Hunger

December (part 3)

One fine line. Two fine lines. 

Abi held the test up in front of Frankie. 

They were clear as crystal on a frosty winter morning. Two vertical lines in the tiny plastic window.

Frankie's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the test in disbelief. The world seemed to stand still, the gravity of the moment sinking in. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, as a mix of emotions washed over her - excitement, fear, and a sense of the unknown. This small piece of plastic held the power to change their lives forever.

Abi kept absolutely quiet. She looked at Frankie patiently waiting for her to react in any kind of way. 

Frankie blew out the deep breath she had been holding for a while. Her eyes weren't moving from the lines on the test. Two, blue lines. "Well fuck..." she said after a moment and looked at Abi. 

The corner of Abi's lips pulled into a smile. Her eyes were shiny, like tears were forming. It was obvious she was trying to hold back, not wanting to overwhelm Frankie or force her own feelings about the situation on her. 

Frankie bit her lip, and closed her eyes. A tear escaped the corner of her eye and she chuckled. "Well fuck!" She repeated, and looked at Abi. 

"Are you happy?" Abi asked, a tear streaming down her cheek. 

Frankie took a shaky breath,  a smile lingering on her lips. "I have absolutely no idea," she said and sat back down on the edge of the bathtub. "How do I tell Harry?" 

Abi handed her the pregnancy test and smiled at her. "You give him this and tell him that this is your current situation. And let all of this sink in. Frankie. You need to know what you feel and what you want." 

***

On the train ride home, Frankie decided not to tell Harry straight away. She needed to think it over and determine how she felt about the situation. When she came back home, she kissed him and went upstairs to hide her newly obtained stash of pregnancy tests. She felt wrong for not telling him, as soon as she saw him. She felt like she was hiding the most important thing in the world from him, and he deserved to know. He had a right to know, as it was.

Harry had cooked her dinner and set the table creating a romantic atmosphere. He had bought her flowers as well. He held her chair and poured her a glass of wine, before he served her a plate of pasta, he had made from scratch. Frankie felt an overwhelming amount of love for him, and her emotions got the better of her. Or maybe it was her hormones? She sniffled into her plate, and Harry got a fright. 

"Frankie? What's wrong?" He said, as he got up and sat down on a knee next to her, and hugged her. "Did something happen?" 

"You are just so wonderful," Frankie sobbed into his shoulder. "And you did all of these lovely things for me. I love you so much." She cried like she had done something bad, and held onto him, like she was afraid he was going to run away, if she didn't. 

He chuckled lovingly, and stroked her hair. "Love, it's just dinner. What's going on with you?" 

Frankie was conflicted. She didn't know what the right thing to do was, either she told him the truth right there and then, or she took the time to let it sink in like Abi had said. Everything came with consequences. If she took time to let it sink in, and she discovered that she actually wanted the baby, and it turned out Harry didn't, she would feel lost. Even if it was happening inside her body, it wasn't her choice alone; they would do it together, or not at all. And if she told him now, and he got upset, Christmas was ruined. 

"Knock knock," Harry said, calling her out from her thoughts. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears still running down her cheeks.