MCPEW 030 UNEXPECTED NEWS

The sky was bright and blue, promising a great day ahead. Finally, after weeks of torrential rain, sunshine finally emerged from the horizon. I hoped this was a positive omen for my life. Tearing my gaze from the beautiful sky, I hailed a cab and clambered inside.

Shortly, the cab pulled into a stop in front of an expansive building. I paid the driver and walked to the building. A uniformed guard opened the glass door for me. Thanking him with a smile, I climbed up the stairs. When I reached the top, I stopped for a moment to catch my breath.

I had climbed the stairs several times for my regular check-up and it was the first time I felt so exhausted from doing so.

Indeed, there was something wrong with me. I couldn't stop the fear and panic from swelling inside me. My body never used to be this weak. Pushing the negative emotions away, I took a deep, calming breath, then made a left turn where my personal doctor's clinic was located.

The receptionist welcomed me with a smile. "Miss Phoenix, Doc Tara is expecting you," she said, getting to her feet to meet me.

There was no one other patient inside the clinic except me. I guessed I was so worried about my condition that I arrived so early that the clinic was open just minutes before I arrived. 

"Please sit down for a moment." She offered, gesturing to the sofa. I did exactly just that. I had to. My knees ached from the exertion of climbing up the stairs. It felt as though my knees would collapse if I didn't let them rest for a while.

The receptionist disappeared through a door. Almost seconds later, she emerged from it. "You can now come inside," she said.

I summoned my strength to get up from the comforts of the sofa and walk inside Doctor Tara's office. The door clicked close behind me.

"Please sit down, Phoenix," She gestured to the chair in front of her office table. I obediently did what she had told me to do. 

"Am I dying, Doc?" The question burst out of my lips before I could even stop myself. It was an outrageous thing to ask, but I had the right to know the truth.

"Four months," Doc Tara mumbled absent-mindedly while looking at the medical result in her hand.

Fierce fear gripped through my heart, my air passage tightened and I suddenly had difficulty breathing. My fingers turned pale as they held onto the table for support.

"I only have four months to live?" I blurted out loud, expecting the worst to come. "Is it cancer?" I added. 

Striking brown eyes framed by thick eyelashes gazed at me. Doc Tara said nothing. Her fingers smoothed the curls of her gorgeous blonde hair as if buying some time to think how she would drop the news.

The suspense in the air grew thicker as the seconds passed by. I couldn't stand the suspense anymore. My chest felt so tight, as if it would explode soon from the breath I'm trying to hold.

Am I dying? The question reverberated in my ears like thunderous death bells. The thought made my whole body tremble with indescribable fear. 

"Pardon me, Phoenix, but your outrageous reaction was making me laugh. You're far from dying. You're pregnant!" Doc Tara said, biting the bottom of her lips to suppress the laughter.

My eyes bulged from my eye socket, and my jaw dropped to the floor.

"P-pregnant?" I hesitated. Shock and bewilderment swell inside me. 

I thought I was dying!

"Yes. You are pregnant. In fact, you're four months into pregnancy," she confirmed, showing me the result of the medical examination. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed. For the very first time since I got there, she smiled at me.

I gazed at the paper in huge disbelief.

Shaking my head, I gaped at her, "Are you really sure, Doc? I'm four months pregnant?" I asked, my eyebrows scrunched in confusion. 

"I took three pregnancy tests in a row a month ago and they all came out negative. How can that be?" I asked, swallowing hard. 

"A pregnancy can't be determined by an over-the-counter test kit alone. I have encountered more than a dozen cases like yours, Phoenix. Getting a negative pregnancy test result does not mean you're not pregnant. It could also mean the HCG is not high enough for the test to detect the hormone in your urine." Doctor Tara explained in great detail.

Slowly, the words sunk in. I'm pregnant.

Joy swelled inside me, and tears gathered at the corner of my eyes. I'm pregnant. I repeated the words in my mind. Finally, I'm not alone anymore. Wiping the tears from the corner of my eyes with the tip of my fingers, I met Doc Tara's gaze.

"I'm so happy," I told her, trying to capture my breath from the excitement.

"You can call your husband and tell him about the news." Doc Tara said good-naturedly. Her words wiped the smile off my lips.

"No!" I gasped, the words sounding harsher than I intended. "I'm sorry, Doc." I murmured under my breath, embarrassed at losing my composure.

"Did you two have a fight?" She asked, her expression filled with sympathy. "Even so, I'm sure he'll be happy to find out he will be a father." She added with a smile.

Finally deciding to tell her the truth, I took a deep breath. "I got divorced." I told her, instantly erasing the smile on her lips. Her lips slightly parted open in shock. "He is marrying his mistress today," I added in a calm tone.

"I'm so sorry. It was insensitive of me to ask."

"I'm not Doc. It was a blessing in disguise. I have no regrets. I have my baby with me." My lips stretched into a confident, self-assured smile. 

Doc Tara smiled back and changed the topic. "You're still in the delicate phase of your pregnancy. I will write you some prescriptions for you and your baby." She scribbled a note and handed it to me.

Taking the prescriptions from her hand, I slipped it inside my bag.

I stayed in the clinic for a few minutes to chat with her about how I should best care for my body and what I should be eating. When a new patient arrived, I rose from the chair and finally bid her goodbye, a hand resting on my midsection as my stomach growled. 

I'm having a baby, and the baby was hungry. 

Comment