The Shock
In a medical clinic in B.P.R.D. base, the girl has been sitting on a medical bed staring at her reflection for the past five minutes. Until arriving at the destination, she has been asleep for the entirety of the car ride. After waking and enduring about two hours of poking, prodding, and questioning, she was given a hand mirror to see the changes the "mad scientist" had done to her. A shaking hand touched her full cheeks to feel the differently textured skin while staring at her single golden eye. The mirror some inches away from her face since she didn't have her glasses back. She was that blind and disbelieving.
This person couldn't be her.
Footsteps sounded, and she quickly put down the mirror, reflection side down. In came a pretty female nurse with a small bright smile on her face, she stopped to the side of the nervous girl. Giving a small chuckle at the finger fidget dance the girl in front of her was doing to Hellboy's coat, Agent Red, she picked up the mirror to put it back in its proper place.
"Well, Ms. Sweet, you check out. Other than the physical appearance change, there isn't anything wrong with your health other than being in peak condition! Oh! Congratulations by the way."
Melissa's brows frowned in confusion as she squinted to see the nurse better.
"U-um, congratulations for what?"
The nurse paused and seemed to brighten at the prospect of being the first to announce the news while Melissa's expression morphed in extreme confusion. The nurse had turned around to reach into a cabinet behind her, so she didn't really see Melissa's face.
"Well, from the tests that came in, you are positive for a child! It seems your little gift is a tough little cookie after what you went through! Are you alright? Do you need some water?"
The nurse turned to see a deathly pale Melissa. Checking the girl's pulse, Melissa's heartbeat had quickened. Her newly heterochromia eyes were wide with distress and extreme confusion. The nurse knew that finding out that you're pregnant and just going through the ordeal this woman had, it must have been distressing.
"You said that I was fine. If that were true, I shouldn't be having a kid," whispered Melissa in a warbling, choked voice as emotions foreign to her, overflowed.
The nurse paused in confusion. Since seeing Melissa's picture before her physical change, the nurse had assumed that the girl had a boyfriend. Melissa was a pretty girl even before her change to highlight her apparent beauty. Now, she needed to wing it; since, it could have been possible the girl had a one night stand before her ordeal; because, despite looking between thirteen and sixteen years old, this was a nineteen, almost, twenty years old woman.
Lifting an unopened home pregnancy test stick still in her hand to show the pale young woman, she held it out for Melissa to take from her hand to use. If Melissa won't believe her words, she can just test it for the facts.
Melissa felt the little oddly shaped thing in her hands and brought it up to her eyes to read clearly what it was exactly. Upon realizing what it was, she just shook her head desperately. Apparently, she wasn't clear enough about what she said. Flushing in embarrassment and a bit of anger, she clenched her hands in the sturdy fabric in her lap over the standard paper hospital gown. She started to tremble. She felt too exposed and raw. This shouldn't be happening.
The doctor told her that the red man and strange orbs of fuzzy light and moving blurs she saw was just a hallucination of an agent trying to help her in the dim light of the underground laboratory she was found in, but it didn't make sense to her. Everything she felt, felt real. The stone hand holding her up. The calloused red skin of his other hand keeping her balanced. The warm black sports shirt her hand griped. Just like how, now didn't make sense.
"No, what I mean is, if I wasn't, wasn't raped, I would have absolutely no experience i-in, uh, those interactions. In all rational thought, I should not be having a kid!"
Now the nurse froze as she processed what she has been told. In her own experience, she would not believe Melissa. It was generally popular for young teens to get together in every sense of the phrase, but as she glanced at the distraught and innocent looking young woman with the impossibly clear eyes watering with tears, she was compelled to believe her. That and the test really show that there was nothing wrong with her. The nurse really doubted the plant monster would have gone inside the poor woman to erase any sex scars or stretch lines, but when working for the BPRD, it could be possible.
The nurse looked back at the distraught mother-to-be and asked to give her a few moments to talk with the doctor. Apparently, lying to the young woman isn't going to work. After crossing the hallway and coming to the door to the office the doctor and Abe should be in, she knocked. After hearing the permission to enter, she did.
There standing around a desk full of Melissa's past and present pictures, her thin files, and records was the doctor and Abraham Sapien, Agent Blue. From what the nurse could see, they were studying the strange symbols that were painted onto the Melissa's abdomen. The color of the paint was really close to the woman's skin color, so they hadn't noticed it until Agent Blue had checked her over after her sudden abdominal pain. It was also how they found out that Melissa was pregnant.
Now they just needed to figure out if the child will be completely human or not.
They looked up when the nurse knocked on the door softly to get their attention. They seem grave, well at least the doctor did. Abe didn't really have facial muscles to express himself, but the uncharacteristic twitching gills and tenseness of his webbed hands were enough.
"We have a slight problem. Will you please come and see Miss Melissa Sweet?"
The doctor nodded and handed some photos to Agent Blue to look over before straightening up. He was filled in by the nurse of what was said between the nurse and unexpected patient. Following the nurse, they came to Melissa's room door. In they went to see a cross armed pouting Melissa. She seemed to have been in a daze before they came in. The doctor took a seat and locked his fingers together between his knees. He noticed an unopened home pregnancy test lying on the table.
"Well, Ms. Sweet, it seems there is a, misunderstanding between Mrs. Jefferson and you. Is there something you need to explain to me?"
Melissa squinted at the doctor and Mrs. Jefferson before sighing. In a much calmer manner than before she told the doctor why she thinks she shouldn't be pregnant. It was basically the same thing she told Mrs. Jefferson. She had practiced abstinence. She can't be pregnant is she didn't have sex or wasn't … raped …
The doctor hummed for a moment and observed Melissa. Melissa fidgeted with Hellboy's coat for a moment, avoiding his eyes. She reached up towards her nose bridge before remembering: no glasses. Her hand returned to the jacket. She couldn't remember anything during her 'experience' except that small window of consciousness and pain. She doesn't know anything that could have happened.
Giving a small sigh, he stood to leave. He couldn't very well have Mrs. Jefferson leave Ms. Sweet to get Abraham. With the experience Melissa went through or assumes she went through, he is sure that the young woman would not be comfortable in his presence.
Then again he will need to run by the situation to Professor Bruttenholm and Director Manning. Before he left, he turned to the worrying woman. She had tensed at his silence and dismissal. She wasn't too certain of her claim anymore. Giving a small smile to at least reassure her, he nodded to her.
"It will be alright, Ms. Sweet. I'll just be out for a few minutes to review the tests and their results. I'll be back soon."
She swallowed and nodded meekly. He smiled again and left. The nurse was left alone with the silent Melissa. The nurse gave a silent sigh after glancing at Melissa. Grabbing the untouched pregnancy test, Mrs. Jefferson held it for a moment before reach out to Melissa. In turn, the stubborn woman just glared at it.
"If you are sure you are not pregnant, then it will show a blue negative, and things will be resolved."
Melissa's lips thinned, but she hesitantly took the test stick and stared at it. Her shoulders dropped. Melissa's stubborn expression lessened.
"I- I don't know how to use this."
Mrs. Jefferson stared for a moment. Melissa blushed.
"I never had any intentions of having kids in the future, so I never learned," snapped Melissa.
Mrs. Jefferson gave a quick apology, startled at Melissa's reaction. She was so soft spoken and meek earlier. Mrs. Jefferson supposed that the situation has Melissa stressed far more than what she gave away. After instructing Melissa how to use the test, the miffed and now embarrassed mother-to-be went to the joining lavatory. Knocking on the door, then squinting at the green 'unoccupied' sign just above the knob before straightening from her partial kneeling and entering.
About ten minutes passed, Mrs. Jefferson began to worry about Melissa. Knocking on the door, Mrs. Jefferson listened carefully. Soon she could hear controlled ragged breaths. Becoming more concerned, Mrs. Jefferson grasped the door knob.
"Dear, I'm going to come in, alright? I'm opening the door in 3, 2, 1"
The door opened to see Melissa huddled against the wall trembling. The young woman had her knees up and arms wrapped tightly around them with her face hidden from view. Mrs. Jefferson felt pity well up within her.
The pregnancy test hanging loosely from limp fingers, a bright red plus sign could be seen.