Odoroki
twenty.
“They…they couldn’t find anything wrong with me.” She sighed, resting her forehead on her palm, shutting her eyes and nearly groaning in frustration. “No fever, no blood irregularities…nothing. The doctor didn’t even bat an eye when I told him I’d missed my period.” She released another sigh, and she paused for a moment to rake her fingers through her hair and regain her composure. “He said it was the stress and lack of sleep and all of the crap at work, and I’m just…”
“Natasha…”
“I’m just…I’m running out of explanations for what’s been going on. And I can’t tell Yuu a thing until I know for sure or the guilt will be hell.” She released another sigh, and she bit her lip. “I just need an answer, and I don’t have one right now.” She bit her lip again, and she felt her throat clench up- she was near crying, and only the higher powers could understand what had brought it all on.
“Sweetie, have you thought that maybe…”
“What?”
Kiera sighed, and Natasha could only begin to fathom what was going through her mind. “Sweetie, do you think that you could be pregnant?” A few more seconds passed, and Kiera waited- letting the possibility sink in, letting the idea swim around in Natasha’s head. “And I’m not saying that you two weren’t careful or anything but…do you think it’s at all possible?”
And slowly, the pieces began to come together in Natasha’s mind. She’d spent the last two weeks vomiting and going to the bathroom a lot, and she hadn’t taken birth control for months. Her moods had slowly begun to get out of control, and those few ‘stress’ pounds that she’d put on had yet to disappear. First, the words, “No way,” escaped her lips in the quietest of whispers, and then as the idea became more real, she groaned. “There’s just…no way.”
“Honey, are you sure?”
“No, it’s- it’s entirely possible. There’s just…no way.” She sighed again, and she was quiet for another long moment, letting it sink in just a bit more, and when she spoke up again, her voice was small. “Do you think I could be, Kiera?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. But, if you want to take a test or two to make sure, I can come over and be there with you when you find out.” She sighed a little, and she was quiet for a few moments, and then she said, “And, if it turns out that you are, I can be there when you tell Yuu.”
“Thanks, Kiera.” Her voice was half its usual volume, and she realized that she was genuinely nervous about what the results might be. “Really, it means a lot.” She bit her lip as the tension that she recognized as oncoming tears flared up, and she rubbed at her temple with her fingertips, attempting to rub some of that tension away. “So, um…I’ll go buy a couple of tests, and then I’ll meet you here? Half an hour, maybe?”
“Half an hour it is. And, Natasha?”
“Hm?”
“Please try not to freak out until I get there, okay? You can cry and flail, all of that, when I’m there with you, but try to keep calm while you’re alone. Okay?” She waited, and Natasha nodded and muttered a ‘sure’ in response, and then her end of the line went dead.
And for a few moments, Natasha was sure that her promise was about to be broken- she could feel the worry setting in, and as she began to wonder what Yuu would say or what he would think, real worry began taking over. It took all she had to calm those nerves that were screaming for her to bawl her eyes out, and she pretty much let her head fall into her lap as she tried- and failed- to come to terms with pregnant and baby, which were two words that were, in effect, giving her a good surprising slap across the face.
And really, all she could think about, all that really got her good and worried, was what Yuu was going to say when he found out. She knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her, but she had no idea what this kind of thing- what the prospect of a baby- did to a relationship. And for about five seconds, she was scared to hell. But then she forced herself to remember that she did not, in fact, have a positive or a negative answer, and that was really all the determination she had to grab her keys and her wallet, heading outside to hail a cab.
Hailing a cab proved painless, as did directing the driver to the nearest drug store. But, there was no feeling more awkward for her than going inside, purchasing the first three pregnancy tests she found, and getting back into the cab while trying her hardest not to make it obvious what was in the plastic bag. She held the bag in her lap for the short ride, felt fidgety as she swiped her credit card, and she only really felt somewhat relaxed when she made it up to her apartment and closed the door behind herself.
She was sure that the driver had thought she was positively crazy- he must have driven dozens of young women to the drug store for the exact same thing- but it felt awkward to her, especially thanks to how very nervous the idea of impending results made her feel. She felt anxious, and since she was intent on keeping as calm as possible, she did what few chores she could think of while she waited for Kiera to arrive.
In the ten minutes that stretched on between her return with the pregnancy tests and Kiera’s arrival- with a few sappy movies and packets of hot chocolate mix in hand- Natasha’s laundry had been folded, and her coffee table’s appearance had significantly improved. She was greeted by her friend’s warm smile and a supporting hug, and there were a few moments in which Natasha thought that either outcome wouldn’t be so bad. But then, Kiera drew away to drop her purse onto the sofa, and then she took Natasha’s hand, giving it a supportive squeeze before letting go.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked, and though she didn’t seem convinced when Natasha nodded, she gave her friend a (hopefully) supportive half-smile. “Okay, well, I’ll be out here when you’re ready.”
“Okay.” Natasha did her best to return the smile- hers was shaky and nervous, if anything, and she picked up the plastic bag from the drug store, biting her lip and then glancing up at her friend once more.
“Natasha, sweetie.”
“Hm?”
“Just breathe. You’ll be okay.”
She nodded, and her smile strengthened a little, and she felt a few tears in the corners of her eyes- her anxiety was finally getting the best of her, and she gave another quick nod before heading toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her. And then, she bit her lip, opened one of the boxes, and took a deep breath.
Everything will be okay.
“Natasha…”
“I’m just…I’m running out of explanations for what’s been going on. And I can’t tell Yuu a thing until I know for sure or the guilt will be hell.” She released another sigh, and she bit her lip. “I just need an answer, and I don’t have one right now.” She bit her lip again, and she felt her throat clench up- she was near crying, and only the higher powers could understand what had brought it all on.
“Sweetie, have you thought that maybe…”
“What?”
Kiera sighed, and Natasha could only begin to fathom what was going through her mind. “Sweetie, do you think that you could be pregnant?” A few more seconds passed, and Kiera waited- letting the possibility sink in, letting the idea swim around in Natasha’s head. “And I’m not saying that you two weren’t careful or anything but…do you think it’s at all possible?”
And slowly, the pieces began to come together in Natasha’s mind. She’d spent the last two weeks vomiting and going to the bathroom a lot, and she hadn’t taken birth control for months. Her moods had slowly begun to get out of control, and those few ‘stress’ pounds that she’d put on had yet to disappear. First, the words, “No way,” escaped her lips in the quietest of whispers, and then as the idea became more real, she groaned. “There’s just…no way.”
“Honey, are you sure?”
“No, it’s- it’s entirely possible. There’s just…no way.” She sighed again, and she was quiet for another long moment, letting it sink in just a bit more, and when she spoke up again, her voice was small. “Do you think I could be, Kiera?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. But, if you want to take a test or two to make sure, I can come over and be there with you when you find out.” She sighed a little, and she was quiet for a few moments, and then she said, “And, if it turns out that you are, I can be there when you tell Yuu.”
“Thanks, Kiera.” Her voice was half its usual volume, and she realized that she was genuinely nervous about what the results might be. “Really, it means a lot.” She bit her lip as the tension that she recognized as oncoming tears flared up, and she rubbed at her temple with her fingertips, attempting to rub some of that tension away. “So, um…I’ll go buy a couple of tests, and then I’ll meet you here? Half an hour, maybe?”
“Half an hour it is. And, Natasha?”
“Hm?”
“Please try not to freak out until I get there, okay? You can cry and flail, all of that, when I’m there with you, but try to keep calm while you’re alone. Okay?” She waited, and Natasha nodded and muttered a ‘sure’ in response, and then her end of the line went dead.
And for a few moments, Natasha was sure that her promise was about to be broken- she could feel the worry setting in, and as she began to wonder what Yuu would say or what he would think, real worry began taking over. It took all she had to calm those nerves that were screaming for her to bawl her eyes out, and she pretty much let her head fall into her lap as she tried- and failed- to come to terms with pregnant and baby, which were two words that were, in effect, giving her a good surprising slap across the face.
And really, all she could think about, all that really got her good and worried, was what Yuu was going to say when he found out. She knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her, but she had no idea what this kind of thing- what the prospect of a baby- did to a relationship. And for about five seconds, she was scared to hell. But then she forced herself to remember that she did not, in fact, have a positive or a negative answer, and that was really all the determination she had to grab her keys and her wallet, heading outside to hail a cab.
Hailing a cab proved painless, as did directing the driver to the nearest drug store. But, there was no feeling more awkward for her than going inside, purchasing the first three pregnancy tests she found, and getting back into the cab while trying her hardest not to make it obvious what was in the plastic bag. She held the bag in her lap for the short ride, felt fidgety as she swiped her credit card, and she only really felt somewhat relaxed when she made it up to her apartment and closed the door behind herself.
She was sure that the driver had thought she was positively crazy- he must have driven dozens of young women to the drug store for the exact same thing- but it felt awkward to her, especially thanks to how very nervous the idea of impending results made her feel. She felt anxious, and since she was intent on keeping as calm as possible, she did what few chores she could think of while she waited for Kiera to arrive.
In the ten minutes that stretched on between her return with the pregnancy tests and Kiera’s arrival- with a few sappy movies and packets of hot chocolate mix in hand- Natasha’s laundry had been folded, and her coffee table’s appearance had significantly improved. She was greeted by her friend’s warm smile and a supporting hug, and there were a few moments in which Natasha thought that either outcome wouldn’t be so bad. But then, Kiera drew away to drop her purse onto the sofa, and then she took Natasha’s hand, giving it a supportive squeeze before letting go.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked, and though she didn’t seem convinced when Natasha nodded, she gave her friend a (hopefully) supportive half-smile. “Okay, well, I’ll be out here when you’re ready.”
“Okay.” Natasha did her best to return the smile- hers was shaky and nervous, if anything, and she picked up the plastic bag from the drug store, biting her lip and then glancing up at her friend once more.
“Natasha, sweetie.”
“Hm?”
“Just breathe. You’ll be okay.”
She nodded, and her smile strengthened a little, and she felt a few tears in the corners of her eyes- her anxiety was finally getting the best of her, and she gave another quick nod before heading toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her. And then, she bit her lip, opened one of the boxes, and took a deep breath.
Everything will be okay.