It was as Laura was reviewing the monthly documentation that something occurred to her. She stared at the paperwork in front on her, a cold sensation flushing through her body as the realisation dawned on her. She picked up her phone and scrolled through to her calendar, frantically checking her records and then leant her hand against her forehead as the full realisation dawned on her. "Shit." Laura's lab assistant regarded her curiously. "Is everything quite alright Dr Hobson?" He enquired and Laura winced. In her blind panic, she'd forgotten that she wasn't alone in the lab. "Sorry, Stewart, I'm fine. Just realised something I need to sort out," she replied distantly, before locking her computer and strolling out of the lab. Laura walked towards the supplies in the cupboard, and quickly retrieved what she needed, before taking herself to the toilets. Working quickly, she managed to extract enough blood from her arm to check what she needed, and then held a cotton wool ball to her arm to stop the tiny nick from bleeding. She taped it down with some micropore tape, and then pocketed the vial before heading back to the lab. Back in the lab, she began the process of testing, setting up the machine and tapping the parameters in quickly. As the centrifuge began, she heaved a heavy sigh and rested her forehead in her hands. An hour. That's all she had to wait. God, this was going to kill her quietly.
A tap on the glass startled her, and she turned to see Robbie holding two mugs of coffee. "Break?" he mouthed and Laura nodded, before turning back to the machine for a second. She slipped out of the lab and Robbie grinned at her. "Alright?" he asked and Laura hesitated for just a second. "Laur?" he said, a hint of concern evident in his features and she winced. She scanned the corridor for a moment, ensuring they were completely alone before she turned to him, stepping towards him so that she could speak in low tones. "I'm freaking out Robbie," she told him quietly and he looked at her, bewildered. "Why?" he asked, perplexed and Laura took an enormous gulp of her coffee. "I have to run regular checks on the staff, to make sure that we're keeping in line with health and safety regulations, and that certain safety precautions are taken with chemicals and exposure," she explained and Robbie looked at her warily. "Right," he said, no clearer on what she was talking about. "Robbie, one of the checks is to ensure that none of the staff are pregnant. There can be restrictions on certain chemical handling for women of child bearing age, and anyone who thinks they might be pregnant has to tell the lab lead." She looked up at a clearly bewildered Robbie. "Is someone pregnant?" he asked slowly, trying to recall who of the lab staff might fall into this group and Laura sighed in frustration. "I checked my diary, Robbie," she continued and he looked at her sharply. "I haven't had a period in three months,' she owned and Robbie stared at her. "Don't tell me I'm too old for this to be possible," she told him sharply and his eyes widened. "Thank fuck I'm the lab lead," she observed, taking another gulp of her coffee, and then looking up at him. Robbie was staring at her incredulously. "You can't be?" he stuttered and Laura grimaced. "I'm 44. It's genuinely not impossible," she replied and Robbie put his coffee down, in order to take her hand into his. "I've got the centrifuge going," Laura continued and Robbie looked confused, before glancing at her arm. "Jesus, did you take your own blood?" he asked, slightly horrified and she glowered. "I didn't fancy popping to Boots in my lunch hour," she replied tartly and Robbie heaved a heavy sigh. Laura sipped her coffee, and turned towards the lab window as a colleague passed by. "I'll have the results in about 45 minutes," she murmured "and I'll be quietly going out of my mind until then."
Robbie snorted, and she caught his eye. Even in the midst of the ridiculous situation they currently found themselves in, he could always make her smile. "You seem remarkably calm about this," she observed and Robbie shrugged. "It is what it is," he replied, "seems limited point in overreacting until we know exactly what we're dealing with." Laura folded her arms around herself, and grimaced. Robbie downed the remainder of his coffee, and then leant in to kiss her cheek. "I've got to dash pet," he told her and Laura looked up at him. He leant in for a kiss, and then murmured against her cheek. "I love you. We've got this. We're going to be fine." And then he turned on his heel, and strolled away from the lab.