Judy, Megan's mother, grinned and embraced her daughter, saying, "I was going to be upset with you forever if you didn't show up now."
"Good evening, Mom," Megan said with a smile.
"I miss you, my baby."
"I'm already 27 Mom," Megan complained jokingly.
Judy said with a smile, "I know, you will always be my little baby, even when you're 80." Her mother complimented her, "You look different."
"Mom, I'm still the same, but I suppose what makes me appear different is because the last time you saw me, I was an assistant, and now I'm a partner."
"No, does not what I mean. You have always had this glow in your eyes, and I can see you may have reduced a little weight. Anyway, you're here for the weekend, which is a blessing. I'll make sure you get a good meal."
"Where is Dad?"
"Your dad is there with your brother and nieces," Judy responded as they entered the house.
"Aunt Megan," several voices yelled and tightly gripped Megan's legs.
She hugged and kissed the daughters of her brother while squatting down to them.
She said, "I missed you guys."
Hannah, 3 years old, responded, "I missed you too."
Lucia, 4 years old, said, "I lost my front teeth, aunt Megan," displaying the sign of her missing front teeth.
Megan briefly hugs tightly her nieces before greeting her father, her brother, and his wife. After a lavish dinner, they raised a glass in honor of Megan's new partnership with McKenzie Sands & Co.
Megan's mother entered the room carrying a blanket as soon as Megan exited the bathroom after getting ready for bed. She took the blanket and laid it on the bed, saying, "Thanks, mom."
"You're welcome." Judy sat down next to her daughter. "Molly mentioned to me you weren't feeling so well lately," Megan mumbled and perched on the edge of the bed.
"What more did she tell you? She's my student, she tends to adhere to me and not dash around informing my mom of everything that's happening on with me."
"She only mentioned that you are ill and that you declined to visit a doctor, nothing else. So would you please tell me about it?"
"Mom, there isn't anything to be concerned about, I've just been getting busy lately, but I'll be okay."
Judy holds her daughter's hands and said, "Do you recall the very first thing I said to you when I saw you this evening?"
"You said I had a glow in my eyes which is extremely weird because there has been nothing interesting happened in my life recently. Except for my promotion, that's it. You also stated that I've dropped a little weight."
Judy nodded, "I cooked your favorite food for supper and you didn't eat enough. I never stopped looking at you. It appeared as though you were pushing yourself to eat. And you didn't drink much of your wine. Is there something I should know?" Judy asked.
Megan was starving when she arrived at her parent's house, but as soon as she saw the food, her appetite vanished. She tried her best to eat what little she can, but even the wine tasted bitter, which was why she didn't drink much.
Judy was a former Doctor who had retired far too early, at the same time her husband, Edward, stepped down from his position as the CEO of their business because he want his son to take over the family business. They put in a ton of effort in their prime and decided to retire early so they could spend more time together and travel.
Megan admitted, "I've been feeling a little odd lately." Judy gently squeezed her hand. "I have almost no appetite, I get fatigued easily, and I feel discomfort around my chest," she answered when her mother asked how she was feeling.
"I know you and William are not together anymore, but did anything happen between you two before you broke up?"
"What do you mean?" she questioned her mother.
Judy asked, "Were you guys had sex before the breakup?"
Megan forced a difficult sigh before saying, "Mom, I guarantee you that I'm not pregnant."
Judy argued, "I didn't say you are. You came to that conclusion on your own."
Megan turned her head away from her mother.
"So I presume nothing happened between you and William."
She replied, "Nothing, mom."
Judy prompted her daughter to look at her, asking, "Is there something you would like to share? You know you can tell me everything."
"There's nothing to share mom."
"I don't trust your response because I know you well enough. If you can't talk to me, then to whom would you talk? I've never judged you for anything, and I won't start now. Tell me what's on your head. I'm listening," Megan sighed.
"After my breakup with William, I had an intimate encounter with someone, it was just merely a one-time passionate night. I took a morning-after pill, which is why I said I'm not pregnant."
"It's okay if you say so. Just so you're aware after pills aren't 100% guaranteed, thus they might not function for a variety of reasons. And make sure you see your doctor on Monday for a general check-up." Judy convinced. Megan nodded.
Megan spent the rest of the weekend spending time with her family. She pretended to be alright in front of her family but when alone, she replayed the discussion she had with her mom. She cannot be pregnant. At least not right now, and more importantly, not for the person, she disliked the most in the entire world.
On Sunday night, Megan said her goodbyes to her parents, brother, sister-in-law, and her nieces before getting into her car. After giving in to her inner voice, she drove to a pharmacy to buy some pregnancy tests and then headed back home. After settling in and choosing her work attire for the following day. Megan grabbed the tests and slumped on the sofa in her apartment. She read the directions with trembling hands while her heart was racing so fast.
She examined the tests in silence, wondering how the results might affect her life. Either way, it could only be good or awful. She got to her feet reluctantly and headed for the restroom. She reread the directions before completing the two tests. She put them on the countertop and sat down on the tub's edge. She played with her jewelry while hoping for a negative result. She was genuinely not prepared to have a child. Megan eventually reached for the tests and examined them with what energy she still had. Her emotions fell... She stared at the two positive tests she was holding as warm tears flowed down her cheeks.
She cried, "No... No... No... Please no... No... It was just a one-night thing...no... no... no... please...no..."
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor of the restroom. She didn't realize she had been so foolish as to allow this to occur. She had been described as smart, brilliant, and intellectual her entire life. However, she failed to apply basic logic by demanding Timothy to wear a condom. She took some after-pills, which made her worry even more about what went wrong. She had no idea how much the intense night she shared with Timothy would change the course of her life. Megan sobbed uncontrollably until she ran out of tears. She sobbed till her head began to hurt.