Page 106 of Trapped
A soft knock preceded the door opening and Dr. Greenfield walking in, a tray with a plastic jar in one hand.
“Ashley, good to see you. I hope your bladder is full.”
“Full enough.” We talked for a few minutes before she sent me to the bathroom, jar in hand.
I doubled my prayer efforts during the few minutes it took for me to fill the jar, wash my hands, and walk back.
My heels bounced on the floor at a pace that’d make a hummingbird jealous as we waited. Noticing it, Doc asked about Gran. It was enough to distract me for the next three minutes. Not completely, but at least my legs bounced a little less.
I held my breath as she checked the results.
“Good news, it’s negative.”
“Negative?” I squeaked out, still holding my breath.
Doc smiled. “You are not pregnant.” She spelled it out for me so there’d be no misunderstanding.
I sucked in air as tears filled my eyes, and my body sagged. I would have fallen off the exam table if her reflexes weren’t so fast.
“You okay?” she asked.
I nodded. Relief robbed me of my words.
It wasn’t until she handed me a tissue that I realized I wasn’t just teary-eyed; I was crying. Who knew relief could induce tears?
“I thought false positives were rare,” I said after calming down enough to form a sentence.
“They are, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. The test may have been faulty, or you may have a condition that interfered.”
Condition? I’d just recovered from the pregnancy scare; I didn’t need a health scare. “What kind of condition?”
“Ovarian cysts are a common one. Have you had any pelvic pain or pressure in your lower abdomen?”
I thought about it for a second. “No.”
“Any unusually heavy periods recently?”
I shook my head.
“Then the test was probably bad. I’m sorry you had to go through this.”
“I’m just relieved I’m not pregnant.” My life, and my relationship with Nathan, would be so much easier.
She answered my next question before I could ask. “Chances are, you’re late because you’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
She knew I’d lost my job, and with it, my insurance. And I’d told her I had to move in with Gran. I hadn’t told her about Finn, but she knew I’d broken up with the father.
No, he’s not the father because I’m not pregnant.
“Take a second. When you’re ready, Sheila will sign you out.”
“Can I get some fresh air first?” I needed a few more minutes to recover before seeing Nathan, and the fresh air would feel good after so much time spent holding my breath.
“Sure. Turn left when you exit the room. Just don’t take too long.”
“Thanks.” I hopped off the table, grabbed my purse and walked out the door. The red exit sign made it easy to find the back door.
My eyes closed the instant I walked outside. The sun had barely warmed my face before a voice interrupted my tranquility.
