We Took the Fall

Sipping on her bottle of water, Catalina sighed, resting her head gently against the wall of the stall she sat in, her head lingering close to the toilet. It wasn’t the first time, Catalina had been feeling nauseous for a couple of days, but she was confident that it would pass eventually. It was probably a reaction to the seafood she had eaten when she had gone to dinner with Esther whilst Fernando had been in Glasgow. Taking a few more sips of her water, she moved back to her feet and unlocked the stall, padding out into the main body of the bathroom.

“When were you going to tell me?”

Catalina jumped, caught off guard by the sound of Esther’s voice. “Esther” she squeaked.

Esther smiled. “I saw you rush in here as soon as class let out for break. I wanted to make sure that you were OK” she mused, pushing herself away from the wall she had been leaning against.

“I’m fine” Catalina replied, washing her hands.

“Are you sure?” Esther posed, a confident grin on her face.

“I’m perfectly OK, Esther, it was probably that seafood I ate the other day” Catalina reasoned, checking her reflection in the mirror.

Esther shook her head. “You cannot seriously believe that” she scoffed, giggling a little.

Catalina frowned, something which proceeded to make Esther giggle a little more. “Come on Lina, think it through. From the way you tell it, you and Fernando can’t keep your hands off of one another and now you’re in a bathroom in the middle of the day, throwing up, and you’re seriously going with ‘it must have been the seafood’?” she grinned.

Catalina’s cheeks flushed a little before she looked down, her blue eyes peeking at the front of her shirt. It wasn’t entirely unfathomable, she and Fernando did spend a lot of their time together in bed and it was unfeasible that that had led to something else, but still the idea made Catalina uncomfortable. The idea that she could be carrying his baby made her feel nervous.

“You should do this” Esther commented, pulling a bag out of her pocket “I had a feeling you’d be needing one someday so I kept it in my desk drawer” she added as Catalina cocked an eyebrow.

“Why did you think I would need one?” the blonde posed as she reached out, taking it from Esther’s hand.

“Because you and blondie can’t keep your hands off of one another and I knew eventually you’d slip up” Esther shrugged “And because I was counting on a little niece or nephew in the near future” she added, smiling a little.

Catalina shook her head. “It might be nothing” she pointed out, quietly wandering back into the stall.

“Or it could be something” Esther replied “Lina, look at the balance of probability. You eat seafood all of the time, and it doesn’t make you sick, but you’re not in the early stages of pregnancy all of the time” she pointed out.

Catalina sighed a little. She knew that it made sense, the notion that she could be pregnant did explain why she was suddenly nauseous and why she felt more tired than usual, but a little part of her hoped that Esther could be wrong. Part of her was concerned that it was still a little early for something as serious as a baby. Swallowing a little, she stepped back into the bathroom and placed the test down beside the sink, her blue eyes checking her watch. “3 minutes” she mumbled, answering the question she knew that Esther was itching to ask.

Esther nodded. “OK” she mused.

Catalina nodded her head, something which made Esther smile.

“It’ll be Ok, Lina” Esther noted “If you are pregnant, it will be alright, it’s not going to be as awful as you face seems to suggest it will be” she enthused.

Catalina shook her head. “It just seems quick” she replied, her voice a little shaky. “Just a few months ago, I didn’t think I was ever going to see him again, let alone get a shot at being with him again, and I guess a little part of me in concerned that if we mess with the balance, then we could fuck up again” she explained softly.

“Why are you so convinced that it won’t work for you two?” Esther posed, sitting on the counter beside the sink.

Catalina shrugged. “I’m not that lucky” she mumbled.

“I think you are” Esther enthused, smiling kindly.

“I am not a risk taker, Esther, I am not one for being spontaneous, and I can’t help but think we could mess up again. He’s so wonderful, Esther, so great, and part of me knows that I am probably not going to be the one he wants in the end” she murmured, pushing some of her blonde hair out of her face.

Esther shook her head. “Lina, I don’t know Fernando as well as you do, but I know that that guy loves you, it’s written all over his face when he’s anywhere near you. He literally lights up when he’s with you, Lina, and that’s not something he can switch off. Yes, you made a mistake before, but it worked out now and you need to start believing in the pair of you. You’re not the same naïve 21 year old who let him go” Esther explained gently.

Catalina sighed. “But what if it doesn’t work? What if I am pregnant and in 6 months, we’re broken again?” she whispered.

Esther shook her head. “But what if you’re not? Lina, what if you two have a baby and get married and get to have your happily ever after?” she quipped.

Catalina smiled. “I know that he is what I want” she whispered.

“And I know that you are what he wants” Esther insisted before she gestured to the side of the sink, motioning to the test kit which Catalina had placed there. Catalina swallowed gently before she turned to it, reading the instructions on the back of the box before she turned her eyes back towards Esther who watched her expectantly.

“You’d best start thinking about a baby shower” Catalina whispered.

“You’re…?”

“It says so” Catalina interjected, smiling feebly.

Esther shook her head and pulled her into a hug, mumbling her congratulations. Catalina merely hugged her back, not quite sure about how to feel.