Unexpected Souvenir

The cold porcelain of the bathroom tiles pressed against Theia Lexington's knees as she leaned against the toilet, her stomach still heaving from its fifth consecutive late night upset in as many days. She knelt on the ground, trembling as she struggled to breathe in much needed air. 

She breathed deeply attempting to stave off the nausea roiling in her stomach. As she struggled to stand, she was hit with another bout of nausea which led to her repeating the steps she just took. Five minutes later, she finally got it under control enough to drag herself from the floor. As she washed her face, trying to restore some semblance of calmness, she realized that she had a much more unpleasant task to perform.

As she opened the box and removed the stick following the instructions, and sat by the toilet cover waiting. She stared at the small white stick that had the potential to change her life and she wondered, "How could this have happened to me?"

Knock! Knock! 

She jolted out of her thoughts.

 "Thee! Are you okay in there?" her friend, Alessa Redington asked. 

"Lessy, I'm not sure whether I'm okay or not." she replied on the verge of tears. The care and concern in her friend's voice just broke through the veneer of calm she was attempting to maintain. 

Alessa sighed. "Take the test first and we'll work out the rest later."

Theia stared at the small white stick with all the wariness she would feel for a snake found curled up in her bed. Suddenly, she froze. 

"Thee? Thee! Theia!" Alessa shouted through the door. However, all that greeted her was silence. She scrambled for the door knob and surprisingly found it open. She burst through the door only to see Theia sitting on the toilet lid looking like a lost child. Without even needing to check, she already knew what the result was. Her breath caught and she stared blankly at the stick, just like Theia did.

For several long minutes, neither of them moved or said anything. They just stared at the world changing, seemingly inconspicuous stick that changed everything. 

Theia could hear her best friend calling her and the subsequent actions of her entering the bathroom, but she couldn't respond. Her heart was pounding and its rhythm was all she could hear. She just kept staring, hoping that maybe its result would change. After a long period of silence, Alessa suggested, "Let's go buy another one. There's a chance that this one is faulty."

When Theia heard that, it was as though she got a cool drink of water on a hot summer day. "Yes! You're right! I mean, it could be faulty for sure. Let's go get a few more," she responded full of enthusiasm. They went together to a nearby pharmacy to purchase another test. In the end. They settled on three different types and trekked back to their apartment. 

"Okay, let's do this!" Theia shouted. 

"Let's go!" Alessa replied then paused. "Well you should go in any case. I can't really help with that." 

They both laughed. Sometimes a little laughter goes a long way to easing the tension. However, sometimes reality is indeed cruel. Ten minutes later and they were both staring blankly at the four positive tests laid on the sink. It seemed as though it was indeed reality and there was no escaping it. 

"Thee, what are you going to do? Is it his?" Alessa asked.

"Yup," she replied lifelessly. 

"Can you contact him?"

"Nope."

"Do you have a number for him? Even if it isn't a current one."

"Nope."

"Full name?"

"Still nope."

"Damnit Theia, do you know anything about him?"

"I know his name, his height and how he looks. Does that help?" Theia said as she turned to look at Alessa with dull eyes.

"No. It really doesn't. Even I know his name," Alessa sighed. Why was this so difficult? "Did he say anything to you before he left?"

"Just that he had some family business to take care of and he'd be back as soon as things are settled," she replied. 

"Oh Thee, what are we gonna do? Your father is going to flip. You know he was planning on selli-, marrying you off to that sh*try Dupree family heir so he could get a benefit from that contract they're about to sign. Sigh. Even though he calls you an illegitimate child and treats you like a beggar, he still wants to use you because you're the only daughter he has." 

"In the first place, I wasn't even aware he was my father until a few years ago when he decided to look me up because he need a daughter to obtain a business deal. He changed my name without my permission because I was a minor and transferred me from my school. Honestly, apart from meeting you, nothing good has come from his involvement. I don't even own anything besides things he buys me to dress me up like a doll to advertise. What he feels has no bearing on me." Theia said while walking toward the sofa to plop herself on it. She continued, "Regardless, I think I'm going to keep this child. What I need to do now is plan how exactly I'm going to do this."

"Well fortunately, she only need nine more credits to graduate early because of how smart you are. Let's keep under wraps for now and try to liquidate our resources for now," Alessa replied. The way she saw it was that since her mind was already set on keeping the baby, all she could do for her best friend is handle the logistics that required connections and try her best to give her a head start. Especially from that scheming bastard she had for a father and her equally conniving step-mother. 

Alessa wandered off to her room lost in thought to make a list of things she needed to prepare. Hmm, I should also contact him. He loves her so much that he'd be devastated if she simply disappeared. Plus he could help out in ways that I can't. Particularly keeping that bastard away from her. 

Theia giggled at the sight of her friend looking so obviously lost. She knew that it was because Alessa genuinely loved and cared about her.