Of Lorenz Theory & Love

JHMD: Brotherly Love

45: JHMD: Brotherly Love

11 am, Vera Manor, Living Room

It was seven weeks after Harry proposed, and Macy was unconscious on the living room carpet. This was not how Harry envisioned starting out married (or pre-married) life with Macy, that much he was certain...

1:15 pm, Vera Manor, Macy's Bedroom

Harry reached over to the drawer in her nightstand, drew out a white plastic grocery bag, and pulled out a pregnancy test.

Macy stared at the paper box, wrapped in clear plastic cling-wrap. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. "Harry, when you used the word "test," I thought you were going to use your whitelighting abilities on me, or something to that effect. As in, check my brain, my heart, my other key organs, my fingers, arms, legs, and muscular tissue. Isn't that how whitelighting works?" Macy viewed the box with apparent skepticism, then peered back at Harry.

"I already checked, double-checked, and triple-checked those areas, all of which came back completely normal. I could check just below your stomach with my whitelighting abilities, but it feels like a gross violation of bodily privacy," Harry stated, matter-of-factly, his cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink.

"Honestly, Harry, there's no way on earth I'm pregnant—it's just wedding nerves causing gastritis," Macy was in denial. "That happens to every bride before they get married—they get so anxious they can't focus on eating a proper meal. Besides," she added, "if I were actually pregnant, as you seem so keen to believe, I'd have a whole host of symptoms, right?"

"Like upset stomach, lightheadedness, vertigo, fatigue, and a highly acute sensitivity to smells, such as Arabica almond-infused coffee beans?" answered Harry, without missing a beat, raising an eyebrow.

Macy groaned. "Fine," she spat, yanking the paper box from Harry's hands and proceeding into the bathroom.

"I love you too!" Harry shouted after her, now chuckling.

1:30 pm, Vera Manor, Shared Bathroom

Macy tore off the plastic packaging, opened the paper box, and read the instructions, which were, apparently, to pee on a stick, wait a couple of minutes, then see the results. A "plus sign" of two intersecting blue lines indicated a positive result. No plus sign meant a negative result. Macy carefully unfolded the paper instructions that were included with the boxed packaging. Apparently, the test was most accurate when taken earlier in the day. Which gave her an idea...she shoved the box and its contents in the cabinet under the sink and left the bathroom.

1:40 pm, Vera Manor, Macy's Bedroom

"So.....?" asked Harry. "What's the results?"

"I didn't take it," Macy answered flatly.

"Why not?!" exclaimed Harry.

"It's most effective when taken first thing in the morning. If I do it now, it could cause a false reading, according to the instructions that probably nobody but me has ever taken the time to read," Macy responded. "Nice try, Harry," she added.

Harry groaned. "Macy, I've exhausted all of my healing options. If you pass out in a heap each time you do battle, this could endanger your sisters and yourself. If we don't rule pregnancy out, I may have to refer you to a primary care physician friend of mine in the magical community for more invasive testing to figure out just what is up with that body of yours; to do otherwise would be negligence on my part as your Whitelighter."

"So much for bodily autonomy," Macy muttered under her breath.

7 pm, Vera Manor, Kitchen

Dinnertime in Vera Manor was a rather tense affair. Mel and Maggie were glad to see that Macy was alive and seated at the dinner table, but they couldn't help but notice the sidelong glances Harry made toward Macy, and how she answered them with nothing short of a death glare. Perhaps they had a fight? Mel and Maggie continued to observe them both throughout the course of the meal, which consisted of mashed sweet potatoes, meatloaf, and spinach, courtesy of Harry himself.

Mel and Maggie enjoyed the meatloaf, though Harry noticed that Macy continued to pick at her food, chewing her meatloaf in tiny, pea-sized bites, breaking each morsel apart and moving it around her plate to make it seem as though she'd eaten more than she actually had. Once dinner was over, Macy ran back upstairs, and Harry began washing the dishes. The tension was palpable; Mel quickly excused herself and made for the attic to read up on intricate potions, leaving just Harry and Maggie alone in the kitchen.

"Harry, did you and Macy have a fight?" Maggie asked warily; she thought that Harry's dishtowel on his shoulder vaguely resembled a white linen burp cloth for a baby. She hoped that everything was ok, and that someday, she'd get a niece or nephew to spoil to her heart's content, though perhaps it was doubtful, given the amount of friction she had witnessed between them just half an hour before. Macy had been positively seething with unspoken rage.

"No—not exactly," Harry was unsure of how much he should disclose to Maggie. "We had a mild...er...disagreement of sorts, earlier today, but it should hopefully be resolved by tomorrow morning." Maggie appeared relieved upon hearing those words.

"I hope so too, Harry. Oh, and thanks for the pads BTW. You're like an awesome older brother to me, and I think you'd be a really great dad someday." Maggie patted his shoulder reassuringly as she left the kitchen and proceeded upstairs.

"Thanks, Maggie," Harry's eyes softened at those words. "That really, truly means a lot."

7:15 pm, Vera Manor, Shared Bathroom

Maggie retrieved her sanitary napkins perched on the outside of her bedroom and went to the shared bathroom to place them in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Oddly, there was something already there, which was preventing her from doing so. She removed the offending object and placed her pads in the cabinet, then took a double-take. Said object was a pregnancy test. Putting two and two together, she clutched it as she raced over to Macy's room, forgetting in her haste to knock, flinging the door wide open, then slamming it shut.

7:18 pm, Vera Manor, Macy's Bedroom

"What is this?" Maggie waved the paper box in Macy's direction. Macy was in bed resting, though resting in her case meant checking her phone for client messages, reading through wedding ceremony articles online, and sucking on an uncrystallized ginger chew all the while. Macy looked up from the latest client email asking her for a set of elephant enzymes. She sighed.

"Nothing," muttered Macy.

Maggie walked over and sat at the chair nearest Macy's nightstand. "This," Maggie waved the box, "does not look like "nothing." Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Macy tried to grab the box, but Maggie held it over her, just out of reach.

"I haven't taken the test yet, so no—there's absolutely nothing to tell," replied Macy snippily. "All I want is to plan the wedding and boost my business, and Harry implies I'm a weakling. He claims that my passing out endangered us all and he keeps threatening to refer me to a physician for bloodwork if I don't agree to pee on a stick. He even wanted you to help out with some of the wedding planning so I could rest."

Maggie read the box's instructions, then reached out to hold Macy's hand. "Two things: number 1: physical symptoms are not a sign of weakness; number 2: realizing you need help is a source of strength. I know you'll be pissed at me for saying this Mace, but maybe Harry's right. Plus, I love weddings. This is my forte, my area of expertise."

Macy knew Maggie had a point. Maybe it was time, after all, to accede the reins to her younger, bubbly, certainly more energetic sister, and realize for once in her life, it was impossible to control every little thing.