28 August 2020

Hey, guys! I have a feeling you might like this one, even though it has less Alayna and Zayan moments. Enjoy! ;)

"Women's friendships are like a renewable source of power." – Jane Fonda

Alayna's POV

Last chance. Leave Zayan, or I'll make you regret the day you were born.

I receive this text as soon as I enter the hospital on Monday morning. I already had a headache when I woke up this morning, but it gets ten times worse after reading the text. I have absolutely no idea who this person is, who keeps texting and threatening me. I've tried so many times to block the texts, but I'm unable to as the number of the sender isn't showing.

I need to tell Zayan soon, there's no way I can deal with this person myself. At first, I thought it was just someone who's jealous of me, a fangirl of Zayan, perhaps. But I can tell that it's much more than that. This person is threatening me almost everyday now, telling me to leave my husband. As if I'll ever do that.

As I'm walking to the resident's room, I have the craziest feeling that I'm being watched. At every second of my life. I have the feeling that I'm being watched at the hospital, at home, and wherever else I am. Goosebumps form on my arms, and on my whole body.

I try to shake away the fear as I enter the resident's room. Everyone's already there, waiting for me. Including Zayan.

He notices that I'm lost in my thoughts, and he gives me a worried, questioning glance. I force a smile at him, shaking my head. Now's not the time to tell him. My shift is about to begin.

He clears his throat, addressing us. As always, he's clear and precise, on the point. There's no small talk with him when he's at work. 'Dr. Hina, you'll be working in the cardiology unit. Dr. Anum, you're working in rheumatology this week. Dr. Zain, you'll be on the paediatric ward. Dr. Hanna and Dr. Alayna, you'll both be spending your day in the ER, working closely alongside the new head of trauma, Dr. Lina Abdullah. Dr. Lina shifted here from the Royal London Hospital last week.'

We all nod, agreeing silently. He dismisses us soon after, and our shift begins.

********

Dr. Lina's a very talented, respectable doctor who's great at her job. However, she's very strict. I guess that's a good thing. Me and Hanna work closely with her all day long, and we're kept on our feet throughout the day. The ER's very busy today, there are all sorts of cases coming in ranging from a heart attack, seizures, minor burns and injuries, and falls.

Me, Hanna and Dr. Lina get only a five-minute lunch break as the ER's almost full. During our break, we talk shortly.

'Good work, Dr. Hanna, Dr. Alayna. Dr. Zayan's told me a lot about both of you. We can only expect the afternoon to get busier,' she says, glancing at me.

We nod. And she's right. The afternoon is even busier. Hanna's kept busy with helping to treat a young man who's come in after getting into a motorcycle accident. Dr. Lina works with her on the case, as they run several tests on the young man and admit him to the trauma ward, as he's lost a lot of blood and had a concussion as he drove into the car.

On the other hand, I'm busy especially with two patients that afternoon. The first is a middle-aged woman who's come into the ER with forgetfulness. She's out of place, she doesn't know what's happening. She seems fine, but her husband brought her in with extreme worry, as she seems very lost and confused. As I look into her medical history, I see that although she's only forty-one years old, she suffered a stroke a couple of years ago. I order some tests to be run on her immediately, and a scan.

The other patient is a twenty-one year old man who's come in with severe blood loss from his leg. He tells me and another senior doctor that he fell off the stairs and his leg landed on a knife at the bottom of the stairs. He's barely conscious, and he's bleeding out. His face is very pale, he immediately needs stitches. I order a nurse to do his stitches and help to control the blood loss. Ten minutes later, the young man starts vomiting everywhere, clearly because he's so weak from the blood loss.

At the end of my shift, I sit in the resident's room, waiting for the other interns and Dr. Zayan to arrive. I use the ten minutes I have to type up my patient notes from the day, and look at blood reports. Thankfully, they all look fine.

Hina and Anum arrive five minutes later, and I soon turn off the computer I'm working on. I talk to them about my day, and they tell me about the patients they treated. Zain, Hanna and Zayan arrive soon after, and we all brief Zayan shortly about our cases. He dismisses us, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm exhausted. Zayan tells me to wait for him downstairs, that he'll be going home now, too. Me, Hanna and Zayan drive together in his car, and I'm yawning the entire time. As is Hanna.

'You both look exhausted,' Zayan says to us with a chuckle.

We nod. "Dr. Lina's a piece of work, I'm telling you. She's a great doctor, but she's so.. strict. We hardly got a five-minute break all day," Hanna says, stifling a yawn.

Zayan nods. 'You should both rest when we reach home,' he says, looking at me worriedly.

I nod. "Definitely. Zayan, just wake me up tomorrow morning before work, okay?" I say, joking.

He laughs. 'I'm tired, too.'

Hanna asks Zayan about his day, and he tells us about his shift in the oncology clinic.

We reach home ten minutes later, and I whisper a 'hi' to Aunty and Uncle before heading straight upstairs to my room. I don't even bother getting changed, thankfully I changed out of my scrubs at the hospital. I get into bed, and within minutes, I'm fast asleep.

********

I can't be happier when Friday finally rolls by. I can't wait for the weekend to start after my shift today.

I'm driving with Zayan to the hospital, and I can feel his eyes on me. 'Someone's cheerful,' he teases.

I look towards him, grinning. I nod. "It's Friday! I can't tell you how exhausting and busy this week's been. I need a weekend!"

'Me too. Are you looking forward to the shopping trip with Zara this evening? Me and Zaid were thinking, we should take the two of you-'

"You can drop us off, but you're coming straight back home after that. We need girl time, and we'll come back late tonight. I'll tell the driver to pick us up when we're done, and bring us home," I say, smiling. I'm very much looking forward to spending the evening with that sweet girl.

Zayan frowns. 'Are you sure?'

I nod. "Yes. We don't want our husbands to accompany us to the mall. We're going to take our time."

Zayan nods. 'Okay, whatever makes you happy.'

I lean towards him and kiss his cheek. "Thanks, hubby!"

********

I'm busy working on the ENT ward that morning, and checking up on the new patients that have been admitted. I'm talking to a young man who was admitted a few days ago, asking him how he's feeling today, when my emergency pager suddenly goes off.

Code Blue. Level 3. Cardiology.

Code Blue. Level 3. Cardiology.

My heart rate accelerates in a fraction of a second, and the adrenaline starts pumping through my veins as the code is called. I rush out of the ward immediately, running down the corridor and down one flight of stairs. The cardiology ward is on the south wing of the hospital, on the third floor. And this hospital is huge, the largest in the city.

I run down another corridor, and then turn left. I enter the south wing of the hospital through another short corridor, and rush into the cardiology ward. A nurse quickly briefs me, telling me that the elderly man, aged eighty-seven, has gone into cardiac arrest. He suffered from a heart attack two weeks ago, and last week had heart surgery which was successful. His condition was stable, and now suddenly, his heart stopped beating.

I shout out some orders to the nurses and junior doctors, taking up the chest compressions myself. I work long and hard on the patient, checking his breathing and pulse. A defibrillator is turned on immediately, and I keep pushing, giving him chest compressions like I've been taught to.

A few minutes later, the senior cardiologist rushes into the room, and he takes over the chest compressions. He barks orders to everyone, and we inject medications into the patient intravenously, checking his pulse after every few seconds.

The cardiologist orders a nurse to inject an even more powerful medication into the patient's bloodstream, and she does. Things don't seem to be looking too good at all, as the patient isn't breathing. There's no pulse.

Everyone's rushing around the ward, trying to do whatever they can to bring back the patient, to restart his heart.

Half an hour passes by, and there's still no response from the patient. Another doctor has come in, and he's now doing the chest compressions. The cardiologist talks to me and a nurse, shaking his head. 'Electric shocks. Now.'

This is one of the last things a doctor can do to help someone who's gone into cardiac arrest. The shocks are started immediately, one, two.

My heart sinks after the first electric shock as I look at the monitor.

My shoulders slump, and I sigh sadly. The second electric shock is given to the patient, and miraculously, a small, tiny pulse is found. My eyes widen in shock, and it's as if every member of staff in the room breathes a sigh of relief. We all continue to work on the patient, and after several minutes, he starts breathing again.

Oh, my god. I can't believe it. I can't believe it at all. This is what you call a miracle. He had no pulse, he wasn't breathing, and now, he's breathing again. He has a pulse, although it's weak. He's back with us. I really thought we'd lost the patient, I can't believe this!

I stay for some time, making sure that the patient's as alright as he can be. When his vitals look slightly better, he's wheeled off to the ICU.

If we had been even a minute or two late, we'd surely have lost him. In a situation like this, every second matters.

I wipe the sweat away from my forehead as I walk out of the ward. Tears have filled my eyes, and I quickly try to blink them away. I'm overcome with emotion, my heart hammering loudly in my chest. Situations like these are why medicine is the best profession in the world. It means the world to me to be a doctor. It's my identity. I'd never change it for the world.

I place a hand on my chest, trying to control my racing heart. But it doesn't work. For a short moment, stars appear in front of my eyes. I quickly stop where I am, holding onto the railing of the stairs tightly as my vision becomes blurred. My head's spinning.

I take another step forward, but my heart's going crazy in my chest. I need to calm down, I need to drink some water to collect my energy, before going anywhere. I hold my head with my other hand, trying to control the dizziness.

I groan, closing my eyes. I don't realise when I take a seat on the stairs, holding my head in my hands until I'm feeling slightly better.

'Dr. Alayna, hey. Hey, are you okay?' A worried voice calls out.

My head snaps up, and thankfully, I'm able to focus better. I smile, nodding quickly. A young doctor who I've worked with before, Dr. Lucy Hastings, stands on the stairs in front of me, worried.

I stand to my feet and again, everything around me blurs for just one second. She grabs my arm gently, helping me down the stairs.

'What's wrong, Dr. Alayna? You don't look too well,' she says, as we walk down the stairs together. Her hand's on my elbow the entire time, as if she doesn't think I'll be able to walk properly myself.

"I just came out of a code blue, it was crazy," I tell her.

'Oh! I hope it went well?' She asks, nodding understandingly.

I nod. "It did. I really thought we'd lost the patient, but we were able to get him back."

'That's good. Dr. Alayna, come in here with me for a second. You need a break. Have you taken a break today? It's 3pm,' she tells me.

I shake my head. "I haven't had time to, it's been extremely busy."

'As busy as it is, it's extremely important to take a break.'

We walk into a spare room, and she pours me a glass of water. She hands it to me and sits opposite me.

'You need to stay hydrated, and have your lunch on time. Your energy levels were very low just now. Your blood pressure or sugar levels must be low.' She hands me a chocolate.

I shake my head politely, but she nods. 'Eat.'

"Thank you," I say, sighing and taking a bite of the chocolate. Immediately, I start to feel better.

'How long have you been feeling this way?' She asks me a few moments later.

I drink a sip of water. "Not long. Just after the code. Oh, no. I have cramps, too."

'Oh, you have your period?' She asks me sadly.

I drink some more water, and then shake my head. "Not yet. Soon. My cramps usually start a few days before it starts, though."

Her pager goes off. She looks at it, and then stands up, smiling at me. 'Make sure you're feeling better, before you start working again. Okay?' She says, worriedly.

"Okay, I'm perfectly fine now, though. Thanks to you!" I say, returning her smile.

She places a gentle hand on my arm. 'I'm glad. Rest for a while. Bye, Dr. Alayna.'

"Bye, Dr. Lucy."

********

I'm feeling absolutely fine within minutes. I have a quick lunch and then get back to work. Thankfully, the rest of the afternoon's not that busy. I'm in the ER for the remainder of my shift, but there aren't too many patients there today.

I'm relieved when my shift ends soon after. My weekend has officially started! I drive home with Hanna and Zayan again that evening, and I talk excitedly about my shopping trip with Zara. I ask Hanna if she wants to go with us.

'I'd love to, Alayna, but I'm going to Aliya's this evening. I told her I'm coming today, just to see how she's doing,' she tells me.

"Oh. I'm going to visit Aliya in a few days' too. I haven't seen that girl all week, I hope she's okay!" I say, smiling. I still can't believe that Aliya's pregnant! I'm so, so, so happy for her!

"Zayan, what time are Zaid and Zara coming?" I ask, looking over at my handsome husband.

He looks over at me and gives me a dazzling smile. My heart rate picks up. 'They're coming at six.'

********

I take some rest when we reach home, and then I change into my outfit for the evening. I can't be bothered with getting ready this evening. I change into a plain white t-shirt that hugs my figure, and I pair it with some denim skinny jeans. I put on my white, comfortable ankle boots and a black leather jacket.

I've applied some minimal makeup, and thrown my hair up into a messy bun. I'm applying a coat of lip gloss, when my bedroom door opens.

Zayan walks in, and when his gaze falls on me, his lips turn up into a smirk. 'You look damn hot, Alayna,' he says, walking towards me.

I laugh, shaking my head. "Why thank you, hubby! Are Zaid and Zara here?" I ask him, grabbing my Louis Vuitton purse.

He nods. 'Yes, they just reached.'

I grin. "Let's go downstairs, then." I grab his arm, and we walk downstairs, Zayan chuckling and looking at me after every few seconds.

We walk into the living room, and I smile when I see Zara and Zaid sitting with our family. Zaid's talking to Usman Bhai and Uncle, while Zara has Adnan in her lap, and she's playing with him.

They turn to us when we walk in, and they stand up. Zaid greets me and gives Zayan a manly hug, surprising me. They're turning into good friends, so soon. Zara, still holding Adnan, rushes over to me and hugs me tight. I hug her back, and then kiss baby Adnan on the cheek. He's not really a baby anymore, as he's over three months' old, almost four, but he's still my baby. I love him to bits.

'Zara, you look lovely!' I say, smiling at her. She looks beautiful in her light pink, flowy maxi dress. She's applied some natural makeup and she looks lovely. Her dark brown hair's open, falling over her shoulders in loose waves.

"You look beautiful, Alayna," she says, grinning at me.

'Thanks! But I look not so nice! You look beautiful, and here's me. My lazy self.' I laugh.

She shakes her head. "You're beautiful, so shh. Don't you agree, Zayan?" Zara teases.

My cheeks heat up. Zayan's eyes travel to me, and he shamelessly checks me out in front of everyone. Then, he smirks. Idiot. 'You're right, Zara. She's beautiful.'

My cheeks burn bright scarlet, and I cough loudly. Zayan chuckles, shaking his head. He then continues talking to Zaid about something.

'So, who's driving us to the mall?' Zara asks, looking towards our husbands.

"I'll drive, as I'm the oldest here," Zayan says, grabbing his keys. Zaid laughs, shaking his head.

I roll my eyes. 'Are you sure you don't want me to drive, Zayan?' I ask him.

He quickly nods. "Very sure."

'Bye, Aunty! Bye, Uncle, Han, Laiba, Usman Bhai! And bye, Adnan!' I say, picking him up and give him loads of kisses before handing him to Laiba.

Everyone says 'bye' back to us, and we excitedly leave.

********

'Are you girls sure you don't want us to accompany you?' Zaid asks, raising an eyebrow.

Me and Zara shake our heads quickly. "Very sure!"

'Zaid, I promise I'll take care of Zara. You guys can do your own shopping. You can pick us up when you're done,' I say, shrugging.

Zayan nods. "Okay, we'll pick you up, whatever time you're done."

I nod, and then look towards Zara who's beaming. She looks so excited, bless her! She's adorable.

Zaid hugs Zara, making me smile.

Zayan surprises me by doing the same, kissing the top of my head. Right now, we have a huge crowd around us, many, many girls checking out our husbands excitedly. I roll my eyes.

'Take care, Alayna,' Zayan says, caressing my cheek gently.

"Go! Both of you! We'll be absolutely fine! Crazy guys," I say, laughing and shaking my head.

Zayan and Zaid get back into Zayan's car and they drive away after we've stepped inside the mall.

Me and Zara laugh, Zara's cheeks bright pink. 'They're both crazy,' Zara says, shaking her head.

"That they are," I say with a laugh. "I hope you're feeling okay today?" I ask Zara.

She nods, grinning. 'Never felt better! I'm so glad the morning sickness is easing off.'

"I'm so glad to hear that, Zara. So, where shall we go first?" I ask, looking around.

'Over there!' She says, pointing over to a designer boutique. I smile, nodding. We walk into the boutique, and then into at least twenty more stores.

By the time we're done shopping, it's over 10pm. We're both exhausted, and hungry. We choose to have dinner at a Pakistani-Chinese restaurant inside the mall.

I buy chicken chow mein and vegetable fried rice, while Zara buys egg fried rice with sweet and sour chicken. We buy some spring rolls, too, and for our drinks, we both have fresh orange juice.

We eat our meal while talking excitedly about our life. Zara asks me about working under Dr. Zayan. I ask her about when she used to work as Zaid's secretary. 

'Alayna, it was crazy! I can't explain it, but I always knew that he's the one for me,' she tells me after taking a sip of her orange juice.

I grin. "You guys are really cute, you know that? So, you had a love marriage?"

She nods. 'I guess we did! What about you and Zayan? Was it an arranged or love marriage? I can tell it was a love marriage, though, looking at the two of you!'

I shake my head, and then shrug. "I don't actually know, Zara. I mean, our parents had arranged our marriage years ago. In that sense, it was arranged, but I have to admit that I had a crush on Zayan since the day we met." My cheeks flush.

'Aww! Oh, wow! Your parents arranged your marriage, and then you both fell in love? That's so cute! When did you know you were in love with him? With Zaid, I always knew.'

I think for a moment. "Zara, you might have heard from the news, Zayan saved my life. He took a bullet for me."

Her face falls, and she nods. 'Yes, I heard all about that. It was so sad. He saved you, and he got shot in the process.'

"I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him, Zara. He saved me, physically and emotionally," I say quietly.

Zara's eyes fill with emotion, and she nods. 'I know exactly how you feel. Zaid saved me, too.'

I look over at her, and her eyes are filled with various thoughts. Haunting memories, it seems. I touch her hand gently.

'How's your food?' I ask her with a small smile.

She grins. "It's delicious. Do you want some? You've hardly touched yours!"

I shake my head. 'No, thanks. I'm eating, but it's not as good as it was last time. I'm not really hungry.'

Zara frowns at me. "What did you have for lunch?"

'Half a sandwich and a chocolate,' I say, laughing.

"You ate so little, and you're still not hungry?" Zara asks, worriedly.

I shake my head again. 'I just feel really full.'

"Oh, you're probably not feeling well because of your cramps?" Zara asks, her face falling.

I nod, and then shake my head. 'Yes, and no. I have cramps, but they're not too bad yet.'

"Oh! When did your period start?" She asks me.

I chuckle. 'It's going to start in a few days' time, I guess. I always get cramps a few days before they start, though. It's normal for me.'

"Me too, but Alayna, weren't you saying that you had cramps on Sunday, too?"

I recall the weekend, and nod. 'I did. They're just the same today, not too painful. I don't need a painkiller or anything, they're fine.'

Zara looks at me thoughtfully. "Alayna, when did these cramps start?"

'You're sounding like a doctor right now, do you know that? Dr. Lucy, a doctor I work with at the hospital, she was taking care of me today when I felt weird.'

"You felt weird how?" Zara asks quickly, her eyes fixed on mine.

I shrug. 'There was a medical emergency at the hospital, a 'code blue'. It stressed me out, and I felt like I had no energy after it. I was feeling dizzy, because I hadn't eaten all day. I ate after 3pm.'

Zara's eyes widen. "Alayna, you should take care of yourself! Your blood pressure or sugar levels must have been low!"

'Only because my period's about to start,' I say, groaning as I feel the cramping again in the middle of my lower abdomen.

"You've been saying that for several days now. When's your period due, Alayna?" Zara asks me, her eyes sparkling.

'Wait, let me check. I have an app on my phone that tracks my periods for me.' I unlock my phone and click on 'Flo', my period app.

I click on the calendar, and I feel my heart stop in my chest. My mouth falls open in shock, and I shake my head. I look away to take a sip of my orange juice, and then I look back down at my phone screen. This doesn't make any sense.

I hear Zara chuckle. 'Yes? When's your period due, Alayna?' She asks me softly.

I look over at her, frowning in confusion. "I.. I don't know. I must have put in the wrong dates."

'What do you mean? What does it say?' She asks me.

I look at the calendar again, and all the dates are right. I remember, because I got my last period five or six days before we went to Paris. It ended the day we went to Paris, as far as I can remember.

"I-it says I'm a week late," I mumble, shaking my head.

Zara's silent for a few moments. My hands are shaking as I unlock my phone, still shaking my head. I don't know what's going on. My periods are never late. Not even a day late, and now they're a whole week late?

'I knew it,' Zara finally speaks.

I look at her, frowning. "What do you mean?"

'Cramping was one of my first pregnancy symptoms. The cramps were so similar to period cramps, and they lasted for the first seven weeks.'

What?!

I laugh loudly, shaking my head. "Zara, I'm not.. I'm not... pregnant. It's funny even saying it! I'm really not, though. It's not possible at all."

Zara's lips form into a smirk. 'Why isn't it possible? It's always possible. Surely you and Zayan didn't.. not do anything for the whole month.'

I blush furiously. "Of course we did, but we always used protection," I mutter, embarrassedly. I can't believe I'm saying all this to Zara.

Zara frowns. 'Well, in that case, it's still possible but the chance of pregnancy is very low if you use protection. But you're pregnant. You're a week late.'

My mouth falls open in shock. I remember something vividly. All the memories of that night come flooding back into my mind. The night of the wedding. The night me and Zayan were mad at each other. The bubble bath. When Zayan joined me in the bath. Everything after the bubble bath. The time we had sex in the bathroom, without protection.

It had only been one time we hadn't used protection in the whole month. Every other time, we've always used it.

It can't be possible, though. Can it?

I wasn't even ovulating at that time. It's not possible.

Could it be that I ovulated earlier than I usually do this month?

Oh, my god.

A million thoughts rush through my mind, and I shake my head and close my eyes to get rid of them. But the thoughts keep coming.

I'm a week late. Seven days late for my period.

Seven days.

I've never been a day late in my whole life.

I've been two days early before, even three days early, but not late.

Is it possible that I'm... pregnant?

No. Of course it isn't. I'm not. I can't be.

I'm not pregnant.

"Alayna, you need to take a test," Zara says quietly. Her voice is full of worry for me.

'A.. a test. No. It's not needed.'

Zara chuckles. "You're definitely stubborn. You need to take a test, to find out Alayna."

'I don't even have any symptoms. I just have cramps, because my period is about to start, a week late. Nothing else.'

"And you were feeling dizzy at the hospital today. And you've been exhausted lately, haven't you?"

I nod slowly. 'Yes, but I'm not pregnant. I promise.' Then, I burst out laughing.

Zara calls the waiter over and she pays the bill, I'm lost in my thoughts. We leave the restaurant, and I follow Zara through the mall, not speaking.

A few minutes later, I speak up. We're on the ground floor of the mall now. "Zara, where are you going?" I ask her finally.

She turns to glance at me, grinning. 'To the pharmacy.'

I shake my head furiously, my cheeks bright red. "I.. I'll test at the hospital on Monday, if I still don't have my period. But it's going to start tonight, I can feel it."

'Just take a test, Alayna. For your own peace of mind,' Zara says gently, holding my arm.

My heart starts racing in my chest as we walk into the pharmacy. I'm too stubborn and am refusing to buy it, so Zara buys a pregnancy test for me.

Then, she leads me to the toilets in the mall.

"What? Here? Zara, you're crazy! I'm so tired, let's go home. Shall I call Zayan and Zaid?" I ask, my eyes widening.

She sighs. 'I'm worried about you, Alayna. I know you won't take the test at home, and you need to know. For yourself, for Zayan. You need to know as soon as possible. I won't force you, but you should take the test. Or do you want to wait for tomorrow morning?'

My heartbeat isn't slowing down, I feel like I'm about to go into cardiac arrest. I laugh at the situation I'm in, shaking my head. "Okay, I'll do it now. I need to pee anyway. But I'm definitely not pregnant, Zara. There's like a.. 0.0001% chance of me being pregnant. It's funny saying these words! I'll take the test now, though. Just so that I can stop stressing out about it."

'Don't you want a baby, Alayna?' She asks me sadly.

"Of course I do! More than anything, Zara, but I just know I'm not pregnant. It's not possible," I say to myself more than to Zara.

'Okay, go and take it then! I need to pee too, I drank too much orange juice,' she says, making herself and me laugh. She's a crazy girl.

She hands me the small plastic bag holding the pregnancy test, and rushes into a stall, making me laugh. 'I swear, I need to pee all the time now that I'm pregnant!' She tells me.

"Let's get this over with," I mutter to myself, walking into a stall.

My hands are shaking like crazy as I open the box holding a Clearblue digital test. I read the instructions on the small leaflet inside the box, and take out the test.

I have to pee on the test stick. I laugh to myself as I do, and then I place the test back into it's box and lay it flat. It'll be ready in three minutes.

I put a timer on my phone for three minutes, and then I scroll through my messages. Zayan has texted me, asking when we'll be done.

I text him back, saying that we'll be done in a few minutes. I'm giggling to myself like crazy. On a more serious note, I really need to get checked up from the hospital. It's not normal that my period's so late.

I flush the toilet, wash my hands and place the pregnancy test box on the counter. Zara's waiting for me, her eyes wide with excitement.

'It hasn't been three minutes yet. I don't know why you're so excited, it's definitely going to say 'not pregnant'.'

She smirks. "Okay, okay. How long left?"

I glance at the timer on my phone. One minute left.

Fifty seconds.

'Ouch, Zara! My stomach hurts! I think I've started my period,' I say, groaning.

She laughs at me, shaking her head. "Poor Zayan."

I roll my eyes. 'Oh yeah, he texted me just now, asking when we're gonna be done. I told him we'll be done soon. I think they're waiting in the car park. Poor guys.'

She nods. "Yes, we'll be done after this. I think we've done enough shopping for one day!"

I chuckle, glancing at our dozens of shopping bags. 'I agree.'

Just then, the timer goes off loudly, making me jump. My palms start to get sweaty, and I laugh like an idiot as my heart rate starts accelerating by a thousand times the normal rate. I've gone crazy. The test must be ready by now.

I take a long, deep breath, picking up the box from the counter. Thank god me and Zara are the only ones in here right now. It'd be very weird if there were other people around us. I take out the pregnancy test with fumbling fingers, my eyes closed tight.

It's now or never.

********

Hey guys! Yes, yes, I know I'm the best at leaving you guys at cliffhangers after every chapter! How was the chapter? And are you shocked about Alayna taking a pregnancy test!? I am!

What do you think will happen next? Let me know! Is she pregnant, at the same time as Zara and Aliya? Is something else going on with her, and she's not pregnant?

What was your favourite part of this chapter? Zara and Zaid will be more regulars in this story from now, I hope you guys like that!

Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the chapter!

Question: What do you think is the perfect age to have a baby, and why?

Bye guys!