[|]

"Stop the car," I ordered.

Maddy glanced at me before pulling the car to a stop at the side of the road. I unbuckled the seatbelt and opened the door, then popped my leg out, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Maddy asked, grabbing my wrist. "We're going to the pharmacy."

I took a deep breath when I felt slightly dizzy and nauseous. I turned my head to look at Maddy, she had worry written all over her face.

"I know but if I want to find out if I'm pregnant or not, I have to do this with Lucas... Sorry," I said to her and her lips parted in realization.

"Oh... That's logical. Okay, I'll drop you off at his place. I don't think it's best if you're going back all by yourself," Maddy said and pointed at the opened door.

I smiled in appreciation and shut the door then fastened my seatbelt. I looked at Maddy who was starting the car.

"I'm sorry," I said and she briefly glanced at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"What are you apologizing for?"

I shrugged. "We were supposed to have a girls' day today, but we can't because I'm not feeling too well."

"Oh, come on. We can hang out some other time. Right now, you have to get some rest."

I hummed in the affirmative and leaned against the window while staring ahead. The idea of being pregnant scared me because I was still young and had a lot of years ahead of me. When I was little, I had dreamt that I would finish high school, graduate from college, find a job and marry the man of my dreams before getting pregnant. Right now, I was scared that I might be.

"What are you thinking about?"

I blinked and saw that we were at a red light. I sighed and placed my hands flat on my stomach.

"I'm scared of getting pregnant. I don't know if I am but who knows?"

"Hey, you'll just have to find out and besides, it says that you're positive, it's left for you to make a choice," Maddy said and I felt confused.

"Choice? What do you mean?"

"I..." She bowed her head and played with her fingernails, tapping them against each other. "I was pregnant for Clark."

I gasped and on instinct, I looked at her stomach, checking for any bump; there wasn't any. I looked back at her face when she started to drive again. I was shocked at the news because Maddy had always said she would never get pregnant until she was thirty and I knew how serious she was with her words.

"Pregnant? When?" I asked and she hummed, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

"I found out after I went back to Redside after exams. I had similar symptoms; nausea, vomiting every morning, and even fever. My mom found out about it and yelled at me. I told Clark about the pregnancy and he denied it, telling me it isn't his and that I should abort it."

My heart flipped at the thought of Clark saying such words to her. I felt anger inside of me. Clark was a horrible person.

"Did you?" I tentatively asked and she chuckled.

"My parents forced me to abort it. My parents are respectable people in almost every community in Redside, so they had a reputation at stake. I had no choice but to abort the fetus two weeks ago. I wanted to keep the baby but..." She finished her sentence with a slight shrug.

"Wow," I whispered and looked at my stomach.

"Hey, we don't know if you're pregnant yet, so don't stress yourself over nothing."

I swallowed and forced myself to remain calm, even though my heart was racing by the second.

[|]

Lucas had not been at home when Maddy dropped me off. Axel had been at home and said Lucas had gone to fix his motorcycle. So I lay down on our bed and took a nap, passing time and numbing my anxiety.

Before I knew it, I was waking up to the feel of warm touches on my back. It felt so relaxing that I wanted to sleep deeper only to gasp when I remembered Lucas. I opened my eyes and saw Lucas laying beside me with a smile on his face.

His hair was a bit wet and his lashes too, giving me signs that he was just out of the shower. I looked away from his face to see his bare chest. I gulped at the sight of his strong abs and the low-ridden sweatpants around his waist.

"Hey, beautiful," Lucas whispered and cupped my chin in his large hand. He leaned closer to my face and kissed my lips so softly, making me moan and melt into his kiss. He pulled away just as he started and wrapped his arm around my waist before pulling me into his arms.

"When did you get back?" I asked, running the tip of my fingers against his smooth chest.

"Ten minutes ago," he answered and squeezed my butt. "I missed you. I don't know what you did to me but each time I step out of this house, I immediately begin to crave your presence."

I giggled when he tickled my sides, making me wiggle in his arms. When he stopped, I remembered I had to tell him about my suspicion. I bit my lip and stared at his chest. I felt his hand go under my shirt where he tenderly squeezed my waist.

"What is it? You look worried," he said and held my face then tilted my head upward.

I quickly moved away from his body and knelt on the bed. I could not meet his eyes because I was shy. I did not know how I could express my thoughts to him.

"Baby, you're making me worried," Lucas said, sitting up. He grabbed my hands and I hesitantly looked at his face.

"Lucas... I have something to say," I said in a small voice. "I was out today and felt sick."

"Sick?" He sounded more worried than what his expression held and his hold on my hands tightened a bit. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital? Didn't your medicine work? Okay, let me go dress up and we'll—"

When he started to move away from the bed, I grabbed his hand, stopping him. He looked at me before sitting back on the bed. I released his hand and tucked locks of my hair behind my ears then breathed out through my mouth.

"Lucas, I want... I want us to take a pregnancy test," I said in a hushed tone, which made Lucas lean close with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

"I want us to take a pregnancy test," I said in my normal tone of voice and stared at his face.

His eyes became wide and he parted his plump lips. One of his sharp eyebrows raised, hiding behind the lock of hair resting on his forehead. He closed his mouth and opened it again before glancing at my stomach and then at my face.

"Y-you're pregnant?" He whispered, eyelids fluttering.

"I don't know but I don't think it's the cold that's causing me to still feel sick. I just want us to take the test to find out if I am or not," I said and chewed on my bottom lip.

I was too jittery and anxious about his reaction. I avoided making eye contact with him and glued my eyes to the bed.

"Is that why you're looking nervous?" He asked and came closer to me.

"Yes."

Lucas chuckled and cupped my cheeks. He moved my head so I could look him in the eye. His blue eyes were bright and his face lit, different from a few seconds ago.

"Whatever the result may be, just know that I will always support you. You're my girlfriend, remember?" Lucas kissed my forehead and moved back. "Come on, we'll go to the hospital and run a test."

"Won't it be expensive? We could just buy those little test kits they sell at drugstores," I suggested as he rose from the bed.

"No, Jackie. We will be taking the test at the hospital not with some cheap ass pee stick," he retorted and I giggled.

"I'll go get dressed."

[|]

I hated the smell of the hospital, I hated the dullness of it and how every corner had something that had to do with medicine and the people working in it. The smell of strong medicines and antiseptics filled the air, adding to nausea I thought would not come back.

I was already sweating and feeling uncomfortable. My only wish was that the result was negative and we would go home, my mom would be at rest.

I sat up when I saw the nurse who had taken my urine sample, approaching us with a white A4 paper. Lucas and I exchanged a smile before we rose to our feet. The elderly woman smiled at us and motioned for us to sit back down on the cold metal bench.

I sat down but Lucas stood, staring at the nurse. She faced me and her smile increased, which was not a good sign for me.

"I've collected the results I got from your urine sample and it shows that you are pregnant, Miss Garner," she said and I felt like my head became lighter than before.