Synopsis: What went through Rita's mind as she faced the possibility that she might be pregnant.

THE TEST

by Rosebud

     Rita quietly hurried from her desk heading for the restroom unable to keep her nausea at bay. Running the last few feet, she managed to lock the restroom door behind her before she was ill. Gradually her stomach settled, and she came out of the stall, stopping at the sink to wash her shaky hands and splash her face.

     Rita stared into the mirror. The color of her face could only be described as a sickly shade of green. Reaching into her purse, Rita pulled out the mouthwash which she had begun carrying because of the number of times she had been sick in the last few weeks.

     After rinsing with the mouthwash, she decided that her color had improved. "There, much better," she murmured. Then, with a sigh, she shut her eyes and opened them again, looking at herself closely as she whispered softly, "Who are you fooling, Rita?"

     The nausea hadn't been easy to ignore, but she could always blame it on a stomach bug or bad food. However, the other signs were becoming impossible to ignore. She, who had never had a weight problem, was having difficulty in fitting into her clothes, the sleepiness and fatigue were constant, and of course, she was so late she had almost lost track of the date.

     Suddenly tears filled her eyes, again, as they had at the most inopportune moments in the last few weeks. Dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, she began digging around in her purse again. Bringing out her makeup, she carefully reapplied it hoping to improve her appearance.

     With a last look at herself in the mirror, she spoke out loud, "Okay, Rita. Face facts here. You either are or you aren't. What do you do first?" She tapped her fingers against the counter for a second, thinking. Making a decision finally, she picked up her purse and walked out.

     When Rita returned to her desk, she saw Chris was still out of the office. She walked to Harry's door, quietly standing there a moment before softly saying, "Cap."

     "Yeah, Rita," Harry answered as he looked up from his paperwork.

     "I need to run an errand. Is it okay with you if I leave a little early?"

     He looked at her closely, noting the slightly swollen eyes as if she had been crying and her color was awful - he hadn't seen that shade of green since his sister . . . . "Oh, jeez," he suddenly thought, "I hope she's just got the stomach flu."

     Out loud, he answered, "Sure, Rita. Do you want me to tell Chris that you left? He went to the gym to talk to that boy, but he was unsure if he'd come back here or go straight home. He's supposed to call me, though, if he doesn't come back here."

     "Yeah," she replied slowly, "tell Chris that I'll be home in about an hour or so. Matter of fact, tell him to call me or drop by. I need to talk to him about something." Since she and Chris were more or less living at his apartment, she knew Chris would realize where she was.

     "You want to leave a message? I can give it to him."

     "No. I need to talk to him in person."

     "Okay, sure thing." He hesitated for a moment, "Rita, are you all right? You don't look so good."

     "I'm fine, Cap, just a little tired." She edged back towards the door. "See you tomorrow."

     "Bye, Rita."

     Harry sat back in his chair, worry gnawing at his stomach. "This is not good. This is definitely not good. And she has to talk to Chris in person. Not good, not good." He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a few antacids, popping them into his mouth.

     A few minutes later Rita sat in her car, tapping her fingers nervously on the steering wheel, unwilling to get out and go into the drugstore. Apprehension caused her to sigh raggedly as her thoughts ran wildly throughout her mind.

     "What if . . . .? It couldn't be possible, they had been so careful except for the first time. I wonder if Chris suspects. He's been asking me to go to the doctor for a while now. I keep telling him I've got a bug, but I think he's suspicious. How's he going to react? I know he always said he wanted kids, but . . . ."

     Rita finally took a deep breath, "Stop this, Rita. Just get out of the car and go in."

     With that, she exited the car and walked into the busy store. Glancing around, Rita checked to see if she recognized anyone. No one but strangers in sight.

     As she walked down the aisles, Rita nervously searched until she found the pregnancy tests. After reading the backs of several, she hesitantly selected one. Hurrying to the check-out counter, she paid for it.

     On the drive back to the apartment, Rita's mind reeled as she considered the possibility of being pregnant, but she knew she had to face the problem now. Driving up to the apartment, she was almost relieved to see that Chris wasn't there yet.

     Rita went inside, sat down and began rereading the instructions on the box. "Simple. Okay. I can do this," she thought. Going to the bathroom, she followed the instructions precisely. Agonizing minutes passed as Rita paced the floor. Finally, she checked the results. The positive sign staring back at her left no doubt in her mind. She was pregnant.

     For a moment, Rita trembled slightly as the reality of the situation sank in. Uncertain as to what to do next, she slowly walked into the living room. Sitting heavily on the couch, she put her head between her knees as a wave of dizziness and nausea passed over her.
"How could I have been so stupid to have not figured it out already?" Calculating rapidly, Rita realized she was over 2 months pregnant, closer actually to three. "That night, it had to be that night of the explosion."

     She sobbed quietly for a moment wishing Chris were here to hold her.

     "Rita, get hold of yourself!" she muttered as she wiped her eyes. She stood up walking into the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. Lately, comfortable clothing had been anything loose fitting. Rita pulled out a sweatshirt of Chris'. For some reason she loved to wear his sweatshirts, and this one carried his scent. She inhaled deeply, the smell soothing her nerves but at the same time creating an intense longing for Chris' presence which almost overwhelmed her.

     Hurrying to the phone, she dialed the office and asked for Chris. Harry picked up the phone after a few rings. "Lorenzo's desk."

     "Cap, this is Rita. Is Chris there?"

     "He just called a few minutes ago. I gave him your message. He said he'd see you soon." Harry paused for a moment, concern in his voice, "Is there something wrong, Rita?"

     "No, I just need to talk to Chris. Thanks for giving him the message. Bye." She hung up quickly to avoid another question.

     Rita paced nervously around the living room as she rubbed her hands together. Her nerves were becoming more frazzled by the minute. On one hand she wished Chris was there because she ached to have his arms around her. On the other hand, Rita was apprehensive because of her uncertainty of his reaction.

     Rita looked out the window hoping to see his car coming down the street. As she stood gazing out the window, their years together as partners and friends, and now as a couple flashed through her mind. Chris had been the one person she could always rely on, never letting her down throughout the bad time and the good. Rita smiled to herself as the knowledge and certainty of Chris' love washed over her, and her worry subsided substantially.

     At that moment she saw Chris' car turn onto the street. She stood watching him get out. Chris was whistling. He always did that when he was happy.

     Rita unconsciously began rubbing her hands together again when he entered the building. And then the pacing started again when she heard the key in the door. She could hear her heart pounding with trepidation as Chris walked in.

     At that point, it became obvious to Rita that Chris knew she was nervous about something. He let her talk, and as Rita hesitantly began telling him, almost shyly, about the test she looked anxiously into his face. She realized that he wasn't acting terribly surprised, almost as if he might have already guessed. And his immediate reaction, that of happiness, was apparent to her even before he spoke a word.

     Relief washed over her. "Everything was going to be all right," she said to herself, "because Chris would be by her side as they walked this new road together."

     And then his arms were around her.

THE END

Any comments about this story can be emailed to rosebuderinchris@yahoo.com