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"Pregnancy test?"
Emily asked, biting her lip.
"That's right," Karen
said. "It's just a precautionary procedure. We can't fit you in until early
next week, though, so we may want to make an appointment with Dr. Goldstern."
She glanced up and frowned at Emily's expression. "Is there a problem?"
she asked.
"This will be kept
a secret, right?" Emily asked nervously. "From my parents, I mean."
"Well, your mother
was here when we brought you in, Emily-"
"No," Emily interrupted.
"I mean about the pregnancy test."
"You mean--" Karen
said haltingly. "There's a possibility that you ARE pregnant?"
"Well," Emily said
slowly. "As of last night, yes."
"Oh." Karen looked
away, clearly embarrassed. "I didn't realize---I mean you're just so young
that I assumed."
"That's okay. I wouldn't
believe it myself, but something unusual happened last night."
"Do you want to talk
about it?" Karen asked.
"Yes, actually. But
not with you. I'm sorry, Dr. Wexler, but I just don't think I could talk
about it with you. I think I'd better discuss it with Lucky."
"Lucky?" Karen asked,
startled.
Emily winced
at her mistake, but did not look away from the doctor. "Please don't tell
anyone," she pleaded.
Karen smiled gently.
"Emily I wouldn't even if I COULD. Doctor-patient confidantiality, remember?"
"Oh yeah." Emily stood,
grimacing, and smiled weakly at the doctor. "I guess we should go schedule
that appointment."
Lucky felt miserable.
He rolled over on to his side, fighting the wave of nausea that came over
him. A knock sounded on the door, but he buried his face in his pillow,
silently willing the intruder to go away. "Lucky," Bobbie said softly as
she entered the room. "Hey, sleepyhead," she said, approaching the bed.
"Why don't you go
away?" Lucky mumbled into the pillow.
Bobbie just alughed
and stroked his hair. "You aren't getting rid of me that easy, kiddo. Now,
you want to tell me what happened this morning?"
"It's too embarrassing
for words." Lucky rolled onto his other side, deliberately turning his
back on his aunt.
"Oh, it can't be that
bad. Not for this family, at least." There was no response from Lucky.
"Well, I can see you're not ready to talk about it. Are you feeling any
better? As stupid as it was for you to take MORPHINE, I can't help but
feel sorry for you. You must feel just dreadful."
Lucky shot up in the
bed, and had to take several deep breaths before he trusted himself to
open his mouth without vomiting. "Yeah, I must," he finally said through
gritted teeth. "If I had KNOWN what I was taking before I swallowed it,
I would be feeling JUST FINE."
"Hey," Bobbie chided
him. "Blame Emily for that, not me. She's the one who gave you the pills.
What I'd like to know was where she GOT them. I can't imagine any doctor
prescribing morphine to a teenage girl."
Lucky frowned. "It's
illegal, isn't it?"
"That's not the point,"
Bobbie said. "It's the ethics of it. The drug morphine just SCREAMS addiction."
"Well, maybe you should
submit that to the medical dictionary," Lucky cracked.
"Ha ha. Very funny,
Lucky. If you're feeling so IMMENSELY sorry for yourself maybe you should
have some time to yourself. I'll be back with your dinner in a couple hours."
"Don't mention food,"
Lucky pleaded, holding his stomach. "I'll never eat again," he swore. Bobbie
grinned and left him alone. Lucky sighed after the door shut, then covered
his face with his pillow. In his mind he started to plan Emily Quartermaine's
funeral.
"Congratulations!"
AJ exclaimed and threw his arms around his father. "A month off the drugs.
That's great."
"I know,' Alan said,
sitting heavily on the couch. "It hasn't been easy. But it's much better
than it was a few weeks ago. I couldn't even let you see me then."
Monica smiled. "So
the center was a good idea. I was worried it wouldn't work out."
Alan smiled tightly.
"Emily, you seem awfully quiet," he said, looking past his wife at her.
Emily forced a smile. "I'm
happy Dad, really. And I'm really glad that you're home. I guess my mind
is just on something else." She gave her father a quick hug, then left
the room. As she was walking our, she barrelled into Ned.
"Hey," he said. "Where's
the fire?"
"Oh, Ned, I'm so glad
I ran into you." She paused, a frown creasing her brow. "Literally."
"Yes, I noticed that,"
Ned remarked. "So, what's the problem?"
"I need to ask you
a favor. Could you please drive me to the hospital?"
"What's the matter?"
her cousin asked in concern.
"Nothing!" Emily said
quickly. "I just don't want to bug anyone, you know. Since Dad came home.
Will you take me, please?"
Ned smiled. "You know
I can't turn you down, Emily."
Ned was quiet during
most of the drive. He figured that Emily was not going to discuss her reasons
for going to the hospital, so he didn't bother to ask. "I really appreciate
this, Ned," Emily said from the front passenger seat as they pulled into
the parking lot. "You always take time out to help me."
"Don't worry about
it," Ned said. "Do you want me to go in with you?"
"Oh, no," Emily said.
"I'm going to be a while, so I can just call when I'm ready to come home."
"I'll be at the gatehouse,"
Ned said after a moment's thought.
"Okay, good. Are you
sure you don't mind?" Emily asked, leaning in the car window.
"Of course not. Now
get going, before you make yourself late."
"Thank you Ned!" Emily
exclaimed, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later!" she called
over her shoulder. She practically ran the distance to the main entrance,
then paused at the double doors. She waited a moment outside, drawing deep
breaths into her lungs. She steeled herself and walked into the hospital,
continuing straight to the nurses' station before stopping. "Hello," she
said politely to the nurse behind the counter.
The nurse lifted her
eyes from the computer screen and smiled. "Is there something I can help
you with?" she asked.
"Yeah. I have an appointment
with Dr. Goldstern. I hope I'm not too late."
"Miss Bowen?" the
nurse asked, and Emily nodded slowly, remembering she had used her mother's
last name for the appointment. "He's been expecting you. I'll show you
in in just a moment. She picked up the phone and quickly punched in a number.
"Dr. Goldstern? Your patient is here. I'll just show her in." She hung
up the phone and smiled at Emily again. "Right this way."
Emily followed behind,
her stomach fluttering. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, then
stumbled and ran into the back of the nurse. "Sorry," she mumbled, and
chided herself for walking with her eyes closed.
The nurse just smiled.
"This is it," she said, touching her hand to the doorknob. Emily cringed.
She felt as if she had been given her death sentence. The nurse opened
the door and Emily walked in to the small office. She stared at the certificates
hanging on the wall, and prepared herself to make a hasty exit. She nearly
jumped at the sound of the door shutting behind her. The nurse was gone.
"Come on in, Emily,"
Dr. Goldstern said, attempting to put her at ease by using her first name.
"I won't bite," he added with a grin.
"I'm sorry," Emily
apologized, sitting across from the doctor. "I'm guess I'm just a little-"
"Nervous?" Goldstern
asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that's to be expected." Emily put a hand
to her stomach, willing the butterflies that lingered there to go away.
"You had your tests, yesterday," the doctor said, looking over his charts.
"Yes, that's right,"
Emily said slowly. Her voice seemed a million miles away. All she could
concentrate on was the swift pounding of her heart. The fluttering in her
stomach increased, and she groaned.
"I'm sorry?" Goldstern
said, frowning.
"Just tell me," Emily
moaned. "I can't stand waiting like this."
The doctor nodded.
"I see. Well, Emily, I'm not sure if this is going to be good news for
you, or bad." Emily closed her eyes. Her heart was thudding inside her
chest. "You're pregnant."