THE ART OF DECEPTION

CHAPTER 3

Third person's POV

Linda's heart races fast as she braces herself for what the doctor has to say.

Dr McCall clears her throat and adjusts her posture on her chair.

"Linda, I sincerely do not know how you are going to take this news. Especially if you were not expecting such test result." Dr McCall says expecting a reaction from Linda who is still looks confused about what the doctor is trying to say.

"Uhm, Doc. I do not understand what your exact words are supposed to mean. I am a little confused." Linda says with a light and nervous chuckle at her end statement.

Dr McCall nods her head slowly, she rubs her palms together and clears her throat.

"Linda, while you came here complaining about some symptoms. Those symptoms were similar to pregnancy so when I was running tests, I ran a pregnancy test as well." Dr McCall says.

Linda does not realize when she jumps up in fear at the mention of pregnancy, those were her exact thoughts and she had already prayed to God before leaving work that whatever was wrong with her will definitely not be pregnancy but it was slowly getting revealed to her that unfortunately for her, her prayers were not answered.

"Linda I need you to calm down and sit back on the chair." Dr McCall commands in a firm tone that startles Linda and sends her back to her seat.

"You are two months pregnant Linda." Dr McCall deadpans.

Linda places her hand over her mouth, she bites her lip to hold back the tears that slowly drop from her eyes. She shakes her head and tries to think clear the horrible consequences from her mind but it overwhelms her. Linda breaks down and bursts into sobs in front of Dr McCall. Dr McCall rises to her feet and walks towards Linda, she pulls her into a hug and allows Linda cry in her arms. She pats her shoulder and caresses her brunette hair.

"It is alright Linda. Gently, this is not the end of the world. It is just a new beginning for you. I need you to calm down, go home and rest. Come back here tomorrow and let us talk." Dr McCall says giving her a reassuring smile. Linda nods her head, she wipes the tears off her cheeks and make sniffling sounds.

"Can I..." Linda pauses to clear her throat as she releases her voice barely comes out as a whisper.

"Can I have the results?" Linda asks. Dr McCall nods her head with a small smile. She reaches for her desk and grabs a piece of paper. She hands it to Linda who reluctantly receives it.

"Thank you." Linda replies nodding her head slowly.

"Please take care Linda. I think you should confide in someone. Do not stay alone and do not think too much about anything." Dr McCall tells Linda with a look of concern on her face. Linda nods her head, she grabs her handbag and slowly walks out of the office not after thanking Dr McCall one last time.

Linda walks out of the hospital, she boards a cab to back home. Linda settles in the cab cuddling herself tight, she obeys Dr McCall's number by dialing Katherine's number and she picks on the first dial.

"Hey bestie. What's up?" Katherine's enthusiastic voice blares out the speaker. Linda breaks down at the sound of her best friend's voice.

"Oh my God, Linda. I need you to hang in there. I am on my way to your place. Please just hang in there, alright?" Katherine says in a shaky tone, her voice is laced with fear at the sobbing sounds coming from Linda.

Linda nods her head and hangs up. The cab comes to a stop in front of her house. She gets off the cab not after paying the driver. Linda sluggishly drags herself towards the front door. She knocks on the door several times until her youngest sibling, Diana yells from the sitting room "I am coming! Try not to break the damn door Linda!"

Diana dashes towards the front door and unlocks it. Her face immediately softens and her eyes twinkle in worry as she sets her gaze on her elder sister who looks like a total mess from crying and sobbing.

"Are you okay Linda? What happened? Why are your eyes so swollen?" Diana asks with concern laced in her tone. Linda releases a heavy sigh knowing fully well that her sister is too young to understand anything. She is just Eighteen and in her last year as senior in high school, what would she know about pregnancy, Linda thought to herself.

"I need sometime alone Diana." Linda mumbles. She sluggishly drags her feet towards her bedroom, she opens the door and shuts it behind her. Linda throws herself on the bed and continues with tears.

She had never thought that a one night stand with a stranger would lead to a new beginning for her according to Dr McCall's words.

Linda's mind drifts deep, she wonders that even if she eventually decides to give birth to the baby, how will she fend for the child, it just becomes an extra bill that will only add more burden on her. Linda knows she is not too young to have a baby, as a matter of fact she is aware that many of her mates from school are already married with kids so having a child at twenty seven is absolutely not a problem but finance is. Linda knows she is not financially stable enough to have a child and most importantly, she had never imagined that this would have been the way she would have her first child unlike the rest of her mates that got married and bore children for her husband. Her first child would be as a result of a one night stand with a stranger. Linda rubs her temple and bursts into tears at the thought of it all. She stares at the pregnancy result one more time hoping it is a dream but unfortunately for her, it is reality.

Suddenly Katherine barges into Linda's room. She pauses to pant and catch her breath.

"Oh my God, Linda you scared me. Are you alright?" Katherine asks dashing towards the bed where Linda is lying carelessly. She grabs Linda's chin and sees how swollen her best friend's eyes are.

"What the hell Linda? Are you trying to kill yourself? Why are your eyes so swollen like you have been crying for hours?" Katherine scolds her best friend. Linda just throws the piece of paper in her best friend's face. Katherine reads the paper word for word in order to comprehend the whole situation properly. Her face becomes pale and she releases a heavy sigh.

"How did this happen Linda?" Katherine questions Linda with her brows raised in confusion. She knows her best friend very well and is fully aware that Linda is not the kind of person that sleeps around and she knows that if Linda was in some sort of relationship with any one, she would be the first to know.

"Speak to me Linda. Talk to me, what is wrong?" Katherine nudges Linda's shoulder.

"Katie, I messed up! I messed up really bad! I am pregnant for a stranger! Someone that I know nothing about!" Linda yells with panic written all over her face.

"Calm down Linda. Calm down. Where did you even meet this stranger from?" Katherine asks trying to calm her best friend down.

"From the bar we went to on the night we were celebrating your raise. I told you I did not want to go Katherine, I told you but you would not just listen!!" Linda yells.

Katherine releases a heavy sigh and suddenly feels guilty and responsible for everything.