She held her hair back the best she could before throwing up again.

"Dammit woman! You're gonna be late for work! I'm not losing the house because of your lazy ass. Now move it!"

She quickly got on her feet and went to the sink to wash her face. When she was through and walked in the living room she saw her husband reclined in his chair right in front of the TV.

"Parker, you're not gonna try and find another job today?"

He mumbled under his breath and took a long swig of beer.

"I'll do it next week, Laura. Mind your own business." He turned around in his chair and looked her over. "You need to get your lazy ass to work. Now get."

She knew not to say anything else and walked out the door. Instead of taking their car to work she would have to walk. She knew he would get mad if he didn't have a way to get wherever he wanted to go today and would blow up about it tonight. So instead she walked out of their yard and onto the road heading toward the diner where she worked.

She felt the urge to throw up, and quickly went over to the nearest bush. She waited a few minutes and thanked God she didn't throw up in public. She almost knew for sure what the sickness was, but dreaded asking off from work to go to the doctor to make sure. And she knew her husband wouldn't be happy about it.

Before she knew it she was at the diner. When she walked in the door the smell of food hit her hard and she felt the urge to throw up again. She put her hand over her mouth and quickly walked to the back where she took off her coat and ran to the bathroom.

Opening time came soon and she decided to work a few hours before asking the boss for the next day off. For three hours she ran from table to table, kitchen to dining room. Bringing food, taking dishes, and refilling drinks.

After a while she looked at the clock and decided now was a good enough time to ask her boss. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked up to the cash register. Her boss sat there taking money from customers, counting it, putting it in the register. After the customers left the old woman looked at Laura.

"What do you want?" She took out a cigarette and lit it and Laura felt the urge to throw up again.

"I was wondering, Mrs. Walters if I could have the day off tomorrow."

The old woman looked up from her money long enough to give Laura a scowl.

"Why the hell do you need to take off?"

"Well ma'am." She swallowed the throw up that had managed to make its way up back down. "You see, I've got to go to the doctor."

Boss lady looked at her and mumble under her breath. "Fine. If you have to go, go. But you're not getting paid. You pull this again and I might have let you go." She looked back down at her precious money and I knew that that was my cue to leave. I also knew that I should still get paid if I'm just going to the doctor, but arguing with her about that matter wasn't work getting fired over.

The next morning she told her husband she was going to work so he wouldn't start up. She went to the hospital, signed in, and was not sitting in the waiting room. She was there for an hour and a half before a nurse finally told her it was her time.

After the doctor was through with his examination and she was dressed, he had her sit in a chair while he looked in his folder. He finally looked up at her with a big smile.

"Well, it looks like you'll have a special little present a few weeks before Christmas."

She gasped and couldn't help but smile. "You mean?"

The doctor smiled again and nodded. "You're pregnant Mrs. Mathews!"