Wrong choice (Ferran Torres)

Chapter 13

Anna noticed something was wrong the moment she sat up on her bed when she woke up. But it was a familiar situation.

"Did I really get my period?", she complained. "It's two days early. What the heck?"

But when she went to the bathroom, there was no blood. That was a familiar situation too. Sometimes she felt some cramps in the morning a few days before actually getting her period.

Those cramps usually went away pretty quickly so she didn't take any tablets for the pain. She did pack anything she might need if she ended up getting her period during the day while she was out.

Luckily, Anna had the day off. But she needed to get some groceries so she decided to go early and get that done so she could try to stay at home the rest of the day.

"I need juice, napkins, fabric softener, ...", she kept looking around the house to make her shopping list and then decided to walk to the shop. It was a 20 minute walk away from her apartment and she liked walking there unless she was going to carry very heavy bags.

Anna noticed immediately that she felt a bit faint but just walked faster so she could reach the shop soon.

But before she could cross the road, the pain was back. She spotted a bench where she could sit and tried to guess how far away from home she was. She had only been walking for 15 minutes so it was another 15 to go back home...

"Miss. Are you ok?"

Anna looked up to see an old man looking at her with a worried expression.

"Yeah, I should be fine in a minute. It's just my stomach...".

When another wave of cramps attacked, Anna had to move to lie down on the bench and just held her lower stomach willing the pain to go away.

"Is she ok?", said a woman who had approached the bench too. "Honey, do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"No!", she panicked. An ambulance wasted on period cramps? "It's just my period. I just need to go home. I'll call my brother so he picks me up".

The man who had talked to her was still there and helped her sit up on the bench. Anna picked up her phone and her brother answered quickly.

"Hey sis!"

"Joel! Where are you? Are you near my apartment?"

"Anna, what's wrong?", Joel could hear the pain in his sister's voice. They knew each other too well.

"I have some period cramps and I'm close to home but can't walk back".

"Fuck! I'm not even in Barcelona. And mum and dad are away too visiting auntie Asunción. Can you get a taxi maybe?"

"I'll call someone else, it's fine".
"Let me know when you're home. Please".

"I will. I'll call Hugo now. He shouldn't be too far".

"Ok. I'm so sorry I can't help you, Anna".

"Don't be. Talk to you later".

Anna sighed and tried not to let the panic stop her from solving this situation.

"No luck?", asked a policeman. When did he get there?

"No. Umm...my brother is out of the city. I'll call my boyfriend".

"We can drive you home if no one can pick you up".

"I appreciate that. I'll call him now".

And Anna called Hugo...but Hugo didn't pick up. She called him three times and got no response. So she called the person who told her he'd always be there when she needed him.