Love doesn't have to be hard

Chapter 18: How Did this happen

So, we arrived back home from Florida last week, and Tessa is still sick. She can't figure out why sometimes she feels fine, then all of a sudden she is throwing up, and then she feels better.

I am really concerned about her and have already told her if she isn't feeling better by Monday, she is going to the doctor.  

She is lying on the couch, and I am fixing her some chicken noodle soup and peppermint tea. Mom asked me if she was feeling any better, and I told her not really. She asked me if there was any chance she could be pregnant. I said no, she is on birth control shots. 

She then proceeded to explain that nothing is one hundred percent and that maybe I needed to buy a test just to confirm that's not what was going on. 

So, I went down the road to Walgreens, bought two different kinds, and went back home. She was still lying on the couch. She had eaten all her soup and drank her tea.  

I wasn't sure how to approach this subject with her, but I put the bag on the counter and sat down beside her.  

"Hey babe, can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, we can, sweetie. What's on your mind?"

"Well, Mom told me that it would be best just to ensure this isn't what is wrong with you. I know you are on birth control, and we haven't used a condom since. Mom said nothing is one hundred percent, so I bought some tests just to ensure that isn't what is causing you to be sick."

"You mean that I could possibly be pregnant? Oh, god, I didn't even think of that. Oh, no, what are we going to do if that is what's wrong with me? You will hate me for getting pregnant."

"Hey, no, if that is what is causing you to be sick, then we will just have a baby sooner than we planned. Baby, I would never hate you; I could never hate you. Please, don't ever think like that. You didn't get pregnant alone, so the blame isn't on you. We are a team, and we are in this together." He pulled her into his lap.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Zed, for saying that." He hugged her and held her tight.

"I love you so much, Baby."

"I love you, babe."

"Okay, let's just see. At least if we take the test and it comes up negative, then we know something else is going on."

"Okay, thank you for everything." He walked her into their bedroom, and he pulled the boxes out.

"I wasn't sure which one to get, so I got two different kinds."

She read the boxes and grabbed one out of the box in her right hand. "Let's do this one. If it says positive, we can do the other one as well, just to see if they both say the same thing. I have heard of false positives."  

"So, you have to pee on this stick, the white part, it says. Then put the cap back on and wait for five minutes." 

"Okay, let's do this." She walked into the bathroom and peed on the stick, then put the cap on and sat it on the sink. She washed her hands, and he held his arms out. 

He wrapped his arms around her and held her as they waited; he set an alarm on his phone. He just held her and swayed with her. When his alarm beeped, he held the box, and they walked over to the test with his arm around her. She knew he was supporting her. 

If she had stayed with Hardin and they were in the same position, she was sure there would be a hole in the wall in the shape of his body. He would leave her so fast. She was glad she had picked Zed. He was being so great, comforting her and making sure she was okay.