Lisa looked at the odd shaped wand in her hand in disbelief as she sat on the edge of her bathtub. The digital readout clearly displayed the word "Pregnant" and Lisa knew that shaking the test in her hand or taking another test was not going to change the results. She had known when she bought the test that the symptoms she had been experiencing lately weren't usual and the pregnancy test was just to confirm her suspicions. Now that it was a reality, and not just a possibility, well there was just so much more to think about. Lisa overwhelmed with the decisions she was facing, wrapped her arms around her stomach and for the first time in many years, cried like she never did before. The pregnancy couldn't have come at a worse time in Lisa's life.
This past Christmas and New Year had been a nightmare for her as the reality set in that Rick and Minmei were once again together. Although they tried to hide it for a few days, the tabloid news journalists quickly sussed out where their favorite singing star had been hiding since Christmas Eve and Rick and Minmei made their debut as a couple at the New Macross New Year Eve's ball. While devastating to Lisa, at least it was better than having them attend the New Year's Eve party that Sammie, Vanessa and Kim had organized on the base. Lisa who had already known about Rick and Minmei, decided to hold her head up high and attend the ball on base, even though all she wanted to do was hide in her room. Claudia had been proud of her when she said she somewhat defiantly that she would attend, and dressed to the nines in a black cocktail dress with plunging back. Although Lisa did receive a few looks of pity from some of the attendees, on the most part, everyone thought that Lisa looked quite well and that maybe the rumors of her infatuation with Rick were overrated.
From the attention Lisa received from some of the other officers and pilots, Lisa knew that she looked good, even though Lisa felt like she was going to scream at any moment. The nauseous feeling she had been having on and off had threatened to return and the seafood buffet was quite unappetizing to her. Max and Miriya and Claudia stayed close to her for most of the night and once she almost starting crying when during a dance with Max, he said that he thought that his friend was a fool.
It wasn't until after the New Year's Eve party and things were settling back down, that Lisa realized that she had missed her period and that the nauseous feeling she had been experiencing wasn't going away. She counted back the weeks on her hand and realized that it had been about six weeks since her last period and that rainy night with Rick. That's when she bought the pregnancy test and confirmed her fears.
Hiccuping and wiping up her tears, Lisa looked in the mirror and didn't like what she saw. Her green eyes were red and tired looking and her skin blotchy. Her long brown hair was in a messy knot on her head and even Lisa admitted she wasn't looking her best. She decided right then and there that she wasn't going to wallow any longer in her misery, that is was time to move on and be an adult with all that has happened to her. She rubbed her belly and said softly, "Well little one, it's just going to be you and me, but I promise that I will do my best by you." That day, for the first time ever, Lisa called in to the base and let them know she wasn't coming in. Her second call was into the base hospital to make an appointment with her gynecologist and OBGYN. Lisa spent the rest of the day cleaning her small place, buying groceries determined to eat healthier and not skip meals and generally mentally preparing herself for the time she had to tell Rick Hunter that he whether he like it or not, was going to be a dad.