Bewildered Heart

Chapter Six: Tiny Miracles

     Remi pulled out her phone, opening her period tracker, and her stomach lurched. She had missed her last period. She had been so preoccupied with Sam's return she had not had much else on her mind. Remi swallowed hard and clicked off her phone, enveloping her in complete darkness. She laid her phone on her chest, her other hand coming up to cover her eyes. 

     Maybe she was not pregnant. She knew sometimes periods could be late depending on situations and stressors. And she had definitely been stressed with everything going on with this rapidly developing love triangle. She sighed as she rolled over and placed her phone on her bedside table. She would sleep on everything and then decide in the morning about what to do.

     However, when she awoke the next morning, her mind was still just as muddled as it had been the night before. She sighed heavily as she reached for her phone. She turned on the screen to see she had received a new text from Dean. 

     "Hey, baby. Should be home in another couple days. I miss you."

     She exited her messages, not having enough clarity to respond in a coherent manner.

     She opened her web browser and looked up pregnancy centers near the bunker. There was one about an hour away. She sat up in bed and dialed the number, her hands slightly trembling. It rang a few times before a woman answered, her voice pleasant. "Thank you for calling Tiny Miracles Pregnancy Center. This is Jennifer. How can I help you?"

     "Yeah, um, hi, Jennifer. I, uh, I need to make an appointment.... For a pregnancy test," Remi said, her voice small and uncertain.

     "Not a problem, sweetie. What's your name?" Remi gave her all her information before setting up an appointment for two days later. Remi hung up the phone before tossing it on the bed in front of her. She rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She sighed heavily as the weight of the possibility she could be pregnant enveloped her. She knew it might be too early to take a test but with everything going on at the bunker, she thought it better to be safe than sorry.

     Two days later, Remi was heading to the pregnancy center. That morning she had gotten dressed, choosing something inconspicuous - jeans, tank top, and a hoodie. She threw her hair into a ponytail and pulled on her Converse before making her way to the garage. She had told Sam she had a few errands to run and waved him off when he offered to go with her, reassuring him she was feeling much better and needed a little alone time away from the bunker. After that she had made a hasty escape, all but running to her old car.

     The closer she got to the center, the tighter the knots in her stomach grew, and she felt a wave of nausea as she pulled into the parking lot. She felt glued to the seat, staring at the bright and welcoming sign that hung over the entrance. Eventually, Remi came out of her stupor, opening the door and locking the car before she walked up to the building. Her feet seemed to drag across the asphalt, and her legs felt like jelly.

     She swallowed hard as she stopped at the entrance, her arms seemingly unwilling to open the door. She finally mustered up enough courage and yanked it open with more force than she intended, crossing the threshold, and stomping up to the reception desk with bravado.

     Remi leaned against the desk as she looked over the top, the edge hitting her right below her breasts. The woman behind the desk smiled brightly at Remi's arrival. "Hello, sweetie," she greeted. "How can I help you?"

     Remi licked her lips and glanced down at the woman's name tag: Jennifer. She pasted on an overly confident smile as she turned her focus back to Jennifer. "Yeah, I, uh, called a couple days ago," Remi said, her voice cracking with nervousness. She cleared her throat. "I have an appointment with Dr. Carson at 10:00."