As Natalie dressed for work in the morning, she saw her dwindling collection of sanitary products stuffed in the corner, and remembered that she had been intending ever since the end of her last period to buy some more.
Closing the drawer, Natalie decided to take some extra money with her today, and drop by the shop on her way home. It had been awhile, she knew, and she was probably due soon.
A frown crossed her face as she pulled on her clothes. When had her last one been? Sometime in March? She knew she definitely hadn't had it in late March. Chewing her bottom lip, she turned to look at the calander in her bedroom, hoping some date or day would jump out at her.
"Aha," she said triumphantly. "Early March."
Satisfied, she continued dressing. Then stopped, whirled around and started counting weeks on the calander. Her eyes widened at the result and she counted again. She was at least a week late. Possibly over.
Unnverved, Natalie sat down on the bed, a horrible thought popping into her mind. Surely not? Surely she couldn't be pregnant... She had been late before, and early... okay not by over a week, but still.
Natalie finished getting ready for work, and went on her way. All through the day, that idea, that possibility nagged her at the back of her mind. It didn't distract her during her work, but it certainly attacked her during her lunch hour, and any minutes alone she had.
Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she bought herself a pregnancy test on the way home from work (along with the extra pads she planned on getting). Once she got home, she was amazed at just how nervous she was about taking the thing.
When at last, alone in the bathroom, she had taken it, Natalie's next stumbling block was working up the nerve to actually look at the result when the requiste minutes were up.
Mrs Bryant looked up as her daughter entered the room, crying, the tears pouring down her cheeks.
"Natalie? What's wrong, honey?" she asked, full of concern.
Unable to say a word, Natalie held out the offending test. Mrs Bryant looked at it, result in the positive.
"Oh, honey..."
And she enveloped her daughter in her arms, as her tears renewed their vigor.