After her shower, Bree dressed herself into her favorite pajamas and climbed into bed. Gwenn brought her some ginger tea and gave her salty crackers.
“Hmm, these actually work,” Bree held one cracker up into the air. Gwenn walked past her with a pile of dirty laundry and said, “Oh, you’re so fucked, sis.”
“No, they work. I feel better already.”
Gwenn walked out of the room and shouted over her shoulder, “I’m calling Kera.”
“What for?” Bree winced at her own shouts.
Gwenn walked back into Bree’s bedroom with her phone against her ear. “Hmm-mm, yeah. And while you’re there, can you grab me some tampons? Yeah, one box is enough. My guess is I don’t have to share them in a loooong time.”
“What is that all about?” Bree said while perching herself on the bed. She rested her head against the headrest of her bed. She’d always liked this type of hotel beds with their padded headrest. It was the first thing she bought when she’d had saved up enough from her first paychecks. Never once regretted it.
“How long have you been feeling sick?” Gwenn said and eyed her sister peculiarly. She looked from Bree’s eyes over to her stomach and up again. Bree shifted on the bed.
“I… um, on and off a couple of days? A week maybe? It’s just a bug…”
“Exactly!” Gwenn waved her hand in the air with the phone clenched between her fingers.
Bree’s head pounded. “I don’t know why it’s so special now. So I got sick again. It’s not like you haven’t been sick before?”
“Geeez… Okay, if that’s how you want to play it.”
Bree narrowed her eyes at her sister, “What in the world are you talking about? Here I was thinking you were so sweet in helping me. Why are you badgering me?”
Gwenn stalked out of the bedroom and said, “I’m so happy I called in reinforcement.”
Bree placed her hands next to her thighs, leaned over her legs and shouted in the doorway's direction, “Stop talking army. You are noton a mission here!”
“Take some rest. Kera will be here shortly.”
“Whatever,” Bree muttered. “Just my luck,shehad to stay with me. I get sick for a few days and she sends in the cavalry. Pff.”
And then it clicked. She gasped and held her hand before her mouth. The thoughts running through her head made her nauseous again. This time she didn’t spill. After going at it for two rounds, she brushed her teeth again. She slumped over to her bed and waited for her sisters to join her.
She’d heard their whispers in the living room. After a few more minutes, Kera walked in first into her bedroom. She had brought a white paper bag. The kind you’d get at the drugstore.
“Nooo…” She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest. She linked her fingers as she folded her hands against her shins.
“Sweetheart, just to be sure,” Kera said, and she held out the paper bag. She cocked her head and her coppery bob swished.
“But I’m on the pill…”
“I know, sis. But it hasn’t been that long ago since I referred you to someone for a prescription for birth control. If you didn’t begin your pill until after your period started, you had to wait seven days before having unprotected sex. Didn’t the doctor explain this to you?”
“I thought it immediately protected me was immediately protecte….” Bree sobbed, feeling trapped like a caged animal. What was she to do now? How could she ever tell Declan she’s pregnant after promising him she had been protected?
Kera joined Bree on one side of the bed and Gwenn on the other. Bree leaned with her head against Kera’s shoulder, and Gwenn laid her hand on top of Bree’s hand and squeezed.
“Take the test, Bree. Just to rule it out,” Kera said.
“Okay…”
Bree got up from the bed and grabbed the paper bag from the nightstand. She sat down on the closed toilet lid and peered into the bag. Her sister had gotten her two different pregnancy tests. Bree took a deep breath and went ahead.
“What’s taking you so long?” Gwenn shouted.
“I couldn’t pee, okay?” Bree raised her voice. “And I had to do both.”