This is torture. I need the alarm to sound. I won’t be able to wait for Meg.
“Come sit down, Nina.” Scarlet smiles warmly.
“I can’t.” I fiddle with the end of the white stick, flip it over in the packet.
I don’t look, but I know if I pull it out, I will see the result.
My heart starts to pound, and my chest grows warm. Adrenaline is pumping through me.
I try to control my breathing. “Shit!”
“Stop panicking.” Lucy catches hold of my wrist and squeezes it tight.
I nod my head and close my eyes, counting to ten.
One, two, three, four, five, six—
The elevator doors ping. Meg steps out, the takeout in one hand and an envelope in the other.
“Hurry up, will you!” Lucy hisses, letting my arm go.
“Sorry, there was this with the food at reception.”
She starts to pull open the envelope, and my timer chimes. I swallow thickly and pull out the test, looking down at the two lines that sit perfectly clear in the small square box.
“Oh my god,” Megan and I say in disbelief.
“No way!” Lucy jumps up and takes the test. “Fuck. Yes! Nina, oh my god, you’re pregnant!” She covers her face with her hands.
My gaze is fixed on Megan, though. Her face is pale, and her hands shake, the envelope clutched tight in her hand, and our takeout is spilling out of the bag at her feet.
I wonder when she dropped it. I never noticed.
“Megs?”
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
I step down from the last stair and walk to her, the test momentarily forgotten. “What’s the matter?”
“Nina, I’m so sorry.”
Reaching out, I take the glossy pieces of card from her, flipping them so I can see.
What I’m met with destroys me. My legs give out from under me, and I feel Megan reach for me, trying to take my weight, but I collapse to the floor despite her hold on me.
Please, no.
“Nina? Oh god, Nina?!” I hear Lucy shout. “What is it? Nina? Megs, she is pregnant.”
“Scarlet, call an ambulance,” Megan calls out.
“Nina?” I can hear their cries. I can feel tears on my face. But inside, I feel nothing.
* * *
Mase
My head spins,the room flashing.
