*****
Alex looked at Bianca’s message with confusion. Where was she if she wasn’t at the mall? She had told him she was going Christmas shopping again today with Andrea but didn’t say where and she was acting strangely the last week. Alex was getting nervous that he was losing her again and began to panic.
Alex: Where are you? I’ll meet you somewhere closer instead?
Bianca’s return message took several minutes to come and Alex began to sweat in anticipation.
Bianca: I’m in Delaware, I wanted some tax free shopping. I’ll meet you in Philly in an hour.
Delaware? What the fuck? Alex was almost angry enough to go there to find her. Bianca was keeping something from him, but what? Pacing the living room, Alex decided to take a different route. He scrolled through his phone for the number he wanted and then pressed send.
“Hello?” Andrea answered after the second ring.
“Andrea? Can I talk to Bianca, it’s important?” Alex began without saying hello.
“Uh, I’m not, I mean, Bianca’s not here,” Andrea stuttered, the sound of a fussy baby in the background.
“What? She told me she was going shopping with you,” Alex asked with confusion.
Where the fuck was she? Nausea suddenly gripped Alex’s gut as he thought about the possibilities of what could be happening. He didn’t even want to think of the worst of them.
“Look, Alex, I can’t really talk right now, but I think you and Bianca need to talk.” Andrea said, the baby crying louder.
“Why? What’s going on Andrea?” Alex asked with anxiety.
“I can’t, it’s not my place to say. Please, talk to Bianca,” She muttered.
Alex said goodbye, his gut churning with worry. Where the hell was Bianca and what was she keeping from him?
*****
Bianca’s anxiety level soared when Alex didn’t text back. He knew she was lying and he was angry. Pushing that thought to the back of her mind for the moment, Bianca focused on waiting for the doctor and relaxing. After the longest twenty minutes of her life, Dr. Gabriel came in, clipboard in hand.
“So, Bianca, what’s going on with you today?” Dr. Gabriel asked. Doesn’t she read the damn forms?
“I’m pregnant again,” Bianca said without mincing words.
“Hmmm, I thought we discussed not getting pregnant again for a few months?” The doctor answered, her brows knitting with frustration.
Bianca sighed. “We did. This was not planned,” she said, anger creeping into her voice.
After taking her blood pressure and a few other vitals, the doctor got right down to the exam. She wheeled in the portable ultrasound and Bianca’s heart almost stopped, the images of her empty womb flashing through her mind.
“Relax, Bianca,” Dr. Gabriel said, patting her arm. “Worrying won’t help anything.”
Bianca took a deep breath and laid back, staring at the ceiling.
“Let’s take a look at this baby,” the doctor said, beginning the ultrasound.
Bianca took some more deep breaths but didn’t say anything. After several moment
s the doctor spoke.
“How far along did you say you were?” She asked Bianca.
“I think eight weeks,” Bianca answered, nerves creeping in. Was something wrong?
“Well, this definitely doesn’t look like an eight week fetus,” Dr. Gabriel answered and Bianca’s heart sank. It was happening again.