The test was burning a hole in her handbag, taunting her from his dark depths.
Deciding that she would take it early the next morning she tossed and turned all night, falling asleep when the birds announced the break of day.
Megan woke up much later. Pushing the covers from her to run to the bathroom to relief herself of a monstrous bladder, she remembered.
Her step faltered and she looked at the handbag as if it harbored a snake.
She took the test with shaky hands and padded towards the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet she read the instructions carefully.
She placed the test on the basin and walked out.
“Knock! Knock!”
“Who’s it?”
“You servant milady.”
Richie pushed open the door, balancing a tray.
“Jon told me you were under the weather so I thought I might bring you some breakfast in bed.”
Megan’s eyes kept going back towards the bathroom nervously.
“What do you need to run to the loo? I can wait.”
“No..no I ..thanks for the breakfast!”
Richie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“What are you hiding? Hiding some stud in your bathroom?” he winked at her, putting the tray down he walked towards the bathroom.
Megan rushed forward in a panic.
“Richie! Wait!”
He turned around smiling, a frown creased his forehead and his head turned back towards the bathroom.
Megan groaned in despair.
“Meg?”
She followed him towards the bathroom.
Pointing at the miniscule piece of plastic he flicked an eyebrow upwards.
“And that?”
She stormed past him and snatched it from the basin.
“Oh for God’s sake Richie. Don’t give me that look. You know damn well what it is!”
He gulped slightly and the teasing wiped from his dark eyes.
“What does it say honey?”
Megan didn’t dare look at it just yet.
She shook her head.
“You not?”
She shook her head again, her eyes huge in her small face.
The answer came brokenly for her dry lips.
“I don’t know. I’m too scared to look.”
“Give it to me.”
She cried.
“There’s pee on it.”
“You didn’t pee all over it, did you?” his heart broke for her. She was really scared.
“No.”
Taking her into his arms, he slid the stick from her.
“Let me take a look.” His soothing voice stroked her tattered soul.
Richie closed his eyes for a moment and then focused.
He didn’t know shit about these things but it couldn’t be that difficult could it?
Whispering into her hair he said.
“Well there is one line. They say it’s the test line.”
Megan stopped shaking, lifting her face slowly from its warm male nest. Hope pulsed through her until she realized he wasn’t done.
“But there is another line to. A bright pink line…..”
“Pink?! Are you sure?”
“Well hell I’m not colorblind! Oh fuck yes I am. You look then. It might not be pink but there IS a line as clear as day.” If she hadn’t been on the brink of hysteria, she could have laughed till her tummy aches at Richie’s clownish expression.
Megan stared at the screaming pink line, taunting her, assuring her that she was going to be a mother again. There was a little seed of Jon blossoming in her womb…
“Well is it pink or what?”
“Yes..yes is it pink.”
Losing all grip on reality she started rambling incoherently.
“Why is it pink? PINK? I hate pink! Why couldn’t it be blue or green or purple dammit!” stomping her foot, suddenly pissed at the idiot who dared to use pink on the tester.
“Maybe it’s a girl?” Richie offered.
“You don’t know shit about pregnancy tests do you?!” she shouted at him, immediately feeling ashamed for screaming at the sweetest man she ever knew. He did know shit about pregnancy tests. He is a man, it wasn’t his fault!
Megan shook like a leaf, her sobs slipped from her throat in short, hysterical gasps.
“Shhhh…its all going to be ok. Shhhhhhh. The color doesn’t matter honey, you have a little miracle growing inside you and no matter what its going to stay there.” he stroked her hair and then it hit him. That’s what he found different from her that day by the river! Her tummy, always flat was now gently rounded.
He held her tight while she cried, letting the shock drain from her exhausted body.
Staring up at him with a red swollen face, she begged him for an answer.
“What am I going to do Richie? Oh lord what am I going to do?”
“The only thing there is to do Sweetness, is to tell Jon he is going to be a dad again and throw away your pee stick.” He grinned at the stick still clamped tightly in her hand.
Her eyes widened in fear.
“He has Dorothea now. I cant break them up!?”
“Megan, listen to me honey. You’ll have to tell him! You are not going to keep this child from him. He needs to know. Jon is a big boy he can decide for himself. He’ll do what’s right.”
“I know.” She started crying again. She knew Richie was right.
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