Loretta couldn't believe she was here.
She sat on the far end of the row, her fingers twisting the hem of her sweater over and over in her lap.
She’d booked the appointment under a fake last name. Just in case.
Her name was finally called, and she followed a nurse down the hallway in silence.
The exam room was small, the table covered in crinkled paper she didn’t want to lie on. She sat on the edge, her palms flat against her thighs.
She didn’t know how to breathe.
The door opened gently a few minutes later, and a woman in her forties with tired eyes and a kind voice stepped inside, clipboard in hand.
“Hi, Loretta,” she said, offering a small smile. “I’m Dr. Mason.”
Loretta nodded.
“I saw from your intake that you think you might be pregnant?”
Loretta hesitated, then nodded agai
