“So distraction only worked for a little while?” she asks.
“Yeah!” I sigh. “I had completely forgotten about it this morning, but it’s been bugging me for the last half hour, and I now need to know.”
She smiles. “C’mon, let’s get you a test.”
I nod, and we return to the car to put the bags in the trunk.
“Daniel, is there a pharmacy nearby?” Anna asks while he shuts the trunk.
“Sure, there’s one in the next street. Would you like me to drive you there?”
Anna looks at me for guidance.
“We can walk if it’s only a street away,” I reply.
Anna and Daniel nod before we walk toward the pharmacy, and the answer I am dreading.
Standing, looking at all the pregnancy tests before me, I have no idea which one to choose. “Anna, help.”
“Okay, so how late are we talking?” She laughs.
I do the math in my head. “About two and a half weeks,” I reply, and she bites her bottom lip. I don’t like that gesture one bit.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Why did you bite your lip?” I ask, placing my hand on my hip.
“I thought you were only a few days late, not two and a half weeks,” she replies, resting her hand supportively on my arm.
Goddammit!A wave of nausea washes over me.
Panic rips through me, my breathing escalating.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Anna tries to soothe me. “Try this one.” She pulls a box down from the shelf and walks with me to the register, where we pay with cash. The last thing I need is for this purchase to turn up on Colt’s credit card. As I walk toward theexit, I notice a few people gathered around the door, and I look at Anna, who shrugs.
Flashes go off when we open the pharmacy door, blinding me.
“Miss Norman, how are you liking Australia?”
“Deliah, over here.”
“Look this way, please, Deliah.”
“Anna, why are you and Deliah in the pharmacy? Is something wrong with Colter or Johnny?”
Paparazzi and fans swarm me.
Anna grabs my hand, pulling me closer to her. “Just keep walking, Dee,” Anna yells while Daniel pushes those getting too close away before we hurry down the street. Unfortunately, they follow and run all around us, taking photographs and screaming. I can’t see where I’m going through all the light flashes, and my foot slips into a crack. I fall to the ground on my hands and knees, dropping the pharmacy bag, its contents spilling out on the pavement.
Well fuck!The pregnancy test is in full view for everyone to see.
Daniel quickly pulls me up from the ground while Anna picks up the test and shoves it in my handbag, all while the photographers take so many pictures it’s ridiculous.
Pictures of me falling.
Pictures of my horrified face
