𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗜 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲 (𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘈𝘜) ❶

Chapter 40

"How did you let this happen?" Pepper asked.

"We didn't use protection…" Nat whispered brokenly

"Let's take her to the clinic." Tony spoke up "Let the doctor check so we can be sure."

They helped Natasha get up and took her straight to a clinic the Stark family had been longtime patrons of to ensure Natasha's privacy.

Tony and Pepper stayed with Natasha throughout the exam knowing that although she was putting on a strong facade she was close to breaking down.

The three huddled together in the observation room while the doctor asked Natasha some questions. Natasha spoke frankly, and replied truthfully. She told the physician her period was a week late and showed her the positive pregnancy test before they began the diagnosis.

"May I ask if you know who the father is? The doctor asked kindly. "I assume you will be advising him of your condition?"

"Yes, I know who the father is, but by his own choice he is no longer a part of my life." Natasha responded dryly

Tony looked over at Natasha's strained face, and could see the emptiness in her eyes. He shook his head sadly. He truly felt sorry for Natasha but he couldn't find it in himself to judge Steve. He understood Steve's behavior better than anyone did, he knew that if he himself was placed into the same position he wouldn't have acted much better.

Tony related to Steve, Steve was a guy who had spent most of his life dealing with abandonment issues, father issues, and commitment issues. Steve would never be the type of guy who would let another person into his life easily. Tony understood that because he too was afraid of getting hurt, and dealing with the pain of someone abandoning him.

The doctor asked two more questions before leaving the room to get the results.

"Why would you have unprotected sex, Natasha?!" Pepper asked incredulously as soon as the doctor left.

"I don't know! We weren't ….I wasn't thinking, Pepper! I thought he …I thought he….Dammit Pepper… I thought he felt the same way I did! I got lost in the moment. You don't think I realize how stupid I was! I made a mistake!" Natasha cried hysterically

"Are you planning on telling him?" Pepper asked quietly

"No! Why would I tell him? If he didn't want me, what makes you think he would want a child?!" Natasha responded harshly

"But he will find out, Nat. It's not something you can hide forever." Pepper said reasonably

Natasha looked away, stared hard at the wall before quietly saying, "I'm planning on joining my family in France."

Pepper gasped at a loss for words. "Nat…." But Tony cut her off "I think we should wait for the results before you plan your escape route, Nat." Tony said.

The doctor returned with the results. Natasha held her breathe, waiting for the result.

"Natasha, you are not pregnant." The doctor informed her, and they all sighed in relief.

"How is that possible? The test was positive." Natasha asked.

"Home pregnancy tests are not 100% accurate, Natasha." The doctor advised "In your case it read inaccurately and gave you a false positive."

The doctor released her and Tony took the girls back to campus.

"Not a word about this to anyone" Natasha told both of them before heading into her room to think.

___________________

Even though Natasha wasn't pregnant she continued to spiral into depression. She had taken Steve's betrayal so hard everyone began to notice that her luster was quickly fading. She appeared to be only the shell of the Natasha they had known, and the consensus was that she couldn't continue on like this.