Sexy, Crazy, and Pregnant

Elara “Hello, Miss Carter.” Dr. Meyers pulls back his chair and settles in his chair. “You look anxious," he adds. Anxious? Of course I am. I hate a lot of things… quite too many to be considered weird. One of the things that made it to the top of my list is coming to the hospital. But what can I do? It’s the second time I’ve passed out this week. Even if it’s just stress, I know my body has been wailing for a check-up. “Miss Carter," Dr. Meyers begins quietly, folding his hands as if he’s about to deliver a storm instead of words. “I know you’ve been waiting for these results.” He spreads the CT scans across his desk, dark, smudged shapes that look like storm clouds eating up the light. I stare at them anxiously. I can feel something is wrong. Those recent difficult breaths and serious chest pains can’t be nothing. “The scans show progressive scarring in both lungs, what we call fibrosis,” he says carefully. “Given your family history and the test results… I’m afraid it’s idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.” The words don’t hit right away. They just float around me. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I’ve seen those exact words before… printed neatly on my mother’s death certificate. “That’s what my mother had,” I whisper, my throat closing up. Dr. Meyers nods slowly. “I know. I’m so sorry, Miss Carter. It’s not something we can cure. We can slow it down, manage symptoms… but the scarring doesn’t reverse.” My fingers go numb. My heartbeat sounds like it’s coming from far away. “How long?” I manage to ask, though my voice barely exists. He exhales, his eyes full of that pity I hate. “If it continues at this rate… maybe a year. A year and a half with treatment. Two, if we’re lucky.” The world tilts. My body feels like it’s being vacuumed out of itself. “So that’s it?” I whisper, hollow. He hesitates. “We’ll refer you to a specialist in palliative care. There are medications that could help slow…” “Time for what?” I cut in, my voice sharp, brittle. “Watching it happen?” Silence. He looks at me the way people look at something broken they can’t fix. “I’m so sorry.” Yeah, he should be sorry for me. Today is my mom’s posthumous birthday and the day I get to know I’m going to die of the same illness that took her life. What an irony. “Can you keep this between us?” I ask, my voice shaking. He frowns. “You mean I shouldn’t tell Mr. Carter? You know…” "Please," I interrupt quickly. “I know you’re obligated to inform my dad as our family doctor, but I want to tell him myself. Please, Dr. Meyers.” He sighs. “Alright. But if you need anything…” “Thank you,” I say quickly before the tears can break free. “Thank you for… everything.” When I step out of his office, I finally exhale the air I’ve been holding, and with it comes the sob I was trying to swallow. “Why?” I whisper. “Why do I have to live her life all over again?” My fists slam against my chest, over and over, until people start to stare. A nurse rushes toward me. “Are you okay, miss?” I nod, forcing a smile that feels like glass on my lips. “Yeah,” I lie. “I’m fine.” But I’m not fine. And I know if I break here, someone who knows me or my dad will find me. Someone will tell him before I do. So I walk out. The first person who comes to mind is Ethan. My fiancé. My childhood best friend. Second best friend actually. We have a friend group of four… of which he’s the only guy. Two years ago, I finally agreed to the marriage alliance between our families… and since then he’s upgraded from being my friend to the man I’m obligated to love the most. Returning home this earlier will make both my dad and stepmom suspicious. I have been acting as the company’s chairman since dad’s unavoidable house rest. That again brings Ethan to mind. He’ll be at work as well, but I can use that lone time to process my predicament before he returns. By the time I reach his house, my hands won’t stop shaking. His car is in the driveway, a sign, I think, that maybe today won’t end like the rest of my life just did. Our wedding date is fixed already…and he loves me. I just need to see him. To tell him. The front door is slightly ajar, so I don’t even need to use the passcode. “Ethan?” I call softly, stepping inside. No response. “Eth…” I want to call his name again, but the sound coming from upstairs stops me. Laughter. There’s someone with him? The laughter comes again. Wait… is that a lady’s voice? The laughter grows louder. My stomach twists. I move quietly toward the stairs, ready to find out who this mysterious guest is… I mean, a female guest in his bedroom? “Bailey, stop.” I hear Ethan exclaim. Oh, it’s Bailey. Relief brushes my heart. Remember I say we have a friend group of four? Yeah, Bailey is one of us… and my best friend actually. It’s a good thing that they are together. I can just break the news to the two of them at once. They will… “I love sucking your n*****s…” Wait… what? But the next words that come from Ethan make me stop moving immediately.