A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

Late

Carly and Charlotte both sat at the kitchen island, Charlotte with her hand on Carly's in her lap. Carly took a deep breath as she looked up to Char and started, "You know when you were pregnant with your first..." Charlotte wasn't sure where this was going but she gave Carly a gentle nod to continue. "...how did you know? Like, what made you first think you were pregnant? What were the signs?" Charlotte now had an inkling of where this was going, and she hoped she was wrong. Carly's only 17, it's not unheard of, sure, but she knew Carly well enough to know that this isn't what she wanted. Not yet anyway.

Carly has had many conversations with Char about her ambitions, about how she wants to conquer her career before she thinks about having a baby. Charlotte didn't even know that Carly was sexually active, she's talked about boys, in fact she spent most her time offloading to Char about her latest crush. Even though Charlotte has never directly asked, because she feels that should be kept private, Carly has never once said anything that implied she's been intimate with anyone. Carly is so sweet and she has her head screwed on right, and Char knows Reece has sat her down many times to talk to her about what she deserves and what's right. Charlotte knew Carly wasn't clueless, after all, when she questioned Carly about the searches on the nursery tablet she made it very clear it couldn't be her, hinting that she was a virgin. Had Carly started seeing someone and not told anyone?

"Oh, well, my boobs were really tender, more so than usual, and then I noticed my period was late." Charlotte replied cautiously. "Carly, are you worried that you might be pregnant?" Charlotte was so gentle when she asked, she was concerned for her friend, and she could tell she was uncomfortable. The room was silent for a minute. Carly shot her head down to look at her lap again not knowing how to answer, but then she felt Char softly stroke her hand with her thumb. She was appreciative that Char wasn't probing her too much, she felt safe. Carly closed her eyes for a moment as she built the courage to respond. "I mean, maybe, I guess, I don't really know. I just really didn't want to speak to my mum about it and I wasn't worried at all until I checked my Flo app." Charlotte paused thinking about the right thing to say next. She gave Carly's hand a squeeze and with her free hand she gently lifted Carly's chin up to face her. "I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me. I'll support you however you need, okay?" Charlotte responded with a comforting tone that eased Carly's tense posture ever so slightly. Carly knew that Char would never judge her, or be angry, or disappointed. "Thanks, Char." She answered in almost a whisper, fighting back tears. Charlotte wrapped her arms around Carly and held her for a minute before she resumed the conversation. The poor girl was trembling in Char's arms.

"Okay, how late is your period?" Charlotte asked, trying to shake off the heavy feeling so they could start to work through this dilemma. Carly told Char that her period was only about a week late, which didn't mean anything for certain because Charlotte knew that when she was younger, her periods weren't always consistent. "And when did you...you know...sleep with someone?" Charlotte was doing her best not to be too invasive with Carly, if she didn't want to tell her about whether she was seeing someone then that's her prerogative. "Last month, so around 5, nearly 6 weeks ago. I was just hanging out with some guy I used to go to school with." Odd. Carly never mentioned this to Char at the time, very unlike Carly to not get excited and blurt it out on their lunch break. Charlotte shook it off, again, respecting Carly's boundaries. "Okay, and did you use any protection?" Char questioned, hoping to hear the responsible answer. Carly's body language started to change again, her knee starting shaking anxiously and her hands were restless in her lap. Carly looked up at Char as a single tear fell down her face.
"Well, I didn't really know it was gonna happen, like, one minute we was just talking and then the next...you know. It all happened so quick. Char I'm so sorry, please don't hate me."

"Hey, don't apologise, okay? You have nothing to be sorry for. These things happen." Charlotte comforted Carly with another hug and rubbed her back to try and soothe her. Carly was now getting more worked up. "It's just that, I feel like such an idiot, I know better than that, and I don't want people to be disappointed in me..." and then she said it. The one thing that Charlotte never wanted to hear. The one thing that changed this whole situation. "...I didn't even want it to happen, he just kinda did it, I wasn't even sure if I was ready."