Poking the tongue depressor down in her mouth he frowned and quickly pulled it out as Stacey gagged. She ran for the toilet and made it before she vomited. Holding the bowl with trembling hands she wretched until her stomach was empty.
Footsteps sounded behind her and a hand rested on her shoulder.
"Sorry about that girl." He handed her a small damp cloth to wipe her face.
She moved from the toilet and leaned against the bathroom wall. "What the hell was on that bloody stick?"
"Nothing at all. I can assure you it was brand new and tasting of nothing but wood."
"No, it was horrible. You must have a bad batch."
"Hmm, I think the next step is for you to pee in a bottle for small test I want to do." He handed her a plastic bottle and walked out.
A wave of cold dread rolled over Stacey and she leaned over the toilet again gagging.
No way, totally impossible. She sat on the floor for another ten minutes arguing with herself before deciding to show Doc once and for all that she wasn't pregnant.
He was sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee when she walked out slamming the test bottle on the table in front of him.
"Implanon, so you know it's impossible." She threw herself in the chair behind the desk and lifted her feet up on the table, glaring at him.
"How long ago did you have it implanted?" He looked over the rim of his cup at her ignoring the sample for now.
"Oh, I don't know. About when I met Jethro I guess. They last for years."
"Well, I could be wrong but I think it was more than three years ago. Think about it," he said when she sat up. "You have been here for over a year now, close to two. You broke up with him at least six months before you came here. How long were you two together?"
"No, you're wrong. I just miss Morgan, that is all that is happening. I'm heartsick and you have a bad batch of tongue depressors."
Calmly Doc put his cup down and reached into his bag for a small white pack. Opening it he took out the test and using a small tube, placed a couple of drops from her sample on it. He pushed the test strip in front of her.
Not a word was said while they both watched it for a result. When the two lines began to appear, Stacey broke down and cried.
Doc stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Sh, it will be alright."
"How can it be. Seriously, how can it be?"
"Stacey, listen to me. I know this has come as a shock but once it wears off you can make up your mind what you want to do." He held up his hand when she tried to interrupt. "Look, how long have I known you? If you want a referral to the city to see about a termination I will give you one, once we find out how far along you are. But I think you should think about it for at least a couple of days."
She wiped her hand over her face, a mix of tears and snot. Taking a deep breath she sighed. "Yeah, sure whatever you reckon."
Rummaging in the drawer for a tissue she grabbed a handful and blew her nose loudly. Throwing them in the bin she reached for more and repeated the process.
Doc took a seat and picked up his coffee taking a sip while she composed herself.
Tucking her hair behind her ear she attempted to give him a smile but felt her lips wobble. Determined not to cry again, Stacey gave a small laugh.
"How ironic. Dumped by the Jethro the tool, conned by Morgan the fancy city man. How much more stupid could I get?"
"You know better than that. You are not anywhere near stupid. Their loss honey."
She clutched another tissue in her hand and dabbed at her eyes. "Oh what am I going to do Doc? I never ever thought I would end up as a single mother."
"Who says you have to? Why don't you contact Morgan, I gather he is the father?"
"Yeah, the only guy who had been anywhere near me in over two years unless it's a bloody miracle."
"Contact him then and tell him the news. He has a right to know Stacey."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know where he is. I know nothing about him. It was a weekend fling and before you get all proper and angry, I knew that going into it. It had been so long since somebody wanted me." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I was desperate for sex and he was just what I needed."
"Hmm, well. I'm kind of at a loss here then."
She laughed bitterly. "That makes two of us, no three of us then. This poor kid will wonder what hit it."
"You'll make a great mother, I know you will. Okay, first things first, you need to come over to the hospital for a scan so we can see how far along you are. Then you can decide what you want to do."
"Any chance I can do that today before I get to attached to the thought of being a parent and making the biggest mistake of my life?"
"Sure. I'll give you a lift over if you like."
* * *
Stacey lay on the bed with her shirt up exposing her belly.
"This is going to be a bit cold." Doc squirted gel on the head of the scanning wand and rested it against her stomach. "Keep your eyes on the screen."
She watched as the patterns changed and Doc flicked switches and pushed buttons. The pressure on her stomach increased as the picture cleared.
"There you go, that little blob is your baby and the small pulsing dot there is the heart beating steadily." He clicked on more buttons and took measurements. Frowning Doc saved picture
