Simone

"If I knew you had such bad hung overs, I wouldn't have let you take even a sip of it," Abby yells behind me, struggling to clip my dreads into her hands.

I sigh, waiting for the knot in my stomach to stop tightening so much.

It doesn't. In fact it sends my head back into the toilet pot --- puking my guts out.

"Trust me, it's never been this bad," I mutter between deep breaths. My head is spinning.

"Really?" Abby sounds more annoyed than surprised.

I want to assure her but nausea bubbles up my throat again and I'm head deep into the pot.

This is disgusting and embarrassing at the same time.

When she texted me for coffee exactly seven days ago, I did not expect us to end up in a circle of waking up, going out and having sex consecutively for seven days.

Abby didn't say why she changed her mind. When I left her house that night, I was certain she would never want to see me again.

But I did not ask or say anything about it, I just went with the flow. The vibe. Something told me that's what Abby wanted --- to not label what we were doing. To just be.

"Fuck, you're shivering," Abby cusses, wrapping a towel around my shoulders.

I clutch onto the porcelain pot like it's going to make the vomiting stop.

“Simone?” Abby's voice is laced with panic. “Maybe we should go to the hospital, you don't look so good.”

I want to tell her I’m fine, that going to the hospital because of a hangover is ridiculous, but my voice betrays me, coming out shaky.

“I’m okay.”

Abby’s eyes scan my face and I can feel mine becoming heavy, I'm barely able to keep them open.

“Hey,” Abby taps my cheeks to keep me from giving into the dizziness. "Wake the fuck up."

I hear her say but I'm already halfway drifting into the darkness.

When I open my eyes, Abby is pacing the floor in front of me. I don't say anything to her. Only my eyes twirl around the room.

She was not joking about the hospital thing.

"Abby..." My throat is dry.

"Hey," Abby says coming to sit next to me on the bed. She cups my cheek, her eyes casting a gentle gaze upon me. "Feeling better?"

I nod. "And embarrassed too."

Abby shakes her head, dismissing my stupid thought. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Yeah because people end up in a hospital for basic hangovers right?"

Abby smiles gently, but I don't miss the worry in her eyes.

I grab her hand. "I'm okay, I swear."

"I know."

My eyebrows furrow. "Then why are you still looking like that?"

Abby smiles again. It's as if she knows something I don't and she is wondering whether to let me in on the secret or not.

"What exactly happened when I passed out?" I can't help myself.

Abby shoots up. "I will inform the nurse that you're awake."

She walks out of the room and I'm left to my thoughts.

A few minutes later, the door flies open, revealing Abby and the petite woman in a white coat behind her.

"Ms. Marley, how are you feeling?" The woman says as Abby settles in the chair next to the bed.

I offer a smile. "I'm great."

"Good." She glances at the clipped papers in her hands. "I just got your labs."

I nod, my heart pounding. Abby’s hand finds mine, squeezing gently for comfort.

She knows something.

What the hell is going on? Do the tests show that I have a malignant cancer cell in my brain?

Why is Abby's face going pale?

“Most of them are normal, which means the dizziness and passing out was caused by one thing."

My breath gets stuck in my throat, I can feel Abby's grip tightening on my clammy hands. The anticipation kills me.

The doctor looks up, meeting my gaze and says, “Congratulations, Ms. Marley, you’re pregnant.”

I hear the words but I can't understand them.

I stare at her, trying to process what she just said.

"You might want to cut down excessive drinking now that a life is growing inside you."

Pregnant? A life growing inside me?

The words sound foreign to me.

I feel the room closing in around me, my vision narrowing as my heart races faster.

“No,” I say, my voice faltering. “That can’t be right.”

Abby’s grip on my hand tightens. “It’s okay, Simone.”

I can’t stop the flood of panic.

The idea of having to tell Zack, that I'm carrying a baby -- his baby. The reality of bringing him back into my life makes me shiver.

"I don't---" My voice cuts. I should be happy, I should be out of my head over this news but I just can't breathe.

The doctor leaves to give us some room.

“Zack,” I mumble, voice trembling. “He’s going to be part of this. I can’t—”

“Stop,” Abby says, her voice firm and soft at the same time. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. Not yet. We’ll handle this, one step at a time.”

“But what if—” I start, but Abby interrupts me.

“Let’s focus on the good news for a moment,” Abby says softly. “You’ve wanted this for so long, and now you’re going to have a baby. It’s big news.”

I shake my head, trying to breathe.

How did I not know? How did this happen? Is there a mistake with their test kits? Wha--

"This is a new beginning for you, Simone," Abby says, her eyes growing glassy.

I try to take a deep breath, struggling to calm myself. Abby’s words are a lifeline, pulling me back from the edge.

I look at her. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I admit.

“I know,” Abby says, her voice soothing.

“I'm scared.”

“I know that too. This is a shock, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. But you don’t have to make any big decisions right now. Let’s just focus on what’s happening now.”

Her reassurance helps, but the idea is still new to me.

I can't just shake it off.

As Abby caresses my hand, my thoughts wander to Zack, and the life we had, and how this new development might cause complications.

The fear of facing him again, of having to go through that old pain is too much to imagine.

"You will be okay," Abby chants, convincing us both.

I nod slowly, even when I don't believe it. “Okay,” I say quietly. “One step at a time.”

Abby smiles. “Exactly. We’ll get through this together.”

I take a deep breath to calm my thoughts.

The nausea is still there, a constant reminder of the life growing inside me.

It’s going to be a long journey. The road ahead might be ugly or beautiful, but for now, with Abby’s hand in mine, maybe this is not so bad.

Maybe this is truly a new beginning for me.

+++

Meh!

We having a baby!