The Pregnancy

The Morning After

It was Friday morning at the Salvatore School and Lizzie was in the bathroom in a stall. After taking a deep breath, Lizzie finally looked at the small white stick in her hand. Two bars. Yes, even though she'd slept with Rafael only eleven hours earlier, she already tested positive on the pregnancy test. God, this must be the worst birthday ever, Lizzie thought to herself. She pocketed the test and  left the bathroom only to bump into her baby daddy.
"Just tell him and get it over with," Lizzie muttered to herself.
"Hey, Lizzie." Rafael said, hesitating to meet her eyes.
"Raf, I'm pregnant." Lizzie blurted out.
At least a whole minute of uncomfortable silence passed before the werewolf finally spoke.
"What? I- Lizzie, I'm sorry. There's just no way I'll be able to support a child. And, until I get my anger issues under control, I can't be around the baby. And what if I wolf out near the baby and harm them? I can't hurt my kid, I just can't..."  Raf pushed by her and headed to his next class.
Lizzie just stood there in shocked silence, barely comprehending what had just happened. Suddenly, she was sobbing, running down a random corridor.  She stopped abruptly, realizing that, as much as she wished she could, she could not run from her problems. Still sobbing, Lizzie slid down and sat against the wall and stayed there. She wiped the tears from her face and combed her hair back, away from her face. She was about to get up when she heard the door open next to her.
    "Lizzie? Are you okay? What's wrong? Can I sit down?" Hope asked as she exited her room.
    "Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Lizzie scooted over and gestured vaguely next to her.
Lizzie took out the test from her pocket and handed it to Hope. The tribrid's eyes widened.
    "Lizzie... what...? Who?"
    "Rafael. I slept with him last night. In the gym, after Penelope accused me of being a love leech and not caring about Josie. Raf came in and I really like him so I decided to make something happen."
    "Oh, Lizzie, I'm so sorry."
    "I don't need your sympathy!" Lizzie snapped. Then she softened her tone. "I'm sorry. I know you have no reason to help me, but I just can't do this on my own. Please. Rafael isn't gonna help me. Not until he's got control over his wolf side. I can't tell Josie because she'd tell my dad. I'm not telling my mom because she'd tell me endless stories about why sleeping with a werewolf is always a bad idea. I probably shouldn't tell MG because I think he'd just freak out and tell everyone. Please, I'm begging you." The tears came faster and harder now.
"Okay, whatever you need. Really. I'll do anything I can to help. Anything come to mind right now?"
"Will you come with me to routine sonograms? I don't need you to pay, just for moral support." Lizzie's eyes still shone with tears, but now there was something more in her expression. It looked to Hope like extreme gratitude, though she couldn't be sure.
"Lizzie, of course I will. I'd be happy to. I want to pay. When my parents and uncle died, I got half their money. They were extremely rich and I haven't figured out what to do with the money myself yet. I do have one more question, though. What exactly will I be to the baby?"
"I think it's best to wait until the baby comes to decide on that. You get to decide, but I think you should take the time to think about what you want to be to the baby. Also, can I put the test in your trash? I just don't want Josie to see it and start asking questions. At least until I begin showing."
"Sure. Do you wanna come in?"
"Yes, thank you."
Lizzie entered Hope's room and immediately decided to lie down on the other girl's bed. In 10 seconds, she was out like a light, one hand protectively over her stomach.
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                                   R O U G H L Y   1 9   W E E K S   L A T E R
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It was about 9:45 in the morning when Hope knocked on the door to Lizzie and Josie's dorm room. She had a wad of about $400.00 in her pocket.
"Lizzie, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, almost ready. I'm just gonna send Raf a text in case he changes his mind about the baby. How are we getting there?"
"We're witches. Magic. Take my hand."
All of a sudden, they were at a hospital. The sounds and smells were very overwhelming to Lizzie. She got a nauseated look on her face and ran to the reception desk. Lizzie rapped on the desk with her fist impatiently.
"Hello? Miss? Where's the bathroom? It's an emergency, unless you want me to throw up all over your desk."
"Hi, it's right down the hall, just around the right corner there." The receptionist pointed toward the bathroom. Lizzie hastily thanked her and ran off.
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                                     A B O U T   1 5   M I N U T E S   L A T E R
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"Elizabeth Saltzman? It's your turn, the doctor will see you now." The nurse said, waiting by the door that leads to the different rooms.
"It'll be okay. I'm here. Come on, Lizzie." Hope said, standing up. Hope took Lizzie's hand and went into the office.
Lizzie lay on the sonogram table and took a couple deep breaths.
"The doctor will be in shortly, Miss Saltzman"