Hunter: Crossroads

Chapter 5

It's cold and being seated near the toilets means I get to smell the very best of this place. Urine. Shit. The woman opposite me has a scowl on her face that tells me she can smell it too, but she keeps reading the gossip magazine from two years ago. A couple of seats down from her, an exhausted-looking woman sits with her hands constantly rubbing her belly, humming a tune as she does so. I like the tattoo that covers her ungloved hand, and as she catches me staring she puts the other glove back on.

I quickly look away, focusing on the posters on the wall that look new. Prenatal vitamins ads. A domestic violence support group. NHS leaflets on getting the best care for you and your baby. The posters hide the peeling paint and add colour to the steel blue walls. Near reception a light is flickering and as I fix it, I wonder if anyone will notice.

"Erin Bond?" A friendly voice calls out.

The other two women look at me as I quickly stand, tugging my jacket tighter around my body. I can feel their resentment at being called first, nevermind the half-hour wait I'd already endured. The chair I was on rattles back into place and I walk over to the older lady with cats on her scrubs. She looks out of place. Her hair is too clean and well-styled, her smile genuine and she has all her teeth - no tattoos that I can see either. She doesn't match the others at the reception desk. 

Doctor Vallerie isn't from this part of town.

"Come in, sit. How are you Erin?" It's warmer in here, and I see the electric heater on the floor behind her chair which makes her sigh. "Sorry, the heating is still out. Maintenance take their time getting down here. Now, let's look at your results."

She clicks away on an old computer that whirs and groans with each request.

"Okay, HCG levels are up, all your other checks have come back clear. Great levels of iron and you're on a prenatal after we talked last?" I nod. "Great! So, based on your pregnancy test and these levels, I'd definitely put you around week six or seven. We'll do a scan in about four, five weeks as you should be around the end of your first trimester then and we'll be able to get a good look at the baby."

She talks quickly, and I get lost along the way.

"Erin?"

"Sorry. Right. I ah, I read HCG levels can go up when there is no pregnancy. Are you sure? I mean, we talked about the implant and-" My head feels light and airy and when she holds my hand I use it to anchor me back to the moment. "Without really knowing my cycle, maybe I'm just ovulating?"

Doctor Vallerie pats my hand before letting go. "Oh honey, I know this was a surprise for you. I don't normally do this, there are only so many scans I can give without charge. If it helps, we can do one now. There won't be a lot to see, but it will confirm the pregnancy."

"What?"

"A good friend of mine runs the clinic down the road. We sometimes do private appointments, while the equipment is being repaired and tested, if you know what I mean." She lowers her voice ever so slightly.

"No. I don't- It's not that, I just." I close my eyes, take a deep breath and force on a smile. "I'll just take the appointment in a few weeks. Thanks!"

"And will the father be coming?" She fishes, casually turning back to the computer.

"He- what? No. Maybe. I don't know if it's his kind of thing." I ramble.

"Erin, if there is no father, that's okay." The look she gives me is one of pure sympathy. I should just roll with it. Erin could be a single mum for all she needed to know.

"There is," I say before I really think it through. "I haven't told him yet."

"Oh, are you planning a big surprise reveal?"