Chapter 1
Catherine sipped on a cup of tea as she listened to the music coming over the stereo. She sighed, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. She hadn't been feeling well all day, struggling with a stuffed up nose, a cough, and nausea.
The nausea she had been feeling was terrible. She hoped it went away soon. She found herself sitting on the stairs by the front door, fighting the urge to vomit. Just as she felt she had it almost under control, the front door unlocked and open, reveiling a tired looking Steve.
"Hey you! Long case?" she asked quietly, standing slowly.
"Cath," he greeted, smiling back at her albeit wearily.
"Are you all right?" she asked, searching his blue eyes.
He nodded, "Yeah, a cop was murdered, a good guy. He worked with my father, he had two kids who are now orphans, their mother dies a couple years ago." It was always hard on Steve when cases involved a father or someone his own father had known.
"Steve, I-" she started before sprinting around the corner towards the bathroom. Concerned, he followed her.
"Cath? Are you-" he was cut off by her sounds in the bathroom. Is she sick? he thought to himself. He knocked softly when the bathroom went quiet. "Cath?" he called quietly through the door, before it openned. Catherine stood there, face pale, her breathing labored trying to ease the nausea.
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
"I don't know, I've felt terrible today. I think it's just a bug, but I feel really terrible."
He pulled her close. She muttered against his chest, "I'm sorry about your case, I know how hard it must have been for you, it probably hit a little too close to home."
"I just feel bad for those kids, losing their father. As a cop he knew the risks, but those children will have to grow up without their father and it seems so unfair, you know."
Catherine nodded quietly against his shirt, knowing there was nothing she could say to make it better.
After a few minutes, Steve pulled her face toward his. "Are you feeling any better?"
She nodded, "I just want to go to bed."
Catherine stood in the bathroom, pacing the floor slowly, staring at her watch. She had stopped by the grocery store after her surfing session that morning to get the thing she needed to prove her theory wrong. Or at least she hoped it would prove her wrong. She felt a sense of panic as the seconds passed. She had no idea how she would tell Steve. She didn't know if she was ready for what may lay ahead. She didn't know if he was.
What would they do if it was positive? She didn't know how it had happened, she was on birth control. She looked at her watch again. It was time. She reached for the test. She felt the tears well up as she sat on the edge of the tub. She kept staring at the test, unsure of her next move.