APRIL

THE SICKNESS

So I never stopped throwing up so I'm finally on my way to the doctor. Forrest decided to skip school and tag along.

I didn't go when my mother told me to though, I waited until the following Friday after school.

Want to know why?

I never got my period.

I was for sure that my period was coming, but it hasn't yet.

I'm only two weeks late, I'm not really worried about anything.

I couldn't be pregnant.

There's no way.

We arrive at the doctors office and I sign in and wait to be called into the back.

Once they call me, I do the normal procedure of getting my height and weight recorded before heading into a room.

Forrest sat quietly in a chair in the room while the doctor came in and asked me questions.

"What has been going on?" She asks as she begins to take my blood pressure.

I tell her, "I've been throwing up randomly and I have bad cramps."

She nods, "are you throwing up as soon as you wake up or throughout the day periodically?"

"First when I wake up in the morning and then I'll be fine and then usually after I eat a big meal."

She writes down the information and then looks up at me, "has there been anything changing about your body?"

"Well my period is two weeks late and I'm so exhausted all of the time."

She smiles then nods her head, "here come with me, we are going to see if we can try one thing."

I look at Forrest before exiting the room with the doctor. "Now I'm going to guess you two are sexually active."

I sheepishly smile, "um, yes ma'am."

"Is there any possible way you could be pregnant?" She asks as she goes through a desk drawer looking for something.

I sigh, "I mean we are normally safe I would say," I pause, "do you think I am?"

She looks up at me and hands me a box. "Your symptoms are showing signs of pregnancy, but before we run any tests will you go to the bathroom and pee on the test and then pee in this cup."

I nod and go into the bathroom. I pull the test out of the box and sigh. Am I really doing this?

I'm seventeen years old...

I pee on the stick and the rest into the cup. I waited the five minutes the box told me to and hesitated to look at the results.

My life is going to change forever if this is positive.

But who knows, sometimes these things aren't always accurate.

I guess that's why I did a urine test too.

I close my eyes as I pick up the stick in my hands. Please don't let it-

There was a plus sign on the marker.

I was pregnant.

Oh god. How am I going to tell my parents?

How am I going to tell Forrest?

My life is ruined.

I begin to start breathing heavily and show signs of a panic attack until there was a knock on the door, "Ms. Adams, are you okay?"

I take a deep breath and wipe away the rear under my eyes before opening the door, "it's positive," I say quietly.

"We can always talk options."