Camp Fairy: Beginnings

Abysmal odds

{LUCY'S POV}
2%. Upon using Erza's phone to google the chances of a condom not working, I discovered that a perfect condom has a 98% success rate.

And yet, despite the abysmal odds, all three of the pregnancy tests sit in a row on the floor in the center of Cabin Dragon, all proudly displaying the Roman numeral II.

If this luck holds, I'm buying a lottery ticket. Hey, at least I'm looking on the bright side!

"What am I going to tell Natsu?" I groan. It hasn't been a month since we started dating. A child probably the last thing on his mind.

"That depends," Juvia responds, "on whether or not Lucy-san is going to keep the baby."

I bite my lip. It'll be hard but I want to keep him or her. Even though it was a whirlwind romance and I hated his guts last month, I'm serious about Natsu. Serious enough to give him my virginity, which is saying something because I kept it while a lot of the girls at my high school didn't.

More than anything, there's a little spark of happiness in me too. This isn't exactly the way I imagined it, but I always wanted to have a kid and be to them what my mom was to me.

"I'll have to work multiple jobs." I decide. "I probably won't be able to go to college for creative writing like I wanted to either."

"We've got your back." Levy-chan says.

Next comes the challenging part: actually telling Natsu. I don't know how he's going to respond. He could be upset or angry, or he could just abandon me and the responsibility of parenting altogether. That's the most painful option.

With all those positive scenarios playing out in my head, I walk up to Cabin Friendship. When I open the door, Natsu looks up, grinning like he's hit the jackpot when he sees me.

"I have to tell you something." The words leave my mouth without conscious thought or decorum. Smooth, Lucy, smooth.

His eyebrows rise in concern and confusion. "Are you feeling sick? You don't sound too hot."

"I'm—" a coward. Just thinking of all the bad things he could say makes it hard to tell him. I end up closing and reopening my mouth in an endless loop while Natsu watches me.

He comes forward, putting one hand on my forehead and the other on his own, comparing our temperatures. "I don't think you have a fever. What's wrong, Luce?"

I bite my lip, shaking my head. How could he believe me when I hardly believe myself?

Natsu wraps his arms around my waist. "You can tell me anything. I'm not letting go."

You're going to break that promise. I take a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Natsu's eyes widen. I expect him to let me go, to push me away and tell me to deal with it on my own. Or worse, he'll tell me to abort the baby. He has his reputation as the heir of Dragneel Inc. I'll cry if he says that.

Instead, Natsu shatters my expectations yet again. His grip on me tightens.

His brow furrows. "I'm sure Wendy and Mom will support us, but it might be tough to convince Dad. If he kicks us out, I'll have to get a job. You have your part-time jobs, but they don't pay enough to support a family. And it'll only get tougher as you're closer to your due date..."

He immediately began thinking about the future. Our future. Together. He's not going to make me fight this battle alone.

Natsu sees me crying and starts to panic. "Was it something I said? I'm sorry Luce! I promise I'll make it work somehow!"

I hug him. "I love you so damn much."

This is the first time I've used the L-word. Natsu is caught off guard for a second, dazed by my confession. Then he lifts me up and spins me around, planting a kiss on my cheek. "We're gonna be the awesomest parents ever!"

Natsu insists that I have to get a doctor's appointment as soon as possible. Luckily, he has a childhood friend who is a OBGYN even though she's around our age.

I almost choke when I hear her name. "Lisanna Strauss? Isn't that Mira's little sister?"

Natsu tilts his head in confusion. "I knew Lis had a brother, but she had a sister too? And it's Mira? Wow, small world! I can't believe we never met until Camp Fairy."

I facepalm. "You're denser than osmium."

We go to the kitchen and ask Mira if we can call Lisanna. When she hears the happy news, she squeals and swoons. She dials and hands me her phone before passing out in pure bliss.

Lisanna picks up on the third ring. "Mira-nee? Are you okay?"

"Lis!" Natsu grins into the phone. I feel an unexpected stab of jealousy.

"Natsu?!" Lisanna sounds flustered. There's a lot of banging around on the other end.

Natsu explains the situation to Lisanna. When he says that I'm pregnant, the phone hangs up. It rings again after a second.

"Sorry, my connection cut out." Lisanna's voice is an octave lower.

"Do you think you could help us out?" Natsu asks. "Get us an appointment or something?"

There's a long pause. "Certainly. Come down to the clinic tomorrow. I'll take good care of your baby." Lisanna no longer sounds enthusiastic.

"Awesome, thanks Lis!" Natsu grins and hangs up. He sets Mira's phone on top of her still unconscious body as she mutters about ships and pirate babies.

Erza lets us borrow her car the next day. Natsu insists on driving me into town, following the directions Mira gave us. I roll my eyes and tell him I'm pregnant, not an invalid.

Still, Natsu opens the car door and even the clinic doors for me like a gentleman, an old-fashioned yet sweet gesture.

The clinic is small and cozy. There are two other women in the waiting room, each further along in their pregnancies than me.

A bubbly girl with short white hair opens the door and calls my name. I can immediately see her resemblance to Mira.

"I've been expecting you." Lisanna beams at me. We shake hands.

"I'm Lucy." I introduce myself.

Lisanna's eye twitches when Natsu slings his arm around my shoulder. I blush, and the other two moms in the room smile knowingly.

"It's a pleasure." She turns and leads the way to examination room one.

Thirty minutes later, Lisanna is convinced that my baby is perfectly healthy. She keeps running tests, as if desperately looking for anything at all that she can say is wrong. She must be a very thorough doctor despite her young age.

"His or her heartbeat is very loud. I've never heard a single baby with such a strong heartbeat before when you're only this far along." Lisanna praises me after probing my belly with her stethoscope. "Will you come back in a couple weeks for an ultrasound?"

"Will that hurt him or her?" I clutch my belly. Natsu squeezes my shoulders.

Lisanna smiles tersely. My question must've annoyed her. "Not at all! The ultrasound uses ultrasonic vibrations or high-frequency sound waves so we can see the developing fetus. It doesn't emit x-rays or radiation. Ultrasounds are standard since they're an effective monitoring method for you and your baby's health. We usually do two, one in first trimester and another mid-way through second trimester."

The rest of the appointment is basically Lisanna spewing lots of medical jargon and me nodding, absorbing every word.

One glance at Natsu halfway through reveals that he's totally lost.

If I didn't have good health literacy, Lisanna's instructions would make no sense. But I don't blame her. It's not like she's trying to confuse us.
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You sure about that, Lucy? 🤨