Chapter 26
The painkillers I had gotten from the hospital seemed to be reacting badly with my body; I was getting nausea, headaches, and I was always fatigued.
"Mom, I think the pills you got me were too strong," I said scooping icecream into a bowl.
"That can't be; the dosage was mild. How does it make you feel?" She asked putting a plastic spoon into each bowl before sprinkling coconut and chocolate shavings on top of the yummy caramel balls.
"It gives me headaches and nausea, plus my body always feels kind of weak."
"How long have you been having these symptoms?"
"Since I started taking those pills," I said taking my bowl and starting for the sittingroom as she followed behind me.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.
"Is there a possibility that you have had sex recently-"
"What does that have to do with-" I interrupted before I was also interrupted.
"Have you recently had sex with a boy?" She asked becoming suddenly dead serious.
"Why?"
I had a feeling I knew why as I held my bowl tight against my belly.
"If you have; there is a large possibility that you are pregnant."
Pregnant? Me being pregnant was a joke! What the hell would I do with a baby?
But what if I was truly pregnant?
"I'm not pregnant." That was all I could say slumping on the sofa with all my attention allegedly focused on the t.v.
I wasn't exactly aware of what was going on on Alcatraz, but I was aware of the fact that my mom was looking at me.
"Who's the father?" My mom asked placing her bowl on the coffee table.
"I said I'm not pregnant mom! What are you planning to get out of this?"
"We can take a test right now. I know when you're lying; and right now that's what you're doing."
"Are you threatening me?"
"You shouldn't feel threatened, if you know I am wrong."
What the f*ck! I couldn't sit here having icecream and accusation when I could just find out the damn truth!
"I'll be back," I said heading out.
My sole destination was the pharmacy. I was going to buy a pregnancy test kit, and I was going to find out if I had unwittingly gotten myself knocked-up.
I had never checked out the 'pregnancy care' section before. But now as I sort some 'pregnancy care' for myself; I was left speechless!
There were like literally a hundred types of regular pregnancy stick tests, and there was even an expensive blood sampling test with a blood extracting needle prick.
"Need any help?" The pharmacy assistant asked after maybe noticing that I had used up the better part of half an hour pacing the aisles.
"I'm looking for a pregnancy test." Obviously.
"Were you looking for a particular brand?" He asked smiling warmly.
"No, I'm just looking for one that's reliable. Maybe, one that most women use and find accurate? Something like that."
"I know just the test," he said signaling for me to follow him.
They still basically looked the same to me, but hey, I wasn't an expert.
"Here we go," he said holding out two packets. "Clinix and Meridian. They are cheap, and have a ninety percent accuracy percentile."
Yep, my fate would be revealed by either Clinix or Meridian -how uncomforting!
"I think I'll take the Meridian," I said putting the other pack back on the shelf. "Thanks."
"You're welcomed," said the middle-aged man disappearing around the aisle.
The basis of my selection had been simple. One test had had a pink packaging, and the other one a grey one; I didn't want to be grey...
I cleared at the cashier, and armed with my test in hand, I knew that I was one wee away from verifying my situation.
With my khaki bag held tightly in my hand, I rang the bell at Harper's house since there was no way I was taking that test at my house.
More like usual, Harry opened the door.
"What do you want?" He asked in his usual 'charm'.
"Is Harper in?"
"No, he isnt. He was meeting with some Claire chic or another."
Harper was seeing someone?
"Can I use your bathroom?"
"We kind of lived in the same neighbourhood the last time I checked," he said eyeing my bag. "What do you have in there? Tampons?" He said laughing as he let me in.
"Yeah, and I'll leave you one to shove up your vag*na for fun."
Once in the privacy of the loo, I tore open the pack and peed on the sticks simultaneously.
It felt like using the oven to bake, and now I was waiting for the alarm to go off signaling the end of the baking.
Twenty minutes later I checked on the post-wee sticks.
Shit, they were both positive, and I was officially screwed.
I was on my way out, when I bumped into Harper and the sticks fell to the floor.
"Sorry," he said picking up the sticks, before he realised what they were.
Double shit.
"Charlie? What's this?" He asked looking at the tests unseeingly.
"I'm pregnant."
"Come again?" Harry said peeping over Harp's shoulder.
"Who's the father?" Harper asked remaining with the sticks.
"It's yours," I said somehow fearing rejection.
"Wait a minute; you two have been shagging?" He said pointing between Harper and I. "And you didn't even use a freaking rubber!"
"It's not funny, Harry. Charlie, I think we need to talk," he said letting me lead the way to his room -the place where we foolishly got ourselves into this mess.
"I'm not keeping it," I said as soon as he shut the door behind him.
"I know it's your body, but it's my baby too, and I don't want it murdered."
I had a feeling that after tonight; (whichever way things went) our relationship was never going to be the same again.
