Keeping Secrets

Chapter Six: Here Comes Trouble

Standing in the Monday morning meeting, Megan ran her hands down her uniform for work; she was wearing a black sleeveless cowl neck blouse and black side zip bootcut fit trousers paired with black real leather court shoes.

Megan swallowed nervously listening to her boss talk, she felt sick and wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed; preferable with Sergio taking care of her.

Megan wasn’t sure what happened next but she knew that she had her head over the bin in the conference room with her breakfast repeating itself.

Megan didn’t have to look back to know that her boss and his clients were watching her, she could hear the clients asking in Italian if she was alright while her boss demanded that someone else be called in to replace her.

Taking a deep breath, Megan wiped her mouth and carefully got back to her feet as the other translator arrived; she knew that what had happened would make things harder for her.

“I’m sorry about that,” Megan said, she didn't miss the smug look that the other translator offered her as she hurried out of the room after she had collected her black bowler bag.

Megan didn’t even make it down the corridor before her boss called after her annoyed, they were in the process of down-sizing the company and Megan knew they were sacking people.

“Ms. Martinez… I would like to see you in my office when I’m done here,” he said making Megan stop walking and look back at him; she nodded in understanding, she knew how important that meeting had been and she’d made a mess of it by being sick.

Megan sighed before walking into her office, when her stomach lurched a third time but this time she dived for her waste-paper bin as her stomach emptied itself; she was grateful that someone pulled back her hair as she finished throwing up.

“Gracias,” Megan breathed looking back at her friend, Annie handed her a tissue before sitting in Megan’s chair.

Spinning in Megan’s chair for a minute, Annie frowned when she looked at Megan’s slightly flushed face; she had never seen her friend look so ill and she had a feeling that she knew why her friend wasn’t well.

“When are you due on?” Annie asked her making Megan sigh as she took a sip of water, she didn’t know why her friend wanted to know; she was sure that it was just a small worry.

Megan thought for a moment wondering why her friend wanted to know, she counted back in her head trying to work it out.

“The 2nd of April,” Megan said without really thinking about what it meant, she blinked at Annie who stared at her wondering why her friend look so worried.

Annie turned her gave to the calendar that was sat on the desk, she swallowed peeking at Megan who followed her gaze; Megan’s breath caught in her throat staring at the date on the calendar, the 17th of May.

Megan stood thinking back before she nearly collapsed shaking her head as Annie moved to her side concerned, she what this meant for Megan if she was right.

“I’m nearly a month late,” Megan said sitting down going back over her dates, but she knew there was no mistake; she was very likely to be pregnant.

Annie hugged Megan knowing what this meant; there would be no more hiding if Megan was pregnant and the secret would have been for nothing if it meant telling everyone who the father was.

“I’ll do a test when I get home… Ivan wants me in his office,” Megan said shaking her head; she didn’t know what she would do if she was or what she’d tell Sergio.

Annie nodded and offered Megan, a reassuring smile as the brunette straightened out her uniform before she headed out of her office.

Megan offered a smile to Ivan’s secretary but she offered Megan a sad smile in return as Megan knocked on the door.

Stepping into Ivan’s office, Megan knew what was going to happen when she saw the company lawyer; she couldn’t ignore the horrible feeling that she had.

“Megan… por favor take a seat,” Ivan said formally, nodding Megan moved forward before she sat down and looked at the two men confused; Ivan sighed as he crossed his arms.

“I am sorry to inform you Ms. Martinez… but due to the recent financial problems the company has faced we are downsizing our work force,” Ivan said, Megan didn’t have to hear anymore to know what was happening; Ivan sighed as he looked at Megan before he continued.

“Unfortunately we are going to have to dismiss you,” Ivan said, he was sorry to do this but she had been completely unprofessional when she vomited in the bin during the meeting they’d just had.

The lawyer nodded at Ivan before he started to discuss some legal information and about a severance cheque; Megan sat quietly realising that she would have to empty her office by the end of the day.

***

Megan had never been happier that she had friends like Marisol, Nicola and Annie; right now she was grateful that they were there for her.

They had bought a ton of junk food, and were now gather around Megan as she stared at the pregnancy test that Annie had gotten her.

“You okay?” Marisol asked making Megan nod, she slowly stood making them to look at her as she moved; they worried about what she would do if she was pregnant, everything was going to change.

“I’m gonna go…” Megan said trailing off making them nod, she nodded at the bathroom before she went to take the test while her friends waited for her.

Megan locked the door behind her and sat down on the toilet; she had drank two bottles of water before she had come to do the test.

Megan washed her hands when she had peed on the test and checked her mobile as she timed three minutes; she looked at the white stick that would change her life, she could hear Marisol coo at Lou who loved the attention the girls gave him while they were visiting.

After the three minutes were over, Megan took a deep breath as she stared at the stick that would change her life; she knew that it would change everything if she was pregnant.

Megan looked at the result and held on to the counter feeling faint, she couldn't believe that this was happening; of course, she had thought about starting a family with Sergio but right now wasn’t the time.

Megan loved her boyfriend and they had been together for six years, she didn’t think that Sergio was ready to be a father and they would have to start telling people they were dating.

Megan had just lost her job and she didn’t know how she would support herself and having a child without living on Sergio’s money; she didn’t want to become some sort of gold-digger.

Walking out of the bathroom and back into her living room, Megan’s friends looked at her expectantly; before Megan burst into tears wondering what she was going to do.

“Oh Megan…” Nicola said moving to comfort her friend as she started to cry; it wasn’t long before they were all involved in a group hug.

“It’ll be okay… even if Sergio isn’t there for you, we will help you anyway we can,” Marisol promised her, she knew that this child had come at a bad time; but she also knew that Megan would make a wonderful mother.