling over the preparations for the child on its way into the world. The isolated woman had known that her visitor had been running away from something and needed a place to stay so she could have her child, but she hadn’t the faintest clue in all of Athens that the woman had been running from the Gods themselves. At the frightened gasp of her visitor the women pulled all the courage she had left inside of her and stepped between the Goddess and her intended victim.
“Foolish mortal…” the Goddess drawled as she eyed the woman now standing between her and Psyche. “If you value you’re life you will step aside.”
The woman took a deep breath and at the sound of the other woman’s groan she tightened her fists. “I will not move.”
“Then you will suffer the same fate as her…”
“So be it.” The mere mortal whispered as she stood her ground. No one was going to harm this woman and her child. No matter what her supposed crimes this child deserved to live as did it’s mother and she was not going to let them be harmed by anyone. Even if they were immortals and could turn her into whatever they pleased. She wouldn’t move. She wouldn’t falter. Not now that it counted.
Psyche’s eyes widened as she watched this woman stand up to the Goddess of Love herself, all to protect her. She had arrived in Athens only to be turned away by everyone she sought help from. It had been her last chance; this cottage and the woman who lived in it alone had been her last chance. She had barely gotten a few words out before the woman had ushered her inside as the wind howled and blew about the remnants of the summer trees. That was mere hours ago, and now here she was in this woman’s home giving birth to her child. A child that shared the blood of the God of Love himself, Eros, her true love. Here it was that a woman she hardly knew stood up to the threat of death on the behalf of her and her unborn child.
She swore when this was done no matter the outcome she’d find a way to repay this kind woman. She swore it on the life of her child that this woman and all her descendants would be blessed with exactly what she was enabling her to have and keep. This woman would help her keep her life, child, and her everlasting love of her husband, which had allowed her this beautiful little girl. She’d promise them all true love and the most precious gift one can be given through true love…a child.
----A long time later----
-----February 23, 2007-----
Andy stood in front of the mirror, a horrified expression gracing her face. It couldn’t be. There was no physical way. This had to be a mistake. It had to be. Another quick glance down at the graying porcelain counter of her sink verified it. The small blue plus sign in the small little box on the horribly wrong stick was all it took.
Fear flooded her. Confusion followed with a splash of nausea on top and a side order of excitement.
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
So said the stick on the sink’s counter. As well as all the other discarded sticks in the wastebasket. All the little boxes on the long sticks read the same result, pregnant, positive. It was right there, staring her in the face but comprehension and acceptance hadn’t come yet. She figured after another two boxes of disposable pregnancy tests they’d come. Just like the other emotions had.
Andy swallowed the bile building at the back of her throat.
This wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t physically possible. Andy stared at the positive sign and only when the colors began to blur did she look away. The mirror showed her how pale she had gone at the results. Results, which were scientifically impossible! It was just not something that happened…
…ever.
To anyone!
People did not just get pregnant! There were rules about pregnancy. There were scientific rules! Rules that stated a woman had to have sex with a man to have a child. Unprotected sex, protected sex (for those few times the protection didn’t work); heterosexual sex with a man that was capable of making a woman pregnant, and a woman who was capable of having children. Hell, the sex didn’t even have to be good sex, but sex nonetheless. Sex, intercourse, a row in the hay, horizontal tango, whatever one wanted to call it, but sex.
Sex!
Which she hadn’t participated in!
In the last seven months!
Yet here she was staring at her reflection in her bathroom standing before a milestone in her life. A milestone, which she should not be standing before, because she could not be pregnant!
Why was that? Well one just had to go over how a woman became pregnant to understand. Then to know that she had not participated in any activities that could possibly leave her here, in this moment, because she had not undertaken such an activity since a one-night stand with Christian Thompson. Seven months ago. Seven long months where her love life was none existent. So, one had to wonder, how the hell did she end up here? Standing before her bathroom sink looking at the little stick that told her all her scientific knowledge was worth squat!
“Seven months. Seven months, seven freaking months!” There was no way that this was some kind of fucked up accident. There was no way she was pregnant with Christian Thompson’s child. Yet, she was pregnant and he was the last man she had sex with.
“Okay, calm down.” Andy ran her hands over her face and groaned. She bent forward, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water over her face.
Seven months.
Not possible.
Positive sign.
Scientifically impossible.
Yet, she was pregnant. No, there was a mistake. With all sixteen tests?
She sighed.
There was no mistake, but just in case she was going to make a doctor’s appointment. She splashed cold water on her face again and began rubbing the water away, groaning louder and louder as she did so. Her hands slammed down on the counter of the sink and the stick shook. Her eyes fell, once again, back to the little plus symbol. She yelled, flicked her wrist, and watched as the test went flying across the small bathroom into the nearest wall. It landed face up, the little + sign mocking her.
That’s when the tears came. She stared at the little stick and wondered how something so small could represent something so enormously huge-life changing huge. Horror and fear left her and were replaced with sheer and utter panic.
“I need to call someone. I need to talk to someone. I need…” Lily. Andy rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed up her phone, hitting speed dial. The phone rang, and rang and…
“Hey Andy, what’s up?”
Andy gasped as a sob jerked from her. “Lily…” was all that she could utter while her body shook uncontrollably as she tightly held the phone. Praying this was some sick and twisted joke of a defective shipment of tests. For four different companies?
Andy sobbed into the phone unable to answer any of Lily’s questions. She was falling apart. How could this have happened? What could have done this? How was this possible? When did this ever happen to anyone? Why did it happen to her? How could this happen to her? How, how, how, how, how!?
“Oh my god Andy, what’s wrong? What happened? Where are you? Are you okay? Of course you’re not okay you’re crying into the phone. Are you at the office,” no answer, “at home?”
“Yes…” Andy croaked out.
“Alright, hold on, sweetie I’ll be there in a few. Just hold on okay, I’m coming.”
Panic. “No! Don’t hang up!”
Silence for a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll stay on the line,” Lily answered. Andy heard her talking to someone on the other end. With any other circumstances she would have laughed at the fact that Lily was telling her boss to can it, she was leaving, that there was an emergency. Then she came back and just talked. Calmed her down, like only Lily could.
“So, woman trouble?” Andy smiled for a moment before sobbing again. “Um…boy trouble?” Now Andy couldn’t stop the laughter, the stark dark laughter. If only it could be boy trouble. Maybe it was. After all, how could she be in this situation without a boy/man? It still confused her. Probably would until she was told that all those little stick tests were wrong. They had to be!
“Now you’re really scaring me.” Lily stated out of breath.
“I need help Lily.” Andy whispered pathetically into the phone.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
By the time Lily arrived at Andy’s apartment Andy was rocking back and forth her eyes glued to the wall in front of her. Silent tears fell from her eyes, and she didn’t even look up at the sound of the door opening and closing. The sight of Andy so dis-shelved and distraught got to Lily more than anything ever had. Tears fell from her own eyes as she rushed over to her best friend. She wrapped Andy in a hug unsure what else to do. She still didn’t know what was wrong. Andy had barely spoken to her over the phone since she confessed she needed help.
After a while Andy finally laid her head down on Lily’s shoulder but continued to cry silently. Lily just held her, waiting. Andy would tell her what she needed to know when she was ready. Lily would just wait. She hadn’t seen Andy this upset since…She had to think about it. Well, since freshman year in college.
Time passed. Then, “I’m pregnant.” Lily’s ears perked up at the sound of Andy’s voice. Missing what was spoken into her shoulder.
“What was that?” Lily asked as Andy sat up, removing herself from her grip. Andy looked at her for a second before looking down at her hands.
“I’m pregnant.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Who?” When, how, well she knew how, but when and with who? The last she heard Andy was harboring an unrequited crush on an unnamed woman. Woman, well that had definitely been a shock, but who was she to judge? Andy was still young, and seemed to be searching for herself. If she found herself with a woman rather than a man, who was she to say anything?
“I don’t know.” Lily barley caught Andy’s answer the woman was whispering so low.
“You don’t know?” Lily asked and wondered what exactly that meant. “Andy, you’re going to have to explain that a little better than that. How don’t you know?” Lily felt her stomach twist tightly as she waited for Andy to respond.
Andy looked up and met Lily’s eyes. They were red and puffy but focused and clear as she spoke. Her voice rose in volume as she spoke. “I mean I don’t know how I’m pregnant. The tests say I am but I can’t be.”
Lily nodded her head, although she understood nothing that Andy was trying to say.
Andy sighed, “I’m pregnant when I shouldn’t be. I haven’t…” she looked down at her hands again, “the last person I slept with was Christian.”
“That was almost seven months ago.” Lily recounted.
“I know. That’s the problem, Lil. I can’t be pregnant because he’s the last person I slept with. I haven’t been with anyone since him and here I am. Sixteen home pregnancy tests later, still with child.”
Lily opened and closed her mouth. What was there to say? She closed her mouth and just stared at Andy. Let the silence seep in. Let everything seep in.
“We’re going to a doctor.” Lily said as she stood up, and moved to Andy’s side table. She bent down and pulled out Andy’s phone book, flipped through it until she found Andy’s physician. She dialed the number and made an appointment.
----------
An hour and a half later, Andy was sitting on an examining table waiting for her doctor. Lily was sitting in the chair along the wall, bouncing her foot. They hadn’t really spoken since Lily had made the appointment. Andy smiled as she thought about how Lily forced her into the bathroom to clean up, picked out her clothes and brought her here. Promising, when they made it to the door, that’d she’d be there to help her no matter what. Andy had thanked her, with tears in her eyes, still unbelieving as she sat in the waiting room. She still couldn’t believe what was happening even now.
Andy looked up when the doctor walked in. He was a skinny middle-aged man, who had been her physician since she’d arrived in the city. A relative of her doctor back home in Ohio, Dr. Henry Miles. He was a good man. Hopefully he’d be able to give Andy the answers she was looking for.
“So Andy, what seems to be the problem?” He asked as he turned to look at Andy, after scanning her file.
“I’ve missed my last two periods.” Andy stated simply.
“Alright…” Dr. Miles looked at Andy. “Is there any chance you’re pregnant?”
Andy sighed. “There shouldn’t be.”
“Come again?”
“I took several home pregnancy tests. They all came back positive.”
Dr. Miles nodded and smiled softly. “Well then I can suggest several OBGYN’s for you.”
“No!” Dr. Miles stopped his movements and turned to Andy. Even Lily, who’d been silent since they came into the office, jumped at Andy’s exclamation. “You don’t understand Dr. Miles. I shouldn’t be pregnant. I haven’t had sex in seven months.”
This caught Dr. Miles attention and he stood from his chair and moved to stand behind Andy. “Now Andy I need you to be completely honest with me here. You’re saying you haven’t had your period in two months, and haven’t had sex in seven, but the tests say you’re pregnant?” Andy nodded.
Andy immediately noticed the change in Dr. Miles’ demeanor. He moved to her chart again and called in a nurse. Lily noticed the change in the good doctor as well.
Lily stood up and moved to stand beside Andy, noticing that Andy had become extremely tense at Dr. Miles actions.
“Doctor, is it possible that the tests were wrong?” Lily asked.
“It is possible.”
“What could cause them all to be wrong?” Andy asked her hands shaking a little as she watched her doctor pull out a needle. Andy paled. She hated needles. The nurse had a vile ready and they moved over to her. Andy stiffened and Lily rubbed her back.
“That’s what we’re going to try and figure out. There are several instances where tests are wrong.” Andy sighed with relief, before she saw the needle again. “We’re going to run our own blood test. See if we can’t find anything.” Andy nodded and extended her arm. Felt the pinch and listened as he continued to speak. “If it comes back positive, we’ll schedule an ultrasound. If it comes back clear then we’ll move into doing a more thorough examination.”
“What could it be?” Andy asked as she opened her eyes to look at her physician. “What could it be if I’m not pregnant?”
“There are many things it could be. Have you been feeling abdominal pain lately?”
“No.” Andy watched the vile fill with her blood and cringed.
“Hmm…have you been stressed?”
“A little. I have a new job.”
“Stress could be a factor, so can many things. It may just be that you’ll wake up to find you have your period tomorrow.”
“That doesn’t explain the pregnancy tests.” Andy noted as the nurse capped the vile filled with her blood and scribbled her name onto the tape.
He sighed. “No it doesn’t. But don’t worry about it yet. The tests are most likely defective. When our test comes back, we’ll talk more about it.”
Andy looked at Henry and nodded. His test would find that she wasn’t pregnant. She was sure of it.
------------A Week Later------------
----March 6, 2007----
“What do you mean I’m pregnant?” Andy exclaimed as she stared at Dr. Miles and Dr. Melissa Turner, her OBGYN. They had to be mistaken. “You’re not getting it. I can’t be pregnant! I haven’t had sex in seven months! There’s got to be some mistake!” Andy tried to sit up, but Dr. Miles held her in place.
“Andy calm down.”
“How can you tell me to calm down? From what you just told me I’m four months pregnant, I’ve only missed two periods and haven’t had sex in seven months. None of it makes any sense!”
“I know it doesn’t right now, but…”
“No buts! I’m not pregnant.”
“The child right there…” Dr. Turner pointed at the image on the ultrasound. “…says otherwise.”
Andy shook her head. “This is impossible.” Andy puffed and threw her head back down against the examining bed.
Then she listened to the heartbeat of the child on the screen and her face paled. The heartbeat of her child. No matter how impossible or improbable it all really was, that little blip on the screen, that little gray blob with a heartbeat was her child.
Finally…after a week, comprehension and acceptance moved inside of her with the largest side order of love she had ever felt.
She was pregnant.
TBC…
Part 1